Thursday scoreboard: Saints dropped by Spartans
Women’s soccer
Trinity Western 1, Saint Martin’s 0
NCAA rules prohibit schools from reporting scores and stats from preseason scrimmages but since Trinity Western is a Canadian non-NCAA member, they reported that their Spartans beat Saint Martin’s 1-0 in today’s season opener. Jess King scored the lone goal for the Spartans.
Today (8/16): Saints women’s soccer kicks off fall sports
The Saints hope All-GNAC 2nd team and freshman-of-the-year midfielder Ashley Richardson can help them find more offense.
Are you ready for some football?
The fall sports season gets underway today when the Saint Martin’s women’s soccer team takes on the Trinity Western Spartans of Langley, British Columbia in a preseason scrimmage at what promises to be a hot SMU Soccer Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM.
The Saints return 18 players from last season including ten starters. Despite having the most returning players in the GNAC, the Saints were picked to finish 7th out of eight teams in the preseason poll, which might not be surprising when you consider the Saints went 4-12-2 and only scored ten goals last season en route to a 6th place finish.
The Saints do return players that scored eight of their ten goals last season. Ashley Richardson, Sasha Dini and Hanna Massee scored two goals apiece and Olympia High School graduate Sammi Thompson returns for her junior season after scoring once in her sophomore year. Richardson, Dini, Massee and defender Molly Campbell were all named to the all-GNAC team in 2011 and Richardson was named conference freshman-of-the-year.
Seattle Pacific was the unanimous pick to win the GNAC again this season. The Falcons have won or shared the GNAC title in eight of the last ten seasons.
To read the full preseason preview release from the GNAC, click here.
Let the football begin
It’s just a little over an hour until high school football practices start. Wednesday, August 15th at 12:01 AM, teams can begin practicing. And since we are so close, let the previews and articles start flying.
Meg Wochnick at The Olympian kicked it off today with three storylines to follow, three players to watch and three games to see this season. What? No three Shelton Highclimbers broadcasts to listen to?
Ajamu gives verbal committment to Oregon State
Shelton High School senior David Ajamu gave a verbal commitment to play football for the Oregon State Beavers this weekend, according to ESPN.com. Ajamu, a tight end for the Highclimbers, was an all-4A Narrows League honoree last season catching 27 passes for 341 yards.
Ajamu opens up the 2012 season on August 31st against the Tumwater T-Birds at Highclimber Stadium in Shelton. Tumwater features defensive end Jamie Bryant, the only other local football player that has currently committed to a Division I program, according to The Olympian. Bryant committed to the University of Washington in April.
You can follow Ajamu and the Shelton Highclimbers all season long with myself and John McGlamery calling the action on KMAS Newsradio 1030 AM, 104.1 FM and kmas.com.
Photo credit: Scout.com
Stewart inks $36.5 million extension
Over the weekend, 2004 Timberline High School graduate Jonathan Stewart signed a five year, $36.5 million contract extension with the Carolina Panthers. The contract comes with $22.5 million worth of guaranteed money and could be worth up to $42.5 million.
Stewart, the Panthers’ first round draft pick in 2008, has rushed for over 3,500 yards for the Panthers teaming up with DeAngelo Williams in the Carolina backyard. According to the Charlotte News & Observer, since Stewart’s rookie year, the Panthers have rushed for a league best 9,189 yards.
For more on Stewart’s signing, see the News & Observer’s story.
KMAS announces new broadcast combo for Shelton football games
John Willis has been covering Shelton football on KMAS for the past 28 years but he is retiring and is handing over the broadcasting reins to…me?! Yep. Me. Here is the press release from KMAS…
Highclimbers Return To Narrows League for 2012-13 Season
Catch all the exciting action when Shelton Highclimber football returns to the Narrows League for the 2012-13 season. This move will rekindle old rivalries and all the games can be heard on News Radio 1030 KMAS & FM 104.1 and streaming around the globe on kmas.com.
After 28 years as the voice of Highclimber football, John Willis will be hanging up his headphones to groom the next two voices of Highclimber football for the future. This help will ensure that fans can expect the same, high-quality broadcast that they have been used to for over a quarter-of-a-century.
