THE ISSAQUAHPRESS
SPORTS
B6
Wednesday August 21, 2013
Spartan duo hopes to spark veteran volleyball squad By Neil Pierson npeirson@ sammamishreview.com
BY GREG FARRAR
Jack Gellatly, Issaquah High School running back, holds off O’Dea junior defensive back Jack Murphy on the last yard of his 19-yard touchdown run against the Irish Sept. 14, 2012.
END OF AN ERA
Final Gellatly brother prepares for senior season at Issaquah By Christina Corrales-Toy newcastle@isspress.com
Robert and Susan Gellatly could be considered the ultimate Issaquah Eagles sports fans. They’ve been going to football and baseball games for more than 10 years, witnessing two state championships and countless playoff runs along the way. They aren’t just any idle spectators, though; they are the parents of Cameron, Matt, Grant and Jack, four athletes who have left an indelible mark on Issaquah High School over the last decade. Cameron graduated from
BY GREG FARRAR
Cameron Gellatly, of Issaquah, races past Prosser tacklers on his second kickoff return for a touchdown in their nonleague game Sept. 10, 2004. than the Gellatlys, with all four boys starring for the football and baseball teams. When one graduated, another one would surely follow, leaving opposing coaches lamenting, “Another Gellatly?” Issaquah athletics without a Gellatly is something that the
BY GREG FARRAR
Matt Gellatly (30), of Issaquah, fights through Liberty Tacklers Gary Flanik (11) and Scott DeRusha (10) en route to a 27-yard run to the 1-yard line on Nov. 5, 2004, as the Eagles defeated the Patriots, 39-29. Issaquah in 2005, Matt in 2007, Grant in 2010 and Jack will do so in 2014. “If you counted up all of the games, it would be a lot, but every time you go it seems unique and fun,” Robert said. Arguably no family has meant more to Issaquah sports
Eagles haven’t had to worry about in more than 10 years, but it will soon become a scary reality, as the final Gellatly, Jack, heads into his senior year. “It will be strange next year when we take the field and there’s not a Gellatly out there,” said Issaquah football coach
Chris Bennett, who has coached all four brothers. Growing up Gellatly As can be expected in a household with four competitive, athletically gifted sons, the Gellatly home was always filled with energy, matriarch Susan said. “Everything is a competition with them,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting at the dinner table, if you’re standing trying to have a conversation or if you’re literally on a field.” There were the usual sibling rivalries, but for the most part, the Gellatly brothers got along well growing up, Robert said. Jack said he fondly remembers following his older brothers around, playing spectator at their various games and just absorbing everything that they did. “My oldest brother is 10 years older than me, so they were always doing things that were well beyond my skills and expertise when I was a little kid. But it was fun to follow everything,” he said. Being the youngest of the four, he also learned very quickly to develop a thick skin. “You kind of learn that whenever you want to be a baby and quit, you’ve got to suck it up and keep going, just because there’s no room for that,” Jack said. The most important aspect of growing up as a Gellatly, See ERA, Page B7
Coming off a sixth-place finish in 2011 at the Class 4A state volleyball tournament, the Skyline High School Spartans felt 2012 would be a season for them to challenge for a championship. It didn’t quite work out that way. Skyline had a dominating regular season, and then beat Newport to capture the KingCo Conference tournament title. At state, however, the Spartans got off to a slow start, losing to Union in straight sets. They beat Wenatchee to stay alive for a trophy, but were swept out of the tourney at the hands of Auburn Riverside. It was an experience that this year’s four seniors — including reigning all-conference selections Crystal Anderson and Molly Mounsey — may use for motivation. “It was really exciting winning KingCo last year, because that was a big step for us,” said Anderson, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter. “And then we got into the state tournament, and we went pretty far, but I don’t think we met our potential last year. And so this year I’m hoping we work as a team more and we are able to get farther.” Mounsey, a 6-foot middle blocker, said the Spartans may have suffered some complacency after doing well at state in 2011. That year, they opened with a thrilling five-set win over top-ranked Bellarmine Prep, a squad that went on to win the state title in 2012. “I think that we learned that we need to have a little more dedication all the time,” Mounsey said. “I think we all expected to do well, and we could’ve pushed a little harder, even though I know we did try a lot.” With their size and skill around the net, Anderson and Mounsey figure to be huge keys in 2013 as Skyline looks to build upon last year’s 16-5 record. The pair plays all year with the Kent Juniors Volleyball Club, and they were part of a second-place finish for the under-17 squad at July’s USA Volleyball Junior National Championships in Dallas. With Kent Juniors, Anderson and Mounsey have honed their all-around
“There’s not one person that’s holding us back, and there’s not one person who’s pushing us more than the rest, because we all know we only have a few months to push ourselves as far as we can go.” — Molly Mounsey Skyline senior middle blocker
games. Both players were once middle blockers, but Anderson moved to outside hitter when she came to Skyline. They have enough versatility to play any position on the court in a pinch. “We have a lot of girls from Skyline that play for that same club,” Anderson said, “so we all get kind of the same coaching.” “We get more time practicing setting and passing, which are things we would somewhat do here at school, but not normally, because we only have two or three months here,” Mounsey said. At Skyline, “we focus more on our positional techniques, whereas with club, we have more time and we become better all-around players.” Both players are coy about their college prospects, but say they’re talking to various schools and have plans to extend their careers past high school. Although the Spartans lost a standout player — outside hitter Halle Erdahl — to graduation, they may have a deeper lineup in 2013. Anderson and Mounsey were complementary of Katy Valencia and Meghan Wedeking, the team’s two junior setters, and said they believe every player is capable of leading or starring in certain situations. “We’re all driven to accomplish the best that we can,” Mounsey said. “There’s not one person that’s holding us back, and there’s not one person who’s pushing us more than the rest, because we all know we only have a few months to push ourselves as far as we can go.” “We are a very physically gifted team,” Anderson said. “We’re talented and athletic, which is good, and our passion helps us.”
BY NEIL PIERSON
Crystal Anderson (left) and Molly Mounsey are hoping to make their senior seasons with the Skyline High School volleyball team a special one.