4A State Track & Field Championships

Girls Champion: Wasilla     Boys Champion: Bartlett

The Soldotna girls track team placed ninth in the team scoring, the highest finish for a peninsula team, lead by a gold medal performance by Lagi Wong in the shot put event.  Wong battled for the title with her best put coming on her next-to-last attempt; a throw of 36′ 1.25″.   SoHi’s Jelly Nolden finished third in the girls long jump with a personal best 15′ 2.75″; SoHi’s Bree Mucha raced to 4th in the 400M with a best of 1:01.29; Mariah Ulen captured 4th in the 100M hurdles and jumped 5′ in the girls high jump; Hannah Cristiano added a 5th in the girls discus. 

The Kenai Kardinal girls track team turned-in strong performances lead by Bailey Beeson’s bronze medal in the 800M run; Beeson set a Kardinal school record in the 800M prelim at 2:16.30.  The Kenai girls 1,600-relay team of Kyla Whannell, Leah Sandahl, Carolyn Kiefer and Beeson took silver in 4:09.92, just behind champion Wasilla;  Kenai’s 3200M relay team of Beverly Schneider, Olivia Pfeifer, Kiefer and Beeson took fourth.

The Skyview boys track team recorded a bronze medal performance in the 1600M relay with the team of Richard Reynolds, Micah Hilbish, Albert White and Cody Williams running 3:31.32. Skyview’s 400M relay of Reynolds, JoeBen Hawkins, White and Jasen Suonvieri took sixth. Albert White also took sixth in the 200.

1A-2A-3A State Track & Field Championships

Girls Champion: Grace Christian     Boys Champion: Grace Christian

The Cook Inlet Academy Eagles track team collected three gold medals in individual events.  Cara Davidson opened the medal grap with a victory in the girls discus with a distance of 102′ 2″.  Teammate Madison Orth earned gold in the field and on the track.  Orth won the girls the triple jump with a distance of 31′  4.75″ ; then, added a victory in the 100 hurdles with a time of 16.80. The CIA freshman also finished fourth in the long jump and fifth in the 100M dash.  On the boys’ side, Zach Taplin finished second in the shot put with a toss of 45′ 5.75″ and fifth in the discus.

The Nikiski Bulldogs were lead by Sayyid Parrish’s photo-finish second place in the 200M dash. Parrish also finished second in the long jump, jumping 18′ 10.75″.   Nikiski’s 400M relay team of Seth Carstens, Tristin Apted, Stephen Hartley and Parrish earned silver medals with a second place finish.   Seth Carstens tied for fourth in the high jump, Lincoln Johnson, fourth in the discus, Parrish, fifth in the 100;  Hartley, sixth in the 100.

Complete ASAA State Track and Field results: Click Here!

Girls Championship Results:

The Stars outshot Kenai 3-2 on penalty kicks to earn the Stars their third-straight NLC championship and fourth title in five years.

In the shootout following a scoreless regulation and 20 minutes of overtime, Soldotna, after an initial miss, scored goals by Miranda Wolfe, Taryn McCubbins and the final, game-winner by Skylar Shaw.  Kenai recorded goals by Vanessa Anderson and Cassie Ross.  Soldotna goalkeeper Katelynn Kerkvliet is credited with the win in goal.

Both SoHi and Kenai (and 3rd place Grace) qualify for the ASAA 4A State Soccer Championships scheduled for Thursday-Saturday, May 24-26 at Anchorage Dimond and Chugiak High Schools.

Boys Championship Results:

The Homer boys fell 2-1 to Wasilla in the boys NLC championship game.  Homer, Wasilla and Colony qualify to the 4A State Soccer Championships.

4A State Soccer Schedule: Click Here!

4A Girls Bracket

4A Boys Bracket

NLC All-Conference Girls Team — 1. Rachel Thompson, G, Nikiski; 2. Kylee Wolfe, M, Soldotna; 3. Alexa Starr, MF, Wasilla; 4. Shannon McNamara, M, Grace; 5. Nikki Vanni, M, Wasilla; 6. Julie Litchfield, M, Soldotna; 7. Miracle Burton, M, Palmer; 8. Morgan Morfe, G, Palmer; 9. Savannah Nash, D, Colony; 10. Taylor Ostrander, M, Kenai; 11. Lauren Schams, F, Kenai; 12. Katrina Wood, M, Grace; 13. Chelsea Winter, D, Skyview; 14. Erin Murray, D, Wasilla.

