This week's stories in Washington prep sports:
1. No. 1 Liberty falls: Jeremiah Laufasa took over in the second half and his team beat the No. 1 team in the state. Laufasa had a 59-yard touchdown run and two interceptions as No. 8
Juanita (Kirkland) (5-0) of beat No. 1
Liberty (Renton) (3-2) 28-14 in a KingCo Conference contest.
2. No. 3 Auburn upset: The
Auburn Trojans (4-1), ranked No. 3 by the Associated Press and No. 1 by a few media outlets, were knocked off by No. 9
Kentwood (Covington) 19-7 in a South Puget Sound League matchup. Ronnie Flowers, who is recovering from two knee surgeries, sealed the win with a 55-yard interception return for the Conquerors (4-1), who forced five turnovers.
3. Clover Park's Pritchard commits to WSU: Clover Park (Lakewood) quarterback
Yonatana Pritchard committed to Washington State, the Tacoma News Tribune reported. Pritchard agreed to play for the Cougars just 24 hours after receiving an offer. His father and uncle both played for Washington State. Pritchard's brother Tavita is a backup quarterback for Stanford.
4. Skyline wins swimming showdown: Skyline (Sammamish) is the defending Class 4A swimming champion.
Mercer Island is the defending Class 3A state champ. When the two teams met, it was Skyline that showed it was best in the state, 95-91. Skyline hasn't lost a dual meet since 2008.
5. Neale posts low time: In the biggest regular-season cross country meet in the state, Amy Eloise Neale of
Glacier Peak (Snohomish) turned in the seventh-fastest time at the Sunfair Invitational in Yakima. Neale, a sophomore, ran the 3-mile course in 17 minutes, 40.2 seconds. Dallin Farnsworth of
Highland (Pocatello, Idaho) won the boys race in 15:05.90, the fastest boys time since 2001.
TOP FIVE PERFORMERS* Pierre Wright, Garfield (Seattle) football: The backup quarterback rushed for 261 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries and threw for 104 yards and another score as the Bulldogs beat Roosevelt 35-28 in a Seattle showdown.
* David Jones, Kent-Meridian football: Jones rushed for 256 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries as the Royals beat Jefferson 38-34.
Jefferson (Auburn) star Keegan Giles had 257 yards and two scores on 39 carries in the loss.
* Chris Brown, Bonney Lake football: The quarterback threw for 347 yards and four touchdowns — 12 passes went to Austin Marshall for 226 yards and four scores — in a 34-7 win over Auburn Mountainview.
* Zack Berg, Edmonds-Woodway (Edmonds) football: Berg had 204 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries in a 52-51 overtime win over Jackson.
* Levonte Littlejohn, Lakes (Lakewood) football: The running back had 277 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries as the Lancers beat Peninsula 42-14.
RECRUITING NEWSTalia Walton, a 6-foot-1 girls basketball forward from
Federal Way, committed to Washington. Watson averaged 12.8 points and 11.8 rebounds for the Eages, who finished third at state. ...
Seattle Prep's Gabby Bird-Vogel, a two-time All-Metro League volleyball player, has committed to Yale.
UPCOMING EVENTSA Greater Spokane League showdown is coming up as Class 4A No. 5
Ferris (Spokane) is at Class 3A No. 5
Mt. Spokane (Mead). Also, a big KingCo 3A clash is coming up as No. 2
Bellevue is at No. 8 Juanita, which upset No. 1 Liberty. And in the 2As, No. 3
Tumwater faces No. 9
Centralia.
NATE'S NOTESThere has been some talk, at least around my neck of the woods, about coaches running up scores in football games. In one game, a long-suffering team came up with a win against a team it had rarely beaten. In the final minute, that team was passing, and even called a trick play, in an effort to pad a four-touchdown lead.
In another game, one I covered, a team with another four-touchdown lead kicked two onside kicks and threw deep a couple times in the fourth quarter. I understand that the onside kicks were to keep the ball away from a dangerous kick returner, but still...
It's an easy formula, coaches. If you're up three or four touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the reserves come in and the passing plays come out. Otherwise those complaints of poor sportsmanship you'll hear after the game are deserved.
Nathan Joyce has covered high school sports in Washington for 13 years. He works for the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton.
