MERCER ISLAND REPORTER | www.mi-reporter.com
Wednesday, January 22, 2014 | Page 13
Girls’ streak ends against Rebels By Joseph Livarchik
jlivarchik@mi-reporter.com
Joseph Livarchik/Staff Photo
Mercer Island’s Jake Pruchno prepares to grapple with Liberty’s Zach Toombs Thursday, Jan. 16 at Mercer Island High School. Pruchno won by 14-3 major decision.
wrestle | FROM 12 Chen (132) also competed. Trevor Gullstad went 3-2 and earned three pins in the 138 bracket, while Kenji Walker finished second and Mike Ong finished fourth in the 145 bracket. Walker lost to Bellevue’s Christian Villani in the title match. Finn Childress (145), Nic Meinzinger-Richards (152), Masa Kemmotsu (152) and Brian Wen (160) also competed. Tanner Ranz took second in the 170 division, losing by a 12-1 decision to Lynnwood’s Hunter Lord in the title match. Kwanme Opoku and Teague Frazier also competed in the 170
bracket. Cole Nielsen and Dylan Majewski each earned pins in the 220 bracket, while Delano Kingston (195) and Evan King (285) also competed for Mercer Island. The Jack Reynolds Tournament is the highlight event for raising money for the Jack Reynolds Scholarship Fund, which aims to assist post secondary education for student athletes. Reynolds was an educator in the Issaquah School District for 36 years and was a coach in wrestling, football, track and volleyball. He passed away at age 61 in 2008 after battling melanoma, and was inducted to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. A
total of 15 scholarships and $50,000 has been raised over the last five years. Earlier in the week, Mercer Island celebrated Senior Night with a 48-24 win over the Liberty Patriots Thursday, Jan. 16 at Mercer Island High School. Seniors Evan King, Jake Pruchno and Kenji Walker all earned wins for the Islanders. King (285) opened the meet with a win by forfeit, while Pruchno (132) won by a 14-3 major decision over Zach Toombs and Walker (145) won by a 10-4 decision over Juan Flores. Next up, the Islanders will travel to Mount Si to take on the Wildcats at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23.
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Mercer Island senior Kaleb Warner was among the Washington state nominees for the 2014 McDonald’s All American game. Warner signed and committed to attend the University of the Pacific last November. McDonald’s released the list Jan. 7, with Washington boasting 45 nominees. Nearly 1,000 high school senior players from across the country were nominated. The final team of 24 boys and 24 girls will be announced Jan. 29, on ESPNU. The Games will take place April 2 at the United Center in Chicago.
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Islander Warner a 2014 McDonald’s All American nominee
The Mercer Island girls basketball team saw its fourgame winning streak come to an end Friday, losing to KingCo’s first-place Juanita Rebels 56-40 at Mercer Island High School. The loss dropped the Islanders to 6-3 in the KingCo standings and 8-6 overall. Gunning for their fifthstraight win against the league’s top team, Mercer Island came out with a strong first quarter, leading 16-13 after one. But Juanita hung in, tying the game in the second quarter to head into halftime with the score 27-27. The Rebels opened the second half going on a 6-0 run while holding the Islanders to single digits for the entire third quarter, leading 39-31 after three. And in the fourth,
the Islanders still couldn’t crack double figures against the Juanita defense while the Rebels exploded for 17 points. Jess Blakeslee led the Islanders in scoring with 17 points. Julia Blumenstein had 8 points, and Suri Johnson contributed 6 points for Mercer Island. It was a much different story for Mercer Island earlier in the week. Against the Interlake Saints Monday, Jan. 13 at Mercer Island High School, the Islanders pounced on the Saints early to lead 13-4 after the first quarter and then 21-10 at halftime. After a deadeven third quarter, Mercer Island ran away with an 18-point fourth quarter to win 48-33. Jess Blakeslee led the Islanders in scoring with 13 points and Taylor Krause had 10. Suri Johnson had 7 points, and Latrevian Saunders contributed 6
points for Mercer Island. On Wednesday, Jan. 15, the Islanders opened with a 16-point first quarter against the Sammamish Totems to lead 16-6 after one and 28-14 at the half. The Totems responded with a strong second half, making a 16-6 run themselves in the fourth quarter. But Mercer Island held on to win 48-40. Julia Blumenstein led the Islanders in scoring with 13 points. Jess Blakeslee had 11, Arianna Moscatel had 7 points and Anna Luce had 6 points for Mercer Island. The Islanders will travel to Interlake High School for their second matchup with the Saints at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24. Then on Wednesday, Jan. 29, the Islanders will take on Liberty at 7:30 p.m. at Liberty High School.
Joseph Livarchik/Staff Photo
Mercer Island’s Renae Tessem drives past Juanita’s Jaissa Nunn Friday, Jan. 17 at Mercer Island High School. The Islanders lost to the Rebels 56-40.