Washington adds another Holt to its football program

This week's happenings on the Washington prep sports scene:

1. Huskies nab another Nick Holt: Washington signed one Nick Holt when they hired the defensive coordinator from USC two years ago. They'll get another one -- his son -- who has decided to be an invited walk-on linebacker for the Huskies. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder had scholarship offers from Montana, Portland State, Eastern Washington and Army. He said playing in the Pac-10 was the big key. "And I just love the university and the city of Seattle. I don't really want to leave," he told the Seattle Times.

2. Sankey switches from WSU to UW: Bishop Sankey from Gonzaga Prep in Spokane switched his committment from Washington State to Washington. The running back is rated as one of the top recruits in the state. He committed to the Cougars early, but took a visit to Washington and changed his mind last week.

3. Kentridge claims showdown: Brendan Westendorf scored 19 of 23 points in the first half as No. 4 Kentridge beat No. 7 Kentwood 61-54 in a South Puget Sound League 4A showdown. Gonzaga-bound guard Gary Bell scored 13 of his 19 in the second half as the Chargers completed a season sweep of the defending state champs.

4. Federal Way sophomore fourth in college race: Hannah Cunliffe, 15, took fourth in the 60 meters at the University of Washington invitational in 7.54 seconds. Cunliffe hasn't competed in high school yet -- she'll compete at Decatur -- but she's won national junior championships and is posting times in the 100 that are among the best in the nation.



5. Skyline's Kasen Williams nation's top player: Parade magazine named Skyline of Sammamish wide receiver Kasen Williams as the No. 1 player in the nation. The Washington-bound player is the first from the state to earn the honor. Williams is No. 4 on the state's all-time list with 235 receptions for 4,121 yards and No. 3 with 56 touchdowns.He had 86 catches for 1,579 yards and 21 touchdowns as senior.

TOP FIVE PERFORMERS
* Julian Vaughn and Darius Johnson-Wilson, Curtis boys basketball: The duo combined to make 21 of 22 shots and had 49 points and 15 rebounds in a 86-79 win over Puyallup. Vaughan scored 23 and Johnson-Wilson scored 26.

* William Locke, Bellevue boys basketball: The point guard had 31 points and five assists as the Wolverines beat Lake Washington 72-44.

* Kevin Henderson, Auburn boys basketball: The Montana-bound wing had 29 points in two wins last week. He's scored more than 20 points the each of his last seven games.

* Andre Coleman, Bremerton boys basketball: The senior shook off a rough shooting night to score 14 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to lead Bremerton to its 10th straight win in a 70-68 win over Kingston.

* Jessica Madison, Port Angeles girls basketball: The high-scoring guard has scored 1,679 career points and is only 23 points away from breaking the school's career scoring record of 1,702 set by her brother James. She averages 22.1 points per game.



UPCOMING EVENTS
The state bowling tournaments are Friday and Saturday at Narrows Plaza Bowl in Tacoma. The individual titles are decided on Friday. The team titles are handed out on Saturday. Also, wrestling begins its three-week postseason. The sub-regionals are held throughout the state.

RECRUITING NEWS
Tevin Williams, a defensive back from North Mason in Belfair, has committed to Eastern Washington. ... King's of Seattle quarterback Thomas Vincent will walk-on at Washington. He had an offer from Air Force. ... Bellevue defensive back Kendrick Van Ackeren reaffirmed to the Seattle Times he will play at Hawaii. He took a visit to Washington over the weekend. ... Curtis receiver Mel Dochery visited Washington State and it's now down between WSU and Oregon State, the Tacoma News Tribune reported.

NATE'S NOTES
As a sports fan, I hate February.

Once the Super Bowl ends, it's hard to adjust to life without football. It's still several weeks until I get interested in college basketball. Pitchers and catchers reporting at the end of the month offers a ray of sunshine.

But if you follow high school sports, this one of the best months of the year.

It starts Wednesday with National Signing Day. The wrestling postseason kicks off this weekend and that ends with the Mat Classic, a colossal event at the Tacoma Dome. State for bowling, gymnastics and swimming and diving are all held.



And best of all, the basketball playoffs begin. Washington can hang with any state in terms of basketball talent, and that makes the playoffs endlessly captivating.

So keep high schools in mind when you're dealing with sports withdrawl so common in February.

Nathan Joyce has covered high school sports in Washington for 13 years. He works at the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton.