1. Seattle gives Cleveland its day: The Seattle City Council has declared April 5 as Cleveland High School Day in honor of the team winning the Class 3A state girls basketball title. The Eagles went from unranked when the playoffs began to state champs.
2. The Class 3A squad beat the Class 4A team at the All-State basketball game, 121-111. Tanner Riley of Mount Si led the 3As with 20 points. Chelan's Joe Harris, the Gatorade state player of the year, scored 17 points to lead the Class 2A team past the 1A team 110-76. And in the B game, the Class 1B team beat the 2Bs 82-76. For complete results, click here.
3. Meyers sets state records: Northwest School's Maddie Meyers set the state record for the indoor mile on March 6 at a meet at the University of Washington. Meyers, a sophomore and Class 1A state champ in cross country, 1,600 and 3,200, ran the race in 4 minutes, 46.77 seconds. She added another state record on March 21 in the 2,000-meter steeplechase. She ran it 6:58, beating the record (held by Katelyn Steel in 2008) by 30 seconds.
4. Softball moving mound back: Softball is a game dominated by pitchers. A rule change this year could help out the batters. High school pitchers will be moved back three feet to 43 feet this year, a move that can give batters more time to see the pitch and pitchers more time to react to a batted ball. The distance is now the same used by colleges and club teams.
5. Kentwood coach leaves on top: Michael Angelidis, who led Kentwood (Covington) to the Class 4A state boys basketball title, resigned two weeks after the state title game. A release from the school said he was leaving to spend more time with his family.
Top five performers
Willy Reel (Mercer Island baseball): He went 5-for-8 with 12 RBI as the Islanders swept Interlake in a doubleheader. Reel had a grand slam and a three-run homer. He also pitched five innings of one-hit ball.
Allyx Copeland (Southridge softball): Just a sophomore, Copeland had a big week as she went 6-for-8 with a double, homer, two steals and four RBI in three games.
Seth Darling (Cle Elum/Roslyn baseball): In a doubleheader, Darling hit three homers, a double and had five RBI. He also scored five runs and had two steals and took a no-hitter into the fifth inning.
Sasha Weber (Timberline track and field): She set the bar higher on her state-best mark in the high jump.
Sylvia Warren (Lakeside lacrosse): Warren, who has been part of three state titles, was named state player of the week for May 15-21. She had 13 points (11 goals, 2 assists) in the week.
Upcoming events
This will be a slow week across the state for high school sports as most schools are on spring break. Some leagues do continue to play through the break.
Recruiting news
Timberline's Jesse Mueller and Ramon Vidallon have signed to play football at NAIA Montana-Western.
Nate’s notes
Spring sports are always unusual. They start right as the state basketball tournaments are ending, giving those who cover them little time to get ready. And just when things are getting serious, spring break comes and things grind to a halt.
Nathan Joyce has been a sports writer in Washington for 12 years. He currently works at the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton.
