From the Sidelines

Here’s the final regular season basketball poll. Keep in mind that these polls are voted on Monday, meaning they don’t take into account games played last night. That means Bellevue’s win over Rainier Beach last night wasn’t taken into effect. This is just where the teams landed for our final poll.

Boys Class 4A

1. Garfield (20-3)
2. Ferris (19-1)
3. Jackson (21-2)
4. Auburn (18-4)
5. Olympia (18-2)
6. Davis (18-2)
7. Gonzaga Prep (17-3)
8. Kentridge (16-6)
9. Richland (17-5)
10. Curtis (16-5)
Others receiving votes: Puyallup (18-4), Rogers (16-6)

Boys Class 3A
1. O’Dea (20-2)
2. Rainier Beach (16-5)
3. Seattle Prep (20-4)
4. Lincoln (18-2)
5. Lakes (17-2)
6. Wilson (17-3)
7. Kamiakin (17-1)
8. Mercer Island (18-4)
9. Bellevue (18-5)
10. Glacier Peak (20-3)
Others receiving votes: Chief Sealth (18-7)

Girls Class 4A
1. Auburn Riverside (18-3)
2. Federal Way (19-2)
3. Bellarmine Prep (18-2)
4. Gonzaga Prep (17-3)
5. Edmonds-Woodway (19-4)
6. Eastlake (19-3)
7. Chiawana (16-2)
8. Issaquah (16-6)
9. Woodinville (18-5)
10. Lewis and Clark (13-6)
Others receiving votes: Kentwood (16-5), Skyline (16-7), Richland (13-2), Lake Stevens (19-3)

Girls Class 3A
1. Holy Names (22-0)
2. Prairie (20-0)
3. Kennedy Catholic (20-1)
4. Timberline (20-0)
5. Cleveland (19-4)
6. Lynnwood (18-4)
7. Mount Si (17-5)
8. Juanita (18-5)
9. Liberty (16-8)
10. Auburn Mountainview (16-5)
Others receiving votes: Eastmont (15-4), Shadle Park (15-6), Seattle Prep (15-7), Lakes (15-5)

Boys Bracket

Saturday, Feb. 12 – Loser out
Game 1: No.3 Seattle Prep 77, Mount Si 45
Game 2: No.10 Chief Sealth 44, Eastside Catholic 42
Game 3: No.7 Bellevue 82, West Seattle 60
Game 4: Lake Washington 67, Lakeside 63

Tuesday, Feb. 15
Game 5: No.3 Seattle Prep (19-4) vs. Franklin (13-9)
Game 6: No.10 Chief Sealth (18-6) vs. No.9 Mercer Island (18-4)
Game 7: No.7 Bellevue (18-5) vs. No.1 Rainier Beach (16-5)
Game 8: Lake Washington (15-9) vs. No.2 O’Dea (20-2)

Thursday, Feb. 17
Game 9 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Game 10 – Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner

Friday, Feb. 18
Game 11 – Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser
Game 12 – Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 loser

Saturday, Feb. 19
Game 13 – Game 9 loser vs. Game 10 loser (winner third, loser fourth)
Game 14 – Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner (winner fifth, loser out)
Game 15 – Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner (winner first, loser second)

Girls Bracket

Saturday, Feb. 12 – Loser out
Game 1: Mercer Island 59, Bainbridge 39
Game 2: Seattle Prep 49, Nathan Hale 37
Game 3: Liberty 41, Bishop Blanchet 30
Game 4: No.7 Juanita 51, Franklin 49

Tuesday, Feb. 15
Game 5: Mercer Island (15-10) vs. No.5 Cleveland (19-4)
Game 6: Seattle Prep (15-7) vs. No.8 Mount Si (17-5)
Game 7: Liberty (16-8) vs. Lakeside (14-8)
Game 8: No.7 Juanita (18-5) vs. No.1 Holy Names (22-0)

Thursday, Feb. 15
Game 9 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Game 10 – Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner

Friday, Feb. 18
Game 11 – Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser
Game 12 – Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 loser

Saturday, Feb. 19
Game 13 – Game 9 loser vs. Game 10 loser (winner third, loser fourth)
Game 14 – Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner (winner fifth, loser out)
Game 15 – Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner (winner first, loser second)

Here’s the Sea-King bracket. Bellevue enters as the No.2 seed in the boys tournament; no girls teams made it, but the bracket is posted below for your information.

