CAMAS — Dan Macaya reckons the last time Camas had a completely dominant goal scorer was 2014.

That was when former standout Nate Beasley was a senior.

Perhaps there’s soon to a be a new goal-seeking forward to step up. If you ask junior Dauda Woodruff, he’s next in line. Before the season, he told Macaya, the Papermakers’ second-year head coach, as much.

“I want to be the next big goal scorer,” Woodruff said. “That’s what I told him. I’m still working on it.”

Macaya’s offense relies on goalscorers, and the Papermakers believe Woodruff has the tools to be their lead option.

“Pace, strength, a bit of danger,” Macaya said, describing Woodruff’s game.

In Macaya’s second season at the helm, he’s one step further in the process of implementing his offensive-minded, attack-heavy philosphy.

It’s a tectonic shift from the previous two decades of Camas soccer, which was defense-centric under longtime coach Roland Minder, who Macaya succeeded last spring.

The dynamic junior has scored one goal through the first four games of Camas’ season, but Macaya sees in him the potential to flourish.

On Thursday night, during a 1-0 Camas win, he was elusive with the ball at his feet and drew close attention from the Ridgefield back line throughout.

Woodruff is a part of an attack that inlcudes sophomore Ethan Jud, junior Zander Samodurov and senior Tybalt Thornberry.

Though he didn’t score, Woodruff took a handful of shots and created havoc at times for Ridgefield’s defense.

Woodruff, originally from Sierra Leone, attended Camas as a freshman before moving to San Diego to go to the boarding school Army and Navy Academy for his sophomore and part of his junior year.

He continued to play club in Southern California, where he played with an LA Galaxy-affiliated club, before missing home in Camas. Woodruff has been back since around Christmas, and he described life since as filled with school and soccer.

During Thursday evening’s performance, which featured a lot of shots and “sloppy play,” Woodruff saw a lot of promise.

Luke Davidson scored a header off a corner from Samodurov in the 20th minute to give Camas its only goal of the game.

In the 54th, Woodruff got the ball in space in the attacking third, but had his shot blocked at the top of the box. The deflection bounced to forward Zander Samodurov, who sent a shot rocketing off the cross bar.

The Papermakers (3-1) created three legitimate goal scoring opportunities were thwarted by Camas being offside.

Woodruff is confident the early kinks are simply indicitave of the time of year — preseason — and will be worked out.

Macaya concurred.

“It’s going to come,” Macaya said. “I’m sure he’s frustrated. you get those type of chances and you get frustrated. … We have good weapons, it’s just a matter of getting it done.”

Based on the numbers, accolades and accomplishments, the mark Beyonce Bea leaves on Washougal’s girls basketball program speaks for itself.

But the senior hopes the long-term impact is even greater.

“I hope I’ve left people knowing Washougal can be a girls basketball town,” Bea said. “All your hard work will pay off in the end. You have to really believe in each other and believe in the program because it can do big things.”

Big things is what Bea, The Columbian’s All-Region girls basketball player of the year, has done throughout her illustrious career. She’s a three-time league MVP, career scoring (1,761 points), rebounds (1,037) and blocks (234) leader, and is a state champion heading to the University of Idaho’s women’s basketball program next season.

But that long-term impact Bea hopes she and her teammates built at Washougal something the 6-foot-1 guard/forward combo takes great pride in. Before Bea’s arrival, the girls basketball program had a limited playoff history with a small number of postseason wins and one state appearance in 1982-’83.

That playoff win total is now 21 behind 20 playoff victories in four years. In that same span, Bea led Washougal to four consecutive state title appearances behind four league titles, including its first-ever undefeated league season on its way to winning its first district crown and its first state title two weeks ago in Yakima.

That district-title win over defending state champion W.F. West, coupled with its regional win over an East Valley team Washougal defeated a week later for the state championship, gave Bea hope of what was to come. The Panthers placed fourth at state in 2016, Bea’s freshman year, and left Yakima the past two years without a trophy.

“I knew if we played together and relied on our defense, relied each other and believed in ourselves, we could definitely pull out a state championship.”

In the state championship game, the normally selfless Bea put Washougal on her shoulders with 30 points and 15 rebounds, including 12 of her team’s 14 points in overtime. In three state games, she averaged 21.7 points and 12.7 rebounds.

“You always want to end playing our best,” she said. “I wanted to do whatever I could to get us that win. The fact we already made it that far; it’s the championship game. You don’t want to make it there and take second … I put that into my my mind and didn’t let anything stop us from getting that state championship.”

Celebrations began that night, and stretched into the following week with an all-school assembly and a parade in downtown Washougal held by city leaders.

For Bea and the Panthers, they’re still celebrating.

“It was a really special moment,” she said, “and you never want that feeling to end. It’s the best feeling you can have, especially as a senior. Every time we see each other, we’ll be celebrating it.”

Rest of All-Region team

FIRST TEAM

Haley Hanson, Camas

Northwest Nazarene signee earned 4A GSHL MVP honors averaging 13.2 points per game, helping Papermakers to regionals.

Cassidy Gardner, Prairie

Portland State signee led Falcons in scoring, shot 38 percent from 3-point range as 3A GSHL co-MVP.

Aniyah Hampton, Hudson’s Bay

Freshman made a big impact leading Eagles in points (18 per game) and assists reaching 3A regionals.

Taylor Stephens, La Center

CWU signee averaged Clark County-best 23 ppg, leaves as Wildcats’ career scoring leader and 3-time Trico MVP.

Brooke Walling, Prairie

Fresno State signee was 3A GSHL co-MVP, 3A tournament MVP helping Falcons to state title. Also broke single-season blocks record (66).

SECOND TEAM

Skylar Bea, Washougal

All-league pick averaged nearly 8 points and 8 rebounds a game on state title-winning team.

Kendyl Carson, Prairie

Junior’s breakout game in 3A semis helped Falcons reach title game. Averaged 8.2 points, 6 rebounds per game.

Allison Corral, Prairie

Junior point guard had 4.8 assists and nearly 4 steals per game.

Jaydia Martin, Hudson’s Bay

Big scoring option for Eagles (13.6 ppg) in their best season since 2007.

Katie Peneueta, Heritage

Unanimous first-team all-4A GSHL pick was double-double machine all season for Timberwolves.

Mallory Williams, Prairie

Four-year varsity player led Falcons in rebounds (6.1 per game) and shot 35 percent from 3.

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

BASEBALL

Woodland at Skyview, noon at Propstra Stadium

Kamiakin at Battle Ground, DH, noon

Bonney Lake at Union, 2 p.m.

Fort Vancouver, Hockinson, La Center at Seaside (Ore.) Tournament

Columbia River at Hudson’s Bay, 2 p.m. at Propstra Stadium

Lynden, North Kitsap, R.A. Long, W.F. West, Pullman, Prosser, Ellensburg at Ridgefield Tournament at RORC

Ridgefield vs. Juanita, 1 p.m. at Eastlake HS

Ridgefield at Eastlake, 3 p.m.

Stevenson at Goldendale, DH, 1 p.m.

SOFTBALL

Washougal, Hudson’s Bay, La Center, Fort Vancouver at Trapper Softball Classic, 10 a.m. at Fort Vancouver

BOYS SOCCER

Issaquah at Camas, 4 p.m. at Doc Harris Stadium

Federal Way vs. Heritage, 4 p.m. at McKenzie Stadium

Aberdeen vs. Union, 6 p.m. at McKenzie Stadium

Mountain View at Squalicum, 1 p.m.

Hockinson at Hudson’s Bay, 1 p.m.

Columbia-White Salmon at Wahluke, noon

BASEBALL

SOUTHRIDGE 4, UNION 1

Southridge 200 200 0—4 5 1

Union 000 000 0—0 1 2

Southridge

Pitching — Englert (W) 7 IP, 1 H, 3 K; Highlights — Morrison 1-3; Hickman 1-1, 2 R, 2 RBI; Kues 1-3, R; Sawyer 1-3.

Union

Pitching — Beau Kearsey (L) 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 K; Highlights — Travis Wiese 1-3.

PULLMAN 3, RIDGEFIELD 2

Pullman 100 200 0—3 3 1

Ridgefield 100 100 0—2 3 2

Pullman

Pitching — Hyatt Utzman 5.0 IP 2 H, 2 ER, 8 K, 2 BB; Mitchael LaVielle 2.0 IP, H, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB; Highlights — Hyatt Utzman 1-4, RBI, 2B; Konner Kinkade 1-4; Carson Coulter 1-2.

Ridgefield

Pitching — Josh Mansur 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 4 BB; Kellen Bringhurst 1.0 IP, 0 H 0 ER, K, BB; Highlights — Josh Mansur 1-3, 2B; Brock Harrison 1-2, RBI, 2B; Jimmy Wallace 1-2.

LA CENTER 10, FORT VANCOUVER 7

La Center 040 302 1—10 8 4

Fort 101 400 0—7 11 5

La Center

Pitching — N/A; Highlights — N/A

Fort Vancouver

Pitching — Justin Vernon (L) 3.1 IP, 4 ER, 1 K; Highlights — Nick Laurenza 2-4, 3 R, 2B, 3B; Zeke Block 1-2, R; Chase Hart 2-4; Dylan Brooks-Minck 2-4, R.

HOCKINSON 5, TILLAMOOK 2

Tillamook 000 002 x—2 2 0

Hockinson 020 210 x—5 4 0

Hockinson

Pitching — Cody Wheeler 4.0 IP 0 H, 0 ER, 3 K, 4 BB; Wyatt Jones 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 K, BB; Highlights — Caeden Chambers 1-2, RBI; Levi Crum 1-1, 2 RBI, 2B.

