My head is still kind of spinning from last weekend. The spring sports hauled in eight different regional titles in team and individual events. I can't recall Douglas High ever having such a successful weekend (Although I bet some of you are going through your memory banks trying to top it right now.)
Congratulations are certainly in order across the board.
Now it's on to state. Baseball probably has the toughest road ahead, but with this pitching staff and the team-first attitude of this year's squad, I wouldn't put anything past them at this point.
Jessica Waggoner is the favorite to win the discus at the state track & field championships, which would be a great end to one of the greatest athletic careers in Douglas High history.
It's the swim team, though, that I am most interested in this weekend. With the four regional titles on the girls' side alone, Douglas could just have an outside shot at a top three team finish at state, if not the outright title.
First of all, the meet is in the north and the higher elevations always plague the Southern 4A schools in aerobic sports like track & field or swimming.
Second of all, the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay team has been on fire in recent weeks and a couple of victories there could propel Douglas quickly to the top.
Finally, there is little arguing that Reno is a powerhouse among powerhouses, but these state meets can kind of thin out the depth that teams like Reno tend to thrive on. All it takes is a couple of big events and you could be looking at a major upset.
It'll be one of many interesting storylines to keep an eye on this weekend.
There really wasn't a tougher road for the Douglas baseball team to take to the regional crown. To get there, they had to beat the only Northern 4A playoff team they hadn't seen this year (or last, for that matter), beat the only team to take a series from them this year and beat the defending regional champs in the title game.
Now the Tigers will take their 15-game win streak down south against an even tougher group than they faced last week. First up will be Sunset Region champion Cimarron-Memorial " who handed nationally-ranked Bishop Gorman only its fourth loss this season and second on Nevada soil in the regional title game. A win there would most-likely match the Tigers up with Gorman in the semfinals.
But this is state and anything can happen. Douglas' pitchers showed last week that they are certainly capable of pulling off some big wins against quality lineups.
I heard from two entirely separate sources last week that when the NIAA recovenes in June to vote on their cost-cutting proposals, realignment will most-likely not be one of the proposals to get approval.
I heard that Washoe County and Clark County aren't behind the proposal to unify the 4A and 3A classes into one "super" class and that may be the death-knell to the current realignment proposal. At the very least, the proposal is going to come up against some heavy opposition.
The other cost-cutters, like less games, less officials and the like, however, are much more likely to go through.
Again, it's just what I've heard, but I the sources I heard it from are ones I trust pretty highly.
- The last three Northern 4A Regional Championship Baseball games have been played at the home field of one of the schools competing in the title game. In each case, the home team has lost.
- Eight of the nine players in the Douglas softball batting order against McQueen in the first round of the regional playoffs managed to collect exactlytwo hits each.
- Douglas alternately had lefty Tyler Hoelzen and righty Michael Whalin up in the bullpen for the final three innings of Saturday's baseball title game. For the week, Douglas' starting pitching trio allowed just six runs in four games while striking out 38 batters and walking five.
- Prior to the regional quarterfinal game against Damonte Ranch, the Wooster public address announcer read off the 2007 Douglas baseball roster during starting lineup introductions. No one is really sure what happened there.
- McQueen baseball upsets Damonte Ranch. When I pulled up to Wooster High School for Douglas' semifinal game on Thursday, I was shocked to see Damonte Ranch getting on their bus. McQueen came from behind twice during the tournament, but overcoming the 8-2 deficit against the Mustangs was something else.
- Douglas girls swimming takes second at regionals. It's been a while since the Tiger swim team has been a serious player on the Northern 4A map, but the three-time defending Zephyr League champs made a huge splash over the weekend with the runner-up finish to perennial power Reno. The Tigers set three school records in the meet.
- Tyler May and Tom Jameson throw complete games in 4A title game. It came as a surprise to many that May and Jameson, who each threw complete games for their respective squads in the opening round of the playoffs, were able to stay on the mound for the entirety of the championship. Apparently, the 11-inning rule expires on the fourth day after an appearance.