Boys Bracket

Loser-out games Saturday, Feb. 12
Game 1 – Mount Si (11-12) at No.3 Seattle Prep (18-4)
Game 2 – Eastside Catholic (10-13) at No.10 Chief Sealth (17-6)
Game 3 – West Seattle (9-13) at No.7 Bellevue (17-5)
Game 4 – Lakeside (12-10) at Lake Washington (14-9)

Tuesday, Feb. 15
Game 5 – Game 1 winner vs. No.2 O’Dea (19-2)/Franklin (13-8) loser
Game 6 – Game 2 winner vs. No.9 Mercer Island (18-4)
Game 7 – Game 3 winner vs. No.1 Rainier Beach (16-5)
Game 8 – Game 4 winner vs. No.2 O’Dea (19-2)/Franklin (13-8) winner

Thursday, Feb. 17
Game 9 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Game 10 – Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner

Friday, Feb. 18
Game 11 – Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser
Game 12 – Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 loser

Saturday, Feb. 19
Game 13 – Game 9 loser vs. Game 10 loser (winner third, loser fourth)
Game 14 – Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner (winner fifth, loser out)
Game 15 – Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner (winner first, loser second)
Girls Bracket

Loser-out games Saturday, Feb. 12
Game 1 - Mercer Island (14-10) at Bainbridge (14-8)
Game 2 – Nathan Hale (14-8) at Seattle Prep (14-7)
Game 3 – Bishop Blanchet (8-15) at Liberty (15-8)
Game 4 – Franklin (10-10) at No.7 Juanita (17-5)

Tuesday, Feb. 15
Game 5 – Game 1 winner vs. No.5 Cleveland (19-3)/No.1 Holy Names (21-0) loser
Game 6 – Game 2 winner vs. No.8 Mount Si (17-5)
Game 7 – Game 3 winner vs. Lakeside (14-8)
Game 8 – Game 4 winner vs. No.5 Cleveland (19-3)/No.1 Holy Names (21-0) winner

Thursday, Feb. 15
Game 9 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner
Game 10 – Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner

Friday, Feb. 18
Game 11 – Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser
Game 12 – Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 loser

Saturday, Feb. 19
Game 13 – Game 9 loser vs. Game 10 loser (winner third, loser fourth)
Game 14 – Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner (winner fifth, loser out)
Game 15 – Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner (winner first, loser second)

Our fearless publisher Janet Taylor put together a commerical that is now playing on 710 ESPN for the newspaper. I’ve had some readers ask for me to post it, so here it is.

Here’s a raw version – I’m not sure if this is the same one playing on the radio (I haven’t heard it yet). I’m not much for personal promotion so yes, it does embarrass me a little -  but you really should read our paper for local sports coverage in Bellevue, and Bellevue news in general, because our staff works hard to deliver what others aren’t, or can’t.

Sound Publishing – Bellevue 30 110203

Boys Class 4A
1. Garfield (18-3)
2. Ferris (17-1)
3. Jackson (19-2)
4. Kentridge (16-4)
5. Auburn (16-3)
6. Olympia (17-2)
7. Davis (17-2)
8. Gonzaga Prep (15-3)
9. Richland (15-5)
10. Kentwood (13-6)
Others receiving votes: Curtis (14-5), Rogers (14-5), Puyallup (15-4), Chiawana (14-5), Mount Rainier (11-8)

Boys Class 3A
1. Rainier Beach (15-4)
2. O’Dea (18-2)
3. Seattle Prep (19-2)
4. Lincoln (17-2)
5. Lakes (16-2)
6. Wilson (17-2)
7. Bellevue (16-4)
8. Kamiakin (17-1)
9. Mercer Island (16-4)
10. Chief Sealth (15-7)
Others receiving votes: Glacier Peak (18-3), Hazen (16-3), University Prep (14-4)

Girls Class 4A
1. Federal Way (18-1)
2. Bellarmine Prep (17-2)
3. Gonzaga Prep (15-3)
4. Auburn Riverside (16-3)
5. Eastlake (18-2)
6. Lewis and Clark (13-5)
7. Edmonds-Woodway (18-3)
8. Chiawana (16-2)
9. Issaquah (15-5)
10. Kentwood (15-4)
Others receiving votes: Woodinville (16-5), Emerald Ridge (17-2), Mead (12-7)

