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Wednesday, September 25, 2013 • The South Whidbey Record
Falcons flourish on home cross country course By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record Running on their home course made all the difference for the South Whidbey cross country teams in a 24-team invitational race Saturday. The Falcons hosted the massive race at South Whidbey High School and Community Park and relied on several hundred miles of offseason training to carry them. Mallorie Mitchem, a sophomore, finished as the top girl for South Whidbey in 11th place overall, and senior Gavin Imes the top Falcon boy in 31st place. “My legs are dead, which is what I wanted,” Mitchem said. South Whidbey’s girls, ranked the fifth-best 1A program in Washington by a coaches’ poll, were able to pack three runners in the top 20 and finished as the third-place team overall. In the small-schools division, South Whidbey girls placed second behind Mount Baker, a 1A team from the Northwest Conference. Steady rain the night before slowed the course a little bit, but also made for a cooler run as cloud cover kept the sun at bay. Mitchem led her teammates with a time of 21:15.07, a bit shy of her best time on her home course.
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Anders Bergquist, a junior cross country runner from South Whidbey High School, pushes himself on the final 100-meter stretch. “It felt really great to pass a group,” Mitchem said. Jaime Rodden, a senior, placed 15th overall in 21:28.49 in the first 5,000-meter race of her high school career. Freshman Anna Leski placed 17th in 21:23.47. Emma Lungren, a junior, placed 32nd overall in 22:17.01. A pair of freshmen filled out
the varsity roster for South Whidbey. Bethany Justus finished in 22:39.84 and Riley Yale in 24:06.38. On the boys team, which placed fourth in the smallschools division behind Cedar Park Christian, King’s and Cascade-Leavenworth, Imes led the Falcons in the stead of usual top runner Cole Zink, a junior. Imes smashed his pre-
vious best time on the South Whidbey course in 18:13.22. “On this course, it’s so hard, most people hate it,” Imes said. There was a long separation between him and his teammates. Chris Anderson, a sophomore, placed 50th in 18:48.09. Freshman Will Simms came in at 19:02.62.
SWHS football Briefly First-year 5K run benefits weathers Good Cheer, dogs Granite Falls By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record The South Whidbey football team's offense hardly played the first half against Granite Falls on Friday. Granite Falls chewed much of the first quarter on its opening possession which led to a touchdown. The Falcons (1-0 Cascade Conference; 3-0 overall) responded with a quick 95-yard kickoff return by senior Cooper Nichols to tie the game, 7-7. South Whidbey went to the passing game for its next points on a quick strike by senior quarterback Nick French to senior receiver Kale Reichersamer for a 36-yard score in the second quarter. Granite Falls answered with another long drive to end the first half and tie the game. French broke for a 25-yard touchdown run and the go-ahead score in the third quarter. South Whidbey's defense held for its first Cascade Conference win.
Join the inaugural “PAWZ by the SEA 5K Run/Walk,” benefiting the Good Cheer Pet Food Bank and the deserving young people of the Happy Hounds 4-H Dog Club. The race is Sunday, Sept. 29 starting with registration and packet pick-up at 7:30 a.m. The race begins at 9 with the children’s run at 10:30 a.m. Registration costs $25 for adults and $15 for children. The course allows participants to run or walk with their dogs through Langley, around its surrounding county neighborhoods and back along the bluff overlooking Saratoga Passage. There is a shorter course available for kids. Once finished, there will be festivities associated with an open house at the Animal Hospital by the Sea with prizes, goodie bags, food and fun. Volunteers are needed to organize and care for the entrants as they
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Mallorie Mitchem laughs with teammates Bethany Justus and Jaime Rodden before racing in the South Whidbey Invitational cross country meet Saturday, Sept. 21. Mitchem placed 11th overall. Juniors Truman Hood and Anders Bergquist were the only grouped Falcon boy runners. Hood finished in 19:23.77, Bergquist in 19:28.97. Justin Gonzales, a freshman, rounded out the varsity
make their way around the course. To register or for more information, call Animal Hospital by the Sea at 360-331-8090 or visit www.animal hospitalbythesea.com/events for an entry form. Register early or the day of the race before 8:30 a.m.
Girls basketball league begins with parks district Sign-ups are now being taken for the 2013 girls youth basketball season at the South Whidbey Parks & Recreation District. Girls from second grade to eighth grade can register now through Oct. 1. The league offers an inviting first experience or a chance to refine skills. Limited need-based scholarships are available. All participants will be placed on a team and get to play at least two quarters of every game. Volunteers are needed to coach or assist in the operation of the league.
lineup with a time of 19:48.06. Nathan Wadhwani, a senior from Terry Fox in British Columbia, won the boys medal. Erin Mullins, a freshman from CascadeLeavenworth, won the girls medal.
Team sponsors are also needed to defray the cost of the league. For registration and more information, visit www.swparks.org or call the parks and recreation district at 360221-6788.
Volleyball finishes home tourney in third place South Whidbey volleyball is riding high after a solid finish at its home invitational tournament. The shortened matches featured 15 teams from across Washington who came to South Whidbey High School on Saturday. Teams played best-of-three matches on time limits through the first four rounds. Area schools like Coupeville and Cascade in Everett played, as well as some that traveled from Chelan. The Chelan team defeated South Whidbey in the semifinal match before the Falcons rebounded against Hoquiam to finish third.