By Rick McCorkle for Blast Zone Media / blastzonenews@gmail.com

Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

It was the all-around play from Kelso’s Karsyn Ross, and the defense of her teammate in goal, fellow Kelso grad Carson Thomson-Terrel, which helped lift the Cal Poly-Humboldt women’s soccer team to its first-ever California Collegiate Athletic Association title.

The Lumberjacks will play in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championships on Nov. 21.

In the CCAA quarterfinals, won by Humboldt 4-2 in a penalty kick shootout over Cal State San Bernardino, Thomson-Terrel, a senior, worked 65 minutes in goal with four saves.

Humboldt claimed a 1-0 win over Cal Poly Pomona in the semifinals as Thomson-Terrel toiled 45 minutes in goal with two saves. In the title match, a 1-0 triumph over Chico State, Thomson-Terrel had a save in 45 minutes of work.

Ross, a freshman midfielder, was named to the CCAA All-Tournament team. The CCAA also announced its annual awards, with Ross earning a spot on the second-team, and Thomson-Terrel receiving honorable mention accolades.

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By Rick McCorkle for Blast Zone Media / blastzonenews@gmail.com

Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

College Softball

R.A. Long and University of Washington graduate Baily Harris, who played softball at both stops, passed away on Oct. 14.

Born March 19, 1991, Harris attended RAL where she lettered in softball and cross country. On the softball diamond, she was a two-time Greater St. Helens 2A League Most Valuable Player, a second-team All-State standout as a sophomore, and an All-State honorable mention pick as a junior. In 2023, she was inducted into the RAL Hall of Fame.

After graduation in 2009, Harris took her talents to the University of Washington.

“We expect Baily Harris to come in and carry a significant load of the pitching in her freshman year,” UW Coach Heather Tarr said at the time of her signing. “She is a crafty right-handed pitcher and a great student. We look forward to seeing Baily’s impact on our program on the field and in the classroom.”
Harris had a simple reason why she chose the Huskies.

I was born and raised a Husky fan,” she said. “I knew I wanted to play there, especially after watching the softball team play Arizona State at Husky Stadium when I was 10 years old.”

In her first collegiate game, Harris pitched a three-hitter as the Huskies beat-up Boise State 14-1 in a fall doubleheader in Selah. In 2010, she compiled a 9-4 record with a 3.63 earned run average. In the Husky Softball Classic, she twirled a five-hitter as UW turned away Seattle University 5-1. In the NCAA Super Regionals against Oklahoma, Harris tossed two scoreless innings of one-hit relief.

In 2011, Harris was 2-0 with a team second-best 4.20 earned run average. She picked up both of her victories during the season’s opening weekend at the SportCo Kickoff Classic in Las Vegas against Cal-Riverside.

Harris graduated with honors, earning a degree in Sociology. She later began online classes at Liberty University to pursue a career as a Christian Counselor, until her health started to decline.

She worked for more than seven years as a Paraeducator in the Longview School District. Harris was also the owner and operator of B Natural Blends, a small business that perfectly reflected her creativity and generosity.

Harris is survived by her parents, Jeff and Sue Harris, her grandparents, Rollie and Judy Harris, and her cherished cat, Lulu.

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Rick McCorkle for Blast Zone Media / blastzonenews@gmail.com

Some things never change, particularly for Woodland's Tyler Flanagan.
For the second straight year, Flanagan, a redshirt junior running back with the Central Washington University football team, was named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Back of the Year.

Flanagan led all Lone Star backs with 14 rushing touchdowns, was second in points per game at 7.0, and third in total rushing yards with 186 carries for 920 yards. He was also ranked fifth in yards per game at 85.3, 13th in average yards per carry at 4.9, and 26th in receptions with 11 for 93 yards.

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South Cowlitz County duo now leading at Clark

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By Rick McCorkle / For Blast Zone Media

Barker stocks up on stops for Mountaineers

When it came to lock-down defense in goal, senior Madeline Barker of the Eastern Oregon University women's soccer team was one of the best in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.

Barker, an R.A. Long graduate, was ranked first in the CCC in three statistical categories for goalkeepers. She was tops in goals against average at 0.57 (four goals in eight matches spanning 630 minutes), save percentage (24 saves for .857), and shutouts per match with four in eight outings or 0.50. She also ranked seventh in shutouts with four.

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Ashton Harvey has hit the ground running this season as a redshirt junior forward with the Bushnell University men's basketball team.

Harvey, who is a Mark Morris High and Lower Columbia College graduate, was named the Cascade Collegiate Conference Men's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week after averaging 19 points and 10.5 rebounds in two contests for the Beacons at the Carroll College Classic in Montana. He had 18 points and eight rebounds in a 95-86 loss to host Carroll College, and netted 20 points and pulled 13 caroms in an 87-78 win over Providence College of Montana.

Another former LCC player, Dakota Reber, had 14 points, three assists and three steals as a junior forward at Oregon Tech in a 83-78 loss to Carroll College.

Mark Morris grad Braydon Olson, a freshman guard at Western Oregon University, had 11 points, two rebounds and blocked two shots in an 89-69 loss to the University of Hawaii-Hilo in Langley, British Columbia.