All-Conference Boys Team — 1. Robin Glosser, M, Homer; 2. Kyler Perry, M, Wasilla; 3. Sean Colette, M, Colony; 4. Kyle Wisner, M, Homer; 5. Travis Patterson, F, Wasilla; 6. Aube Strickland, M, Palmer; 7. Cory Carver, M, Soldotna; 8. Konstantin Reutov, F, Homer; 9. Daniel Fulmer, D, Grace; 10. Bryce Rodgers, G, Grace; 11. Jacob Spannegel, F, Colony; 12. Alex Springer, M, Kenai; 13. John Meaney, M, Colony; 14. Kyle Scarlett, D, Kenai; 15. Andre Lovett, D, Homer.

The tournament format features a one-and-done in the first round; the losers on Friday can doubleback for third place and a berth to the ASAA State Soccer Championships.

Girls Saturday Schedule: 3rd Place & Championship Games

10:00 a.m.   3rd Place Game: Wasilla vs Grace

2:00 p.m.   Girls Championship Game: SoHi vs Kenai

Boys Saturday Schedule: 3rd Place & Championship Games

Noon   3rd Place Game: Colony vs Grace

4:00 p.m.   Boys Championship Game: Homer vs Wasilla

Girls Friday Results

The SoHi girls advance to Saturday’s championship game against Kenai with a 3-0 win over Wasilla.  The Kardinals defeated Grace 2-0 to earn a bid to the upcoming ASAA State Soccer Championships.

SoHi 3 - Wasilla 0

Kenai 2 – Grace 0

Girls First Round Results

The Soldotna girls remained unbeaten with an opening round 5-1 victory over Palmer.  The Kardinal girls made it two wins for the South with a 2-1 OT victory over Colony.

SoHi Girls 5 – Palmer 1 

Wasilla Girls 3 -  Nikiski 0

Kenai Girls 2 - Colony 1 OT

Skyview Girls 0 - Grace 2

Boys Friday Results

The Homer boys earn a state bid with a 1-0 OT victory over Grace; the Mariners play in the boys championship game on Saturday at Skyview.

Homer 1 - Grace  0  OT

Wasilla 1 -  Colony 0

Boys First Round Bracket

The Homer Mariner boys recorded the only first-round victory for the South division of the Northern Lights Conference recording a 4-0 shutout 0f Palmer

Kenai 1 – Grace 2 OT

Homer 4 – Palmer 0

SoHi 1 - Wasilla 4

Nikiski 0 -Colony4

The Skyview Panther boys proved dominate in the sprint events with two individual titles and three relay victories in-route-to the runner-up team finish in the boys competition at the Region III 4A Track and Field Champonships, behind champion Kodiak.

Girls Region III 4A Track Recap

The Wasilla Warriors, lead by a four, gold medal performance by the state’s top track athlete Morgan Dampier, outpointed the field for the girls team title.  Dampier won the 100M, 200M, 400m, and 800M events.

Star girls shine.  SoHi’s Mariah Ulen earned three gold medals at the championships, winning the girls high jump, the girls 100M hurdles and ran the third leg of the Stars 1st place 4X200M relay team.   The SoHi girls assembled the fastest 4X200M relay in Region III, defeating the previous leader Palmer by .02 of a second at 1:52.50; with Jelly Nolden, Dani McCormick, Ulen, and Bree Mucha.  Nolden also won the long jump, finish 4th in the 100M and 6th in the 200M.  Bree Mucha added a 3rd in the 200M and 3rd in the 400M.  SoHi’s Lagi Wong took gold in the girls shot put and Hannah Christiano finished 3rd in the discus for the Stars.  SoHi jumper Catherine Peterson scored in both jumps with a 4th in the long and 5th in the triple.

