Matai brothers named to first team Dist. 9
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
It came as no surprise that Allen and Henry Matai were named first team all-league players for District 9 South division, eight-man football. Henry was first team running back and first team linebacker. Allen was first team defensive end. The selection is the formal pronouncement of what everyone already knew to be true, just as it was known, but not written last year with Henry.
The Wishram brothers made an incredible running tandem, giving Lyle-Wishram a seemingly unfair advantage. It has to be noted that there were six other players on the field that made it possible for the Matais to rip off all those great runs, but an ordinary pair of backs would not have been nearly as productive.
Henry ran for 1,779 yards on 151 carries and Allen picked up 1,528 yards on 149 carries. That's 3,307 yards with an average gain of 11 yards per carry. Henry scored 23 touchdowns and Allen carried it in 13 times. Allen also converted 12 two-point conversions. Allen also had one pass reception for 19 yards and a touchdown and at least one touchdown on defense.
Cougar games were exciting to attend. Every carry had the potential of being a spectacular touchdown run. In one instance during a game, Wishram Athletic Director, Ty Churchwell was overheard chastising Henry for allowing himself to be tackled by just two defenders. "We're going to take away your lunch," Churchwell kidded.
While the pair are brothers, they are different physically and there isn't a lot of similarity among their runs. Allen is a senior, listed at 5-11, 176 pounds. He has a somewhat upright running style with long strides and subtle moves. He gets around the corner with ease and few people can catch him when he turns upfield. When caught, he is difficult to bring down because of his great balance and drive.
Henry is a junior block of granite. He is listed at 5-10, 205 and runs much bigger. Henry runs upright until a tackler shows up, when he becomes a horizontal battering ram. As if his style and size weren't trouble enough for tacklers, Henry is also a track star who can also outrun most of the players on the field. But, anyone who has seen a typical Henry Matai run, draped with four or five tacklers can attest to the fact Henry doesn't need to run fast...he is so strong he can almost walk into the end zone.
The Matais aside, there were many other bright spots on this year's Cougar team. The club was built around a couple of experienced big guys up front, one of the fastest runners in 2B track, two seniors who were new to football, and a foreign exchange student.
The big guys were Dillon Huffman and Nolan Smith. Huffman, a senior, anchored the middle of the offensive and defensive lines. Smith, a junior was outside on both lines and at 6-3, was a big target at tight end.
The sprinter was Cody Carlsen, a senior who hadn't played football before. As the anchor leg of the State record holding 4x400 relay team, Carlsen was Mr. Excitement. He didn't get a lot of opportunities, but everyone held their breath when the ball went to Carlsen. As it turned out, he was also a key guy on defense at corner back, since he could run down anyone who got past the defensive front.
Carlsen wasn't the only senior who was new to football. Keale Wiseman was kind of a scatback at the start of the season. Listed at 5-6 and 127 pounds, he wasn't likely to run over anyone, but half way through the season, they discovered he was a leader and could really throw the football.
The German exchange student, Florian Forsthuber directed the team at quarterback in the early going until Coach Don Smith decided to take advantage of his size and put him in the line. Forsthuber was experienced in football and was talented enough to play any position. He would later be injured and miss the final three games.
When Forsthuber moved to the line, Wiseman moved to quarterback. Wiseman was 11-18 for 243 yards and four touchdowns in league play. He barked out plays and directed the offense as if he had been playing for his entire high school career.
There were others who came up big for the Cougars. Trey Kitchens at outside linebacker was someone teams needed to block. Kitchens was the hardest hitter on the team. When you heard the pop, you knew it was a Kitchens hit.
Ricky Wolff played bigger than his 5-6, 126 pound size might suggest. Not only did he start as a freshman, but he handled the tough position of cornerback with few errors. Wolff covered well and was not afraid to come up and hit running backs turning the corner.
Sophomore Johnathan Marshall and freshmen Dustin Mutch and Daniel Phipps played important roles giving relief on the line and on special teams.
The Cougars finished the season 7-2. The eight-man football season came to an end for Lyle-Wishram and the fans of exciting football. It was a great year for the Cougars, although there were a couple of games that left one muttering "what if" to oneself.
The biggest what if is what if Lyle-Wishram were eligible for post-season play? As a 2B school, Lyle was supposed to play 11 man football, but couldn't consistently field an 11 player team, thus they opted for eight-man. While that made the team ineligible for post-season play, it made way for great offensive football.
Bellamy resigns from volleyball
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
"It's time," said Jodi Bellamy, in announcing her retirement after nine years coaching Goldendale volleyball. "I've been involved in playing and coaching since 1985." Bellamy didn't agonize too much over the decision, which she almost made last year.
The primary motivation for the move is the opportunity for Bellamy and her husband, Larry to watch their daughter, Kylee play volleyball at Northwest Nazarene University. Kylee graduated from Goldendale last spring, but she red-shirted this fall, and Bellamy decided to give another year to the Goldendale program. The decision was made easier this year when Bellamy's son, Brad, took on a larger role as paid coach with the Goldendale football team. Brad and Jodi work at the Goldendale Golf Club and it was difficult to give time to the golf course and volleyball.
Jodi Bellamy was a star basketball player as a student in Goldendale. She played two years at the University of Anchorage-Alaska. Bellamy coached volleyball for two years in Sherman County before taking the job at Goldendale where she quickly had success.
Bellamy's teams were undefeated in league in five seasons, won six league titles and three district titles. Her teams went to State in six of nine seasons, placing as high as fourth in 2005. She took her first team to State in 2003 in her third year as coach.
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