Brandon Sparks, founder of Oly Sports (https://olysports.com/), will be the new play-by-play announcer on KMAS radio. Joining him in the broadcast booth will be John McGlamery, who will be providing color commentary and statistical analysis. Both men bring broadcast experience and a deep knowledge of local high school sports.
The Shelton Highclimbers will also be back on the radio after two seasons of web only broadcasts. An exciting season is in store for Shelton High School fans as the Highclimbers have dropped down into the 3A Narrows League which will bring more competitive and more local games. Their opponents this year include; the 2011 AAA State Champion Tumwater Thunderbirds, the annual rivalry game against North Mason, Wilson, Yelm, Foss, Lincoln, North Thurston, Mt. Tahoma and Timberline.
I originally went to college at Green River Community College to major in broadcasting and called baseball and basketball games on campus radio station KGRG. But After an internship with the Grays Harbor Gulls, I decided I liked the business side of sports better and saw the writing on the wall for radio careers so it took me 17 years before I got my first radio job. Not too shabby.
One thing to note: this means that at least one Tumwater, Yelm, North Thurston and Timberline game will be heard in Olympia. KMAS can easily be heard all over the area.
Tuesday (8/7): $20 sports physicals at St. Peter’s Family Medicine
St. Peter’s Family Medicine is offering their annual $20 sports physicals clinic on Tuesday, August 7th at 5:30 PM, reports ThurstonTalk.com. Money raised from the physicals goes to North Thurston Public Schools sports training programs.
St. Peter’s Family Medicine is located at 525 Lilly Road NE and all students that show up for physicals will be seen regardless of how many or if they can pay the $2o fee.
Thurston County United up for best youth crest award
Here’s something fun in the dead time that is the first week of August in Oly sports…
Thurston County United, a competitive soccer program with teams from U11 to U19 that is affiliated with the Chinqually Booters, is a finalist in the “2012 Korrio Best Crest” contest conducted by goalwa.net.
Thurston County United is competing against 11 other youth soccer crests from around the state that were selected by graphics designer Joel DuChesne, the man behind the crests for the Kitsap Pumas, North Sound Seawolves and goalwa.net. DuChesne says that TC United’s crest is “simple, dynamic”.
Blackhills FC took home the inaugural best crest award in 2010.
For more information on the competition and to vote for TC United, click here.
Olympia area alumni list – Update
Baseball
Minor League Baseball
Jared Sandberg (Capital HS) – Manager, Hudson Valley Renegades
Adam Conley (Olympia HS) – Jupiter Hammerheads
Seth Harvey (River Ridge HS) – Brevard County Manatees
Kramer Champlin (Olympia HS) – Lansing Lugnuts
Alex Phillips (Tenino HS) – Connecticut Tigers
Jacob Pettit (Hawks Prairie Cardinals – PSCL) – Bowie Baysox
Cody Hebner (Olympia Athletics – PSCL) – Fort Wayne Tincaps
Chris Scholl (Hawks Prairie Cardinals – PSCL) – Arkansas Travelers
Jake Shadle (Hawks Prairie Cardinals – PSCL) – Giants extended spring training
Independent Baseball
Joash Brodin (North Thurston HS) – Long Island Ducks
Collegiate wood bat summer baseball
Jason Monda (Capital HS) – Brewster Whitecaps
Kellen Camus (Capital HS) – Waterloo Bucks
Jourdan Weiks (Capital HS) – Herndon Braves
Tanner Nielsen (North Thurston HS) – Klamath Falls Gems
Cabe Reiten (Olympia HS) – Wenatchee Applesox
Basketball
German Pro-B
Blake Poole (Saint Martin’s) – BG Topstar Leitershofen Stadtbergen
Football
National Football League
Jonathan Stewart (Timberline HS) – Carolina Panthers
Matt Johnson (Tumwater HS) – Dallas Cowboys
Rugby
French National Rugby League Top 14
Scott LaValla (North Thurston HS) – Stade Francais
Oly Sports 