Putnam, Sanchey repeat winners at State
TLG girls win team title again

ANDREW CHRISTIANSEN
Reporter

     Hershel Sanchey and Neola Putnam didn’t disappoint fans at the 2008 State 1B track meet. The pair of Klickitat County runners returned to defend distance running titles and maybe take away a couple more.
     For Sanchey, a senior at Klickitat, his battles with Odessa’s Matt Cronrath are well-known, in cross country as well as track. Cronrath set the 1B records in the 800 and 1600-meter races at the inaugural 1B meet, last year. Sanchey was second in both races. While he wanted to take those titles away from Cronrath, more important to Sanchey was becoming a four-time champion in the 3200.
     The races drew a great deal of attention from the crowd at last weekend’s state meet, and the two runners put on a great show. It started on Friday with Cronrath and Sanchey beating the 4:35 record, and Cronrath winning by just over a second, in 4:30.94.
     Saturday saw the pair break away from the field in the two-lap 800. Sanchey pushed the pace on the second lap, trying to distance himself from the Odessa runner who is known for his kick. But Cronrath didn’t break. He made his move on the last turn and handed Sanchey another second place, this time by a second and a half. It was another meet record for Cronrath.
     In the final race, it was Sanchey against another Odessa runner, Scott Strang, last year’s runner-up in the 3200. Strang managed to stick with Sanchey as the Vandal runner broke from the pack early. With a lap to go - where Sanchey is usually all alone - Strang was still on his shoulder. “I was tired of getting beaten by an Odessa runner’s kick,” said Sanchey. It was ample motivation and Sanchey opened a lead down the home stretch, setting a new meet record of 9:44.66, two seconds ahead of Strang.
     As to why the Odessa runners are so tough, Sanchey speculated it could be that “they run through hay fields. I run over logs and cougar dens.” That training experience will serve Sanchey well as he runs the steeplechase and distances for Spokane Falls, next year.
     Putnam, a junior, has also been a dominant runner at State, holding the meet records in the 800 and 1600. First up was the 1600 against last year’s runner-up, Karissa Carlson, of Pateros. Carlson ran a great race, stretching out a lead that Putnam couldn’t erase. Both girls were well under Putnam’s 5:24, the 2007 record. Carlson won the race in 5:16.52 and Putnam was second in 5:18.01.
Putnam wasn’t about to lose her second title, although Carlson was after the 800, too. This time, Putnam was in control and seemed to have plenty of steam left as she nearly matched last year’s record, finishing in 2:20.65.

Pole Vault

     When it comes to 1B pole vault, there are only three teams worthy of considerati0n: Trout Lake-Glenwood, Bickleton and Odessa. While Odessa won the boys title in 2007 and placed second in girls pole vault, none of their vaulters were clearing the heights of the Klickitat County vaulters this year. The only thing that could prevent TLG and Bickleton from sweeping all of the top spots was injury or illness.
     Chalk one up to illness, as TLG senior, Luke Larson, a 12-foot vaulter, fell ill and was unable to make the trip to State. With Larson out, it was a two-man battle between TLG’s Kristian Rubesh and Bickleton’s Patrick Maeder to decide the top two places.
     Rubesh and Maeder left the other competitors behind when they cleared 10-foot. Then they wiped out the 11-foot record, as both vaulters cleared 12 feet. Maeder was unable to go higher, and Rubesh won the event at 12-9.
     For Rubesh, it caps a fantastic senior year. The TLG star made his debut in the sport, set a school record and finished with a state B record. Maeder, a junior, has two second place finishes and will be the favorite to return and dominate the event next year.
     Similarly, TLG’s Kindra VanLaar was being pressed to to defend her title by Bickleton’s freshman phenom, Star Kibby. VanLaar was up to the challenge on a rainy, windy day at Cheney, Friday, and defeated Kibby with a 9-6 vault, one foot higher than the meet record. Kibby matched the previous record for second.
     It was VanLaar’s second time over 9-6. Looking over the vaulting area on a much improved Saturday, VanLaar lamented, “I would like to be jumping today. I’d clear 10 feet.”

