Two innings into Auburn Riverside’s first game of the West Central District III/Southwest District IV tournament against Evergreen of Vancouver on Tuesday, victory looked to be in the bag.

With Gonzaga University-bound senior ace Michael Rucker in firm control on the hill, and the Raven bats exploding for eight runs through two frames, the Ravens seemed to be on a cakewalk.

But baseball is no bake sale.

Although Auburn Riverside held on to win the game 8-5, keeping its hopes of a berth in the Washington State 4A tourney alive, the final innings were perhaps a bit spicier than the Ravens had expected.

“The one positive thing is that we’ve got some more kids with some experience in some pressure situations,” Auburn Riverside coach Jon Aarstad said. “That’s the thing with baseball, nobody is going to give up. I think we got a little lax and took a seven-run lead for granted. Hopefully we learned a lesson and won’t do that again.”

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Auburn Riverside, Auburn Mountainview swing into postseason | Prep baseball

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For most athletes high school sports are their ticket to the next level.
In high profile sports like basketball and football, colleges and universities look to the prep ranks to fill their rosters.
In some sports, such as soccer and gymnastics, however, it’s the club teams that draw the attention of college recruiters.
This is also true with boys and girls water polo.
Although the sport is gaining popularity at the high school level, with several South King County schools boasting teams – including Auburn, Auburn Riverside and Auburn Mountainview – it’s the clubs that are king.
Locally, the PNW Shores club team, based at Federal Way’s King County Aquatic Center, has provided water polo athletes looking to hone their skills and move on to the next level a chance to play year round.
“The big thing the club really tries to provide is an opportunity for kids who want to play in college,” said coach Michael Wensman. “It’s really great for them because it provides extra opportunities for them to be seen by college coaches.

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Gene Cerino’s impact on the local scene is no secret.

Having started the Auburn High School wrestling program in 1959, he coached the team for 20 years.

Cerino made his presence felt away from the gym, too, serving as a city councilman for 12 years and teaching at Auburn High School.

On May 9 the Washington State Interscholastic Activities Association plans to honor Cerino as one of eight inductees of the 2012 Hall of Fame class, not only for the lives he’s touched and continues to touch in Auburn but for the contributions he made to the sport of wrestling at the state, national and international levels.

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Josh Melu has always been athletically gifted.

As a three-sport athlete at Auburn Mountainview High School, Melu admits he coasted through on his athleticism. He competed in basketball and football and earned a 10th-place finish in the long jump as a senior at the 2010 Washington State 3A Track and Field Championships.

It wasn’t until he started his collegiate track career at Green River Community College last season, however, that he found his recipe for success.

“The main difference – and it may be surprising – but it’s been my mindset,” Melu said. “I’ve completely changed my mindset. In high school I had some physical abilities, but I didn’t have the proper mindset. Half of what I do is mental. It’s half physical and half mental. And if you don’t have the mental part down, you’re not going to be as great as you could be.”

This past weekend in Eugene, Ore., Melu took a step towards reaching his full potential by placing third in the triple jump at the prestigious Oregon Relays with a 48 feet, 1/4 inch mark. The leap, a personal best for Melu, also set a new Green River record.

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Auburn Mountainview senior Jessica McAllister has signed a letter of intent to attend and play soccer at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point this fall.

McAllister, the Lions’ starting goalkeeper for the past three seasons, was instrumental to the program’s success.

Over that time, McAllister started all 55 of the team’s games, allowing just 35 goals, for a 0.6 goals-per-game average. McAllister also was responsible for 30 shutouts during her career and helped the Lions qualify for the 2009 state 3A playoffs.

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Auburn Riverside girls tennis coach Bruce Diehl wasn’t sure what to expect coming into the season.

He knew he had two strong returning seniors in No. 1 singles player Jessica Lancaster – who qualified for the West Central District tournament last season – and No. 2 singles Sara Suznevich. Beyond that, Diehl admits, it was all question marks.

“We graduated every girl but two last year,” he said. “And every girl but those two are rookies. They’ve never played any varsity tennis before.”

Just three matches into the season, however, Diehl and the Raven girls found themselves with a shocking 3-0 record.

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This season the Auburn Mountainview girls tennis team comes in stacked with returning players, including No. 1 singles player and returning state qualifier, senior Maggie Henderson.

“The team is pretty experienced, I have lots of seniors,” coach Kay Lorraine said.

With five seniors on the roster, coupled with a strong work ethic, leadership and team bond, Lorraine said, she expects big things from the squad this season.

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It’s hard to top perfection.

Last year Lauren Thornquist, Auburn’s No. 1 girls tennis singles player, was perfect through the regular season, compiling an undefeated 9-0 record and driving the Trojan girls to an undefeated team record and a South Puget Sound League Central 4A title.

In the postseason, Thornquist, the No. 3 seed out of the SPSL 4A tourney, placed sixth at the West Central District tournament, earning a spot at the Washington State 4A Tennis championships, where she finished in the top-eight.

This year, however, Thornquist is even better, according to Auburn coach Crystal Wisness.

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Life is all about passion for Leslie Mawing.

It’s evident when the 38-year-old jockey talks about his personal life as a husband and father of three. It’s also apparent when he speaks about his professional life guiding swift steeds around the track.

Last year, Mawing rode that passion to the riding title at Emerald Downs, piling up 129 wins in the 2011 session. This season he’s hoping it will guide him to a repeat title when the track’s 2012 session opens this Friday.

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Auburn Riverside girls basketball head coach Terry Johnson has stepped down, the school announced yesterday.

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