SKYVIEW 12, JESUIT 5

Skyview 210 401 4—12 13 1

Jesuit 003 002 0—5 4 1

Skyview

Pitching — xxxx; Highlights — Ryan Pitts 3-5, 6 RBI, 2B, 3B; Noah Guyette 2-4, 3 R; Liam Kerr 1-5, 2 RBI, R; Lowell Dunmire 1-3; Xander Morrison 2-4, 2 R.

BATTLE GROUND 4, PRAIRIE 3

B. Ground 020 101 0—4 1 3

Prairie 000 000 0—3 6 1

Battle Ground

Pitching — Tanner McDonald (W) 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 9 K; Highlights — Sam Sutton 1-1, Mark Hauser RBI, R; Isaiah Newton RBI, Anakin Velasquez RBI.

Prairie

Pitching — N/A; Highlights — N/A

EVERGREEN 9, WOODLAND 5

Woodland 104 000 0—5 10 2

Evergreen 201 024 x—9 11 2

Woodland

Pitching — Wyatt Wooden 5.1 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 K, 3 BB; Trace Logan 0.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER; Wyatt Autrey 0.2, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 K; Highlights — Ryan Cooney 3-4, 2 RBI; Wyatt Autrey 3-4, 2B; Chance Balch 1-2, RBI, 2B.

Evergreen

Pitching — Luke Allen 4.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 4 K, BB; Carter Monda 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 K; Highlights — Russell Fearington 2-2, 2 RBI; Carter Monda 2-4, 2 RBI, 3B; Blake Whitehead 2-3, 2 RBI, 2 2B; Andrew Jennerjohn 2-4, 2 RBI.

CAMAS 6, WASHOUGAL 0

Camas 101 021 1—6 7 3

Washougal 000 000 0—0 1 3

Camas

Pitching — Michael Quintana (W) 6 IP, 1 H, 7 K; Highlights — Tyler Forner 1-3, 2 R; Grant Heiser 1-4, R; Shane Jamison 2-4, 2 R; Jake Blair 2-4, RBI.

Washougal

Pitching — Zach Collins (L) 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 6 K; Highlights — Johnny Miller 1-3.

KING’S WAY CHRISTIAN 6,
TOLEDO 6

KWC 002 013 0—6 9 1

Toledo 202 011 0—6 5 1

King’s Way

Pitching — Isaac Hanley 2 IP, 1 ER, 2 K; Bryce Dodge 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 K; Isaiah McLeod 1.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 K; Tayler Shega 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 K; Highlights — Ty Maris 2-4, 2 R; Isaiah McLeod 1-3, 2 R; Bryce Dodge 1-4, R, RBI; Aiden Pisarczyk 1-3.

SOFTBALL

CAMAS 8, PRAIRIE 3

Prairie 001 000 2—3 6 3

Camas 001 160 x—8 11 2

Prairie

Pitching — Olivia Meyers (L) 4.2 IP, 3 K, Madison Graham 1.1 IP; Highlights — Chloe McDaniel 2-4, RBI; Mallory Williams 1-3, Alicia Fraley 1-3; Alexis Peav 2-3, Hannah Schiller RBI, Pravian Blunt RBI.

Camas

Pitching — Mary Pipkin (W) 4 IP, 2 K; Maddie Ellis 3 IP, 2 K; Highlights — Emma Carroll 2-4, 2 RBI; Katie Hancock 3-4, RBI; Sophie Frnaklin 1-3, Marly Foster 2-4, RBI; Malloree Meely 1-4; Seanna Miller 1-4; Maddie Ellis 1-3, RBI.

UNION 8, COLUMBIA RIVER 7

Union 103 000 22—8 13 5

Col. River 012 201 01—7 8 3

Union

Pitching — Morgan Kron (W) 8 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 6 K;  Highlights — Erin Miller 3-5, R; Schelby Greene 1-3, 2 R; Piper McKibbin 1-5, R, RBI; Kaelani Gambie 2-4, RBI; Morgan Kron 2-5, 3 RBI, R; Lauren Cockrell 2-5, 2 RBI, R; Brianna Fehrer 1-4; Kamryn Buck 1-4.

Columbia River

Pitching — Taylor McRae (L) 7 H, 0 ER, 4 K; Highlights — Hanna Dyer 1-3, 2 R; Chase Eisenhauer 1-5, R, RBI; Jaycee Williams 3-5, 2 RBI, 2 R; Emma Klundt 1-3, 2 RBI, R; Sara Reirmeier 1-3; Lillian Franke 1-4.

HOCKINSON 11,

KING’S WAY CHRISTIAN 0

King’s Way 000 00x x—0 0 2

Hockinson 522 01x x—11 13 0

Hockinson

Pitching — Abby Runyon 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 10 K, BB; Highlights — Abby Runyon 3-3, 2 RBI, 2 2B; Jenna Remenar 3-3, RBI, 3B; Ellie Skinner 3-4, 2 RBI; Lilli Seale 1-3, 2 RBI; Isabella Aspaas 0-3, 2 RBI.

King’s Way

Pitching — Sofia Nelson 4.1 IP, 13 H, 8 ER, 5 K, 5 BB.

TOUTLE LAKE 10, LA CENTER 9

La Center 200 012 4—9 10 2

Toutle Lake 201 241 x—10 15 6

La Center

Pitching — Madison Osborne 6.0 IP, 15 H, 9 ER, 2 K, 2 BB, HR; Highlights — Coral Clark 3-4, RBI, 3B; Aquinnah Wiseman 2-4, 3 RBI, 2B; Ashley Loucks 2-4; Macy Randolph 1-4, RBI, 2B.

Toutle Lake

Pitching — Jasmine Smith 8.0 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 7 K, BB; Highlights — Casey Wentz 3-5, 3 RBI, 2B, HR; Jasmine Smith 4-4, 2 RBI, 2B; Kaylee Florek 2-4, RBI, 2B; Sienna Rudd 3-4, 2B; KJ Rogge 1-2, RBI.

BOYS SOCCER

BATTLE GROUND 3, HUDSON’S BAY 1

Hudson’s Bay

Goal — William Sandlands (Angel Fuentes); Goalkeeper saves — Antonio Schifelbien 4, Jonathan Prado 2.

JV — Hudson’s Bay 2-0.

PRAIRIE 1, HOCKINSON 0

Hockinson

Coach’s standout — Nick Charles

Prairie

Goals (assists) — Lucas Tisdale. Goalkeeper saves — Garrit Cochell 2. Coach’s standout — Tisdale.

Halftime — Prairie, 1-0.

JV — Prairie, 4-1.

WOODLAND 8, LA CENTER 0

Woodland

Goals (assists) — Jesse Thrall (Riley Suomi), Jackson Finn (Aidan Thrall), Aidan Thrall (Jackson Finn), Jesse Thrall (Owen Terhorst), Brennan Hilker (Emmanuel Cruz), Jesse Thrall (Jackson Finn), Aidan Thrall (Riley Suomi), Riley Suomi (unassisted). Goalkeeper saves — Treyson Thall 0, Brennan Hilker 0. Coach’s standout — Josiah Sanders

Halftime — Woodland 2-0

JV — Woodland 1-0

SKYVIEW 3, KELSO 1

COLUMBIA RIVER 2, UNION 0

SEHOME 2, MOUNTAIN VIEW 0

HOQUIAM 10, KING’S WAY CHRISTIAN 0

GIRLS TENNIS

HERITAGE 4, FORT VANCOUVER 2

Singles — Maria DuPrey (H) def. Izabella Snyder 6-2, 6-4; Mikaela Standard (FV) def. Jadyn Gobert 6-3, 5-7, 6-4; Jennifer Ferguson (H) def. Anna Nguyen 6-3, 6-2.

Doubles — Savannah Keller and Natalie Williams (H) def. Jenny Kushnir McKenna Ellen 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5); Nina Albreent and Gillian Snyder (FV) def. Ella Levy and Amanda Nguyen 3-6, 4-6; Rosanna Duprey and Sophia Townsend (H) def. Christina Tran and Queen Troung 6-1, 6-3.

JV —  Heritage 6-0.

Abby Runyon had herself a day.

The Hockinson senior tossed a 10-strikeout no-hitter and hit two doubles going 3 for 3 at the plate in an 11-0 win over King’s Way Christian on Friday.

The Puget Sound signee was dominant as the Hawks reached the 10-run forfeit mark in the fifth inning.

She also walked one batter in an otherwise perfect game and had two RBI.

Stars of the day

• Ryan Pitts, Skyview baseball, went 3 for 5 — one home run shy of the cycle — with 6 RBI in a 12-5 win over Jesuit (Ore.).

• Katie Hancock, Camas softball, went 3 for 4 with an RBI in the Papermakers’ 8-3 win over Prairie.

• Tanner McDonald, Battle Ground baseball, allowed one hit and struck out nine over 5 innings in a 4-3 win over Prairie.

• Nick Laurenza, Fort Vancouver baseball, went 3 for 4 with a double and triple, and scored 3 runs in a 10-7 loss to La Center.

• Morgan Kron, Union softball, struck out six batters in eight innings and went 2 for 5 with 3 RBI in a 8-7 extra-inning win over Columbia River.

• Ty Maris, King’s Way Christian baseball, went 2 for 4 and scored twice in the Knights’ 6-6 nonleague tie with Toledo.