Carter McCoy, who graduated from W.F. West and also played at LCC, had two points, 13 rebounds and blocked two shots as a junior guard for Rocky Mountain College in a 90-81 loss to Arizona Christian.

Mark Morris and LCC star Kobe Parlin and R.A. Long grad Cavin Holden are sophomore guards at Central Washington University.

Ilwaco's Jaden Turner is a sophomore guard at the University of Puget Sound, and his younger brother, Beckett Turner, is a freshman wing with the Loggers.

Rostered as sophomore guards at Clark College in Vancouver are Woodland's Beau Swett, and Kalama's Jackson Esary.

On the coaching front are a pair of former local high school standouts at the University of Arizona. Kelso's Tommy Lloyd is the Wildcats' head men's coach, and Rem Bakamus of Mark Morris has been promoted as one of Lloyd's assistant coaches.

At Clark College is Castle Rock's Kevin Johnson is calling the shots as the men's basketball head coach, and his son, Brock Johnson is an assistant coach.

Former Kelso boys' basketball coach Jeff Reinland is the men's basketball coach at Walla Walla College, and ex-MM head boys coach Dave Denny is an assistant men's hoop coach at Highline College in Midway, Wash.

Forner solid in season-debut

Ex-Lower Columbia College women's basketball guard Katelynn Forner, now a senior at Montana State-Northern in Havre, narrowly missed a triple-double in her season-debut with the Lights. Forner had nine points, 10 steals, 10 assists and five rebounds in 22 minutes of a 94-71 victory over Park University of Gilbert, Ariz.

A pair of former R.A. Long players are rostered at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Bobbi Clark is a senior forward with the Nanooks, and Miranda Lomax is a junior guard.

Clatskanie's Olivia Sprague is a senior guard at Oregon Tech, and ex-Clatskanie and O-Tech forward Shelby Blodgett is a junior at Central Washington University.

Kelso's Natalie Fraley is a junior guard at the University of Portland, while Addison Hall of Winlock is a junior guard/forward at Eastern Washington University, and Ilwaco's Erika Glenn is a junior guard at Hawaii Pacific University.

Ex-LCC guard Kayla Kasubuchi is a sophomore at the College of Southern Idaho, and Naselle's Hollie Haataia-McKee is a sophomore forward at Pierce College in Lakewood, Wash.

Former LCC women's basketball coach Chad Meadors is the women's head basketball coach at Bushnell University, and a pair of ex-LCC assistant coaches, Marquessa Gilson and Keahi Roy, are the head coach and assistant coach, respectively, at Pierce College.

Naselle's Robin Andrea is the head women's coach at Portland Community College.

PLU women's hoops tagged 5th

The Pacific Lutheran University women's basketball team, which includes Toledo's Stacie Spahr, is ranked tied for fifth in the Northwest Conference women's basketball preseason poll.

The Lutes are tied with George Fox University and Pacific University in fifth place. Whitman College is ranked atop the preseason poll. Spahr is a senior forward/center with the Lutes.

RAL, Rainier grapplers in college

Former wrestlers at R.A. Long and Rainier are now toiling in their collegiate sophomore campaigns.
RAL's Hassan Abdi is at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, and Logan Carpenter of Rainier is at Umpqua College in Roseburg.

Naselle's Colombo shines

Isabella Colombo, a Naselle grad and current sophomore with the College of the Siskiyous volleyball team in Weed, Calif., is ranked third in the Golden Valley Conference in assists per set. Colombo, who has amassed 268 assists, averages 5.68 per set played. She is also third on the team with 115 digs.

Woodland's Sydney George, a sophomore outside hitter at Clark College, had 11 kills and two block assists in a 3-2 loss to Chemeketa College, and two kills and 11 digs in a 3-0 loss to Linn-Benton.

Longview's Hannah Carlson, a sophomore at Pacific University, had five kills and two solo blocks in a 3-0 loss to the University of Puget Sound, and had five kills in a 3-1 win over Willamette University.

Kalli Budge of Rainier, a junior middle blocker at Northwest University in Kirkland, Wash., had seven kills, a solo block and four block assists in a 3-2 loss to Corban University.

Ex-LCC player Kambree Baker, a redshirt sophomore middle blocker at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, had seven kills and three solo blocks in a 3-0 sweep of Blue Mountain College.

Flanagan scores in loss

Woodland's Tyler Flanagan, a redshirt junior running back with the Central Washington University football team, scored on a 9-yard run in the final 34 seconds of a 17-16 loss to Angelo State University of Texas. Flanagan, who rushed 20 times for 91 yards, brought the Wildcats back to within a point of tying the game, but the extra-point kick went wide to the left.

Kelso's Michael Hause, a junior defensive lineman at Pacific Lutheran University, had a solo tackle, three tackle assists and a quarterback sack in a 24-14 victory over George Fox University.

Mark Morris grad Tevin Larson, a freshman defensive lineman at the University of Puget Sound, had two solo tackles and a pair of tackle assists in a 38-23 win over Willamette University.

