6/6/2025
With all the spring sports championships in the books we here at the Eli Sports Network decided to look back and share some of the moments that caught our attention.
1A Soccer: State Championship
By Danny DeBock
The Bush School lined up for a free kick in stoppage time against their Emerald Sound Conference rivals University Prep. The Blazers battled back after being down 2-0 in the first half. University Prep’s senior goalkeeper Nicholas Cox-Hulquist swatted away Bush’s Gianlucca Weintraub’s freekick.
University Prep won their first State Soccer Championship in 20 years. The 2025 University Prep seniors experienced a State Championship loss to the very same Bush School in their freshman year. It is only fitting it was a senior that made the game saving play to bring the story of redemption for University Prep to its storybook ending.
Big Save By University Prep’s Nicholas Cox-Hulquist
2B Baseball: Asotin vs Tri-Cities Prep semifinal
By Jeff Weeks
Top of the 7th inning Asotin scored 5 runs and managed to tie the game and force extra innings in an extraordinary comeback. The Panthers then held Tri Cities scoreless to force extra innings.
The Panthers were unable to score in the top of the 8th. In the bottom of the 8th inning Tri-Cities Prep had a couple of hits and loaded the bases with 2 outs. Asotin was just 1 out away from getting out of the inning when the worst scenario possible ended the game. The Jaguars would score the winning run in a walk-off wild pitch to back stop. The Jaguars would go on to win their 3rd State Title in a row. Just a devastating end to a miraculous comeback.
Tri-Cities Prep Wins on a Wild Pitch
2A Baseball: Championship No-Hitter
By Matthew King
Junior pitchers Trey Thompson and Braden French stepped onto the biggest stage of their careers and shined while etching their name in Bainbridge history. The juniors no-hit Anacortes while striking out 15 combined batters to lift the Spartans to a 3-0 win and the first baseball state title in program history.
The pair of hurlers had total control from start to finish and the 3 runs the offense spotted them was more than enough to give them the big trophy to take home.
Bainbridge Wins the 2A State Baseball Title
1A Baseball: 20 Innings in Two Days
By Matthew King
One other moment was simply a combination of alot of moments as the Overlake/Bear Creek Growls didn’t have the title defense that they were hoping for, but did impress everyone in Bellingham. OBC started their first game at 1pm on Friday and finished their second game at 1:36pm on Saturday. In those 24 hours and 36 minutes the Growls played a whopping 20 innings of baseball! Yes, they win the Iron Men award.
3A Baseball Mt Vernon’s Dylanm Jacobs battles through emotion and injury
By Tyler Hergert
This is a story that Hollywood may reject because it isn’t realistic. Mount Vernon’s Dylan Jacobs has had a tough Senior to say the least. His Dad passed away back in September at the beginning of his Senior year. During the year Dylan tore an ACL but with a brace could still play and toughed out his final season with the Bulldogs.
With the crowd chanting De-Bo as he approached the plate for the final time the Bulldogs already had an 11-6 lead in the bottom of the 6th with 2 outs. De-Bo took ball 1 and was looking for a fastball, got it and launched a monster shot over the fence to finish his High School career with a 2 run bomb. The crowd was chanting and his teammates exploded in celebration. A true Disneyesque ending for Dylan Jacobs.
Dylan Jacobs Crushes a Homer
4A Baseball Tight Play at the Plate
By Tyler Hergert
Eastlake beating Jackson with a play at the plate was one that will be discussed for years to come. Two weeks before the Semis, Eastlake beat Jackson 14-0 in the District Championship Game.
However, that was two weeks ago and Jackson was down just 2-0 but was facing their final strike. The Timberwolves rose to the occasion and with a base hit pulled within 1, down 2-1.
The tying run is on at 2nd and Jackson’s last hope with Ashton Bergman at the plate. He’s go to protect the plate with an 0-2 count and slices one into left field and they send the runner from 2nd home. The throw was great. The relay from the 3rd baseman was on the money and the catcher made the tag and Eastlake got the call.
Jackson coaches questioned the call based on the positioning of the umpire but in the end the call stood and the Wolves advanced to the State Championship.