• Shane Jamison, Camas baseball, went 2 for 4 and scored twice in Papermakers’ 6-0 shutout of Washougal.

• Lucas Tisdale, Prairie boys soccer, scored the Falcons’ goal in the first half in a 1-0 win over Hockinson.

• Jesse Thrall, Woodland boys soccer, recorded a hat trick in the Beavers’ shutout of La Center.

Camryn Jurcich views the new softball field at Fort Vancouver High School like looking at a piece of artwork.

“This field is absolutely beautiful,” said Jurcich, the Trappers’ junior shortstop. “We’re going to take amazing care of it, and we hope other teams that come out here treat it with just as much respect because it’s a blessing.

“Coming here and seeing the field gives us a new respect for the game.”

Players and coaches echoed similar statements describing a top-notch facility that welcomed La Center, Hudson’s Bay, Washougal and host Fort for the inaugural Trapper Softball Classic on Saturday.

The four-team tournament, spearheaded by fourth-year coach Erick Johnson, served as the official grand opening of the field that includes an all-weather turf surface, larger dugouts and bullpens, a new electronic scoreboard and upgraded sound system.

All were on display on what players and coaches described as a perfect day at a perfect facility.

Sophomore Abigail Ayala-Cordova, who pitched in the inaugural game, called it a surreal feeling, and a new way to make more memories with teammates. She and Jurcich have experience playing on turf as club softball players.

Having it at their high school facility takes it to a new level.

“I feel it brings us so much joy and more pride,” he said. … “With the turf, you see it so pretty, so you play pretty.”

Based on what he saw Saturday, Johnson said he hopes the Trapper Softball Classic continues to grow as an annual event.

Washougal topped Fort in the inaugural game, 19-8, behind an 11-run fourth inning to take the lead for good. It was the first of four games played Saturday.

The day kicked off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony between Fort senior Hailey Vige and freshman Allison Wilushewski followed by a ceremonial first pitch thrown by athletic director Julie Pagel.

Fort is the first all-weather softball field in Clark County. As part of district-wide improvements funded by a voter-approved bond measure in 2017, Vancouver Public Schools installed turf at Columbia River, Hudson’s Bay, Skyview and Fort Vancouver high schools. Each school received an all-weather, multi-purpose turfed field, in addition to a turfed infield at Propstra Stadium, and Fort’s softball field replaced with turf stretching from home plate to the outfield.

When inclement weather arises, Pagel said Fort can be used for doubleheaders and night games since the facility includes lights.

Pagel is in her first year as athletic director, has taught and coached at the school since 1983. She also watched the project start to finish and called Saturday “an unbelievable day” not only for the games played, but for the softball program and the high school. A former Fort softball coach who works at a school with a proud athletic history, she’s hopeful the new field, in addition to the newly installed turf soccer field, helps lift Trapper athletics.

“We want to show off these great facilities,” Pagel said … “We’re trying to turn it around one little step at a time.”

BASEBALL

Non-League

RIDGEFIELD 20, PROSSER 0 (5 inn)

Prosser 000 00—0 3 4

Home 34(13) 0x—20 11 0

Prosser

Pitching — Ashton (L) 1.1 IP, 6 ER, 1 K Highlights — Paez 1-3.

Ridgefield

Pitching — Kellen Bringhurst (W) 3.1 UP, 2 H, 4 K; Highlights — Kellen Bringhurst 2-3, 4 R, 5 RBI; Josh Mansur 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI; Brock Harrison 3-3, 3 R, 5 RBI; Tyler Lehnertz 1-1, 3 R, RBI.

UNION 5, BONNEY LAKE 1

Bon. Lake 000 100 0—1 4 4

Union 002 030 x—5 10 3

Bonney Lake

Pitching — Fagnantz (L) 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 K; Highlights — Carbenell 2-2; Fris 1-4, R.

Union

Pitching — Carter Sutton (W) 4 IP, 1 H, 6 K; Highlights — Micah Foskett 3-4, RBI; Mason Hill 2-3, R; Payton Jeffries 1-3.

SKYVIEW 13, WOODLAND 5

Woodland 000 203 0—5 5 1

Skyview 200 704 x—13 15 1

Woodland

Pitching — Cooney (L) 4 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 2 K; Highlights — Burns 1-3, 2 R; Yager 2-3, 2 R; Wooden 2-3, 3 RBI.

Skyview

Pitching — Alex Miller (W) 5.1 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 6 K; Highlights — Noah Guyette 1-3, 2 R, 2 RBI; Ryan Pitts 3-4, 3 R, 3 RBI; Micah Baylous 4-4, R, 3 RBI; Kyle Olson 2-3, 2 R; Liam Kerr 3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI; Xander Morrison 1-2, 2 R.

COLUMBIA RIVER 2, HUDSON’S BAY 0, 10 innings

Col.River 000 000 000 2—2 7 1

Hud.Bay 000 000 000 0—0 1 4

Columbia River

Pitching — Sam Boyle, 4 IP, 6 K, 3 BB; Justin Gress 1 IP, 2 K; Nick Alder 5 IP 5 K, 1 BB; Highlights — Nick Alder 1-4, R; Derek Mettler 1-4, R; Xavier Ulrich 1-5; Parker McNeil 1-5, RBI; Cole Delich 1-5; Sawyer Parkin 2-4.

Hudson’s Bay

Pitching — Alan Merrill 6.2 IP, 7 K, 1 BB; Lewis Hotchkiss 3.1 IP, 2 K, 0 BB; Highlights — Trent Palin 1-4.

KAMIAKIN 15, BATTLE GROUND 1

Kamiakin 063 006 —15 13 1

B. Ground 001 000 —1 6 2

Kamiakin

Pitching — Trystan Vreiling 4 IP, 11 K, 0 BB; Nick Lindholm 2 IP, 2 K, 2 BB; Highlights — Jackson Ziobro 2-3, R, 3 RBI; Tanner Sullins 4-4, 3 R, 1 RBI; Jason Gibson 2-3, 3R, 3 RBI; Gavin Ayers 3-4, 3 R, 5 RBI.

Battle Ground

Pitching — Zach Hauser 2 IP, 4 K, 0 BB; Logan Valtierra 0.2 IP, 1 K, 5 BB; Anakin Velasquez 2.1 IP, 1 K, 1 BB; Tyson Lindemood 0.2 IP; Josh Baldwin 0.1 IP; Highlights — Brett Joner 1-3; Cody Davis 1-2, RBI; Sean Pierce 1-3; Tanner McDonald 1-2; Mark Hauser 1-2; Carter Mathews 1-3, R, SB.

KAMAIKIN 16, BATTLE GROUND 3

Kamiakin 641 41—16 9 2

B. Ground 200 01—3 3 6

Kamiakin

Pitching — Jordan Chase 4 IP, 3 K, 2 BB; Niko Wiltz 1 IP, BB; Highlights — Tanner Sullins 2-3, 2 R, 4 RBI; Jordan Chase 2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI.

Battle Ground

Pitching — Sam Sutton 2 IP, 2 K, 1 BB; Josh Baldwin 1 IP, 1 K, 1 BB; Mark Hauser 1.1 IP, 2 K, 4 BB; Isaiah Newton 0.2 IP, K; Highlights — Sean Pierce 1-3; Tanner McDonald 1-3, 3 RBI; Logan Valtierra 1-1.

MOUNTAIN VIEW 8, CAMAS 7

Camas 101 031 1—7 8 1

MtnView 001 132 1—8 11 6

Camas

Pitching — Jacob Trupp 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 3 K, 5 BB; Riley Sinclair 2.1 IP, 5 R, 6 H, 1 K, 1 BB; Zachariah Shaw 1.2 IP, 2 R, 3 H; Lucas Barbier 0.1 IP, loss, 1 R, 2 H, 1 BB. Highlights — Tyler Forner 2-3 2-HR 2RBI 2R; Gideon Malychewski 1-5; Grant Heiser 2-5 1R; Quinten Sawyer 1-3 1R; Shane Jamison 1-4 RBI R; Jake Blair 2R; Sinclair 1-1 2B 2RBI.

Mountain View

Pitching — Andrew Selden 6 IP, 6 R, 8 H, 7 K, 3 BB; Quinn Rooks 1 IP, win, 1 R, 0 H, 1 BB; Highlights — Garrett Moen 1-3; Isaiah Parker 2-3 HR, RBI, R; Selden 1-4, RBI, R; Riley McCarthy 1-3 2B; Andrew Gulliford 1-2 2B 2R; Mitchell Allison 2-3 2-2B 3RBI, 1R; Rooks 2-3 RBI 2R; Trevor Minton 1-3 RBI; Gavin Trono R.

Seaside (Ore.) Tournament

HOCKINSON 4, LA CENTER 2

Hockinson 000 121 0—4 4 1

La Center 000 101 0—2 4 2

Hockinson

Pitching — Jaeger Stenlund 4 IP, 5 K, 2 BB; Nikolas Niehaus 2 IP, 2 K, 0 BB; Zachary Vanatta 1 IP, 3 K, 0 BB; Highlights — Sawyer Racanelli 1-3, R, SB; Kade Wangler 1-3, 2 RBI, SB; Caleb Newman 1-3, R, 3B; Blaine Hardy 1-2, R.

La Center

Pitching — Irving Alvarez 4.1 IP, 8 K, 3 BB; Tristen York 2.2 IP, 3 K, 2 BB.; Highlights — Beau Castleberry 1-3, R, 2B; Michael Goode 2-3, RBI, 2B; Tom Lambert 1-3.

