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

Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

College Baseball

Former Lower Columbia College catcher Royce Vandine is having a season which most players can only dream about.

Vandine, a senior at Metro State University in Denver, is joined by two other former Red Devils, Kalama senior pitcher Noah Imboden and junior infielder Brayden Oram. In a 12-11 slugfest over Colorado Mesa University, Vandine went 4-for-5 and knocked in seven runs. He belted a grand slam in the third inning, slapped a two-run triple in the fourth, and hit a solo homer in the eighth. Also in the game, Oram went 1-4.

In a 13-1 slapping of Colorado Mesa, Vandine went 1-3, and Imboden allowed a run on three hits with four strikeouts and a walk in 1 1/3 innings of relief. In a 10-1 beat down of Colorado Mesa, Oram hit an RBI double in the second inning.

On the season, Vandine is tied for the team lead with 12 home runs, three triples and has a .755 slugging percentage. He's second on the team with 52 runs batted in and a 1.218 offense plus slugging percentage. He's also fourth with a .367 batting average and a .463 on-base percentage.

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Nick Sisson (N2 Media) special to Blast Zone Media / blastzonenews@gmail.com

Youth Baseball / Roundup

The month of April is nearly behind us and now teams must gear up for the stretch run with just three weekends of rec-league baseball remaining.

The first Longview Baseball reports include all the available box scores from the beginning of the season, but is missing several games due to inclement weather (go figure). The fence may be a lot taller at John Null Park compared to the days of Western Little League, but that wasn’t stopping one player from exiting the yard (more on that later).

The Longview Baseball Majors Division includes one squad from Cathlamet and five locals from The Planned City. The early leader in the clubhouse is Bob’s Sporting Goods, with Weatherguard and Flyways in close proximity. We have (what we think) the full league standings below, and the stat stuffers responsible for these results, followed up by the Kelso Youth Baseball standings and recent results over at Tam O’Shanter Park.

If any of you volunteer coaches have detailed reports and box scores burning a hole in your pocket, please send them this way!

Editor’s Note: Dear scorekeepers and coaches, please update your rosters to include first and last names so we can give proper credit to your ballplayers whenever possible. Thank you for your efforts.

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

Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

College Baseball

It’s been a fantasy season for former Lower Columbia College infielder Jace Nagler, who is now toiling as a junior infielder at Eastern Oregon University.
Nagler was named the Cascade Collegiate Conference McDonald’s Player of the Week, presented by Urban Edge, for his recent exploits against Lewis-Clark State and Corban.

During the four-game stand against Corban, Nagler hit .600 (9-of-15) including four extra-base hits. In an 11-10 win, he belted a two-run homer in the fourth inning, and backed it with two hits including a grand slam in the seventh during a 16-8 victory. In a 7-2 loss, Nagler went 3-5 including an RBI double in the ninth, and went 3-4 with an RBI double in the sixth in an 8-4 triumph.

Defensively, Nagler anchored the infield at shortstop with 13 putouts and 19 assists while helping turn five double plays.

Also during the last matchup for Corban, Toutle’s Eddie Gould, a junior pitcher at Corban, tossed two innings of relief, allowing a run on four hits with two strikeouts.

On the season, Nagler leads the Mountaineers in batting average (.389), home runs (14), runs batted in (43), slugging percentage (.749) and stolen bases (20).

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Nick Sisson (N2 Media) special to BZM / blastzonenews@gmail.com

Youth Baseball / Roundup

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve put anything up on the blog, and I’ve been meaning to do so more often. So, today I decided it was time to put something together for everyone that cares about local prep sports coverage. (Not you, redacted)

I am once again proud to correspond with my good friend Jordan “Jody The Poet” Nailon of Blast Zone Media on a spring/summer project that will surely bring back fond memories from the days that have long since passed for old geezers like us.

You guessed it! Regular reports for the littlest local league are back. Good ol’ 90’s kids like me fondly remember scouring the sports pages of our local newspaper just to hopefully see our names in print for recognition after dusting off the likes of Baker Lumber, Superior Tire Service, or Market Place, although that didn’t happen very often to those bums.

Unfortunately, the dynamic of the youth baseball circuit isn’t quite what it used to be.

There aren’t as many leagues or nearly as many home runs. (See: Reese Baker and Brett Underberg). The days of Western, Central, Kelso, Cowlitz and others are gone and all we are left with Kelso Youth Baseball, Longview Youth Baseball, and whatever travel ball teams are thrown together last minute and are able to convince parents to spend $2,000 for $5 championship rings.

All jokes aside, it’s a special subject near to my heart and this area has a ton of talented young baseball players that deserve the type of recognition only GameChanger can provide. So, for the next few months I will be working on shining light on those special performances and providing league standings and some individual stats leaders from our local youth baseball factions.

In case you haven’t noticed, the regular season is well underway. Recently we’ve even been blessed with a few bursts of good weather to go along for the ride after a head scratching March start time that left athletes and spectators powering through games that began with sub 50 degrees temperatures that fell off the table like the curveball of that 10-year old pitcher you don’t remember the name of (But we do!). All that later winter chill hasn’t stopped some teams from scorching hot starts to the spring. Let’s see how things are stacking up so far over at Kelso.

KELSO YOUTH BASEBALL

1. 1. PNW Cleaners 5-0 (6-0)

2. 1. Wagner Orthodontics 5-0 (5-0)

3. 3. Aquafix 3-2 (3-2)

4. 4. Cor-Tech 1-3 (1-4)

5. 5. Western Fab 0-4 (1-4)

6. 5. Pac Tech 0-5 (0-5)

No teams have started as hot as PNW Cleaners and Wagner, and it’s already apparent these two teams are most likely on a collision course for the league championship in May. That might still be a long way away and it will give the others a chance at doing what every team wants to do once the season starts; get better along the way. It’s going to be a tall order for the rest of the league, though.

Cleaners has already racked up 92 runs scored in just six games, which averages out to just over 15 runs per game! Wagner isn’t too far behind that clip, however.

Wagner has only played five games thus far and have outscored their opponents a combined 71-8 and have won via mercy rule in each contest. The two teams are slated to play their first game against each other Saturday, April 25th at 5pm.

Aquafix isn’t too far behind the leaders at 3-2, however they dropped their first game against Cleaners 11-1, and recently they played Wagner and gave them a run for the money. Aquafix is the two-time defending league champs and coached by Steve Henifin, so expect them to remain in the hunt all season long.

It’s been a rough start to the year for the remaining three teams in the league compared to the top three in the standings, but anything is possible down the stretch.

Box Scores

Wagner Orthodontics 11, Cor-Tech 0

Cam Handy led Wagner at the plate going 2-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Mateo Samora, Cameron Marin and Brody Clark also doubled. Samora picked up the win on the mound.

