Prep Beat -- Lakeside Fab Five Races To State Title -- Lions' `Team Effort' Produces Second Crown In Five Years

Only five members of the Lakeside High School girls track team competed in the Class AA state meet last weekend in Tacoma, but five might have been a luxury compared to the group of Lions that last won the state title.

The Lions - two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior - won the school's first state team championship since 1992, when four Lakeside girls won it.

"It was fun," Lakeside Coach Doug Porter said. "I told the girls at the beginning of the year that I thought they had a chance, but I thought it was still a year away. They surprised me."

Asha Dean won the 800 meters in 2 minutes, 15.66 seconds. She beat second-place Alyssa Pagon of Blanchet by .15 of a second. This was the third straight meet they finished 1-2 and within a second of each other in the event. Dean also is the Metro and Sea-King District 800 champion.

"I was pretty confident I could overtake her," Dean said. "I had to keep kicking my legs, but my legs started to hurt. I said, `I'm not stopping now.' "

Freshman sprinter Aurelia Thompson was second in the 100 and 200, Ann Ramsey was second in the 3,200 and fifth in the 1,600, and Kiara Bell finished fourth in the long jump. Lakeside had no individuals in the 400, but won the 1,600 relay in meet-record time. Bell, Thompson, Dean and freshman hurdler Bryce Weed combined to run a 3:57.99, bettering the state-meet record by .45 of a second.

"This was truly a team effort," Porter said. "It always comes

down to `every point counts' and everyone who went had a significant role in getting the title."

Long time coming

Although it was the 1996 Blanchet baseball team which brought home the school's first Class AA state championship, Coach George Monica believes this year's prize was the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication by a lot of players.

"These kids won state this year, but really, it takes years to get there," Monica said. "Tonight is a result of a lot of great kids who have been in our program who got us to this game."

Blanchet has made it to the state playoffs eight times in Monica's 17 years at the school, but had not been to the semifinals since 1983 - when Blanchet was a Class AAA school.

Danny Puetz, who prefers his teammates to call him "Rocky," pitched the entire 13-inning championship game, giving up 12 hits.

"After looking at the books, he actually threw better in the last six innings than the first seven," Monica said.

Monica made a trip to the mound in the final inning, during which Puetz had given up a single and walked two to load the bases with one out.

With the winning run at bat for Selah, "Coach asked me if I was tired, because I was starting to look a little shaky," Puetz said.

"I told him no, that I wanted to stay in.

"He (Monica) said, `Well, start throwing strikes right now, then!"

Puetz not only threw a strike, but fielded a grounder to begin a double play that ended the game and sealed the championship.

"Then all I could think about was how I was going to be tackled!" Puetz said.

Engel waiting for draft

Seattle Prep's Max Engel has signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Santa Clara on a baseball scholarship. But, rumor has it, the pitcher and first baseman might keep an eye on how the draft pans out in early June before packing his suitcases for California.

Panther teammate Tommy Bligh, a two-year starter in the outfield, has signed to play at Boston College, Prep Coach Ed Paulter's alma mater.

Notes

-- Seattle Prep's Jodie Curran, who reached the semifinals and placed fifth in the Class AA state tournament in Yakima, is a third-generation Panther tennis player. Her father John and grandfather Bertrand also took the courts for Prep; John still plays in senior tournaments around the Northwest.

-- Now that the Eastlake High School boys soccer team has completed the KingCo Conference's first state-championship season since 1982, how about another?

The Redmond team that outscored opponents 91-10 on the way to a 19-0-1 record and the Class AAA title in only its third season of existence, returns all but two starters - including all nine Olympic Development Program players - for its fourth season.

"They'll put as a goal to repeat, but we all know how difficult that is," Coach Jon Matsushita said.