Other Top Six (scoring ) Girls Competitors

Kenai Central:  Hannah Barcus won the girls triple jump;  Leah Sandahl recorded second place finishes in both the 100M and 300M hurdles; Bailey Beeson finished 4th in 800M; Kiana Harding, 6th in 200M; tied 3rd in high jump;Kenai 4X400M Relay, 3rd;Kenai  4X800M Relay, 2nd.

Skyview:  Sydney Roumagoux finished 5th in 200M; Skyview 4X100M Relay, 4th; Skyview 4X200M Relay, 4th; Kaylee Fisher, 3rd high jump; Marlee Cunningham, 5th in long jump and 6th in triple jump; Marissa Mahan, 4th in discus

Boys Region III 4A Track Recap

The Skyview Panthers boys raced to the team runner-up on the strength of a sprint core featuring Albert White, Jason Suonvieri, Richard Reynolds and  Jon Ben Hawkins.  Suonvieri opened with a win in the 100M dash and White captured the 200M dash title.  The Panther sprinter won the 4X100M Relay, 4X 200M Relay and the 4X400M Relay.  Skyview’s Micah Hilbish finished 3rd in the 1600M run, Bud Sparks finished 3rd in the 300M hurdles and Reynolds added a 3rd in the 400M dash.  Alex Rodriquez threw for 3rd in the shot put and Joe Ben Hawkins, third in the discus.   

Kenai Central:  AJ Hull jumped to the long jump championship and finished 3rd in 100M dash; Joe Sandahl, 3rd in 110M hurdles; Andrew Mole, 6th in 800M; Jonah Theisen, 5th in 1600M run

SoHi:  Jay Ulen won the boys high jump.  River Calloway finished 5th in 400M dash and 6th in long jump

Region III 3A Track Recap

The Nikiski Bulldogs Sayyid Parrish collected four gold medals with victories in the 100M, 200M, long jump and as a member of the winning 4X100M Relay team for the Bulldogs.

Region II  Track Recap

The CIA Eagles were lead by Madison Orth, who collected four gold medals at the Region II meet at Su-Valley  Orth won the 100M, 100M Hurdles, long jump and triple jump.  Cara Davidson added a victory in the discus and Zach Taplin won the boys discus event.

Click Here for State Track Qualifiers!

Week ending on May 10th

Kenai Kardinals

Representing the Kenai Kardinals is Kardinal baseball player Hector Rivera.   Rivera hit .500 in Kardinal wins over SoHi and Homer, batting 2 for 4 in each game.  The Kards are 4-0 in the Northern Lights Conference.  Kenai travels to the valley for games against Palmer and Wasilla on Friday and Saturday.  

Nikiski Bulldogs

Leading the pack for the Nikiski Bulldogs is Sayyid Parrish.  Parrish recorded Nikiski’s only championship at the Kenai Peninsula Borough Championships winning the boys long jump.  Parrish and the Bulldogs travel to the Anchorage Dome and Goldenview Middle School for the Region III 3A  Track and Field Championships on May 11-12.  

Skyview Panthers

The Skyview Panthers selection for Athlete of the Week is sprinter Richard Reynolds.  Reynolds raced to three gold medals at the Kenai Peninsula Borough Track and Field Championships winning the 400M dash and as a member of the Panthers 800M relay and 1600M relay teams.   Reynolds and the Panthers will compete in the Region III 4A Championships at Palmer High School on May 11-12.

Soldotna Stars

Representing the Soldotna Stars is soccer forward Cory Carver.   Carver scored a pair of goals in SoHi’s win over Houston and recorded a goal and assist in the Stars victory over Nikiski.  Carver and the Stars travel to Skyview on Thursday and host Palmer on Friday and Colony on Saturday. 

Congratulations to all Subway/Central Peninsula Rehabilitation Athletes of the Week.

All Athletes of the Week receive a Subway Value Meal and a  T-shirt from Central Peninsula Rehabilitation.

Girls Championship Results

The Star girls outpointed Kenai High 173.5 to 149 for the girls title, lead by a strong showing in the field events and solid running results.  SoHi’s Lagi Wong won both the shot put and discus events with state bests in both.  Mariah Ulen, of SoHi, won the high jump; and added victories in the 100M hurdles and 300M hurdles.