SOFTBALL

Non-League

HOCKINSON 8, WALLA WALLA 5

WW 101 210 0—5 7 1

Hockinson 000 044 x—8 11 0

Hockinson

Pitching — Abby Runyon (W) 7 IP, 5 ER, 14 K; Highlights — Abby Runyon 1-2, 2 RBI, R; Isabella Aspaas 3-3, 3 RBI; Addison Penner 1-3, R; Jaylee Robinson-Waser 1-3, R; Ashley King 3-4, 2 R; Ellie Skinner 1-4, RBI, R.

HOCKINSON 12, WALLA WALLA 2 (6 inn)

WW 100 001 —2 4 2

Hockinson 000 624 —12 11 2

Hockinson

Pitching — Abby Runyon (W) 6 IP, 4 H, 6 K; Highlights — Jaylee Robinson-Waser 2-4, 2 R, RBI; Ellie SKinner 2-4, 3 RBI; Lily Seal 3-4, R, 2 RBI; Hayley Oja 1-2, 2 R, 2 RBI; Addison Penner 1-3, RBI; Jenna Reminar 1-3, 2 R.

Trapper Softball Classic

WASHOUGAL 19, FORT VANCOUVER 8

Washougal 121 (11)5—19 17 2

Fort Van. 404 00—8 9 7

Washougal

Pitching — Hannah Toops 3 IP, 2 K, 3 BB; Elaina Tauialo 2 IP, 1 K, 1 BB; Highlights — Hannah Toops 3-5, 3 R, RBI, 2B; Paige Hungerford 3-3, 3R, 4 RBI, 2 2B; Sarah Jones 2-3, 3 R, 6 RBI, 2 3B; Vanessa Brooks 1-4, RBI, 2B; Jaden Bell 1-2, 3R, RBI, 2B; Audrey Thompson 3-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B; Kendal Doern 3-4, R, 3 RBI, 2 3B; Emma Seekins 2-2, 2 R, RBI, 2B.

Fort Vancouver

Pitching — Abigail Ayala-Cordova 2.2 IP, 3 K, 3 BB; Mackenzie Welch-Sanford 2 IP, 3 K, 0 BB; Highlights — Maranda Sumner 2-3 3B; Hailee Vige 2-3, R; Camryn Jurcich 1-3, R, 2B; Ayala-Cordova 1-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B; Marissa Macero 1-2, 2 R; Welch-Sanford 1-3, 2 RBI; Destiny Crespo, 1-3, R, RBI, 3B.

LA CENTER 12, HUDSON’S BAY 2

Hud.Bay 001 001 —2 5 6

La Center 421 23x —12 12 1

Hudson’s Bay

Pitching — Jessica Davis 2 IP 2K, Ariana Davis 2 IP, 2K; Highlights — Erica Morley 3-3, 2 R, 3B; Lizzie DeLoria RBI; Jayla Johnson 1-2, RBI; Sammie Owen 1-2.

La Center

Pitching — Madison Osborne 5 IP 6K BB. Highlights — Macy Randolph 3-3, 3 R, 2B, 3B, RBI; Ceanna Johnston 2-3, 2 R, 2B, RBI; Coral Clark 2-3 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI; Aquinnah Wiseman 1-3, R; Ashley Loucks RBI; Sidney Schmidt 1-3, R; Breanna Normine 2-3, R, HR, RBI; Dayna Hines 1-2, R, 3B, RBI.

FORT VANCOUVER 7, HUDSON’S BAY 3

Hud.Bay 100 001 1—3 6 3

Fort Van. 013 021 x—7 9 6

Hudson’s Bay

Pitching — Jessica Davis 6 IP, 3K, BB. Highlights — Davis, 2-4; Morley 2-4, R; Johnson 1-3, 2B, R; Owen 1-2.

Fort Vancouver

Pitching — Mackenzie Welch-Sandford 7 IP 8 K, BB. Highlights — Mackenzie Welch-Sandford 2-4, R, 3B, 2 RBI; Maranda Sumner 1-3, 2 R, RBI; Camryn Jurcich 2-3, R; Marissa Macero RBI; Destiny Crespo 2-3, R, 2B; Arianna Cousins 1-1; Allison Wilushewski 1-2 R.

Championship

LA CENTER 8, WASHOUGAL 4

Washougal 200 200 0—4 8 7

La Center 203 021 x—8 9 2

Washougal

Pitching — Jaden Bell 2 IP, 1 K, 2 BB; Elaina Tauialo 3.2 IP, 1 K, 0 BB; Highlights — Paige Hungerford 1-4, R; Sarah Jones 2-4, R, 2B, 3B; Audrey Thompson 1-2, R; Layci Livengood 2-3, R, 2B; Natalie Collins 1-3, RBI; Kendall Doern 1-2, RBI.

La Center

Pitching — Madison Osborne 7 IP, 6 K, 2 BB; Highlights — Macy Randolph 1-3, 2 R, SB; Ceanna Johnston 1-3, R, RBI; Coral Clark 3-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR, SB; Aquinnah Wiseman 1-4, R; Katie Steward 1-3, R, 3 RBI, 2B; Sidney Schmidt 1-3, RBI.

BOYS SOCCER

CAMAS 3, ISSAQUAH 3

Camas

Goals (assists) — Brennen Martin (Connor Flolo), Ethan Jud (Zander Samodurov), Jud (Noah Frazier). Goalkeeper saves — Liam Kalhagen 5.

HERITAGE 6, FEDERAL WAY 2

Heritage

Goals (assists) — Edgar Ruesga, Antonio Garcia, Ibra Katchiev, Elidoro Solis, Ryan Cibart, Katchiev.

Halftime — 3-0.

Sam Boyle, Justin Gress and Nick Alder combined to throw a one-hitter as Columbia River beat Hudson’s Bay 2-0 in 10 innings on Saturday.

The only hit Columbia River allowed came in the bottom of the 10th inning. That was followed by a double play, ending the non-league game at Propstra Stadium.

Parker McNeil’s one-out double gave the Chieftains a 1-0 lead. Derek Mettler then scored on an error.

Alder pitched the final five innings for Columbia River, striking out five and walking one.

Stars of the day

• Brock Harrison, Ridgefield baseball, hit two home runs — including a 2-run home run as part of a 13-run fourth inning by Ridgefield, in a 20-0 victory over Prosser at the Southwest Washington Invitational.

• Abby Runyon, Hockinson softball, struck out 20 batters in a doubleheader sweep of Walla Walla.

• Ryan Pitts, Skyview baseball, went 3 for 4 with two doubles and three RBI in a 13-5 win over Woodland.

• Micah Foskett, Union baseball, went 3 for 4 with an RBI in Union’s 5-1 win over Bonney Lake.

• Andrew Selden, Mountain View baseball, brought home the game-winning run with a one-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Thunder beat Camas 8-7.

• Tyler Forner, Camas baseball, hit two home runs in the Papermakers’ loss to Mountain View.

• Ethan Jud, Camas boys soccer, scored two goals as the Papermakers played Issaquah to a 3-3 tie.

• Kade Wangler, Hockinson baseball, went 1 for 3 with two RBI in a 4-2 win over La Center at the Seaside (Ore.) Tournament.

• Coral Clark, La Center softball, went 3 for 4 with a home run, three runs and two RBI in a 8-4 win over Washougal as La Center won the Trapper Softball Classic.

• Sarah Jones, Washougal softball, went 2 for 4 with two triples and six RBI in a 19-8 win over Fort Vancouver.

For high school softball pitchers, it’s all about the spin.

Woodland’s Olivia Grey and Ridgefield’s Kaia Oliver — two of the state’s top pitchers bound for NCAA Division I softball programs next year — say pitching is just as much sweet science as it is art.

“It’s an amazing thing,” said Oliver, a Syracuse signee.

The long reign of hard-throwing hurlers might’ve ended when the high school softball pitching rubber moved back 3 feet — from 40 feet to 43 — nationwide in 2011. The move came from the National Federation for State High School Associations to help create more offense in a game that favored dominant pitchers.

Initially, it made things tougher on pitchers and easier on hitters in the years that followed. But lately, pitchers have regained some of that dominance with an increase in strikeouts, and fewer hits and runs allowed.

In other words, pitchers have mastered 43 feet.

Oliver and Grey are no exception. They happen to be two of the state’s best. They also happen to compete in the same league and, again in 2019, will duel it out for 2A Greater St. Helens League supremacy.

Grey, a Portland State signee, helped Woodland win its second softball state title with an undefeated 2018 season, striking out 380 batters, including 69 in four state games, and finishing with a 0.80 earned-run average. Grey threw a complete-game, no-hitter in her Beavers debut last spring.

Oliver is in her fourth year as the Spudders’ starting pitcher. She struck out 115 batters and had a 1.49 ERA leading Ridgefield back to the state tournament last spring.

With Oliver and Grey in particular, batters can always expect the unexpected.

‘Making that adjustment’

Ridgefield coach Dusty Anchors is in his third year coaching the Spudders, and has coached softball at the club and high school levels for 20 years. He was in favor of the pitching circle moving back 3 feet, a move made voluntarily in 2010 by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association one year before the mandatory date nationwide. Anchors was head coach of Bremerton’s Olympic High softball team at the time.

“Anything to make the sport better,” the coach said.

Anchors said small adjustments were made by both sides — hitters and pitchers — but the additional 3 feet didn’t make much of a difference.