PNW Cleaners 15, Western Fab 2

Cleaners had three pitchers Kade Shaw, Jax Sorensen and Wyatt Doebele combine to throw a no-hitter in the win. Kade Shaw, Cooper S, and Jordan L each had two RBI’s at the plate.

Aquafix 7, Pac Tech 6

Aquafix erased a 6-3 deficit late in a comeback win over Pac Tech. Logan Ribelin doubled in the bottom of the fifth and drove in the go-ahead run to help complete the comeback. Karson S had two hits and Asher Doehne had a double and two RBI’s as well for Aquafix. Easton G went 2-2 with a double and four RBI’s and Tucker Ford went 2-2 with two runs scored to lead Pac-Tech.

Cor-Tech 13, Pac Tech 4

Simon Taft went 3-3 at the plate with two RBI’s and three runs scored to lead Cor-Tech. Drescen G, Grayson Nevers, and Finn H had two hits apiece as well. Jaxson Iddings went 2-2 with a double and two runs scored, and Peyton Passmore went 1-2 with two RBI’s to lead Pac Tech at the plate. Stark Barnes-Coiteux struck out five batters for Cor-Tech on the mound, while Passmore also fanned five for Pac Tech.

Wagner Orthodontics 14, Western Fab 0

Cam Handy went 3-3 with two doubles and scored three runs, while Branley Sorensen also went 3-3 at the plate with two RBI’s and two runs for Wagner. Kabe Heinzman, Mateo Samora, and Davis Wright also picked up two hits and two RBI’s each at the dish. Brayden Cheatley collected the lone hit for Western Fab.

PNW Cleaners 22, Cor-Tech 4

Cleaners racked up 13 runs in the fifth inning to put the game out of reach and were led by Wyatt Doebele, Jax Sorensen and Kade Shaw at the plate, who each had two hits. Doebele and Sorensen drove in three, while Shaw drove in two. Shaw also struck out seven batters over 2.2 innings on the hill.

Aquafix 3, Western Fab 2

Aquafix got late game heroics once again from Logan Ribelin. Ribelin walked it off with a game winning double in the bottom of the sixth inning and finished with two RBI’s in the win. Karson S also collected two hits at the plate. Grady Bell and Liam Ouellette each pitched three innings and each only allowed two hits. Ouellette struck out eight, while Bell struck out five. Ashton S went 2-3 with an RBI at the plate and pitched three innings, only allowing one hit and one run for Western Fab.

Wagner Orthodontics 10, Pac Tech 0

Mateo Samora went 2-2 with two doubles, three RBI’s and two runs scored, and Easton Sorensen went 1-1 with a double, RBI and two runs to lead Wagner. Cam Handy went 1-2 with a double and he and Kabe Heinzman combined to toss a one-hitter. Jaxson Iddings collected the lone hit for Pac Tech.

PNW Cleaners 16, Pac Tech 2

Colton Lindeman, John C and Jackie J each collected two RBI’s at the plate, while Parker Mills and Cooper S each scored three runs for Cleaners. Landon Sanders went 1-1 with a run scored for Pac Tech.

PNW Cleaners 11, Aquafix 1

Cleaners blew open a close game with seven runs in the top half of the sixth inning to coast to the finish line. Kade Shaw had two hits and three RBI’s. Owen Gabel had two hits and two RBI’s, Parker Mills two RBI’s and Colton Lindeman went 2-2 with a triple for Cleaners. Shaw and Wyatt Doebele combined to toss a combined one-hitter, and each pitcher had six strikeouts. Huddy Henifin had the one hit for Aquafix.

Western Fab 8, Castle Rock 5

Todd Merideth went 1-1 with two runs scored and Brayden Cheatley went 1-2 with two runs scored in the win. Berek M, Walter Stebbins, and Oakley M all had one RBI for Western Fab.

Wagner Orthodontics 20, Western Fab 5

The bats erupted once again for Wagner. They collected a total of 21 base hits with 18 RBI’s in the win. Kabe Heinzman and Easton Sorensen each had three hits and three runs. Sorensen doubled and drove in four, while Heinzman drove in two. Brantley Sorensen had two hits and three RBI’s, Mateo Samora and Cameron Marin also had two hits each and drove in two runs. Marshall Dunlap had two hits for Western Fab.

Aquafix 11, Cor-Tech 1

Liam Ouellette went 2-2 with two RBI’s and two runs at the plate, and Grady Bell pitched all four innings for Aquafix, only allowing one run on three hits. Bell fanned five batters as well. Drescen G had two hits for Cor-Tech.

PNW Cleaners 14, Bob’s Sporting Goods (Longview) 2

Owen Gabel went 3-3 with a triple, double, one RBI and one run scored, while Jax Sorensen hit a 2-run homerun to lead Cleaners at the plate. Gabel combined with Jordan L to pitched a combined one-hitter in the mercy rule win. Max Street got the lone hit for Bob’s and also drew a walk in the loss.

PNW Cleaners 14, Pac Tech 6

Kade Shaw went 2-3 with a double, three RBI’s and two runs, while Colton Lindeman doubled and drove in two to lead Cleaners at the dish. Jackie J also doubled and picked up an RBI for Cleaners. Landen B had two hits and an RBI, and Landon Sanders collected a hit, RBI and a run scored for Pac Tech.

Wagner Orthodontics 16, Aquafix 3

Don’t let the final score mislead you, this was a very competitive game until late. Aquafix jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first after a two-RBI single from Karson S and Huddy Henifin came home on a wild pitch. Karson S also held down Wagner’s powerful offense through four innings, but Wagner eventually got going at the plate.

Mateo Samora went 3-5 with a homerun, 5 RBI’s and two runs, and Brantley Sorensen went 3-3 with a triple and a double. The ten-year old has been tearing the cover off the ball. Wagner scored 11 runs in the top of the sixth inning to put the game out of reach. Wagner pounded out 17 hits total by 9 different players. Kabe Heinzman had three hits, Cam Handy two, Easton Sorensen two, Ian Goble picked up a 2-RBI double, and Von Sisson added an RBI single.

REPORTS WANTED!

If you would like to see your athletes get the recognition they deserve, please email game reports to nicksisson@n2media.tv so we can add it to our weekly report. Also, update your GameChangers rosters (with full names!) and league standings! We’re already working on gathering Longview reports, and we’d love to hear from the far flung burgs on the fringes of The Blast Zone, too.

Be sure to follow N2 Media and look for more reports soon.

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About The Author: Nick Sisson is a Kelso graduate and the owner/operator of N2 Media. Sisson is a father and husband who coaches youth basketball and holds strong opinions about 1990’s comedy films.