Kenai’s Bailey Beeson recorded four individual championships racing to victories in the 100M, 200M, 400M, and 800M events.  Other championships included: SoHi’s Dani McCormick, 3200M; SoHi’s Bree Mucha, 1600M; CIA’s Madison Orth, long jump and triple jump.  The Kenai girls won three of four relay events.

Boys Championship Results

The Skyview sprint core lead the Panthers to the boys team title.  Skyview’s Albert White won the 100M and Richard Reynolds took the 400M; Skyview’s Micah Hilbish won the 800M.  Skyview won all four relay events.  Kenai’s Joe Sandahl captured both hurdle events with wins in the 110M and 300M hurdles;  AJ Hull raced to a victory in the 200M; Jonah Theisen won the 1600M and brother Jordan Theisen won the 3200M.  The boys field event winners included: SoHi’s Jay Ulen in the high jump; Skyview’s Alez Rodriguez, shot put; CIA’s Zach Taplin, discus; Nikiski’s Sayyid Parrish, long jump; Skyview’s Bud Sparks, triple jump.

Next on the high school track schedule is the Region III Track and Field Championships to be hosted at Palmer High School on Friday and Saturday, May 11-12.

Complete ( top six) Kenai Peninsula Borough Track and Field Championships Results

GIRLS TEAM RESULTS — 1. Soldotna, 173.5 points; 2. Kenai Central, 149; 3. Skyview, 72; 4. Homer, 53.5; 5. Cook Inlet Academy, 36; 6. Nikiski, 20.
100 METERS — 1. Bailey Beeson, Ken, 13.44; 2. Bree Mucha, Sol, 13.66; 3. Jelly Nolden, Sol, 13.71; 4. Kaylee Fisher, Sky, 13.94; 5. Madison Orth, CIA, 14.04; 6. Sydney Roumagoux, Sky, 14.31.
200 — 1. Bailey Beeson, Ken, 27.60; 2. Sydney Roumagoux, Sky, 27.61; 3. Bree Mucha, Sol, 28.13; 4. Jelly Nolden, Sol, 28.87; 5. Kerry Ross, Nik, 30.13; 6. Heather Kaser, Nik, 32.90.
400 — 1. Bailey Beeson, Ken, 1:03.43; 2. Bree Mucha, Sol, 1:06.45; 3. Cassidy Soistman, Hom, 1:07.98; 4. Crystal Crane, Hom, 1:08.05; 5. Carolyn Kiefer, Ken, 1:08.42; 6. Kaillee Skjold, Sol, 1:08.47.
800 — 1. Bailey Beeson, Ken, 2:36.24; 2. Dani McCormick, Sol, 2:40.68; 3. Olivia Pfeifer, Ken, 2:40.73; 4. Carolyn Kiefer, Ken, 2:44.33; 5. Kaillee Skjold, Sol, 2:44.52; 6. Sienna Wallis, Nik, 2:48.97.
