Prep Beat -- Garfield Sprint Star Young Picks Usc

Garfield sprinter Candace Young, defending Class AAA champion in the 100- and 200-meter sprints, will run for USC next year.

Young's father, Charle, was a football star at USC before going on to a 12-year, four-team NFL career in which he earned a 1981 Super Bowl ring as a San Francisco 49er and finished with the Seahawks from 1983-85.

In choosing USC over her second choice, Louisiana State, Candace said her father's school ties weren't a factor. Instead, she said she selected USC "because it's closer to my family."

This is a week of rest and rehabilitation for Candace, who suffered a hamstring injury during a preliminary heat of the 100-meter dash last Saturday in the Eason Invitational meet in Snohomish.

"She was really blazing," said Garfield Coach Greg Brashear, noting Young was hand-timed in 12.2 seconds even though she "just about walked across the finish line."

She withdrew after the heat.

Young said last night the hamstring "feels like it's getting better" and she expects to be ready for the Metro League championships in mid-May. She plans to skip a Metro three-way meet tomorrow to rest the injury and already had planned to forgo the Lake Washington Invitational on Saturday because it is Garfield's prom night.

Garfield's girls finished tied for second in the huge Snohomish meet behind Sehome. Garfield sophomore Nicole McRae was named athlete of the meet after winning the 800 in the state-leading time of 2 minutes, 12.9 seconds. She also anchored the 1,600 relay that won in 4:02.2.

Knott honored

Barry Knott, former Nathan Hale High School wrestling coach who coached the past five seasons at Lake Washington in Kirkland, has been selected as recipient of the Darrell Whitmore Sportsmanship Award.

Knott, who is retiring from coaching, will receive the honor from the Pacific Northwest Wrestling Coaches Association. The award is given annually to a coach who displays excellent sportsmanship as well as good coaching ability.

Knott coached at Hale for 16 years. From 1984-90, the Raiders won seven consecutive Metro championships and had a 71-1-1 dual-meet record.

Seattle team wins

A team of Western Washington high-school juniors won a 48-team national basketball tournament recently in Los Angeles.

Doug Wrenn of O'Dea was named MVP of the Pump and Run Tournament after scoring 15 points in the 62-61 title-game victory over a Miami team. Grant Leep of Mount Vernon made the winning free throw with 5 seconds to play.

On the way to the final, the Washington team, called Rotary Boys & Girls Club-Friends of Hoop (a charity run by Sonic Coach George Karl), beat teams from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Compton, Calif., Washington, D.C., and Oakland, Calif.

"This is a good group of kids," said co-coach Lou Hobson, who has been on the O'Dea and Franklin coaching staffs. "They really mesh well together, and they never got outhustled."

In addition to Wrenn and Leep, other players on the team are Kevin Burleson of O'Dea, Willie Hendricks and Anthony Lewis of Franklin, Mark Arington of Edmonds-Woodway, Clayton Smith and Javon Nickens of Garfield, Jason Robinson of Curtis and Jason King of Lake Washington.

Helping coach the team is Keith Cooper of Decatur High School in Federal Way.

Hobson said every player contributed at a different time. He said King's key contribution was among the most memorable because he hit three of four three-point shots in a short span in the second half against Oakland that enabled the Washington team to take control of what became an eight-point victory.

The team will compete in a Memorial Day tournament in Fresno, Calif., and then in July tournaments in Las Vegas and Dominguez Hills, Calif.

He's been there, done that

Rules regarding the eligibility of transfer students were not relaxed this weekend at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association's general assembly. WIAA Executive Director Mike Colbrese agreed with the decision, despite having been declared ineligible for a semester during his high-school career.

Colbrese attended Assumpion Abbey, a private boarding school in Richardton, N.D., his freshman and sophomore years in high school before moving back to live with his parents in Glendive, Mont. He was declared ineligible to compete in athletics for a semester because he hadn't moved with his parents (i.e. his parents did not change residences).

'98 spring championship sites

The WIAA executive board last week announced sites for the 1998 spring state championships:

3A-4A track - Lincoln Bowl, Tacoma.

4A soccer, golf, tennis, baseball, softball - Vancouver.

3A soccer, golf, tennis, baseball, softball - Tacoma.

B-1A-2A track - Eastern Washington University, Cheney.

B-1A-2A soccer, golf, tennis, baseball, softball - Yakima.

Hot hitters

Blanchet, the defending state champion, leads the Metro AA League baseball standings with a 6-1 record, and senior Jake Minter is hitting .500 (27 for 54). He has 33 runs batted in and a slugging percentage of 1.037 with six home runs, one triple and nine doubles.

Ryan Riley, Seattle Prep shortstop, has a .405 average and a .762 slugging percentage. He has stolen 16 bases and scored 22 runs.

Hooker lowers 100 again

For the third time this season, Ellensburg sprinter Ja'Warren Hooker has lowered the state's all-time record for the 100 meters. He did it again Saturday at the Naches Invitational - this time with a time of 10.27 seconds with an allowable tailwind of 1.2 meters per second. That mark also should give him the national high-school lead, surpassing a 10.28 by a Texas sprinter.

Hooker first lowered the 100 mark with a 10.53 in the Holder Relays in Yakima - breaking the 17-year-old mark of 10.54 set by Franklin's Ron Jackson in 1980. Two weeks ago at the Pasco Invitational, Hooker did 10.44 - into a 2.5 headwind.

Hooker, a Husky football and track recruit, also is the state's all-time leader in the 200 (21.20) and is the 1997 state leader in the 400 (46.23).

Hooker is scheduled to run the 100 and 200 at the Shoreline Invitational on Saturday at Shoreline Stadium. The 100 preliminaries are scheduled for 2:20 p.m., and the 200 prelims are at 3:20. The 100 final is at 6 p.m.; the 200 final is at 7:50.

Williams eyes Hooker

Johnnie Williams, a senior sprinter at Nathan Hale, hopes to challenge Hooker in the sprints at the Shoreline Invitational. Williams was second behind Hooker in the 200 and 400 in the 1996 Class AA state meet. Williams placed third in the 100.

Williams won the 200 (22.16 seconds) and 400 (49.0) Saturday at the Tacoma Invitational.