Girls Class 3A
1. Holy Names (20-0)
2. Prairie (20-0)
3. Kennedy Catholic (19-1)
4. Timberline (19-0)
5. Cleveland (18-3)
6. Lynnwood (17-3)
7. Juanita (16-4)
8. Mount Si (15-5)
9. Lakes (15-5)
10. Auburn Mountainview (16-4)
Others receiving votes: Shadle Park (12-6), Eastmont (15-4), Liberty (14-7)

Interlake basketball coach Scott Marcum shot me an email today, detailing where his team will play for the playoffs.

The Saints (6-14) play a loser-out game Friday at Sumner High School against Fife (7-10). If Interlake wins, they’ll play Saturday at 2 p.m. against either Renton or the No.4 seed from the Olympic League and will qualify for the West Central District tournament as either the No.9 or No.11 seed.

Interlake went just 2-12 in KingCo 3A play, but managed to go 4-2 against 2A competition, which bodes well for their playoff chances.

Now that the KingCo regular season is over, the league tournament schedule is all settled.

Bellevue is the boys league champion, the No.1 seed into the conference tournament, and earns an automatic district berth.

Mercer Island is the No.2 seed in the KingCo playoffs and earns the other automatic district berth.

Mount Si earns the No.3 spot after tiebreakers over Sammamish (4th) and Lake Washington (5th). Liberty takes the sixth and final spot.

FINAL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS
Conference        Overall
Team                      W-L   Win %    W-L    Win %
Bellevue                 13-1  .929        16-4   .800
Mercer Island       11-3  .786        16-4   .800
Mount Si                8-6   .571        10-10  .500
Sammamish          8-6   .571        13-7   .650
Lake Washington 8-6   .571        12-8   .600
Liberty                    4-10  .286        5-13   .278
Juanita                   3-11  .214        4-16   .200
Interlake                1-13  .071        2-18   .100

Boys KingCo 3A Tournament Bracket (Top-4 teams to districts)
Saturday, Feb. 5 at higher seed, 7 p.m.
Loser out
Game 1: No.6 Liberty (5-13) at No.3 Mount Si (10-10)
Game 2: No.5 Lake Washington (12-8) at No.4 Sammamish (13-7)

Tuesday, Feb. 8 at Bellevue College
Game 3: Liberty/Mount Si winner vs. No.2 Mercer Island (16-4), 3 p.m.
Game 4: Lake Washington/Sammamish winner vs. No.1 Bellevue (16-4)

Thursday, Feb. 10 at Bellevue College
3rd/4th place game: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 3 p.m.
KingCo Championship: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 6:30 p.m.

GIRLS
Juanita is the girls champion, the No.1 seed into the league tournament and the recipient of an automatic district berth.

Mount Si takes the No.2 spot and also earns an automatic district berth.

Liberty finishes with the No.3 spot, Mercer Island takes No.4, Lake Washington finishes No.5 and Bellevue takes the No.6 seed.

FINAL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS
Conference        Overall
Team                      W-L   Win %        W-L    Win %
Juanita                   12-2  .857        16-4   .800
Mount Si                11-3  .786        15-5   .750
Liberty                     9-5   .643        13-7   .650
Mercer Island         9-5   .643        13-8   .619
Lake Washington  7-7   .500        12-8   .600
Bellevue                   6-8   .429        8-12   .400
Interlake                   2-12  .143        6-14   .300
Sammamish            0-14  .000        3-15   .167

Girls KingCo 3A Tournament Bracket (top-4 to districts)
Saturday, Feb.5 at high seed, 7 p.m.
Loser-out
Game 1: No.6 Bellevue (8-12) at No.3 Liberty (13-7)
Game 2: No.5 Lake Washington (12-8) at Mercer Island (13-8)

Tuesday, Feb.8 at Bellevue College
Game 3: Bellevue/Liberty winner vs. No.2 Mount Si (15-5)
Game 4: Lake Washington/Mercer Island winner at No.1 Juanita (16-4)

Thursday, Feb.10 at Bellevue College
3rd/4th place game: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
KingCo Championship: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

It’s been a hectic week, so the basketball poll is a little late in being posted – but here it is. Note: All the records are as of yesterday morning.