In Case You Missed It

By Rick McCorkle for Blast Zone Media

Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

College Baseball

It was a Southwest Washington reunion in Ridgefield on Tuesday when the University of Washington baseball team made a special appearance at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex to play the University of Portland in front of a standing-room only crowd.

The Huskies, led by former LCC head coach Eddie Smith, came away with an 8-1 victory over the Pilots in the neutral site contest in front of a reported crowd of 2,015 spectators.

However, It wasn’t all good news for locals at The RORC. Kelso grad Carter Gaston took the loss for Portland after allowing five earned runs on six hits over two innings.

The first-time event was put on by the Ridgefield Raptors of the summer collegiate West Coast League and was officially dubbed the Northwest Baseball Coaches Association Collegiate Classic.

“It was awesome. Great crowd. Such a great production,” Smith said. “I am really hopeful we can keep it going.”

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Jordan Nailon for BlastZoneMedia.com / blastzonenews@gmail.com

Sports Photography / Behind the Lens

If a photo is worth a million words then the local sports community owes Durgeloh Sports Photography approximately all the books in the Longview Public Library plus a few from the Three Rivers Mall Kelso Library, too.

You may not know them by name yet, but if you’ve been to many local sporting events over the last half dozen years it’s a sure bet you’ve seen Candy and Patrick Durgeloh working the sidelines with their long lenses and video camera at the ready.

Married for the last 28 years, Candy and Patrick are both fourth generation Kalama folk and they both graduated as Chinooks in 1996. Nowadays they are the talent and brains behind CDurgeloh Sports Photography – and what was once a mom-and-pop side project has taken root and spread across the regional sports landscape faster than scotch broom alongside the highway.

Candy Durgeloh chuckled when she reminisced on her early days as a “Mom-tographer” back before she officially founded the business in 2018.

“I never intended for it to be anything, if I’m being real,” Candy said. “I just wanted to take photos of my kids and their friends, and then I just kept coming back. It was never meant to be anything.”

She originally picked a camera in a simple effort to take photos of their own children when they were attending Kalama High School. Stephanie graduated from Kalama in 2017, and Shawn followed in her footsteps in 2018. A self-taught photographer in every sense of the phrase, Candy started out shooting Chinooks’ athletics almost exclusively for the first few years – including a memorable run to a State championship for the Kalama football team.

Her work quickly gained a reputation and a following, especially in South Cowlitz County. As a result, each year the parents of senior Chinooks kept coming and asking Candy to keep shooting photos so their kids wouldn’t be left out.

Since then the reach of CDurgeloh Sports Photography has continued to expand primarily by word of mouth from contented customers. Patrick joined in on the fun officially in 2020, at first shooting B-roll photos for Candy and eventually honing in on highlight reel style videos. These days you can usually spot them on opposite sides of the diamond/court/field working in tandem to capture all the best moments in between.

As their offerings grew, more and more people started to notice the quality of their work, and soon a new set of customers came knocking. First the local newspaper reached out for photos. Then Blast Zone Media brought them onboard as Friends of the Program to shoot everything from jamborees to state championship games. Now they’ve got parents, coaches and athletes from schools all over the Pacific Northwest reaching out to see what it takes to get CDurgeloh Sports Photography to their games.

And as good as CDurgeloh Sports Photography is at capturing the quintessential moments of live action events, Candy and Patrick have been busy developing another facet to their enterprise – team photo shoots and media days.

“We saw that there was nobody in this area doing this type of photography,” Candy noted. ”It was very time consuming trying to figure it all out.”.

We’re not talking about mug shots for the team program here, folks. We’re talking the whole shebang, the entire kit-and-kaboodle – complete with smoke and mirrors upon request.

“It’s more than just team photos. It’s like team bonding,” Candy explained.

If you’re still having a hard time picturing the scene – imagine Bo Jackson in shoulder pads with a baseball bat as fog unfurls behind him from the shadows. It’s like that, but with kids who will most likely not go pro in two sports. And that’s all part of the fun.

“What we like about it is we try to sell it as an experience,” Patrick said. “The kids get together. They cheer each other on.”

There’s actually been a time or two where the sheer magnitude of the production and spectacle has managed to catch an athletic director off guard.

“Most of them don’t realize we’re actually going to have the fog going,” Candy said with a laugh.

Not only do they bring their own fog machine, but they’ve got an array of lights and other industry goodies to help cook up extra special shots. Wind? Check. Snow? Check. Rain? Check.

But make no mistake, this is not some man-behind-the-curtain sort of wizardry. The photos, as incredible as they are, are all authentic. They don’t rely on artificial intelligence in any way and they aren’t put through any other post-production cheater box.

“In this day of photoshop and everything, we are making all of these effects in camera,” Patrick said. “We like to say we’re able to turn day into night.”

Still, the real magic happens when the teams are confident and comfortable enough to let their hair down – literally or metaphorically. Candy and Patrick both agree that candid outtake moments are often the best – when the players are most relaxed and loose at ease in front of the cameras. But that doesn’t mean all the fun is for the kids.

“It’s really rewarding when the athletes are excited,” Candy said. “We really like it when the coaches get involved, too.”

And with experience, they’ve learned how to help everyone get in the right head space to embrace the moment and get busy making memories. It also helps that everyone gets to choose their own poses – which makes for some great debate and hijinks when it comes to team and buddy photos.

“We’re razzing the kids and helping them with poses and making them laugh,” Patrick said. “The more crazy they are, the more fun it is.”

Both Candy and Patrick agree that the best team photo shoot to date was with the Kalama High School volleyball team – most likely because they’ve had the most practice. But they’ve also done photo shoots for youth softball teams, travel basketball teams and club volleyball teams, and they’ve got a recurring gig with a Little League all the way over in Idaho. Recently, they made a stop closer to home in Castle Rock for a senior media day with the Rockets.

— VIDEO: Behind the scenes highlight video from team photo shoots by Candy and Patrick Durgeloh of CDurgeloh Sports Photography. —

On the day we conducted this interview Candy and Patrick were in Centralia to shoot an NWAC softball game. They were hired by the parents of a player from the other side of the mountains.

“It’s really been branching out this year. It’s been busy. Crazy,” Candy said. “We’re just here for whoever calls. If we can work it out, we try to do it.”

The Photo Galleries

By Rick McCorkle for BlastZoneMedia.com / blastzonenews@gmail.com

Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

College Track & Field

It was all sunshine and smiles for the fleet-footed Koynn Williamdyke during his day at the John Knight Twilight track meet hosted by Western Oregon University in Monmouth.

Williamdyke, an R.A. Long grad and sophomore at Clark College, won three running events and placed fifth in another to have a solid showing for the Penguins.

