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Sports Notebook: Busy spring nets mixed results for CV teams
4/29/2015 8:32:01 AM

By Mike Vlahovich
Splash Contributor

Spring sports, we hardly knew ye.

Half of all 18 Central Valley athletic teams play from March through May. Those seasons, it seems, are over before you know it. And with the exception of a handful of league games, the postseason, as of this publication is set to begin.

Herewith are smatterings of mid-April competition highlights:

Bears sweep Titans
In the track and field rivalry against University, Central Valley won both boys and girls meets to begin the season to 4-0 through the second week of the Greater Spokane League season.

The defending GSL champion girls routed the Titans 110.5-34.5. A testimony to depth, they won 14 of 18 events yet had no individual double winners (relays excluded).

Junior Brielle Crump finished first and second in the hurdles, the latter behind Hannah Reiman. The rest of the wealth was spread among a host of athletes, including numerous talented freshmen.

One, Katie Hawkins, raced to a 12.86 victory over incumbent 100-meter sprint star Kelsey Turnbow. Two others, Erica Pecha and Lacie Hull, finished one-two in the 400, and Hull won the triple jump over another freshman, Hailey Christopher. CV had the top three 300 hurdles placers, frosh Kassidy Keller and Bryn Anderson finishing behind Crump, and freshman Noelle Bowden was second behind veteran Reiman in the long jump.

All told, CV girls finished one-two in half of the 18 events.

The boys meet was closer, CV winning 82-63. Parker Bowden won both long and triple jumps, the latter over Titan Noah Martin, who won the pole vault at 15-feet and high jump, where his best at 6-10 and vault both ranked second in state among 4A class athletes. Bowden is among the state leaders in the triple jump.

Key events were the 200 meters, where newcomer Taylor Caudill and fellow junior Jaydon Russ placed one-two, and a sweep of the shot put by sophomores Jordan Talafili, ranked among the state's top throwers, and Travis Hawkins and senior Aaron Stintzi.

Key meets on April 30 and May 7 will determine their title fate. District, regional and state follow. 

Bears lead in soccer
Early in the year, coach Andres Monrroy said he liked CV's chances to win GSL soccer. The unbeaten Bears haven't disappointed, holding first place midway through the season. 

They have one match, Ferris on April 29, standing between them and the championship.

CV had allowed but four goals in nine matches, and 11 different players scored on offense.

J D Hauenstein had nine goals, Brian Choate five and Noah Whitman four.

How the other half lives
Softball finishing at or near the top of the GSL has been a given in recent years, but this season has been a struggle.

The Bears found themselves in sixth place, at one point with a 4-6 record, although third among Class 4A teams and in position to reach the playoffs.

For the most part, it hasn't been for lack of offense. And three one-run losses loomed large.

Shayla Vegas led the way offensively with 24 hits through 10 games, including a four-hit game and another with three that all went for extra bases. Macie Reynolds also had a four-hit game, and she missed the cycle by a single, hitting double, triple and home run in another.

Baseball learning curve
Learning under Mike Amend's new regime, Central Valley's baseball team found itself struggling to reach the playoffs.

But even though the Bears were in eighth place, they still had hopes given a fast finish, including a pair of games against rival University.

Bears' veterans Colton Peha, Jackson Axtell and Austin Bergdahl have been offensive constants. And Connor Degeest was making a late-season surge.

But pitching had been problematic during the season.

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