Big Play at the Plate for Eastlake
3A Soccer Lions Sr shines and Frosh Mercer Island Keeper with ultimate game winner
By Tony Davila
Auburn Mountainview Senior Sergio Mercado had one of the most impressive individual games showing off next level speed touch and vision in the 3rd place match with 2 goals and 2 assists in a 7-1 rout of Ingraham.
Mercer Island freshman goalkeeper Adam Kiviat saved a PK in the championship match against Shorewood. Ben Park’s shot to get MI on the board was spectacular. Shorewood’s Matthew Bereket scored a goal in the 70th minute that seemed to come out of nowhere.
But in the end without the magnificent play keeping Shorewood off the board by the Freshman Kiviat is the key defensive play in the win for the Islanders.
Adam Kiviat With a PK Save for Mercer Island
4A Soccer OT Headers and Conley takes a bow
By Tony Davila
Both overtime winners in the Semifinals a diving header by Nicholas Ngo in the first overtime for Hazen and Woodinville’s Cooper Conley with a free kick off the crossbar then off the keepers back for game winner over Chiawana in the 2nd overtime.
In the Championship game the opening free kick goal just outside the box by Conley deja vu from the night before. A last second lob into the 18 yard box that looked like an easy catch but was bobbled by the Hazen keeper. Woodinville’s Cooper Conley is there to head the ball home for the game winner then runs to the track and bows to the crowd.
But the overall story is how the Kingco DOMINATED the tournament. Mercer Island and Woodinville play in 3A/4A Crown-Crest league and both won titles and Hazen plays in the Mountain division and finished 2nd in 4a.
Woodinville Wins in Stoppage Time
Yakima Track and Field
By Paul Beattie
One we have on video and the other was not but it occurred right behind our location that we broadcast from at Zaepfel Stadium in Yakima.
In the boys Javelin the 2B State record coming into the meet was 198-10 held by Nick Lyons from DeSales High School set in 2006. Colby Shamblin, a senior from NW Christian (Colbert) was the top qualifier with a toss of 198-05 which gave him a shot at the record.
On his 1st of 6 throws in the finals there was a big roar from the spectators and his toss checked in at 208′ even blasting the record by 9′ 2″. After the others threw their next attempt he got set for throw number 2 and when it landed it was clearly a massive toss as the spectators exploded in cheers and they marked his throw just shy of the temporary fence that outlined the javelin landing area.
225-2 was the official toss or 26-feet and 4 inches over the previous record that had been held for 19 years. His other throws were all well over 200 feet with his 2nd longest 214-3 so he literally broke the record 5 times and he faulted on his 6th try.
His toss missed the all-classification state record by 2′ 9″ which is 227-11 held by Sean Keller from Heritage HS set in 2012. Colby’s name is going to be on this record perhaps for his entire lifetime.
Our 2nd moment came on the track in the 2B girls 100m dash. La Conner’s Faith Jenkins blazed to the win with a fast time of 12.42 which was off the 2B state record of 12.10 set by Regyn Gaffney of Adna in 2014.
Why is this a big moment? Well Faith is an 8th grader. As you can see in the replay of her race she won comfortably setting up a potential first time 5 time State Champion in any sports, girls or boys. We don’t believe there has ever been a 5 time champ in the same sport in WIAA history. Well we may have just witnessed the first of five and on her way into the history books.
La Conner’s Faith Jenkins wins the 2B Girls 100m
Mt Tahoma State Track and Field
By Keith Clark
Over the 3 day event a total of 16 new state classification records were broken.
A few of the records that really caught our attention began with the boys 4A Discus where Mead’s Simon Roselli blasted the old record of 190-9 by nearly 15-feet with a toss of 205-7.
The Curtis boys 4×100 relay was smooth as they rolled to the Gold with a new record time of 40.93 4/10ths faster than the previous mark.
Curtis Boys Set New 4A Record in the 4x100m Relay
Both the 2A girls and 3A girls 4×400 relay records were broken. The West Valley (Spokane) team ripped the former record up by nearly 3 and half seconds with a final time of 3:53.10. In the 3A, Mt Spokane peeled off almost a full second with the new record of 3:50.27.
Overall the competitiveness of these meets brought out these fantastic performances and more is what really caught our attention.
West Valley Spokane Demolishes 2A Girls 4x400m Relay Record
Mount Spokane Wildcats Set New 3A 4x400m Relay Record
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