Boys Class 4A
1. Garfield (16-3)
2. Kentridge (15-3)
3. Ferris (15-1)
4. Jackson (18-2)
5. Auburn (14-3)
6. Olympia (15-2)
7. Gonzaga Prep (13-3)
8. Davis (16-2)
9. Rogers (14-3)
10. Chiawana (12-5)
Others receiving votes: Richland (13-4), Curtis (13-5), Puyallup (13-4)

Boys Class 3A
1. Rainier Beach (13-4)
2. O’Dea (17-1)
3. Lincoln (15-2)
4. Seattle Prep (16-2)
5. Wilson (15-2)
6. Lakes (14-2)
7. Kamiakin (14-1)
8. Bellevue (15-4)
9. Mercer Island (14-4)
10. Chief Sealth (14-6)
Others receiving votes: Glacier Peak (16-3), Hazen (15-3)

Girls Class 4A
1. Federal Way (16-1)
2. Gonzaga Prep (14-2)
3. Bellarmine Prep (15-2)
4. Auburn Riverside (14-3)
5. Eastlake (17-2)
6. Lewis and Clark (12-4)
7. Edmonds-Woodway (16-3)
8. Issaquah (13-5)
9. Chiawana (14-2)
10. Kentwood (13-4)
Others receiving votes: Emerald Ridge (15-2), Mount Rainier (15-3)

Girls Class 3A
1. Holy Names (18-0)
2. Prairie (18-0)
3. Kennedy Catholic (18-1)
4. Timberline (17-0)
5. Cleveland (16-3)
6. Lynnwood (17-3)
7. Juanita (15-4)
8. Lakes (13-5)
9. Mount Si (14-4)
10. Shadle Park (11-5)
Others receiving votes: Wilson (12-5), Liberty (12-6), Auburn Mountainview (14-4), Eastmont (12-4)

Rusty Haehl is a 2008 Bellevue graduate. Photo courtesy of EWU Athletics

I wrote this story for today’s paper, focusing on former Bellevue Wolverine Rusty Haehl, a redshirt sophomore linebacker at Eastern Washington University. Haehl and the Eagles beat Delaware 20-19 earlier this month, winning the FCS National Championship.

I spoke with Haehl for quite a while and he had lots of interesting things to say that didn’t make the paper. Here’s some of that conversation.

On his playing time behind Buck Buchanan award winner J.C. Sherritt:
About halfway through the season last year, I switched to SAM linebacker. When I switched, my actual defensive snaps started to dwindle down. I had hurt my ankle pretty bad in the beginning of the year and missed two games, and my buddy Grant kind of got the back-up spot.

On EWU’s first round playoff game against North Dakota State:
That was the most physical game I’ve ever played in. There were some big boys in that game. I’d never played in a snow game before. It was just crazy, the whole atmosphere was insane.

On Eastern’s pre-game thoughts on Delaware and QB Pat Devlin:
We knew they were good – obviously, everyone’s good at this point in the year. We knew Devlin really likes his short game and never really threw the ball deep.

On being down 12-0 at halftime:
For me, personally, playing on special teams, it’s hard to be in that position. It’s hard to just watch because you can’t really do a whole lot about it. When you’re in, obviously, we wanted to do something, block a punt, return a touchdown. Luckily, the offense got it rolling and once we got the first touchdown, we were like ‘OK, just two scores away.’

It was a quick defensive series and we immediately converted, now we were just one touchdown away from being national champions. Everyone was pumped.

I know some of my friends turned the game off in the beginning and only saw the end. They missed the comeback.

On the last defensive stand after Eastern took a 20-19 lead with just minutes to play:
That goes back to the rest of the season, it’s always fallen into the defense’s hands and put onto our shoulders. Not to knock the offense, but as a defensive player and a defensive unit, you have to learn that’s going to happen to you.

Offense puts the people in the stands, but defense wins championships.

On being part of the EWU team to finally win a championship, after many great teams and great players have gotten so close in the past:
My first year we were just over .500. I saw a lot of those guys at the championship game, and we told them ‘we did this for you guys’. With the red turf going in this year, with all the support from the EWU alumni, all the people who donated and sponsored us, it was really special for us to win it and also win those three playoff games at home.