“If you can throw 40 feet,” he said, “you can throw 43 feet. It’s about making that adjustment.

The same goes for the hitters: adjusting their swing seeing the ball for what Anchors said is one-tenth of a second longer for that additional 3 feet to the plate.

The current generation of high school pitchers is accustomed to throwing the 43-foot distance to home plate.

In youth softball, the pitching circle is 30 feet from home plate at 8-and-under, and moves back 5 feet for the next two age groups. By 14U, they’re throwing from 43 feet, the current distance for high school, college and professional levels.

For pitchers like Oliver, throughout youth ball adjustments took a bit of time to acclimate to the new pitching distances, she said.

Until 14U, Oliver overpowered hitters with two pitches — fastballs and change-ups. Eventually, batters caught up, and she added new spins. The drop ball came next. It’s one she says is her favorite pitch to throw.

“It’s probably my most efficient pitch,” she said.

Speed and movement

For hitters, that fraction of a second, the final 3 feet to home plate, also can make all the difference, said Jessica Flanagan, now a junior utility player at Portland State.

“They’re jumping up just as much as you’re jumping up,” she said.

Flanagan was a four-year all-league high school player at Woodland from 2013-16 and a three-year starting catcher. At Woodland, she caught for pitchers Madi Sorensen, Nicholette Nesbitt and Haylee Michaud, a trio who had their own styles, she said.

Now hitting better than .300 for the Vikings, Flanagan notes how big that final 3 feet is when a pitch comes to the plate that combines velocity and spin, especially facing pitchers from the Pacific-12 Conference, she said. Portland State hosts Oregon State in a doubleheader April 3 in Hillsboro and travels to Oregon later in April.

“They have speed,” Flanagan said, “but they also have movement and that movement is huge. If you have a pitch coming in fast and moving, it’s a lot harder to hit.”

Dominance came early

More pitchers hone their craft year-round through club ball and private instruction, and Oliver and Grey are no exceptions. And once a fastball is mastered, next is learning how to make the ball spin, or move. Those are the deceptive pitches: curveball, change-up, rise ball, drop ball.

Even at the 12U level, Oliver at Ridgefield overpowered hitters with her fastball’s velocity, but also had an equally effective changeup.

“To this day,” Oliver said, “I throw the same one. That pitch was so nasty. I’d get girls on it all the time.”

Not much has changed for Ridgefield’s four-year pitcher, who committed to Syracuse her freshman year. She throws 64 mph, and relies a lot on her off-speed for movement, placement and to keep batters guessing.

For Grey at Woodland, she didn’t get her start at pitcher while growing up in California. Grey was a catcher, then saw time in the infield. The pitching circle quickly drew her in.

“I was one of those people that thinks everyone should have an equal shot,” Grey said, “and I never got my shot. I wanted to try it and it’s been a whole other level of love ever since.”

Grey calls herself a finesse pitcher. She’s 6 feet tall, throws between 60-65 mph, and can throw seven pitches: fastball, change up, curveball, riseball, backdoor curveball, drop ball, and off-speed drop ball.

While she doesn’t emphasize throwing hard — “I see myself as more of someone not knowing what’s coming next (to batters),” she said — Grey focuses on what she calls throwing top three pitches.

“That’s all you really need,” she said. “As long as you change the plan and the view of the ball and change speed, honestly, you’ll get any batter.

“You have to set yourself apart.”

Oliver agrees.

“I focus on a couple of pitches,” she said, “to be really good at those pitches compared to have a lot of pitches and not being very good at them.”

At one time, Oliver and Grey were teammates for the Portland-based NW Bullets softball club team. The two also bring out the best in each other, now facing off at least twice a year in the regular season. Last year, they split their two regular-season meetings, including Ridgefield’s 4-3 10-inning thriller behind Oliver’s 17 strikeouts.

Expect more of the same in 2019. The two teams face off at Woodland April 17 and at Ridgefield May 3.

And with pitchers who go beyond throwing by perfecting the art and science of pitching.

“At the end of the day,” Grey said, “anyone can catch up to speed.”

(SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

MONDAY, MARCH 18

BASEBALL

Heritage at Washougal, 4 p.m.

Hudson’s Bay at Hockinson, 4:30 p.m.

Montesano at Mark Morris, 4 p.m.

La Center at Tenino, 4 p.m.

Corbett (Ore.) at Stevenson, 4 p.m.

Kalama at King’s Way Christian, 5 p.m. at Luke Jensen

SOFTBALL

Battle Ground vs. Columbia River, 4 p.m. at VGSA

Camas at Washougal, 4 p.m.

Parkrose (Ore.) at Camas, 4:30 p.m.

Hudson’s Bay at R.A. Long, 4 p.m.

Mark Morris at Capital, 4 p.m.

Castle Rock at Ridgefield, 4:30 p.m.

Stevenson at Estacada (Ore.), 4 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER

Puyallup at Skyview, 6:30 p.m.

Hudson’s Bay vs. Heritage, 7 p.m. at McKenzie Stadium

Ridgefield at Battle Ground, 7 p.m.

Kelso at R.A. Long, 6 p.m.

Fort Vancouver at Washougal, 7 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS

Camas at Columbia River, 3:30 p.m.

Evergreen at Battle Ground, 3:30 p.m.

Skyview at Hockinson, 3:30 p.m.

Fort Vancouver at Mark Morris, 3:30 p.m.

Hudson’s Bay at R.A. Long, 3:30 p.m.

GIRLS GOLF

Heritage, Fort Vancouver vs. Washougal, 3:30 p.m. at Orchard Hills

TUESDAY, MARCH 19

BASEBALL

Walla Walla at Battle Ground, DH, 3 p.m.

Camas at Woodland, 4 p.m.

Ridgefield vs. Skyview, 7 p.m. at Propstra Stadium

R.A. Long at Prairie, 4 p.m.

Stanfield at Columbia-White Salmon, 3:30 p.m.

SOFTBALL

Woodland at Mountain View, 4 p.m.

King’s Way Christian at Kalama, 4 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER

W.F. West at Mark Morris, 5 p.m.

Castle Rock at Seton Catholic, 5:30 p.m.

Stevenson at King’s Way Christian, 6 p.m.

Columbia-White Salmon at La Center, 7 p.m.

TRACK AND FIELD

Battle Ground at Union, 3:30 p.m.

Skyview at Heritage, 3:30 p.m.

Evergreen at Hudson’s Bay, 3:30 p.m.

Mountain View at Kelso, 3:30 p.m.

Prairie at Fort Vancouver, 4 p.m.

Woodland at Hockinson, 4 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS

Ridgefield at Skyview, 3:30 p.m.

Union at Mountain View, 3:30 p.m.

Kelso at Washougal, 3:30 p.m.

GIRLS GOLF

Battle Ground vs. Skyview, 3 p.m. at Tri-Mountain

Heritage vs. Camas, 3 p.m. at Camas Meadows

Evergreen vs. Prairie, 3 p.m. at The Cedars

Fort Vancouver vs. Mountain View, 3 p.m. at Fairway Village

Kelso vs. Hudson’s Bay, 3 p.m. at Heron Lakes

Woodland vs. La Center, 3:30 p.m. at Tri-Mountain

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20

BASEBALL

Hockinson at Heritage, 4 p.m.

Washougal at Hudson’s Bay, 4 p.m.

R.A. Long at Kelso, 4 p.m.

Ridgefield at La Center, 4 p.m.

Woodland at Castle Rock, 4 p.m.

SOFTBALL

Washougal at Skyview, 4 p.m.

W.F. West at Battle Ground, 4 p.m.

Parkrose (Ore.) at Camas, 4:30 p.m.

Mark Morris  at Hudson’s Bay, 4 p.m.

La Center at Woodland, 4 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER

Hudson’s Bay vs. Union, 4 p.m. at McKenzie Stadium

Skyview vs. Mountain View, 6 p.m. at McKenzie Stadium

Evergreen at Battle Ground, 7 p.m.

Camas at Prairie, 7:30 p.m.

Fort Vancouver vs. Heritage, 8 p.m. at McKenzie Stadium

Washougal at R.A. Long, 6 p.m.

Hockinson at Columbia River, 7 p.m.

Ridgefield at Woodland, 7 p.m.

TRACK AND FIELD

R.A. Long at Ridgefield, 3:30 p.m.

Columbia-White Salmon, King’s Way Christian at Seton Catholic, 3:45 p.m.

Castle Rock, La Center at Stevenson, 3:45 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS

Heritage at Kelso, 3:30 p.m.

Battle Ground at Hockinson, 3:30 p.m.

Evergreen at Mark Morris, 3:30 p.m.

Columbia River at Prairie, 3:30 p.m.

Fort Vancouver at R.A. Long, 3:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, MARCH 21

BASEBALL

Camas at Union, 4 p.m.

Skyview at Heritage, 4 p.m.

Evergreen at Prairie, 4 p.m.

Fort Vancouver at Mountain View, 4 p.m.

Kelso at Hudson’s Bay, 4 p.m.

Mark Morris at Astoria (Ore.), 4 p.m.

Irrigon (Ore.) at Stevenson, DH, 3 p.m.

SOFTBALL

Columbia River at Heritage, 4 p.m.

Mountain View at Union, 4 p.m.

Montesano at Kelso, 4 p.m.

Astoria (Ore.) at Mark Morris, 4 p.m.

Irrigon (Ore.) at Stevenson, DH, 3 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER

Evergreen at Centralia, 7 p.m.