Other champions

     Posting a win in the discus was Bickleton’s Eric Hess, blowing away the competition and the previous record a with a throw of 135-1. The throw was 11 feet better than the second place throw and nearly six feet longer than the previous record. The senior also took fourth place in the shot put, collecting medals in all three trips to State.
     Dave’y Lumley also finished her high school career at Glenwood with a win in the discus, throwing 102-1. Lumley was second in the javelin and third in the shot put.
     TLG’s Mikael Dick set a new meet record in the 400, cruising to a 51.7 win. Dick also medaled in the 200, placing fourth.
     Also earning a first place medal was the TLG, girls’ 4x400 relay team of Putnam, Emily Paxson, Anna Schmid, and Liz Vogt, in a record time of 4:12.5.
     Vogt and fellow freshman, Samantha Brewer, of Klickitat, each came home with three medals from their first state meet. In addition to the relay, Vogt medaled in the 400, placing third, and 200 where she was fourth. Brewer placed second in the high jump at 5-0, second in the 100 hurdles, and third in the triple jump.
     Other great performances that earned medals for Klickitat County athletes were: Bickleton – Cody Loomis, second by a quarter-inch in the long jump; Andrew Venema, third in 110 hurdles, and fourth in the high jump with a PR of 6-0; Klickitat – Jeromie Mason, third in the triple jump with several leaps over 40 feet; TLG – Schmid – second in the 200; Tyler Cope, second in the 110 hurdles; and Paxson, second in the 3200.
     Paxson was the defending champion, and still holds the meet record of 11:57.42. She could only manage 12:56.72 this year, but can be forgiven for not repeating, as she was suffering from anemia during the event.
     The girls team easily defended their title, finishing with 106 points, well ahead of second place North Sound Christian, with 65. Klickitat was 10th on the strength of Brewer’s performance.
     Bickleton edged TLG for fifth in the boys’ competition, 46 to 44. Odessa was the team champion with 99 points. Klickitat was seventh.

Wandersheid moves into top 10 of 1A golf

     Zach Wandersheid was as consistent as he has been all year, shooting nine hole scores of 38, 39, 39, and 39 on the par 72, North Bellingham course at the State 1A golf tournament. That consistency placed the Goldendale sophomore, fifth in the state.
     Wandersheid has now won the sub-district and district tournaments as a freshman and sophomore. In 2007 he placed 11th in the state. With two years left to win it all, cracking the top five was a big step for Wandersheid.
     Wandersheid finished one stroke out of fourth place, and seven behind the champion, Chris Johnson, of Chimacum.
Two other Timberwolf boys made the trip to State, playing well, but missing the first round cut. D.J. Campbell shot 100 and Kyle Titus was in at 102.
     Amber Ihrig had a decent round of 114, which was nine strokes over the cut.

Milliren-Stevens sixth at State tennis

     Goldendale’s boys’ doubles teams got off to a bad start over the weekend at the State 1A tennis tournament in Yakima, and looked to be headed to a showdown for fourth place.
     Tanner Milliren and Lance Stevens lost their first match in straight sets to eventual third place team, Stafen Hudson and Josh Subido, of Cascade. Milliren and Stevens stayed alive with straight set wins over pairs from Valley Christian and Cascade, making it to the consolation semifinal on Saturday.
     In the upper bracket, Caleb Ferch and Aaron Ferch also stumbled in the opener to Cameron Schmidt and Cody Schmidt of Cashmere, who would eventually lose to Milliren and Stevens. The Ferches rebounded with easy wins over teams from Lakeside and Royal, which also put them in the semifinals.
     However, the Timberwolf match-up didn’t happen, as Max Friedman and Charlie Mohn, of Seattle Academy, stopped the Ferches in 6-4, 6-3 sets.
     Milliren and Stevens eliminated the Schmidts, but lost the fourth place showdown, 6-2, 6-3 and settled for sixth place.
     The Lady Timberwolf teams of Whitney Wing and Devon Moore, and Brianne Cline and Laryssa Retzlaff, and singles player, Kylee Bellamy were all eliminated in Friday’s play. Cline and Retzlaff won their opening match, then were sent to the consolation bracket by eventual third place finishers, Maggie Nelson and Candace Bradley, of Tenino. They lost the second round consolation match to a team from Cashmere.
     Bellamy made it to the second consolation round before bowing out on 6-2, 6-0 losses to Lakeside’s Gina Spring.