Sports SECTION C
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THE DAILY HERALD
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WWW.HERALDNET.COM/SPORTS
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World Cup Costa Rica stuns Uruguay; Italy stops England; Colombia rolls over Greece and Ivory Coast rallies to defeat Japan, C3
SUNDAY, 06.15.2014
Kelliher, A’s agree on deal
THE HERALD’S 2014 BOY ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Pitcher out of Lake Stevens High School must first pass physical before he can sign a contract By Aaron Lommers Herald Writer
KAITLYN BERNAUER / YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC
Monroe High School’s Hunter Bingham throws the ball from the outfield during Saturday’s All-State Baseball Series game at Yakima County Stadium in Yakima.
Steady through changes Asked to play different roles throughout his high school sports career, Hunter Bingham always did what was best for the team
H
unter Bingham is used to making adjustments. The Monroe High School three-sport athlete has switched positions a couple of times over his athletic career. On the gridiron, he went from quarterback to wide receiver his senior year. On the baseball diamond, he bounced around from the infield to the outfield. Wherever he ended up playing, one thing remained the same: Bingham did whatever he could to help the Bearcats succeed. “That’s the way it is for him,” said Eric Chartrand, Monroe High’s baseball coach. “He was willing to do whatever he could for the team to be better. He was definitely willing and has the capabilities to do that.” Bingham’s strong athletic career, coupled with his off-the-field dedication to his classwork, community and family, earned Bingham the Class of 2014 Boy Athlete of the Year. Bingham played football, basketball and baseball for Monroe and was
Story and Interview by David Krueger, The Herald Q: What was the top moment of your high school career? A: There are probably two. I think it was last year beating Arlington in overtime (19-14 in football on Oct. 18). We forced a fumble and won and everybody stormed the field. That was pretty cool. The other time was senior night this year for basketball. We were down by two points against Lake Stevens with nine seconds left and I hit a 3-pointer to go up by one and we won.
a key component on all three teams. Most recently he was an All-Wesco first-team selection as an outfielder for the baseball team. He also helped the Monroe football team win a league title his junior year and make the playoffs for the first time in 19 years. The Bearcats’ No. 3 hitter, Bingham is the all-time doubles leader at Monroe, according to Chartrand. He played primarily left field this season, after playing some infield in the past. His athleticism and dedication made him a huge success in the outfield. “He’s an excellent young man,” Chartrand said. “As talented as he is on the different fields that he plays in — football, basketball and baseball — he’s an even better young man.” All the while Bingham maintained a 3.98 grade-point average while taking Advanced Placement and honors classes. Herald Writer David Krueger recently spoke with Bingham about his prep athletic career and his future plans.
Q: Was it weird being your last year and the last time you went to all these opposing fields? A: It was definitely weird. I kind of came to the realization that this was the last time. During football I would think, ‘There’s always basketball’ and after basketball it was always, ‘There’s still baseball.’ Now, after playing three sports for four years, it’s weird thinking this is the last time I would be wearing a Monroe jersey and representing my school. It was surreal to think it was all coming to an end. See BINGHAM, Page C5
Editor’s note: Only senior athletes are considered for athlete of the year nominations, which are provided by school athletic directors, coaches and Herald writers. Finalists for the award are based on fan voting and a selection by Herald staffers. The athlete of the year winner is chosen from the six finalists by Herald writers and editors.
It has been a week to remember for former Lake Stevens High School pitcher Branden Kelliher. Kelliher was drafted by the Oakland Athletics with the 252nd overall selection in the eighth round of the Major League Baseball draft on June 6. Just a few days later he graduated from high school. He capped off the week on Thursday by agreeing to terms with the A’s on his first professional baseball contract. “It was unbelievable,” Kelliher said of reaching his agreement with Oakland. “I felt like more of an adult. It was like I was a kid and then all of the sudden I was completely grown up. It was kind of overwhelming, but it’s exciting.” Kelliher flies to Arizona on Monday where he must pass a team physical before officially signing his contract. Terms of his deal with Oakland cannot be released until he officially signs. Branden “It was what we Kelliher: were looking for The A’s deal and we’re happy “was what we with what we got,” were looking Kelliher said of the for and we’re agreement. happy with After signing his what we got.” contract, Kelliher will report to the Arizona League Athletics, the A’s rookie team in Phoenix. Kelliher had previously committed to the University of Oregon, but his decision to sign with the A’s means college will have to wait for now. The decision pass up playing for the Ducks didn’t come easy. “It was pretty tough because (the Oregon) coaches are awesome,” Kelliher said. “They’re good guys and good coaches. It was hard to tell them no.” Being selected in the eighth round was a bit of a surprise. Kelliher had been projected to be drafted between the second and fifth round according to Baseball America. He entered the draft ranked as the No. 1 high-school baseball prospect in Washington State by Perfect Game, which also had him ranked as the 39thbest right-handed pitcher in the nation. Seattle, Texas and St. Louis also showed interest in Kelliher leading up to his selection by the A’s. All of the players selected in the draft have until July 18 to sign with their respective teams. Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Follow him on Twitter at @aaronlommers and contact him at alommers@ heraldnet.com.
Davis, Valle together again with AquaSox Not much goes right for >> M’s in 4-3 loss to Texas AquaSox fall short in 3-2 loss to Hillsboro, C4
By Nick Patterson Herald Writer
EVERETT — Alvin Davis and Dave Valle first shared a dugout in 1983 as members of the Class AA Chattanooga Lookouts. Who could have imagined that more than 30 years later, Davis and Valle would be sharing the dugout again for Valle’s managerial debut? Davis, a former Seattle Mariners great, has spent the first
By Bob Dutton
few games of the the Northwest League season as a fill-in coach with the Everett AquaSox, and that gave him the chance to once again hook up with his longtime Mariners teammate Valle. “It would have been hard to imagine that our paths would continue to cross like this and would See SOX, Page C3
TODAY’S GAME
Hillsboro at Everett, 4:05 p.m. Radio: KRKO (1380 AM)
INSIDE: U.S. Open, C2
The News Tibune
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DOUG RAMSAY / FOR THE HERALD
Mariners traveling coach Alvin Davis talks with AquaSox outfielder Phillips Castillo.
Auto Racing, C2
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Storm, C2
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SEATTLE — This is what correction to the mean looks like. A week ago, on a road trip through three cities, nearly everything fell the Mariners way in winning six of seven games. Now they’ve lost five in a row at Safeco Field after falling 4-3 on Saturday to Texas Rangers. And not much is going right. Leonys Martin drove in the
Baseball, C3-4
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TODAY’S GAME
Texas at Seattle, 1:10 p.m.
TV: Root (cable) Radio: ESPN (710 AM)
tie-breaking run in the ninth inning against Fernando
NBA, C6
See M’S, Page C4
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Weather, C8