Kelso at W.F. West, 7 p.m.

La Center at King’s Way Christian, 6 p.m.

Stevenson at Toledo-Winlock, 6 p.m.

Seton Catholic at Columbia-White Salmon, 6 p.m.

TRACK AND FIELD

Washougal at Columbia River, 3:30 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS

Heritage at Washougal, 3:30 p.m.

Kelso at Mark Morris, 3:30 p.m.

W.F. West at Ridgefield, 3:30 p.m.

GIRLS GOLF

Ridgefield vs. Battle Ground, 3 p.m. at The Cedars

Prairie vs. Heritage, 3 p.m. at Club Green Meadows

Camas vs. Columbia River, 3 p.m. at Tri-Mountain

Mountain View vs. Skyview, 3 p.m. at Tri-Mountain

Woodland vs. Union, 3 p.m. at Camas Meadows

Evergreen, Fort Vancouver, Hudson’s Bay vs. R.A. Long, 3 p.m. at Mint Valley

Mark Morris vs. Kelso, 3 p.m. at Three Rivers

FRIDAY, MARCH 22

BASEBALL

Mark Morris vs. Skyview, 7 p.m. at Propstra Stadium

Bellevue at Mountain View, 4 p.m.

Woodland at La Center, 4 p.m.

Ridgefield at Centralia, 4:30 p.m.

Franklin Pierce at King’s Way Christian, DH, 3 p.m. at Luke Jensen

Riverside (Ore.) at Columbia-White Salmon, 4 p.m.

SOFTBALL

Hockinson at Skyview, 4 p.m.

Mark Morris at Battle Ground, 4 p.m.

Woodland at Prairie, 4 p.m.

Centralia at Washougal, 4 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER

Columbia River at Skyview, 6 p.m.

Union vs. Mountain View, 7 p.m. at McKenzie Stadium

Battle Ground at Prairie, 7:30 p.m.

Hockinson at Mark Morris, 5 p.m.

R.A. Long at Woodland, 7 p.m.

Washougal at Ridgefield, 7 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS

Camas at Wilson (Ore.)

Ridgefield at Battle Ground, 3:30 p.m.

Snohomish at Skyview, 3:30 p.m.

R.A. Long at Evergreen, 3:30 p.m.

Hockinson at Hudson’s Bay, 3:30 p.m.

Bellarmine Prep at Mountain View, 3:30 p.m.

GIRLS GOLF

La Center vs. Ridgefield, 3:30 p.m. at Tri-Mountain View

SATURDAY, MARCH 23

BASEBALL

Bellevue at Battle Ground, noon

Kelso at Central Kitsap, 3 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER

Mark Morris vs. Heritage, 4:30 p.m. at McKenzie Stadium

Seton Catholic at La Center, 1 p.m.

Castle Rock at Stevenson, 1 p.m.

Toledo-Winlock at Columbia-White Salmon, 1 p.m. at Hood River (Ore.)

TRACK AND FIELD

Washougal, Black Hills, Camas, Columbia River, Castle Rock, Evergreen, Forks, Fort Vancouver, Hudson’s Bay, Hockinson, Montesano, Mark Morris, R.A. Long, Skyview, Woodland at Tiger Invitational, 10 a.m. at Battle Ground

Everyone has their favorite season of the high school sports calendar.

The fall has the showcase of Friday Night Lights and football.

The winter has the nightly excitement of packed gyms for basketball.

But the spring lacks a marquee event. Most spring events don’t play in front of packed houses. You rarely will hear a band playing at a spring sports event.

However, the one thing spring has going for it is volume.

According to figures from the National Federation of State High School Associations, 64,561 students participated in spring sports in the 2017-18 in the state of Washington.

And just to clarify, when I’m talking about spring sports, I’m talking about the sports that are played predominantly in the spring in Clark County.

Technically, boys golf and boys tennis are spring sports as their state championships are held in the spring. But here in Clark County, the regular seasons for those sports are held in the fall.

If we were to put boys golf and boys tennis into the spring numbers, spring sports would be the prep season with the most participants with 74,050 participants, surpassing the fall’s 62,174 athletes. And that figure includes the monster that is high school football.

Football is the leader in total participants in Washington with 23,886 participants, far outdistancing boys track and field with 14,204 participants.

Basketball (12,023), soccer (11,025) and baseball (10,164) round out the top five of participation sports for boys.

Volleyball tops the list for girls with 11,186 participants, followed by track and field (10,837), soccer (10,235), basketball (9,675) and fastpitch softball (8,033).

In a somewhat surprising statistic, there are almost as many girls playing tennis in the state (7,873) as who play softball.

But then you remember that there are several girls tennis programs in Clark County that has a roster of more than 50 players. That’s always a daunting number, when you considering that most high schools have no more than four tennis courts (some have more).

Another revelation from looking at these participation numbers is that there are two sports in which female athletes outnumber male athletes — tennis (7,873-5,829) and swimming (4,870-3,989).

Three sports with the fewest participants are girls wrestling (1,222), girls bowling (1,311) and girls golf (2,425), although when it comes to wrestling and bowling Southwest Washington is more than boosting those participation numbers.

Another fun thing from looking at these numbers is taking a glance at all the sports played in other states that are not sanctioned in Washington.

For example, you have archery, badminton, bocce (Maryland only), canoe paddling (Hawaii, go figure), mountain biking, rodeo, snowboarding, surfing (California and Hawaii; gnarly!), fastpitch softball for boys (Iowa has 19 teams), baseball for girls (California has 75 teams, New Mexico has 109, which is totally awesome).

Anyway, there are ton of athletes out competing this spring, and they deserve your support.

So, get outside and take in a game or a meet. The schedule is full of them, and most spring sports do not charge admission.

I know it’s been chilly this spring season. But that all changes this week, when the mercury is suppose to approach 70 degrees. That’s a far cry to the first spring prep event I went to this season when the temperature sat at 36 degrees.

Tim Martinez is the assistant sports editor/prep editor for The Columbian. He can be reached at 360-735-4538, tim.martinez@columbian.com or follow him on Twitter @360TMart.

Here are the nominees for The Columbian spring sports prep athlete of the week, sponsored by Athletes Corner, for the week ending March 16.

Voting will continue until 8 p.m. Thursday, with results announced in Friday’s edition of The Columbian.

To avoid vote manipulation, voting is restricted by IP address. That means people voting while connected to a public WIFI access may be unable vote. We suggest voting be done by private internet access or through your cellular provider.

KIANA COBURN, FORT VANCOUVER GIRLS GOLF: Coburn shot a 4-over-par 38 at Fairway Village in match against Mark Morris.

TRESEAN FOREMAN, MOUNTAIN VIEW BOYS TRACK AND FIELD: Foreman won the 200 (23.85 seconds), long jump (20 feet, 2 inches) and triple jump (42-1) in a meet with Columbia River.

OLIVIA GREY, WOODLAND SOFTBALL: Grey threw 14 scoreless innings with 33 strikeouts over two non-league wins.

RYAN PITTS, SKYVIEW BASEBALL: Pitts went 8 for 12 with four runs, 8 RBI and struck out seven over four innings pitched.

ZANDER SOMODUROV, CAMAS BOYS SOCCER: Samodurov had a goal and three assists in two wins and a tie for the Papermakers.

Ashley Shelton has never been the first person on her team to speak up. In fact she typically keeps to herself, both on the softball field and at school.

But in the wake of five key departures to Prairie’s softball team, the four-year varsity player knew she had to make a change. And that change would require her to test the boundaries of her comfort zone.

First, Shelton, a second team all-league selection as a junior, moved over to center field to fill the absence of Kylee Snider, who graduated.

Perhaps more importantly: she was determined to become the Falcons’ vocal leader.

That presented an opportunity Shelton says is empowering.

“I’m not really looked at as a big powerful person,” Shelton said. “So it’s like, OK, I’m controlling this team right now. It’s a lot. It’s empowering. I feel good because I want to be someone that they look up to and I want them to remember me for being a good leader.”

Her coach concurred.

“This year she’s taken it in her head that if we want to be successful, this is what it’s going to take,” Prairie head coach Mariah Dawson said.

Prairie replaces five starters and multiple all-league selections, highlighted by Snider, an All-Region team selection, from a team that turned a third place 3A Greater St. Helens League finish into a second place finish at districts and a state tournament appearance.

Snider’s presence, Shelton said, was far more than her high batting average, or command of center field.

“Being loud, being under control in center field,” Shelton said. “You run the whole field and I have to help the players beside me.

“Definitely stepping into some pretty big shoes, because Kylee was a fantastic player and she’s definitely going to be missed this year, but it’s our time now, so we’ve definitely got to pick it up.”

Dawson said her and Shelton had a brief conversation about leadership before the season, but the senior has really taken the reigns.

Ask Shelton, and that starts with getting the team together for stretches when everyone is standing around and talking. Or weighing in to the group at the end of practices about how things went, and what to improve on.

During games, it’s covering everyone’s blind spots from center field. If it’s a pop fly, she’s yelling “back, back, back,” or “you’re in! You’re in! You’re in!”

Playing center field gives her a unique vantage of the field.

“I want to let them know I’m not here to boss them around,” Shelton said. “I’m here to guide a team to a good finish and that’s what I want. I want to see the best in everybody’s potential.”

Plus, walk down the halls of Prairie High School in the weeks leading up to the season, Shelton says they’re filled with celebratory buzz honoring the girls basketball team’s recent 3A state championship.

She feels that pressure for the spring.