1600 — 1. Bree Mucha, Sol, 6:01.54; 2. Dani McCormick, Sol, 6:01.72; 3. Casey Farrell, Hom, 6:06.31; 4. Noelle Schmitter-Schrier, Ken, 6:10.92; 5. Melanie Goerne, Ken, 6:11.20; 6. Sadie Fox, Sol, 6:14.40.
3200 — 1. Dani McCormick, Sol, 12:44.38; 2. Noelle Schmitter-Schrier, Ken, 12:47.01; 3. Melanie Mastolier, Hom, 12:48.21; 4. Sadie Fox, Sol, 12:48.35; 5. Melanie Goerne, Ken, 13:17.13; 6. Sakota Mitchell, Hom, 14:46.25.
100m HURDLES — 1. Mariah Ulen, Sol, 16.73; 2. Leah Sandahl, Ken, 17.35; 3. Madison Orth, CIA, 17.37; 4. Beverly Schindler, Ken, 17.77; 5. Casey Neill, Sky, 18.95; 6. Sierra Baldwin, Sol, 19.49.
300m HURDLES — 1. Mariah Ulen, Sol, 50.40; 2. Beverly Schindler, Ken, 51.47; 3. Leah Sandahl, Ken, 51.54; 4. Casey Neill, Sky, 55.44; 5. Elsa Simmons, Hom, 56.56; 6. Sierra Baldwin, Sol, 1:00.21.
400m RELAY — 1. Skyview (Cunningham, McKenzie, Roumagoux, Neill), 55.32; 2. Soldotna, 59.19; 3. Nikiski, 59.60.
800m RELAY — 1. Kenai, 1:56.48; 2. Skyview, 1:57.48; 3. Soldotna, 1:59.83; 4. Homer, 2:00.12.
1600m RELAY — 1. Kenai (Schindler, Barcus, Pfeifer, Whannell), 4:43.64; 2. Homer, 4:49.09; 3. Soldotna, 5:02.86; 4. Skyview, 5:13.19.
3200m RELAY — 1. Kenai (Schmitter-Schrier, Schindler, Whannell, Barcus), 11:03.25; 2. Homer, 11:30.15; 3. Soldotna, 12:26.85; 4. Skyview, 13:58.13.
SHOT PUT — 1. Lagi Wong, Sol, 38’01”; 2. Marissa Mahan, Sky, 31’05; 3. Ashley Every, Nik, 26’06; 4. Haley Conti, Nik, 26’05; 5. Holly Ramsel, Sky, 26’05; 6. Hannah Cristiano, Sol, 25’07.
DISCUS — 1. Lagi Wong, Sol, 112’06”; 2. Cara Davidson, CIA, 107’02; 3. Hannah Cristiano, Sol, 97’08; 4. Marissa Mahan, Sky, 91’00; 5. Rachel Moulton, Ken, 86’04; 6. Holly Ramsel, Sky, 76’04.
HIGH JUMP — 1. Mariah Ulen, Sol, 4’08”; 2. Kiana Harding, Ken, 4’06; 3. Kaylee Fisher, Sky, 4’04.
LONG JUMP — 1. Madison Orth, CIA, 14’02-3/4”; 2. Hannah Barcus, Ken, 14’01-3/4; 3. Jelly Nolden, Sol, 14’00-3/4; 4. Catherine Peterson, Sol, 13’09; 5. Marlee Cunningham, Sky, 13’07-1/2; 6. Mariah Ulen, Sol, 13’03-3/4.
TRIPLE JUMP — 1. Madison Orth, CIA, 31’03”; 2. Cassidy Soistman, Hom, 30’11-3/4; 3. Hannah Barcus, Ken, 29’07; 4. Marlee Cunningham, Sky, 28’10; 5. Catherine Peterson, Sol, 28’02; 6. Rachel Moulton, Ken, 26’04-1/4.