Williamdyke won the men’s 400 in a season-best 48.85 seconds, and took the 400 hurdles in a season-best 53.5. He joined Max Ensinger, Jaeden Freitas, and Ian Ebinger to win the 4x400 relay in 3 minutes, 23.33 seconds, and teamed with Chris Garnett, Julian Johnson, and Ebinger to place fifth in the 4x100 relay in 42.86.

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

Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

College Softball

The extra-base hits have been coming more often for Mark Morris graduate Emily Foytack, a sophomore catcher with the Linfield University women’s softball team.

In a 15-2 pounding of Pacific University, Foytack had only one hit, but it was a big one as she belted a grand slam in the fourth inning. In a 9-1 win over Pacific, Foytack’s lone hit was a solo homer in the seventh inning.

On the season, Foytack is sixth among the Wildcats with a .353 batting average. She’s fifth in home runs with five, fifth in runs batted in with 19, third in walks with 12, and second with a .520 on-base percentage.

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Former Lower Columbia College pitcher Teeghan Reems, a senior at Whitworth University, is getting it done pitching and hitting for the Pirates. In a 4-2 win over Willamette University, Reems had two hits including a two-run homer in the third inning, and tossed two-thirds of an inning of scoreless, hitless relief with a strikeout.

Reems also tossed three innings of scoreless, two-hit relief with four strikeouts for the win in a 7-4 decision over Willamette. She also had three hits including an RBI triple and a run-scoring single in a 5-2 decision over Willamette.
Kelso’s Paityn Mackin, a freshman at Pacific Lutheran University, tossed two-thirds of an inning of scoreless, one-hit relief with two strikeouts in a 13-4 loss to George Fox.

Ex-LCC pitcher Alli Heater, a senior at George Fox, allowed a run on five hits through four innings in a 2-1 loss to Pacific Lutheran.

A pair of former LCC players are driving in runs at Oregon Tech. In a 5-2 win over Bushnell, senior Sawyer Stenson had two hits including an RBI single, and junior Brooklyn Loose slapped a two-run double. In a 6-0 shutout over Bushnell, Loose had three hits including an RBI single, and a run-scoring double. Stenson had two hits with an RBI double in a 10-0 pounding of Bushnell, and in a 10-3 win over Bushnell, Stenson slugged a solo homer and hit an RBI sacrifice fly, and Loose chipped-in a two-run double.

Ex-LCC players Allison Baumgart and Lexi Grumbois of Kelso, have been producing runs for Eastern Oregon University. In a 9-0 win over Warner Pacific, Baumgart had two hits including an RBI single in the fourth. Grumbois had no hits, but knocked in a run with a ground out in the third, and a bases-clearing error in the fourth.

In a 4-1 win over Warner Pacific, Grumbois slapped an RBI single in the seventh inning.

College Baseball

Brandenburg shoves for Huskies

Kalama’s Tommy Brandenburg, a senior at the University of Washington, allowed a run on three hits with 11 strikeouts and two walks across six innings to earn the victory in a 6-3 decision over Valparaiso.

Kelso’s Carter Gaston, a senior at the University of Portland, allowed four runs on three hits with a strikeout and a walk over three innings in a 5-1 loss to Seattle University.

Kolten Lindstrom of Naselle, a junior at Arizona Christian, had two hits and knocked in two runs in an 18-0 pounding of Bethesda University. He knocked in a run with a fielder’s choice in the second inning, and slapped an RBI single in the sixth. In a 6-5 loss to Bethesda, Lindstrom had a hit and an RBI fielder’s choice in the ninth inning.

Eddie Gould of Toutle, a junior at Corban University, tossed two innings of no run, one-hit relief to earn the win in a 3-2 decision over The College of Idaho.

A pair of former LCC players are hitting the ball well at Metro State University in Denver. In a lop-sided 29-10 victory over New Mexico Highlands, senior Royce Vandine hit 3-for-4 with five RBIs, and junior Brayden Oram went 4-6 with five RBIs. Vandine slugged a two-run homer in the first inning, hit an RBI single in the fourth, coaxed a bases-loaded walk in the sixth, and belted a solo homer in the seventh. Oram clubbed a two-run double in the sixth, and had an RBI triple and a two-run single, both in the seventh. In a 17-2 pounding of the Highlands, each player had two hits. Oram had an RBI single in the third and a run-scoring double in the seventh, and Vandine hit an RBI single in the first, and a two-run single in the fifth.

Ex-LCC outfielder Nate Gray Jr., a senior at Whitworth, went 2-4 and knocked in three runs in a 14-4 pounding of Willamette. Gray slapped an RBI single in the third inning, added a run-scoring ground out in the fifth, and had an RBI double in the seventh.

LCC grad Hayden Morrison, a junior at Niagara University, allowed a run on three hits with two strikeouts and a walk through three innings of an 8-6 victory over Quinnipiac College.

MM grad Evan Peters, a freshman at Centralia College, was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs on four hits and two walks through three innings of a 9-2 setback to Olympic College.

LCC grad Owen Luchies, a senior at Long Island University, allowed no runs or hits, and notched a strikeout and allowed a walk in 1 2/3 relief innings in a 12-5 loss to Le Moyne College.

Ilwaco’s Boston Caron, a sophomore at Linn-Benton College, saw the ball well in a recent 7-2 win over Umpqua College. Caron had two hits, both two-run homers coming in the second and fourth innings. Caron, who is hitting .243 on the season, leads the Roadrunners with three home runs, and is tied for the team lead with 14 runs batted in.

Rainier’s Hunter Gutenberger, a sophomore at Grays Harbor College, allowed four runs on five hits with three strikeouts and three walks through four innings in a 14-0 loss to Lower Columbia College.

College Golf

Huddleston finishes under-par in Augusta

Woodland’s Dane Huddleston, a sophomore at the University of Illinois, carded rounds of 70-69-73 to finish tied for 31st place at four-under-par in the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational Golf Tournament at the Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia,

North Carolina won the team title at 54-under-par,, followed by Oklahoma State at -39. Illinois was eighth at -24.

MM grad Austin Lindquist, a sophomore at Skagit Valley College, finished 52nd at the George Fox Invitational held at the Arrowhead Golf Course in Molalla, Ore. Lindquist was 19-over after rounds of 82-79. Linfield won the team crown at +20, followed by Pacific Lutheran at +25. The Skagit Valley ‘B’ team was 11th at +79.

Kalama’s Todd Tabor, a senior at Colorado Christian, tied for 77th place in the Sam Proal Insurance Invitational held at the Pueblo Country Club in Pueblo, Colo. Tabor finished 18-over following rounds of 75-81-75.
Colorado Christian won the team title at -11, followed by Colorado State-Pueblo at -3.