On learning from J.C. Sherritt, the nation’s top defensive player:
He’s a goofball, but that’s our whole team. There’s nothing else that matters besides winning and competing and J.C. is a competitor. He hates losing and he loves putting in the work to make himself or the team win. That goes for everything from XBox in the locker room, to ping pong, to weightlifting. He’s the top dog of it all. He’s always trying to better himself and his teammates. He’s also a really good friend.

On coach Beau Baldwin:
He’s such a good guy, such a good coach. He’s not a complete hardass. He’s tough, but he understands. He relates to us; he wants to get down to business.

On the difference between college and high school:
The biggest difference in the college game is the speed, both on the field and off the field in the meeting room. One thing that definitely helped me out in my time at Bellevue was the long playoff runs. Always having the goal of winning your league, going to the playoffs and winning state, going in for the long haul, that prepares your body and mind. For example, I never played football in January before this year.

On teammate Taiwan Jones, a junior running back who declared for the NFL Draft:
I knew the possibility was there. I could see him as maybe a receiver or for sure 100 percent as a return specialist. He’d be up there with the best of them in the NFL. People don’t realize how quick he is until their ankles are broken and their pants are on the ground. I’m happy for him – I’d love to be in that situation.

On Eastern’s opener next season at the University of Washington:
I’m really excited. I grew up going to Husky games. My grandpa played there, my parents went there. It’s going to be one of the last games there [before renovation]. Being that our team is about 68 of 90 guys from Washington, there’s a lot of westside guys. UW was our team for most of us. We’re friends with them, but now that they’re on our schedule, they’re next up. I think it’s going to be a blast.

An interesting week, as both Class 4A No.1 Garfield and 3A No.1 Rainier Beach both lost (Beach to Garfield, Garfield to Redmond). However, as the Vikings fell to the No.1 4A team in the state, they’re still at the top spot in 3A. Garfield’s loss to a pretty good Redmond team was underscored by the fact that phenom Tony Wroten Jr. sat out. So both team’s hold on to the top spots for now.

Bellevue climbs back to the No.7 spot and Sammamish, although in the others category, have been playing much better basketball lately, beating Mercer Island last week. Wouldn’t surprise me to see the team jump back into the rankings next week if they can keep things up.

Class 4A boys
1. Garfield (13-3)
2. Kentridge (12-3)
3. Ferris (13-1)
4. Jackson (16-2)
5. Olympia (14-1)
6. Auburn (12-3)
7. Gonzaga Prep (11-3)
8. Davis (14-3)
9. Kentwood (11-4)
10. Rogers (11-3)
Others receiving votes: Curtis (10-5), Puyallup (12-3), Chiawana (12-3)

Class 3A boys
1. Rainier Beach (9-4)
2. O’Dea (14-1)
3. Lincoln (14-1)
4. Lakes (12-2)
5. Seattle Prep (13-2)
6. Wilson (13-2)
7. Bellevue (11-4)
8. Chief Sealth (11-6)
9. Mercer Island (12-4)
10. Kamiakin (12-1)
Others receiving votes: Hudson’s Bay (14-2), Sammamish (11-4), University Prep (11-3), Hazen (12-3), Glacier Peak (14-3)

Class 4A girls
1. Federal Way (13-1)
2. Gonzaga Prep (12-2)
3. Bellarmine Prep (12-3)
4. Auburn Riverside (11-3)
5. Lewis and Clark (11-3)
6. Issaquah (12-4)
7. Eastlake (15-2)
8. Chiawana (12-2)
9. Kentwood (12-3)
10. Edmonds-Woodway (15-3)
Others receiving votes: Woodinville (12-5), Emerald Ridge (13-2), Jackson (10-7)

Class 3A girls
1. Holy Names (15-0)
2. Prairie (17-0)
3. Kennedy Catholic (15-1)
4. Cleveland (13-3)
5. Timberline (15-0)
6. Juanita (14-2)
7. Shadle Park (10-4)
8. Lynnwood (14-3)
9. Lakes (12-4)
10. Liberty (11-5)
Others receiving votes: North Central (7-6), University Prep (7-7), Wilson (11-4)