THE ISSAQUAHPRESS
SPORTS
B4
Wednesday November 20, 2013
Federal Way shocks No. 2 Skyline with comeback win, 26-20 By Kaelyn Sayles Seattle Times staff reporter
BY GREG FARRAR
Mackenna Briggs, Liberty High School junior, wins her preliminary state 3A heat in the 100 butterfly Nov. 15 at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way with a time of 56.31 seconds. Although that time would have sufficed for the state championship, she even shaved more than a second off in the finals Nov. 16 in a time of 55.02 seconds.
SPARTANS MAKE WAVES
Skyline takes fourth in state, Liberty’s Mackenna Briggs wins 100 butterfly By Neil Pierson npierson@ sammamishreview.com After finishing fifth at the 2012 state championships, the Skyline High School girls swimming and diving team didn’t want to go home again without some hardware. Only the top four teams get trophies, and Skyline managed to score 146 points to snatch fourth place at the Class 4A state meet, held Nov. 15-16 at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. The Spartans didn’t win any events, but their consistency throughout most of the meet proved valuable. They earned seven medals, including a runner-up finish from senior diver Erin Taylor. Taylor started diving only last year, but she improved dramatically upon a 17th-place finish at state in 2012. She stood in fourth place after her first eight dives, and then moved up with three quality scores on the second day
of competition. Taylor’s 373.40 points trailed only champion Hailey Kessler, of Auburn, (387.30). “I just love to dive, and I put in the time and effort,” Taylor said of the reasons behind her success. “I’m just glad to be in this group of kids. Everyone here that competes in diving, we’re all friends, and we all love each other.” Skyline wasn’t able to keep up with KingCo Conference rival Newport, which repeated as the 4A champion with 232 points. Wenatchee was second; Gig Harbor was third. And although the Spartans didn’t return to the apex they achieved as three-time state champions from 2009-11, earning a team trophy was a great accomplishment, senior Stephanie Munoz said. Munoz was one of the keys, winning individual medals in the 200-yard freestyle and 100 butterfly, as well as contributing to See SWIMMING,
Don’t call this an upset. Federal Way won’t let you. After No. 6 Federal Way beat two-time defending champion No. 2 Skyline, 26-20, in the first round of the 4A state playoffs Nov. 15, players clad in blue and white jumped around, screaming, “This is not an upset!” The Eagles never showed fear against a team many expected to make a run at the state title again this year. Federal Way had different expectations. The game at Skyline was lights out. Literally. With just over two minutes left in the game, Federal Way was up 2620, and Skyline had the ball on its own 18 after a Federal Way fumble. Then, the lights went out and the field went black. But Federal Way maintained composure,
forcing a turnover with 45 seconds left to seal the shocking victory. Eagles quarterback Keenan Curran finished with 144 yards rushing on 16 carries and two touchdowns. That made up for Skyline’s ability to stop running back Chico McClatcher in the first half, limiting him to 40 yards rushing on 11 carries. Skyline led 14-0 at the half. But Curran helped keep McClatcher’s head in the game, talking to him at halftime, reminding him that they had to stay in the game. McClatcher found some more running room in the second half — or he made more running room — finishing with 254 yards rushing on 24 carries and a touchdown. Federal Way finished with 439 yards total offense — all rushing. Skyline finished with 341 yards total in a balanced offense.
Liberty stuns Columbia River By Christina Corrales-Toy newcastle@isspress.com
BY GREG FARRAR
Erin Taylor, Skyline High School senior, enters the water doing an inward dive during a preliminary round Nov. 15 at the state Page B5 4A swim and dive championships in Federal Way.
Third time’s a charm Issaquah High School soccer players scream and jump for joy as their sophomore keeper Anna Miller stops the last shootout kick by Skyline after two overtimes to give the Eagles the 2-1 (6-5 PK) first-round state 4A soccer tournament victory over the two-time defending champion Spartans Nov. 16 at Gary Moore Stadium. Skyline had won the previous two, regularseason matches against Issaquah. PHOTOS BY GREG FARRAR
Above, Amanda Johnston (right), Skyline High School junior forward, kicks the ball away from Issaquah’s Olivia Witherspoon (left) and Megan Stapley. At left, Jaeden Chew (left), Skyline High School senior keeper, takes in the ball on a penalty kick as Issaquah’s Deval Talley, with Abbie Litka and Erin Schlosser, of Skyline, pursue the play in the second period.
The Columbia River girls soccer team came into the state tournament with a rather impressive résumé. In addition to being the defending state champions, the Chieftains had outscored opponents 83-0. That’s right, no team had scored on Columbia River this year, that is until the team met the Patriots Nov. 13. Not only did Liberty find the net twice against the Chieftains, but the team also pulled off a shocking upset, sending the top-ranked team home in the first round of the state playoffs. The Patriots even did it on Columbia River’s home turf, down in Vancouver. It was a nice bit of revenge, Liberty coach Tami Nguyen said, given that Columbia River defeated the Patriots in last year’s semifinal game. “This win was a chance for this group of seniors to put their stamp on the program, and prove how good they are,” she said. Jacquelyn Anderson and Sami Harrell each scored, while Harrell and Kelley Johnson both had assists. Amy Ellenberg and Katie McGuire combined for the shutout. The victory made for a fun ride home, Nguyen
said, but the Liberty coach stressed to her team that its job was not done. “We have to take one game at a time,” she said. “At this stage, everybody is good. It’s about who’s going to be great on a given day.” Just days later, the Patriots continued their march toward the state championship with a convincing 3-0 win over Bishop Blanchet on Nov. 16. Harrell scored twice, with assists from Ashlann Applegate and Tara Johnson. Anderson scored the third goal with an assist from both Kelley Johnson and Kali Youngdahl. Ellenberg and McGuire again combined for the shutout. The Patriots are now guaranteed to, at the very least, match last year’s fourth-place finish, but Liberty is determined to improve on that mark this year, Nguyen said. “Our preparation is all about us, being confident and sticking to our plan,” she said. They will play in the state semifinals against Seattle Prep at 4 p.m. Nov. 22 at Puyallup’s Sparks Stadium. If the girls win, they will play in the championship game at 2 p.m. Nov. 23. If they lose, they will play for third place at 10 a.m. Nov. 23. Both games are at Sparks Stadium.
BY GREG FARRAR
Sami Harrell (second from left), Liberty High School junior forward, sees her kick get by Bishop Blanchet’s goalie Nov. 16 for the for the first of her two goals in a 3-0 state 3A soccer tournament first-round win at home.