“We’ve got some big shoes to fill,” Shelton said.

Evergreen’s baseball roster is comprised of 12 players, and none may be quite as important as the guy behind the plate.

Blake Whitehead is the lone catcher on the depth chart entering a season where the roster is as low as it’s ever been in Evergreen coach Chad Burchett’s tenure. As the only catcher on the roster, Burchett posits that without Whitehead — a first-team all-3A Greater St. Helens League utility player as a junior — the Evergreen Plainsmen would be in big trouble.

“If I lose him, I’m in a world of trouble,” Burchett said.

Those expectations are perfectly fine for Whitehead. The to-himself, unassuming senior is behind the plate for his second season after popping around as a utility player.

Does Whitehead, perhaps the player most directly effected by the lack of depth, see it as an issue?

“No, not at all,” Whitehead said.

Neither does Burchett. When Whitehead’s behind the plate, the longtime coach puts any worries aside.

“He embodies what I like out of a player: a quiet, confident kid that just goes out and takes care of business,” Burchett said. “Doesn’t have to tell anybody how good he is or isn’t. He’s respectful, not a kid who talks crap to the other team.”

Whitehead began to fill in at catcher last year, but was needed more in various other positions. But over the summer, to Burchett’s surprise, catcher is where he blossomed.

Sure, the roster isn’t long. But Whitehead believes the Plainsmen possess the talent to make some noise in what could figure to be a top-heavy league. With league MVP and one of the area’s top pitchers Tommy Snyder graduated, along with five seniors, that puts Evergreen right where Whitehead wants them: overlooked.

“I think we’re underrated this year,” Whitehead said.

He’s not setting any overly lofty goals for the team. The senior, rather, is set on taking the season one game at a time.

And in his role, he’s taking one task at a time. He worked on blocking. He honed in on his footwork. Mastered pitch calling. And, he says most importantly, learned how to be a leader amongst his teammates.

If a player is overly upset, Whitehead is there to help them remain composed.

“(I’m) keeping track of everything,” Whitehead says.

But with his quiet demeanor, an average person passing by might not even notice everything Whitehead is doing. Particularly when the Plainsmen field junior Carter Monda, one of the area’s top returning players.

But other coaches certainly do.

“Most people are like, ‘who’s that little guy? He’s a hell of a player,’ ” Burchett said.

As Burchett recognizes, that success hinges on Whitehead staying healthy at one of the sport’s most physical positions.

Perhaps a reason for that is it’s the nature of his position. Whitehead says catcher is more of a mental battle for him than a physical battle.

“You’re focusing on other people as well as yourself,” Whitehead said. “You’re thinking ahead.”

Whether it’s the state championship game or an early season practice, one thing stays the same for the Skyview baseball team.

The intensity.

Skyview has advanced to the 4A final four the past two years, reaching the title game last year and placing third in 2017.

How have the Storm competed at such a high level so consistently?

“I think for sure it’s our intensity at practice,” said senior infielder Noah Guyette. “We practice how we play, so we’re always going really hard.”

Guyette, who will attend the Air Force Academy, is one of eight seniors looking to fill big shoes left by last year’s graduating class. That group included 4A state player of the year Daniel Copeland, along with first-team all-Greater St. Helens League players Michael Lundgren and Max Rose.

But the cupboard is hardly bare. The Storm return first-team all-leaguers Cooper Barnum (pitcher/outfielder) and Liam Kerr (infielder).

This year’s team also has a roadmap to success laid by previous classes.

“It’s pretty easy because the guys who were ahead of us last year did a really good job of coaching us up and helping us along,” Guyette said. “Now that we’re the seniors, we just have to follow in their footsteps.”

Sometimes that guidance included some tough love.

“If we weren’t doing something right, they all really got on us,” said senior Ryan Pitts. “I look forward to doing the same thing to the younger guys because we are really young this year. It will be fun to get on them and challenge them a lot and do the same thing the older guys did for us.”

Pitts, a power-hitting infielder and pitcher, is one of five Skyview seniors set to play college baseball. He and Kerr have signed with Lower Columbia College.

Outfielder Alex Miller is headed to Tacoma Community College. Guyette signed his letter of intent to Air Force in November.

Barnum offers leadership as well. A first-team all-leaguer as a sophomore, he aims to guide six fellow juniors and four underclassmen.

“We’re young this year,” he said. “With that experience from last year, it’s nice to be able to have some guys look up to me and be able to help out.”

Skyview is again the favorite in a competitive 4A Greater St. Helens League. Camas, Battle Ground and Union all bring back enough talent to knock off anybody on any day.

So before Skyview begins to think about a third straight run to the final four, there’s plenty of business to handle.

“We’re going to try and win a league title first before we even think about playoffs,” Kerr said.

One thing the Camas softball team has shown in recent years is consistency.

The Papermakers have placed fourth in the Class 4A state tournament in three of the past four seasons.

Will Camas make another state playoff run?

If so, it will be with a focus on team togetherness. Without one dominant player, the Papermakers will all be counted on a little bit more.

“There’s a lot of individuals, but they’re working really well on how to play as a team,” first-year coach Miranda Cervantes said. “That’s going to be our focus this year, that camaraderie. We have a bunch of talented athletes, but if they can’t play well together, then they’re not going to do well.”

A big reason for Camas’ recent success was Kennedy Ferguson, a two-time 4A Greater St. Helens League pitcher of the year who now plays for New Mexico.

Ferguson’s impact can still be seen on this year’s senior class. Infielder Katie Hancock was well prepared to take over as one of the program’s guiding forces.

“(Ferguson) taught our senior class how to be leaders and role models,” Hancock said. “We learned what to do as seniors to help the underclassmen and keep the program strong.”

That leadership starts with communication.

“She made it so we know we can talk to our teammates,” Hancock said. “The seniors help the underclassmen.”

There will be little time for small talk once the 4A Greater St. Helens League season arrives. Skyview, Battle Ground and Union all believe they can challenge Camas for the league title.

Skyview returns plenty of talent. Junior infielder Mikelle Anthony earned first-team all-league honors her first two years.

Battle Ground might have the best battery in the league. Senior catcher Grace Stillman is a Western Oregon signee who supplies plenty of power at the plate. She will receive pitches from Jennifer Westrand, who earned first-team all-league honors last year as a sophomore.

Union has an experienced squad led by senior catcher Kaelani Gamble, a first-team all-leaguer last year. The Titans also return key contributors in outfielder Lauren Cockrell and infielders Brianna Fehrer and Morgan Kron.

Heritage is looking to build after going 2-10 in league play last season.

The La Center baseball team is not your average youth-laden squad.

Yes, 22 of 27 players in the program are sophomores or younger.

But the Wildcats have experience where it counts. Last year’s freshmen class played a key role as La Center snapped a 13-year state playoff drought, eventually reaching the 1A regional final.

Last year as a freshman, No. 1 pitcher Irving Alvarez threw a complete-game five-hitter to clinch La Center’s state berth in a do-or-die game at the district tournament.

Tom Lambert is La Center’s cleanup hitter and was also a key pitcher last year as a freshman. Infielder Beau Castleberry, now a junior, also played a big role in last year’s success.

Yes, La Center is young. But the Wildcats also know what it takes to win when the pressure is on.

“We’ve got the talent,” Alvarez said. “It’s our second year, we know who’s who. We definitely have talent and I think we’re going to make a far run.”

It’s unusual for sophomores to be thrust into leadership roles. But La Center coach Rick Skinner sees those who played on varsity as freshman adjusting well to that role.

“You can tell they’re taking on a big part of that role,” Skinner said. “Sometimes that’s hard, especially when you don’t have a senior that was on varsity last year. But everybody is stepping up and doing a great job so far.”

It’s not just at the high school level where La Center’s sophomore class has found success. Several have played youth ball together for many years, including two KWRL teams that reached the Babe Ruth World Series last year.

“I think most of us are ready because we’ve all been playing together a long time,” Lambert said. “We make sure everything is clear. We’re here to win. We’re here to get better every day.”

La Center isn’t thinking about a Trico League title at this point. Just getting better every day is the Wildcats’ focus.

“We can control what we need to get better on every day in practice,” Skinner said. “As long as we do that and come with the right focus, work hard and have good attitudes, we know that other stuff takes care of itself.”

That said, it’s a Trico League with no clear favorite.

King’s Way Christian has reached the state championship game each of the past two years, winning in 2017. Under first-year coach Todd Pisarczyk, King’s Way will try to replace seven key seniors, including two of the area’s best pitchers in Damon Casetta-Stubbs (now in the Seattle Mariners organization) and Sam Lauderdale (now at Washington State).

Columbia-White Salmon will also be in the mix. All-League senior outfielder Trent Howard leads a core of five seniors on a team that was co-league champ last year.

No matter what happens in the future of King’s Way Christian’s softball program, this year’s team will be special.

That’s because it’s the first softball team to compete for the high school, which opened in 2006.

While the Knights hope for a few victories this season, wins aren’t the most important goal.

“This is about building on the fundamentals and getting them to bond as a team,” co-head coach Traci Nelson said.

Nelson and Shawna Danberg are leading an inaugural team of 14 players.

A few of those have played softball since childhood. A few have never played before. Most took up the sport within the past two years.

Nelson and Danberg are eager to teach fundamentals, skills and strategy.

They won’t need to teach enthusiasm. That’s a trait the team has already shown.

“They all want to play,” Danberg said. “They give their all every single practice. They’re excited to be here. They’re all teachable and coachable.”