Kirk 16th in Arizona

Kelso's Riley Kirk, a freshman with the Southern Oregon University men's golf team, placed 16th in the Firestorm Fall Invitational held in Buckeye, Ariz.
Kirk finished 13-over-par for 54 holes. SOU finished fifth with 906 total strokes.

About The Author: Rick McCorckle is a former sports reporter for The Daily News. He is also a Hall of Fame bowler who has rolled perfect 300-games both left, and right handed. To read McCorkle’s previous College Report, click here.

Editor’s Note: Do you know of a local athlete or coach who is still competing athletically that you want Blast Zone Media to know about? Please write in to tell us all the details, here: blastzonenews@gmail.com

Rick McCorkle for Blast Zone Media

Flanagan keeps pounding the rock for CWU

Tyler Flanagan continues to do his thing on the field with the Central Washington University football team, which suits his coaches and teammates just fine. Flanagan, a Woodland graduate who is a redshirt junior running back with the Wildcats, recently toted the ball 15 times for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 42-21 victory over Midwestern State University of Wichita Falls, Texas.

Flanagan scored on a 41-yard gallop in the second quarter, and added a 5-yard TD jaunt in the fourth quarter. He also caught two passes for 22 yards.
Flanagan's prowess on the gridiron has also earned him regional and national rankings. He's ranked second in the Lone Star Conference and tied for 10th nationally among NCAA Division II running backs in scoring with 10 touchdowns, and is fifth in the LSC and 35th among Division II backs with 667 rushing yards.

Kirk continues to shine

Kelso's Riley Kirk turned in his fourth consecutive top-10 finish in as many outings with a seventh place outing at the Menlo Invitational at Bayonet/Black Horse Golf Course in Seaside, Califronia.

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Freshman Riley Kirk has been carving up the courses as a member of the Southern Oregon University men's golf team.
Kirk, a Kelso graduate, carded rounds of 71-71-73 to finish with a 1-under-par 215 to tie for fifth place in the UBC/Gail Moore Invitational held at the Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton.
It was his third top-10 finish in as many outings, and second in a row of the top-five variety. In SOU's only other Cascade Collegiate Conference-counting tourney, the Bushnell Fall Invitational, he tied for 10th.

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Cross Country

If there's one consistent with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks cross country team, it's the academic prowess of Koen Ross.

Ross, a Castle Rock native who graduated from Seton Catholic, is a three-time Academic All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference honoree. He carries a 3.51 grade point average while studying electrical engineering.

To qualify for academic all-conference, student-athletes must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.20, must be in at least their second season competing for their team and must have competed on the course during the 2023 campaign.

In the recent Bill Roe Cross Country Classic hosted by Western Washington University, Ross placed 77th in the men's 8-kilometer run in 26 minutes, 21 seconds.

Woodland's Haylee Kelley, a sophomore at Vancouver's Clark College, placed 69th in the women's race in the Emerald City Open held in Seattle. Clark completed the 6k run in 31:12.6. The Penguins placed fifth out of eight women's teams with 124 points.

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Locals dot volleyball rosters to and fro

Natalie Bair has hit the ground running as a freshman setter with the Ventura College volleyball team in California. Bair, a Kelso grad with Toutle Lake roots, is ranked second on the team and 13th in the Western State Conference in assists with 158, and is 16th in the WSC in assists per set at 3.76. She notched 24 assists in a 3-2 loss to Santa Monica College, dished 23 assists in a 3-2 triumph over Cuesta College, and had 22 assist outings in a 3-1 win over Bakersfield, and a 3-2 victory over Los Angeles Mission College.

Castle Rock's Logann Golden, a graduate student at Washington State University, is a 5-foot-8 defensive specialist/libero with the Cougars’ volleyball team.
In 13 matches, Golden has notched 69 digs. She had 12 in a 3-2 victory over Omaha College, and 10 in a 3-2 loss to the University of Miami.

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Rick McCorkle for Blast Zone Media / blastzonenews@gmail.com

A lot of the success of this season's Central Washington University football team can be credited to Woodland's Tyler Flanagan.
The Wildcats are ninth in the American Football Coaches Association Division II rankings and atop the Lone Star Conference standings. They have leaned heavily on Flanagan, a redshirt junior running back who is the defending conference Offensive Back of the Year.

Among conference backs, Flanagan entered last weekend ranked first in rushing touchdowns with eight, fifth in total rushing yards with 425, fifth in rushing yards per game at 85.0, and seventh in all-purpose yards with 481.
Flanagan rushed 21 times for 104 yards including touchdown gallops of 12, 1 and 7-yards in a 45-3 drubbing of West Texas A&M. He also toted the ball 17 times for 126 yards including TD jaunts of 31 and 29-yards in a 44-28 win over Eastern New Mexico.

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Kelso's Michael Hause, a junior defensive lineman at Pacific Lutheran University, had notched seven solo tackles and two tackle assists entering last weekend. He was second on the team in tackles for loss with four for 21 yards, and was second in quarterback sacks with three for 19 yards. Among his teammates are receivers Cameron Amoroso of Winlock, a sophomore who played high school ball at W.F. West, and junior Jamond Harris, an R.A. Long grad.

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