BOYS TEAM RESULTS — 1. Skyview, 175 points; 2. Kenai Central, 126; 3. Nikiski, 59; 4. Homer, 48; 5. Soldotna, 47; 6. Cook Inlet Academy, 24; 7. Ninilchik, 24.
100 METERS — 1. Albert White, Sky, 11.57; 2. Jasen Suonvieri, Sky, 11.60; 3. AJ Hull, Ken, 11.62; 4. Travis Smith, Hom, 12.06; 5. Kyle Pietro, Sky, 12.17; 6. Stephen Hartley, Nik, 12.42.
200 — 1. AJ Hull, Ken, 23.27; 2. Albert White, Sky, 23.36; 3. Travis Smith, Hom, 24.67; 4. Dakota Peterson, Nin, 25.39; 5. Stephen Hartley, Nik, 25.79; 6. Jordan Bulin, Sol, 25.96.
400 — 1. Richard Reynolds, Sky, 53.63; 2. River Calloway, Sol, 54.60; 3. Brad Smithwick, Ken, 56.87; 4. Seth Carstens, Nik, 57.53; 5. Connor Seay, Hom, 58.17; 6. Josh Lister, Sky, 58.47.
800 — 1. Micah Hilbish, Sky, 2:10.09; 2. Cody Williams, Sky, 2:10.89; 3. Andrew Mole, Ken, 2:11.43; 4. Jonah Theisen, Ken, 2:13.70; 5. Jesse Ross, Nik, 2:17.08; 6. Jordan Theisen, Ken, 2:17.38.
1600 — 1. Jonah Theisen, Ken, 4:55.47; 2. Cody Williams, Sky, 4:55.77; 3. Andrew Mole, Ken, 4:58.49; 4. Jordan Theisen, Ken, 5:01.39; 5. Nate Mole, Ken, 5:03.26; 6. Jesse Ross, Nik, 5:07.30. DQ — Micah Hilbish, Sky, 4:54.05.
3200 — 1. Jordan Theisen, Ken, 10:44.05; 2. Jonah Theisen, Ken, 10:44.63; 3. Tyler Thorne, Nin, 10:51.49; 4. Nate Mole, Ken, 10:53.83; 5. Jared Wallis, Nik, 11:52.15; 6. Mac Lee, Ken, 12:04.21.
110m HURDLES — 1. Joe Sandahl, Ken, 17.25; 2. Mark McGregor, Hom, 17.78; 3. Bud Sparks, Sky, 18.30; 4. Matt Bullerdick, Sky, 19.53; 5. Tom Randall, Ken, 20.35.
300m HURDLES — 1. Joe Sandahl, Ken, 43.45; 2. Bud Sparks, Sky, 45.30; 3. Matt Bullerdick, Sky, 47.86; 4. Conner Seay, Hom, 48.32; 5. Mark McGregor, Hom, 48.43; 6. Gaden Ames, Sol, 49.60.
400m RELAY — 1. Skyview (Hawkins, White, Pietro, Suonvieri), 46.31; 2. Kenai, 47.02; 3. Homer, 48.69; 4. Soldotna, 51.76.
800m RELAY — 1. Skyview (Berti, Lister, White, Reynolds), 1:35.92; 2. Soldotna, 1:47.50; 3. Nikiski, 1:51.47.
1600m RELAY — 1. Skyview (Berti, Lister, Reynolds, Williams), 3:45.79; 2. Nikiski, 4:05.15; 3. Kenai, 4:10.49; 4. Homer, 4:23.32.
3200m RELAY — 1. Skyview (Harley, Musgrave, Mitzell, Yancey), 9:56.91; 2. Kenai, 9:58.28; 3. Soldotna, 10:34.55.
SHOT PUT — 1. Alex Rodriguez, Sky, 42’07”; 2. Zach Taplin, CIA, 41’10; 3. JoeBen Hawkins, Sky, 38’11-1/2; 4. Garrett Coreson, Nik, 37’03-1/2; 5. DJ Diaz, Sky, 37’02; 6. Lincoln Johnson, Nik, 37’00.
DISCUS — 1. Zach Taplin, CIA, 129’01”; 2. Lincoln Johnson, Nik, 125’06; 3. Riley Smithwick, CIA, 111’09; 4. Brad Smithwick, Ken, 111’05; 5. Alex Rodriguez, Sky, 110’07; 6. JoeBen Hawkins, Sky, 108’06.
HIGH JUMP — 1. Jay Ulen, Sol, 5’08”; 2. Seth Carstens, Nik, 5’08; 3. Jack Wheeler, Nin, 5’04; 4. Dakota Peterson, Nin, 5’02.
LONG JUMP — 1. Sayyid Parrish, Nik, 18’10”; 2. Travis Smith, Hom, 18’06-1/2; 3. Kyle Pietro, Sky, 18’06-1/4; 4. Jack Wheeler, Nin, 17’08-1/2; 5. Anthony Hall, Sky, 17’00-1/2; 6. River Calloway, Sol, 16’02.
TRIPLE JUMP — 1. Bud Sparks, Sky, 36’03”; 2. Jay Ulen, Sol, 35’08; 3. Justin West, Sky, 34’11-1/2; 4. Christopher Bice, Hom, 31’09-1/2; 5. Lincoln Johnson, Nik, 31’09; 6. Chad Harley, Sky, 31’02-1/2.