The first time King’s Way took the softball field was against some of the state’s toughest competition. At a season-opening jamboree on March 9, the Knights faced reigning 2A state champion Woodland and 1A Trico League champ Castle Rock.

Playing three-inning mini games, King’s Way lost 2-0 to Woodland and held Castle Rock to a 0-0 tie.

The first time a Knight stepped into the batter’s box, it was against Woodland’s dominant pitcher Olivia Grey, last season’s 2A state player of the year.

“You haven’t faced anyone before and suddenly you’re facing Olivia,” Nelson said. “But they went in there confident. I didn’t see anyone shaking in their boots. They were up there swinging.”

Some of King’s Way’s most talented players are freshman. Left-handed pitcher and coach’s daughter Sophia Nelson has played since she was 5 years old.

At the jamboree, she immediately felt comfortable in the high school pitching circle against high-quality hitters.

“It was pretty cool,” she said. “It’s a great experience playing against a state championship team.”

Infielder Annabelle Atwood, another freshman, has only played softball for two years. But she was on a varsity soccer team that reached the 1A state title game and a varsity basketball team that qualified for its first state tournament.

Atwood hopes to help her softball teammates learn to be successful like the soccer and basketball teams.

“Soccer and basketball, we got to go a long way,” she said. “Starting out as a new team, we can make our mark and keep going.”

The Trico League will have only four teams this season. Columbia-White Salmon won’t play due to low turnout.

Castle Rock is seeking another league title after placing fourth in state.

La Center will look to give the Rockets a run behind senior Macy Randolph, a first-team all-league infielder the past two years.

Spirits are high in the Ridgefield dugout these days.

The shiny new Ridgefield Outdoor Recreational Complex (RORC) is officially open. Plus, the baseball team has spent the entire school year with unfettered access to the school’s new weight room, which excited the Spudders, who return a big core of their team from a year ago.

That includes senior pitcher/first baseman Spencer Andersen, senior catcher Brock Harrison, senior pitcher Kellen Bringhurst and junior Jimmy Wallace — all returning first team all-league selections.

All considered, the Spudders feel as though they are riding a wave of momentum entering the season.

“I feel like it’s going to set us up for a really good season,” senior outfielder Camden Ryder said. “We’re a lot more prepared than past seasons and I feel really good about what’s to come.”

Head coach Nick Allen concurred: “Our whole program has had a great offseason.”

The Spudders have a core of returning talent in a league that has seen a lot of programs reload. Only two teams, Ridgefield and Mark Morris, return two or more first team all-leaguers.

For many of them, the preparation for this season started during the second week of school in early September. While other sports were underway, the baseball players got the first crack at the new weight room (Just how big, you ask? Andersen described it as big enough for 26 people to be doing pull-ups at the same time).

And Ridgefield weight training teacher Ted Beyer, a National Strength and Conditioning Association and USA Weightlifting-certified member, was there to present the challenge.

“I think that was huge for us,” Ryder, one of the eight Spudders who consistently worked out together, said. “We had one-on-one time with him just working on our stuff, get stronger, more physical, get bigger.”

By winter time, workouts that were optional in years past were required. Bringurst didn’t play basketball to focus on the baseball season.

So far, the players say, the extra work has made all the difference entering the season. Players’ measurables — exit velocity, launch angles, etc., which the team records with iPad sensors — have improved.

Now they hope to back it up on the field.

Last year’s season-ending district loss to Centralia left lots to be desired.

“We kind of let ourselves go in that last district game,” Andersen said. “I hope that the guys know we’re good enough to beat the team we lost to last year, leave right where we left off.”

To the Ridgefield players, the advantages in facility cannot go wasted.

“A lot of momentum. A lot of schools are threatened by us, I guess, so we just have to go and prove it,” Andersen said.

Last year, the 2A Greater St. Helens league came down to a the battle for the top spot between Woodland and Ridgefield. Both possessed the firepower of two of the top teams in the area, regardless of classification. Both made deep runs in the state tournament. Woodland won the state title.

New year. Same story.

“We view them as our biggest competition,” Woodland coach Tom Christensen said. “We talk about it. We’re excited (to play them).”

Last season, the teams finished locked atop the league standings, as they were each other’s only league loss in a 1-1 series split.

But Woodland ended the season with the ultimate goal: a first place state trophy. Ridgefield finished fifth.

“In the back of the girls’ minds, yes, we have some unfinished business, and Woodland is in that path,” Ridgefield coach Dusty Anchors said. “What I’m trying to get the girls to step back and realize that it’s one game at a time, one pitch at a time. It’s a fine line.”

The Spudders and the Beavers each return the majority of their starting lineups, and both sides have each other circled on the calendar.

Last year’s series between the teams featured two thrilling bouts. Woodland took the first, a pitching duel, 2-0, then Ridgefield nabbed the second 4-3 in extras.

Ridgefield pitcher Kaia Oliver, a Syracuse signee, returns along with five other all-league selections from a team that reached the state quarterfinals, highlighted by first team honorees Sarah Jenkins, Kekai Schultz and Emma Jenkins.

Anchors acknowledged the anticipated battle with Woodland atop the league standings, but has urged his team not to get too caught up on the long-term.

Woodland field all but two players from last year’s state title-winning team, including four all-league selections, highlighted by All-Region Player of the Year Olivia Grey, a senior pitcher. First team selection Kaily Christensen returns along with second-teamers Chloe Eddy and Kelly Sweyer — all of whom were instrumental in the Beavers’ title run.

Woodland will replace two starting outfielders, but Christensen is confident in the players in line.

He’s also made an effort to take the pressure of repeating as state champs off of his team, citing the expectation of repeated as a narrow view of success.

“We’re allowed to have a bad day,” Christensen said. “It’s OK. We talk a lot about pressure, living up to expectations. I try to calm them.”

But Woodland certainly has the talent to get there. As do the Spudders.

And the two pitchers, Oliver and Grey, are set to dazzle one season more.

Beyond the top two teams, the league appears fairly wide open. There was just one senior on the first all-league team, so expect a talent-laden league. Hockinson returns three all-league selections coming off an appearance at districts.

Alex Bishop’s track and field meet-day routine is one of a kind: there is no routine.

No warmups, and no stretching. Bishop just jumps.

Track and field’s vertical jumps — high jump and pole vault — require athletes to enter a competition at the height of their choice.

Bishop isn’t like most elite jumpers. He enters a competition at a low height, and slowly works his way up.

And that suites the Woodland High senior just perfectly in more ways than one at an event and sport that’s turned into his specialty.

“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” he said. “It’s been working for me.”

For Bishop, the only aspect of his high jump routine that’s different is his annual trend upward to back-to-back top-3 podium finishes at the Class 2A state meet. A state title within his grasp at last spring’s state meet at Mount Tahoma Stadium when Bishop cleared a personal-best 6-6, only to have Colby White of W.F. West clear that same height on his last attempt and later win the competition at 6-7. Bishop placed second.

While bummed, Bishop wasn’t disappointed in the performance. Spring weather and the energy of state helped him clear a new personal-best height by 2 inches in a competition jumps coach Andrew Johnson said after the meet were his best jumps all season.

That’s proving for motivation this spring.

“I’ve gotten there and so been close to winning state,” he said.

Bishop is only in his third year of track and field, and while it took time, success came. Natural athleticism made the jumping events an easy choice after friends urged him to put baseball aside sophomore year for track.

He hit the 6-foot benchmark for the first time at districts sophomore year, and has been climbing ever since.

“I had to get my steps down and start bending more,” Bishop said. “I was trying to do it with pure athleticism and jump straight over the bar. It wasn’t working. I had to get a lot of my form down.”

That’s led to big jumps, too. Once at state, Bishop’s 6-6 jump tied the school record set in 1999 by Jared Sloan.

Now, he wants more, including a state title.

“That’s motivating me to get back out there,” he said.

ATHLETES TO WATCH

Ryan Cibart, sr., Heritage: Middle-distance runner broke school record in 800 meters on his way to a third-place 4A state finish.

Daniel Maton, sr., Camas: UW-bound distance runner aims for a three-peat in the 4A 800 and 1600 meters.

Kyle Radosevich, sr., Ridgefield: State cross country runner-up placed sixth in 3200 meters at 2A state meet.

Tyler Flanagan, sr., Woodland: Versatile athlete is a two-time state qualifier in hurdles.

Lincoln Krog, sr., Stevenson: Defending 1A state high jump champion also placed second at state at triple jump and eighth in long jump.

Trey Knight, jr., Ridgefield: The junior is one of the nation’s top throwers and the reigning 2A state champion in the shot put and discus.

Bryan Tavera, sr., Ridgefield: Triple-jump specialist looks to defend his 2A title this spring.

Nolan Mickenham, sr., Prairie: One of area’s top sprinters placed third in 3A 100 meters and eighth in 3A 200 last spring.

KEY DATES

March 23: Annual Tiger Invitational at Battle Ground is the area’s first invitational of the season, drawing in teams from Washington and Oregon.

April 12: Columbia River hosts the John Ingram Twilight, with athletes competing from across Clark County.

May 3: The elite of the elite athletes head to Jesuit High School for the Nike/Jesuit Relays.

May 8-9: 4A and 3A district titles will be won at McKenzie Stadium.

May 17: Washougal’s Fishback Stadium is home to this year’s 2A district meet.

May 23-25: The top 4A, 3A and 2A athletes gather at Mount Tahoma Stadium. Small schools (1A, 2B, 1B) compete at Eastern Washington University.