2002-03 season concluded, but memories remain

Q: Last weekend marked the end of the competitive year in high-school sports. What made this year special?

A: Fun question. These are what I'll remember:

Memorable performances:

1) With 4,000 fans on their feet at Pasco's Edgar Brown Stadium screaming for him, Carl Moe of Auburn Riverside broke the Class 4A meet record in the 1,600 meters (9 meters shy of a mile) in a sizzling 4 minutes, 5.09 seconds.

2) Aaron Brooks of Franklin scored 38 points in the Quakers' 67-55 triumph over Mead in the 4A state boys championship basketball game. Adam Morrison scored 37 for Mead.

3) Ryan Johnson of Oak Harbor struck out 20 hitters in an 8-0, three-hit win over Arlington. The senior walked one batter in the seven-inning baseball game.

4) Caitlin Noble of Eastlake struck out 23 hitters in a 1-0, 10-inning fastpitch softball victory over previously unbeaten Inglemoor in a late regular-season game. The junior didn't allow a walk.

5) At the state boys swim meet, senior Sean Sussex of Mercer Island set meet records by winning the 100-yard freestyle in 44.19 seconds and the 200 freestyle in 1:38.21. The MI 200-freestyle relay team appeared to set a national public high-school record but was disqualified for an early start.

Unforgettable play: This one made ESPN. Lynden Christian quarterback Mark Holleman thought he scored a safety when he ran into his own end zone in the final seconds of the Class 2A semifinal football game against Elma. He dropped the ball and raised his arms in victory. Sorry. The ball was still live, and an Elma lineman picked it up for a touchdown and the winning points in a 20-19 victory.

How close can you get? The top four team scores from the Class 4A state gymnastics meet: 1) Inglemoor, 176.975; 2) Sumner, 176.5; 3) Federal Way, 176.3; 4) Auburn, 176.275.

Happy ending: Elton Goodwin, South Kitsap baseball coach, finished his 28-year stint as Wolves head coach with his third state title as his team beat Federal Way 6-3 in the Class 4A title game.

Oddities of the year: 1) A LaConner fan was penalized for bumping an official when LaConner was on the 1-yard line in a winner-to-state playoff game against Orcas. As a result, LaConner had to attempt a field goal, and it failed. Orcas won the game.

2) A regular-season boys basketball game between Garfield and Redmond took six days to complete. With 5:32 left to play, referee Bob Cason suffered a calf injury and had to leave the game. Garfield was ahead 34-32, but declined to continue with only one official. The game's final minutes were played six days later and Garfield won, 43-41.

Fastest learners: In only its second season of varsity football, 1A Archbishop Murphy under coach Terry Ennis won the state 1A football championship by beating Royal 35-14.

Upsets of the year: Cleveland beat Rainier Beach 65-60 on Jan. 10 when Beach was ranked No. 13 in the nation after being No. 1 at Christmas. Winless Roosevelt beat Inglemoor 10-0 on the final week of the 4A KingCo Conference football season.

Best needling of a twin: When Rodrick Stewart went to the free-throw line against Mercer Island, Islanders students chanted, "Lodrick's better! Lodrick's better!" Rodrick sank the free throw and pointed at the crowd.

Tough girls: Two girls (Aspen Crowter of 1A Cascade of Leavenworth and Leilani Akiyama of 3A Newport of Bellevue) made it to the state wrestling tournament, and both won a match before being eliminated.

Dry celebration: Mike Dale, manager of Pop Keeney Stadium in Bothell, was given a bottle of sparkling cider by Cliff McCrath, grateful Seattle Pacific soccer coach, about 15 years ago when the Falcons used the stadium for practices. Dale vowed that the bottle wouldn't be opened until Bothell won the KingCo Conference football title. That happened last fall, but when the top was popped, all it took was one whiff of its well-aged contents to stop anyone from taking a sip.

Q: Last week you said you didn't know of a coach who had a better start than Butch Goncharoff of Bellevue High School, who has won two state 3A football titles in his first three seasons and has a 31-4 record. I bet you didn't know about Craig Wrolstad, who coached Lindbergh to two state 3A baseball titles in three years as head coach at the school.

A: Geez, we didn't. Wrolstad coached Lindbergh to state titles in 1994 and 1995. In three years at the Renton school, he had an overall record of 59-10. He then left to become an administrator at Tyee and now is a Pac-10 football official who teaches science and leadership at Sumner Junior High.

Q: As this column nears its summer shutdown, here are some quick answers and follow-up information to previous columns.

1) Last week, we talked about notable streaks. We are informed of another: Lake Stevens has a 10-year league winning streak in WesCo 3A and 4A wrestling under coach Brent Barnes that has reached 75 matches.

2) After an item about how rare it is for a high school to have an original fight song, we heard from folks affiliated with six schools who said their fight song was an original. The schools were Bishop Blanchet, Tyee, Ferris, Walla Walla, Mount Baker and Lake Washington. They join Meadowdale, which was the example cited.

3) A fastpitch expert points out that leagues in this state have the option of deciding which inning (not necessarily the eighth) to begin the international tiebreaker (inning starts with runner on second base).

Have a question about high-school sports? Craig Smith will find the answer every Tuesday in The Times. Ask your question in one of the following ways: Voice mail (206-464-8279), snail mail (Craig Smith, Seattle Times Sports, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111), or e-mail csmith@seattletimes.com