Girls Individual  Event winners from the central peninsula included:

SoHi’s Mariah Ulen, 100M Hurdles; SoHi’s Bree Mucha, 200M; KCHS’s Bailey Beeson, 400M & 800M; CIA’s Madison Orth, Long Jump; CIA’s Cara Davidson, Discus; KCHS 1600M Relay

Boys Individual  Event winners from the central peninsula included:

Skyview’s Albert White, 200M; Kenai’s Joe Sandahl, 110M Hurdles; Skyview 400M Relay and 800M Relay

The 2012 Kenai Peninsula Borough Track and Field Meet, for both borough high schools and middle schools will be contested Friday and Saturday May 4th and 5th at Skyview High School.

Homer’s Randy Wiest also competed in the Boston Marathon.

Gaines, 33, finished the race in 3 hours, 28 minutes, 45 seconds. The fastest Alaskan woman, Gaines was 2,892nd overall, 364nd amongst all women and 301st in her age division.

Wiest, 60, finished at 3:30:16. He was 11th in his age division, 3,101st overall and 2,688th amongst men.

Tom Ritchie of Anchorage led a contingent of 48 Alaskans with a time of 2 hours, 38 minutes, 39 seconds in the Boston marathon.  Ritchie is the athletic director and wrestling coach at South Anchorage High School.

Temperatures in the 80′s resulted in slower winning times. The race drew more than 22,000 starters; however, more than 4,000 registered runners deferred their race until 2013 because of the temperatures for Monday’s 116th edition of the race.

Fairbanks built a 2-0 lead in the first period of Friday’s contest.  The Brown Bears closed to within a goal with a second-period goal, moving the Brown Bears to within one at 2-1.  The Ice Dogs scored first in the third period for a 3-1 advantage: Kenai River scored the final goal of the period.  Final Score: Ice Dogs 3, Brown Bears 2.

Kenai River goals were scored by Matt Thompson and Sean Muller.  In goal for the Brown Bears, Austin Severson recorded 24 saves; as the Brown Bears out-shot the Ice Dogs 31-27.

Fairbanks, the defending NAHL champions, advance to play the Wenatchee Wild in the next round of the playoffs.  The Wild defeated the Alaska Avalanche on Friday in Palmer 2-1 to clinch their best of five series.

1st & 2nd Playoff Games

Goals were as hard to come by as wins for the Kenai River Brown Bears in Fairbanks; as the Ice Dogs posted a pair of shutout wins over the Brown Bears to open the West Division playoffs.

In game one on Friday, The Fairbanks Ice Dogs  held the Brown Bears scoreless in a 3-0 Ice Dog victory.

Saturday, nearly the same result; the Brown Bears were again held scoreless in a 4-0 Ice Dog victory.

The Browns Bears, in the playoffs for a third-straight year, are still win-less with an 11-0 playoff record.  The Brown Bears are 0-9 against the Ice Dogs in playoff games. 

 The best-of-five series continues with the Brown Bears hosting game three on Friday, August 13th at the Soldotna Sports Center and game four (if necessary) on Saturday, April 14th.  If there is a game five, Fairbanks will host on Monday, April 16th.

The Brown Bears finished the regular season in fourth place in the West Division of the North American Hockey League, with a 31-25-4 season record and 66 points.   The top four teams in the West advanced into the playoffs, with #1 vs #4 and #2 vs #3 in the first round.

Listen to Thursday’s games on ESPN 1140AM and at www.radiokenai.com

Forty-eight senior basketball players (24 girls and 24 boys) from throughout the state have been selected to participate in the All-Star weekend.  The opening game at SoHi begins a three-day event which also features clinics and an awards banquet in Anchorage on Friday and a second set of basketball games in Anchorage on Saturday at Grace Christian School.

Peninsula seniors selected for the all-state weekend include: Kenai’s Morgan Wensley, Seward’s Meg Berry, SoHi’s Evan Withrow, Kenai’s Bo Reilly and Nikiski’s Colton Anderson.  The all-state coaching staffs will include SoHi’s Matt Johnson and Doug Blossom.

Schedule of Events:

Thursday, April 12th:  Game times at SoHi   Girls 6:00 p.m.  Boys 8:00 p.m

Friday, April 13th:  AABC Coaches Clinic 3:00 p.m.      Awards Banquet @ Dimond  7:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 14th:  Game times at Grace Christian    Girls 5:00 p.m.   Boys 7:00 p.m.

More details at www.alaskaabc.com/all_star_game