- Minneah Holdridge takes second in regional discus. Holdridge's throw of 108 feet, 1 inch on Saturday can not be overstated. Without that throw, a personal best for Holdridge by nearly six feet, Douglas doesn't win the team title. There were any number of moments during the day where Douglas could have "lost" the meet, but Holdridge's throw was one moment that the Tigers' could not have lived without.
- Not-so-much: Douglas baseball wins regional title. I saw this moment coming from the final playoff game last year. Truthfully, the Tigers had a decent shot to win it last year but were plagued by some horrendous injury problems late in the year. With only one starter lost, this was their season to win it. That's not to downplay next year's squad at all. The pitching will certainly be there to make another decent run through the playoffs.
If I had a vote for overall player of the year in the Northern 4A Regional baseball and softball honors ballots (and I don't), this is what it would look like, based mostly on their respective performances over the last week:
Baseball
1.Tyler May, Douglas; 2. Tyler Hoelzen, Douglas; 3. Tom Jameson, Reno; 4. Matt Rutledge, Carson; 5. Cody Stevens, Damonte Ranch.
Softball
1. Chelsea Cohen, Reed; 2. Ashley Collier, Spanish Springs; 3. Stephanie Harper, Douglas; 4. Samantha Puzey, Reno; 5. Megan Dortch, Manogue.
The top athletes, regardless of sport, at Douglas High determined by production during competition, overall value to their team, ability to perform with consistency in routine situations, performance compared to others at the same position throughout the state/region, ability to come up big in clutch situations, versatility, attitude, sportsmanship, overall athletic ability, heart, potential at the next level, and a host of other intangibles (emotional leadership, role-playing value, work ethic, etc.) This is all, of course, just my opinion.
Spring Sports
1. Jessica Waggoner, track & field
2. Tyler May, baseball
3. Thomas Wicker, golf
4. Stephanie Harper, softball
5. Tyler Hoelzen, baseball
6. Haley Von Schottenstein, swimming
7. Tim Rudnick, baseball
8. Emily Weaver, softball
9. Beau Davis, baseball
9. Kyra Barth, track & field
10. Maddy Gilbert, softball
Watch list: Katie Dry, track & field; Katrina Morgan, softball; Kameron VanWinkle, baseball, Jessica Gorton, track & field; Eddie Kollar (diving); Morgan Blomstrom (softball); Mia Townsell (softball), Troy Torres (baseball), Tanner Thomas (baseball)
2008-09 School Year
1. Jessica Waggoner, volleyball/basketball/track & field
2. Tim Rudnick, football/basketball/baseball
3. Eddie Kollar, cross country/wrestling/diving
4. Nico Barker, football/wrestling
5. Parker Robertson, football/basketball
6. Katie Dry, soccer/basketball/track & field
7. Dany Heidt, soccer/basketball
8. Ally Freitas, soccer/basketball
9. James McLaughlin, basketball/football
10. Tyler Hoelzen, basketball/baseball
Since I've been here (2003)
1. Jessica Waggoner, volleyball/basketball/track (2005-present)
2. Luke Rippee, football/basketball/baseball (2003)
3. Tim Rudnick, football/basketball/baseball (2006-present)
4. Brittany Puzey, basketball/softball (2003-04)
5. Bridget Maestretti, volleyball/basketball/softball/track (2004-08)
6. Tyson Estes, football/basketball/baseball (2003-05)
7. Ryan Pruitt, football/wrestling/baseball (2005-07)
8. Mike Gransbery, soccer/basketball (2004-07)
9. James McLaughlin, football/basketball (2006-present)
10. Andy McIntosh, football/basketball/track/golf (2003)
- We watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" last week, which was OK, but halfway through I started thinking that this movie was basically "Forrest Gump." Turns out the same guy wrote both movies. Go figure.
Edd Roush, aside from being a gold-glove, all-star, Hall of Fame outfielder and the best hitter of the dead-ball era, has the distinction, is the only player ever ejected from a Major League Baseball game for sleeping. During a long argument between managers and umpires, he laid down in the outfield and fell asleep. He was later tossed for a delay of game.
- File this under the "we care way too much about sports" header: The Lexington Herald-Leader reported last week that recently-hired University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari had a large pin oak tree cut down in his front yard. It was the second-most read story on the newpaper's Web site for the day.