College Tennis

Khlee wins a pair against Pacific

R.A. Long grad Lyla Khlee, a freshman at Linfield, won matches in doubles and singles in a recent matchup at home against Pacific University.

Khlee and Gianna Molony won their third doubles match 3-0. In sixth singles, Khlee won the first set 3-0 and claimed the match when her Pacific opponent took an early retirement.

Pacific won the overall match 4-3.

College Track & Field

Wirkkala wins, places second in Montana

Castle Rock grad Brooke Wirkkala, a senior at Rocky Mountain College in Montana, claimed a pair of top-two finishes at the Montana Tech Spring Series Meet held in Butte. Wirkkala won the women’s high jump with a leap of 5-feet-3 3/4, and was second in the long jump at 17-11 1/4.

Another CR grad, Casie Kleine, teamed with Jayda Darroch, Kennedy Cook and Bec Bennett to win the women’s 4x400 relay in 3 minutes, 42.76 seconds at the Triton Invitational held in San Diego. Kleine, a freshman at Western Washington, also finished 29th in the 400 in 57.71 seconds, and was 66th in the 200 in 26.11.

RAL grad Kathryn Chapin, a sophomore at Western Washington, finished ninth in the Women’s Elite shot put with a personal-best heave of 47-feet 3/4, and was 14th in the Hammer with a personal-best throw of 174-5.

At the Jenn Boymann Memorial meet held in McMinnville, MM grad Erica Snyder, a senior at Willamette, placed second in the women’s high jump at 5-3 3/4, was 24th in the shot put at 31-2 3/4, and was 43rd in the 200 in 28.52. Rainier’s Chloe Crawford, a senior at Oregon Tech, was fourth in the 10,000 with a personal-best time of 40:25.1.

In the men’s portion of the meet, Toledo’s Treyton Marty, a freshman at Willamette University, placed 10th in the 3000 Steeplechase 9:57.10. Isaiah Bradley of MM, a freshman at Pacific Lutheran, was 22nd in the 5000 in 17:11.09, and 35th in the 1500 in 4:19.84. Another Toledo grad, Isaac Fitch, a freshman at Mount Hood College, placed 23rd in the 400 in 51.48, and was 73rd in the 800 in 2:14.64. Kelso’s Silas Watkins, a sophomore at George Fox, was 40th in the 400 in 53.4.

In Boymann Memorial field events, Wahkiakum High grad Marek Wynn, a sophomore at The Evergreen State College, placed 30th in the hammer throw with an outdoor personal-best toss of 116-11 1/2, and was 45th in the discus at 88-4 1/4. Kelso’s Alexander Rheaume, a freshman at Evergreen State, finished 32nd in the shot put at 17-4 1/4.

In the Rebel Elite meet held at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Kelso’s Ruby Sereday, a junior at Boise State, placed second in the women’s javelin with a season-best throw of 141-1 3/4. In the men’s section of the meet, Koda Woodard of Kelso, a junior at Eastern Washington, finished sixth in the shot put with a heave of 50-2 1/4, and notched an outdoor personal-best in the discus with a 12th place finish at 131-3 1/2.

Kelso’s Evan Williams, a sophomore at The Evergreen State College, finished 13th in the men’s 10,000-meter run in a personal-best time of 35:12.38 at the Whitworth Peace Meet held in Spokane. Toledo’s Jordan McKenzie, a sophomore at Eastern Washington, placed 25th in the 400 in a season-best 51.24, and was 28th in the 200 in a season-best 23.11.

In the women’s portion of the meet, Kalama’s Alena Ross, a junior at Central Washington, finished 14th in the pole vault with a season-best distance of 9-1 3/4. Kamia Tootoosis-Didier of RAL, a sophomore at Central Washington, was 18th in the javelin with a season-best toss of 107-3 3/4, and 26th in the discus with a throw of 104-6.

About The Author: Rick McCorkle is a respected former sports reporter for The Daily News. He previously covered the Lower Columbia College beat, in addition to other local sports, across several decades and two different centuries. To read the previous College Report from McCorkle, click here.

In Case You Missed It

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

Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

College Baseball

Carter Gaston of Kelso, a senior pitcher at the University of Portland, picked up his team-leading fourth victory in an 8-3 triumph over Northwestern. Gaston pitched seven innings, allowing a run on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

The seven inning outing by Gaston was the most by a Pilots’ pitcher this season.
On the season, Gaston has yet to allow more than one earned run in an outing this season.

It been a series of successful outings for Kalama’s Tommy Brandenburg, a senior pitcher with the University of Washington baseball team.

In an 11-2 victory over Pepperdine, Brandenburg picked up the victory after allowing no runs on five hits with five strikeouts and a walk through five innings. In a 10-9 loss to Northwestern, Brandenburg allowed three runs on four hits with four strikeouts through three innings.

On the season, Brandenburg is 1-0 with a 2.95 earned run average and is tied for the team lead with two saves.

Through 21 innings, Brandenburg has allowed 17 hits, struck out 18 batters and walked eight.

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Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

Two former Lower Columbia College men's basketball players advanced into the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championships before having their season come to an end in the tournament quarterfinals.

Rocky Mountain College of Montana, with seniors Carter McCoy and Sherman Royal III, needed an extra session to get past Bellevue University of Nebraska 78-73 in overtime in the tournament's Round of 16, before falling to Langston University of Oklahoma 60-55 in the tournament quarterfinals.

In the overtime win over Bellevue, McCoy tallied a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds including five points in overtime, and Royal III added two points and two steals.

Against Langston, McCoy collected 10 points and seven rebounds, and Royal III contributed four points and three rebounds.

Rocky Mountain finished its season 31-4. The season brought program highs in wins, conference wins (20), and winning streak (21 games). The team also won its first Frontier Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championship since 2014 and made their first NAIA National Tournament appearance since 2019.

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

Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

The collegiate basketball season is winding down with postseason tournaments, and the accolades for Kelso High graduate and University of Arizona men's basketball coach Tommy Lloyd are starting to roll in.

After recently being named the Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year, Lloyd was also named The Sporting News College Basketball Coach of the Year.

Five years into his time at Arizona, Lloyd has constructed the best career start of any Division I men’s head coach. His 140 victories are the most ever by a coach in his first five seasons, one more to this point than Brad Stevens achieved at Butler.

Arizona ranks in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, in the top 15 in points scored and top 50 in points allowed. There is no player averaging even 16 points but seven delivering at least 9 points per game.

The official Big 12 poll of league coaches predicted Arizona to finish No. 4 in the league. They won it by two games. The preseason national AP poll placed the Wildcats at No. 13. They were No. 2 at the close of the regular season, with four first-place votes, and locked down a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed.

Arizona faces Long Island University in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 20 in San Diego.

“We had a good feeling about it all along, and we weren’t trying to look for extra attention or get extra eyes on it. We wanted to go out and prove it,” Lloyd told The Sporting News. “These guys did that.”

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Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

Two former Lower Columbia College men's basketball players are headed to the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championships with Rocky Mountain College of Montana.

Seniors Sherman Royal III and Carter McCoy, who have been staples with the Battlin' Bears this season, combined for 13 points in a 79-77 win over Montana State-Northern in the championship game of the Frontier Conference Tournament. Royal III had nine points and two rebounds, and McCoy added four points, nine rebounds and two assists.

Rocky Mountain faces Simpson University of California in the first round of the NAIA Men's Basketball National Championships on Friday in Billings, Montana.

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By Rick McCorkle for BlastZoneMedia.com / blastzonenews@gmail.com

Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

College Men’s Basketball

Mark Morris grad and ex-Lower Columbia College player Kobe Parlin, now a junior guard at Whitworth University, helped the Pirates win the Northwest Conference Tournament, culminating with a 97-87 victory over Willamette University in the title game.

Whitworth (22-5) will face Trinity University of Texas in the opening round of the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament on Friday at St. Thomas University in Houston. Whitworth is playing in the NCAA Div. III tournament for the 18th time.

In the title game against Willamette, Parlin tossed in 10 points and grabbed two rebounds. In Whitworth's 76-60 win over Lewis and Clark College in the tournament semifinals, Parlin had four points and two assists.

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By Rick McCorkle for BlastZoneMedia.com / blastzonenews@gmail.com

Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

Sometimes, actions speak louder than words.

Such as the case with Kelso’s Tommy Lloyd and his wife, Chaпelle, who garnered national attention after erasiпg over $540,000 iп υпpaid school lunch debt affecting 92 public schools across the United States.

This generous gesture serves not only to alleviate the burdens faced by struggling families but also to bring hope and dignity to thousands of children reliant on school meals for nutrition.

Lloyd, the men’s basketball coach at the University of Arizona, characterized the initiative as “a victory greater than any championship,” reshaping perspectives on the role of athletes and coaches beyond the court.
With a passion for empowering youth and fostering community well-being, Lloyd and his wife sought to address a pressing issue that often remains in the shadows.

Knowing that countless children depend on school meals for nourishment, they felt compelled to act.

In a heartfelt statement, Lloyd remarked, “Every child deserves to have a full stomach so they can focus on their education and enjoy their childhood without the weight of financial stress.”

The iпitiative targeted schools primarily situated iп low-iпcome areas, where unpaid luпch debt caп create significaпt challenges for educatioпal iпstitutioпs.
By elimiпatiпg this debt, the Lloyds have пot oпly alleviated fiпaпcial stress oп the schools bυt have also lifted a weight off the shoυlders of pareпts aпd gυardiaпs.

The Lloyds’ philaпthropic act has sigпificaпtly raised awareпess aboυt the critical issυe of school lυпch debt iп the United States.

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By Andre Stepankowsky () and Jordan Nailon () / blastzonenews@gmail.com

Longview police Thursday morning arrested two juveniles on multiple allegations of sexual assault in connection with their criminal investigation at Mark Morris High School, the agency announced this morning.

The suspects were taken into custody on the following charges:

• Rape in the 2nd Degree.

• Unlawful Imprisonment with Sexual Motivation.

• Indecent Liberties with Forcible Compulsion.

• Indecent Exposure.

“The investigation remains active. Detectives continue to review evidence and conduct interviews as they examine all aspects of the case. Currently, there is no known ongoing threat to students,” according to a statement police published on Facebook.

“In addition to the criminal allegations involving juveniles, the department is reviewing matters related to Mandatory Reporting requirements. This review relates to statutory reporting obligations and is part of the broader investigation,” the press release states.

Police opened the investigation on February 9 when an alleged victim came to police to report he’d been sexually abused.

School District spokesman Rick Parrish and Longview School Board Vice President Jennifer Leach did not immediately return requests for comment. School board President Don Wiitala was unavailable this morning.

School district officials said they had consulted an attorney and concluded that they had no obligation to report anything under the state’s mandatory reporting law. The law requires educators to notify police whenever there is reasonable cause to suspect any kind of abuse.

In Thursday’s press release, police said, “We recognize that this situation is concerning for students, families, and staff. Allegations involving youth and our schools carry significant weight in our community.”

“The safety of our students remains our first and highest priority,” Police Chief Robert Huhta said in the release. “The Longview Police Department will continue to examine every aspect of this case thoroughly and objectively.”

The arrests followed multi-day student protests last week calling attention to allegations of pervasive sexual misconduct on campus. The bulk of those allegations have been directed towards the boys’ locker room as an unsafe space, and the boys basketball team has come under particular scrutiny.

The Mark Morris school resource officer told KATU on February 9 that the school is “addressing the matter internally” and hadn’t yet requested the department’s help. That was before an alleged victim came to police later that day.

Last week Cowlitz County Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Jurvakainen recused himself from handling any charges that might arise from the ongoing investigation into allegations against the Mark Morris basketball team due to his connection to people potentially involved in the case.

While an official connection has not been confirmed by authorities, it’s been an open secret for weeks that the Mark Morris boys basketball team has been dealing with its own internal discipline issues.

The Monarchs played the final three games of the regular season with numerous regular varsity players out of action without explanation. Mark Morris then removed four players from its playoff roster and did not submit a team photo for the 2A District IV program.

Players and students at Mark Morris confirmed there has been internal discipline handed out in relation to allegations of misconduct by players on the team. Administrators at Mark Morris have repeatedly declined to comment and have directed all further questions to Parrish.

Mark Morris principal Aaron Whitright sent an email to parents on the evening of Saturday, Feb. 7, asking the community to refrain from spreading rumors, while noting that the school had followed WIAA protocol in assigning discipline to any student athletes found to be involved in misconduct.

Mark Morris head coach Ken Kelly has also been silent on the specifics of the situation, declining all requests for comment from Blast Zone Media outright since a postgame interview following a loss to R.A. Long on Feb. 5, the final day of the regular season.

“People are going to reach for straws with just about any situation out there, and it’s not my job to stop any rampant rumors or community talk,” Kelly told BZM after that shorthanded Civil War loss. “My job is to follow procedure and follow protocol and make sure that if something does happen that I work hand and hand with my administration to make sure the right decisions are made.”

Kelly declined an interview request with BZM following the Monarchs’ season-ending loss at W.F. West in Chehalis last Thursday, and explanations for the extended absences and the playoff roster changes were never provided. However, Kelly did speak on the record in a postgame radio interview with The Blitz 101.5 FM, in which he stated in part:

“I will say this much — people may think that there’s some kind of crack in the dam here. People say, ‘Oh, the season was a failure, the season was a disaster.’ Whatever they want to say, that’s fine. But in my mind there’s one really, really big success here. I am somebody who, I have no problem making decisions that may not help us win basketball games if I feel that they’re the decisions that are right.”

In Thursday’s press release, police said, “We recognize that this situation is concerning for students, families, and staff. Allegations involving youth and our schools carry significant weight in our community.”

“The safety of our students remains our first and highest priority,” Police Chief Robert Huhta said in the release. “The Longview Police Department will continue to examine every aspect of this case thoroughly and objectively.”

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About the Authors: Andre Stepankowsky is the publisher of Lower Columbia Currents, and the former news editor at The Daily News in Longview. Jordan Nailon is the publisher of BlastZoneMedia.com, and the former sports editor at TDN.

In Case You Missed It

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

Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

Men’s College Basketball

Braydon Olson hasn't started many games this season for the Western Oregon University men's basketball team, but when he does, it's memorable.

In a recent 74-62 win over Western Washington, Olson, a Mark Morris grad, exploded for a game-high 32 points and grabbed five rebounds. He knocked down a school-record 10 three-pointers (10-16) in the performance, surpassing the previous school record of nine set by Dalven Brushier in 2020 and matched by Cameron Cranston in 2022.
Olson, the all-time leading scorer for MM, also became the seventh player in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history to make 10 or more three-pointers in a game, finishing two shy of the conference record of 12. He's also the ninth NCAA Division II player this season to reach double-figures from three-point land, with the Division II season high at 11.

Western Oregon and Western Washington were tied 32-32 at halftime before Olson took charge. He opened the second half with a 3-ball 41 seconds into the half, and added long-range buckets at 17:01 and 15:19 as the Wolves took control during a back-and-forth stretch. Olson added a trey at 13:29 for a WOU 46-43 lead, and his final bomb came with 1:01 left to extend the Wolves' lead to 69-60 and seal the win.

In the Wolves' 79-62 loss to Simon Fraser, Olson tallied a game-high 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

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

Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

With Spring sports already setting sail, it's time to take a look at our former prep and Lower Columbia College athletes who are contributing at colleges and universities across the country in 17 states.

College Baseball

On the big diamond, competing at the University of Washington is senior pitcher Tommy Brandenburg of Kalama, and Toledo's Caiden Schultz is a freshman pitcher at Saint Martin's University.

LCC's Nate Gray Jr. is a senior outfielder at Whitworth, and Cam Oram of LCC is a senior pitcher/infielder at Seattle University.

At Grays Harbor College are sophomore pitcher Hunter Gutenberger of Rainier and sophomore infielder Peyton Robbins of Mark Morris, and sophomore catcher Trenton Lamb of MM is at Skagit Valley College.

Across the river in Oregon are Kelso's Carter Gaston, a senior pitcher at the University of Portland. Former LCC catcher Max Richards, a senior at Bushnell, and former LCC pitcher Josh Mejia, a junior at Oregon Tech.

At Corban are Toutle Lake's Eddie Gould, a junior pitcher, and Kellen Desbiens of MM, a sophomore infielder. Former Red Devils Jace Nagler, a junior shortstop, and Ryan Vorpahl, a redshirt freshman pitcher, are at Eastern Oregon. Ilwaco's Boston Caron is a sophomore catcher at Linn-Benton, and Naselle’s Jacob Lindstrom is a freshman with the Roadrunners.

Next door in Idaho are former MM and LCC pitcher and current junior Stephen Hammergren, and ex-LCC senior outfielder Cayden Wotipka at Lewis-Clark State College. Toledo's Geoffrey Glass, a sophomore catcher at The College of Idaho, and former R.A. Long and LCC catcher Jared Childers is a sophomore at Northwest Nazarene.

LCC grad Kaden Larson is a junior pitcher at Cal State-San Bernardino, Rainier and LCC's Brayden Marcum is a grad student pitcher at Ottawa University in Arizona, and Toutle Lake’s Connor Cox is a sophomore pitcher at Scottsdale Community College in Arizona. Naselle's Kolten Lindstrom is a junior outfielder at Arizona Christian University, while Metro State University has Kalama and LCC grad and senior pitcher Noah Imboden, LCC's Royce Vandine, a senior catcher, and Brayden Oram of LCC, a junior utility player.

At Mount Marty University in South Dakota are ex-LCC players Carson Kruckman, a senior pitcher, and junior pitchers Aaden Anderson and Kaden Harris. Northwestern Oklahoma State University includes juniors and former LCC players Matthew Bailey at catcher/infield, outfielder Blake Mattern and pitcher Ryan McClaskey.

In New York, ex-LCC pitcher Owen Luchies is a pitcher at Long Island University, and former LCC pitcher Hayden Morrison is a junior at Niagara University. Former Red Devils Carson Hayes is a senior infielder at Newberry University in South Carolina, and ex-LCC pitcher Chayse Oxborrow is a junior at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

In the coaching ranks are former LCC mentors Eddie Smith at the University of Washington, Donegal Fergus at Loyola-Marymount, Shane McCarroll at Eastern Oregon, Grady Tweit at Skagit Valley, Ian Sanderson at Tacoma, and LCC and Rainier's Justin Parrish at Grays Harbor.

MM's Matt Hollod is an Associate Head Coach at Northwest Nazarene and at the University of Washington are ex-LCC players Kade Kryzsko as an assistant coach, and Justin Jacobs as Recruiting Coordinator.

In the assistant coaching ranks are former LCC players Travis Jewett at the University of Southern California, Sean Winston at Bradley University in Illinois, Ethan Stacy at Bushnell, Jim O'Dell at Pierce, and Chase Matheny at Tacoma.

In Ohio, you'll find ex-LCC standouts as Recruiting Coordinators at Bowling Green (Jordan Barchus) and University of Akron (Brian Valentine). Former MM player Ryan Gorton is the Director of Operations at Oregon State, and former LCC player Michael Forgione is an Academic Advisor at Utah Valley University.

College Softball

On the smaller diamond, attending school and playing in the state are ex-LCC pitcher Teeghan Reems as a senior at Whitworth, former LCC outfielder Joelie Eder as a junior at Central Washington, and Kelso's Paityn Mackin as a freshman at Pacific Lutheran University.

Woodland's Alexis Alplanalp as a freshman infielder at Grays Harbor.

Three players with area ties are at Oregon Tech. Clatskanie's Olivia Sprague is a senior outfielder, and ex-LCC players Sawyer Stenson is a senior catcher/infielder, and Brooklyn Loose is a junior catcher/outfielder.

LCC's Alli Heater is a senior pitcher at George Fox. At Eastern Oregon you'll find Kelso and LCC grad Lexi Grumbois as a junior third baseman, and Allison Baumgart of LCC as a junior shortstop. Woodland's Penelope Tyler is a sophomore catcher at Pacific University, and Ainsleigh Utter is a freshman catcher at Mount Hood.

Outside of the Northwest, you'll find Woodland's Emily Hughes as a junior outfielder at The College of Idaho, Naomi Chavez of Toutle Lake as a junior outfielder at Mount Marty University in South Dakota, and LCC's Ella Dillon as a senior outfielder at Missouri Valley College.

College Track & Field

On the track and in the field, competing at schools in the state are the likes of Toledo's Carson Olmstead, a senior javelin thrower at the University of Washington, and MM freshman distance runner Isaiah Bradley at Pacific Lutheran.

At Western Washington University are RAL senior jumper Hewie Nguyen and sophomore thrower Kathryn Chapin, along with Castle Rock freshman sprinter Casie Kleine. Central Washington University features Kalama junior pole vaulter Alena Ross and RAL sophomore thrower Kamia Tootoosis-Didier. The Eastern Washington University Eagles have Kelso junior thrower Koda Woodard and sophomore sprinter Jordan McKenzie of Toledo.

Competing at The Evergreen State College are Wahkiakum sophomore thrower Marek Wynn, and from Kelso are sophomore distance runner Evan Williams, freshman distance runner Stanley Johnson, and freshman thrower Alexander Rheaume. Also in Olympia, Saint Martin's University has a pair of distance runners in sophomore Jake Beck of Kelso, and freshman Matthias White of MM.

A half-dozen area student-athletes are competing at Clark College, including RAL grads and sophomores Breyelle Box (jumps), Koynn Williamdyke (hurdles), and freshman distance runner Mariposa Perez. Also competing for the Penguins are Castle Rock freshman Myah Manzano (sprints), Woodland freshman Niel Valerio (hurdles), and MM frosh Tate Armstrong (distance).

A pair of senior distance runners from Rainier are competing at Oregon schools. Chloe Crawford is at Oregon Tech, and Peyton Kneeland is at Eastern Oregon. Also competing at Oregon schools are MM's Erica Snyder, a senior hurdler/jumper at Willamette University, Kelso's Silas Watkins, a sophomore sprinter/hurdler at George Fox, Hannah Butterfield of Woodland, a freshman distance runner at Portland State, Toledo's Treyton Marty, a freshman distance runner at Willamette University, and Isaac Fitch of Toledo, a freshman distance runner at Mount Hood.

A pair of Kelso grads are competing at schools in Idaho. Ruby Sereday is a junior thrower at Boise State, and Josie Settle is a sophomore multi-event athlete at Idaho State.

Brooke Wirkkala of Castle Rock is a senior sprinter/jumper at Rocky Mountain College in Montana, Woodland's Beau Swett is a sophomore jumper at Vanguard University in California, Kelso's Erin Tack is a graduate student thrower at the University of Arizona, and Maya Helmen of Clatskanie is a junior thrower at Columbia University in New York.

In the coaching ranks you'll find a pair of Kelso grads. Jake Stewart is the women's track coach at Gonzaga, and Somit Chhim is an assistant coach at Western Washington.

College Golf

Playing golf around the northwest are sophomore Cooper Hahn of Kalama at South Puget Sound, MM grads Austin Lindquist (sophomore) and Broden Toney (freshman) at Skagit Valley, and junior Ian MacArthur of MM at George Fox.

Kelso's Riley Kirk is a sophomore at Cal State-Stanislaus, Todd Tabor of Kalama is a senior at Colorado Christian, and Woodland's Dane Huddleston is a junior at the University of Illinois. In the women's ranks, MM grad Jana Knapp is a freshman at Northwest Nazarene

College Rugby, Tennis and Rowing.

Wahkiakum grad Megan Leitz is a senior back with the U.S. Naval Academy women's rugby team in Maryland. Lyla Khlee, a freshman RAL grad, is a women's tennis player at Linfield, and competing in rowing are freshmen Chloe Taitano of MM at Western Washington, and Kalama's Mekenzie Schockelt at Oregon State.

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About The Author: Rick McCorkle is a respected former sports reporter for The Daily News. He previously covered the Lower Columbia College beat, in addition to other local sports, across several decades and two different centuries. To read the previous College Report from McCorkle, click here.

In Case You Missed It

By Rick McCorkle for BlastZoneMedia.com / blastzonenews@gmail.com

Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

College Softball

It took two games for Kelso's Lexi Grumbois to get her footing with the Eastern Oregon University softball team.

Grumbois, a graduate of Lower Columbia College and a junior with the Mountaineers, slugged a three-run homer and added a run-scoring single in a 14-11 victory over Central Washington.

Grumbois finished the game hitting 2-for-3 with four RBIs and scored three runs.

Her teammate, ex-LCC player Allison Baumgart, went 0-3 and scored a run. For Central, former LCC player Joelie Eder went 1-3 and scored a run.

In Central's 9-4 win over Eastern Oregon, Grumbois slapped an RBI ground out, and Eder had a hit and knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly.

For the first time in program history, Eastern Oregon began the season as the third-ranked NAIA team in the nation. The NAIA Top 25 rankings are determined by a panel of head coaches from various conferences and independent groups.

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Reports of misconduct by student athletes at Mark Morris High School have captured the attention of the local community, resulting in protests outside the school, unrest in the halls, and finally, a police investigation into the allegations.

Blast Zone Media has reached out to multiple administrators at Mark Morris for comment over the last week, but all requests have been declined. Below, you will find a link to the most recent reporting on the matter by Andre Stepankowsky of Lower Columbia Currents, which details the latest developments in the story.

Additional details will be provided as they become available.

Lower Columbia Currents

Was it proper for school district to keep MM child abuse investigation internal?

The Longview School District may come under increased scrutiny for its handling of a sexual abuse allegations involving athletes at Mark Morris High School…

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3 months ago · 8 likes · Andre Stepankowsky

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

Collegiate Athletics / Alumni Radar

College Track & Field

It's only blue skies and outstanding tries for R.A. Long grad Kathryn Chapin, a sophomore weight thrower with the Western Washington University women's track team.

After last season where she was the second-ranked freshman in the shot put in the country, Chapin has picked up where she left off during the indoor track season.

At the recent University of Washington Invitational in Seattle, she won the shot put and finished second in the weight throw. She heaved the shot 47-feet-1 3/4, and had a 56-8 1/2 mark in the weight throw, both personal-best distances and top-3 marks in each event program history.

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