Sports Year in Review: Locals serve as leaders in athletics

July

Brothers Kevin and Brien Marcus of Ritzville competed in the 2014 Iron Man Race in Coeur d’Alene. Brien Marcus finished the race in 15:03:44. Kevin finished just over the 17-hour mark and was the last competitor to cross the finish line, five seconds before midnight.

Multiple teams from the local communities competed in the annual Spokane Hoopfest Tournament. Team Buns and Guns; Tessa Jantz, Ryan Ricks, Madison Harder and Tanner Groves; and Show Me Your Tweets; Dylan Hartz, Bridger Smith, Tyler Frederick and Connor O’Neill; both won their brackets at the tournament.

August

Lind-Ritzville Athletic director Greg Whitmore was selected to serve on the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Executive Board. He began his three-year term on Aug. 1. He serves as a representative of District 7 on the board, which manages funds and the business of the association.

The Ritzville lady golfers hosted their annual “Puttin on the Ritz” golf invitational on Aug. 11 at the Ritzville Municipal Golf Course. The tournament drew 32 golfers from around Washington and Idaho to compete in the morning tournament.

September

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos began their 2014 regular season against the Davenport Gorillas. After four quarters of tough competition the Broncos beat the Gorillas 28-18 and secured their first league win of the season.

The Lady Broncos volleyball team started its season at the Odessa Jamboree and hosted the Warden Cougars in their first league match. The Lady Broncos took the match in five sets.

The LWK Tigercats began their 8-man football season against Cusick and Garfield-Palouse. The Tigercats struggled to get points on the board, losing to the Vikings 8-54.

The Lady T-cats started their season with tournament play at the Odessa Jamboree and the Freeman Tournament and their first league game against Garfield-Palouse. In their final match at the Odessa tournament the Lady T-cats splits sets with the LRS Lady Broncos, losing the first set 20-22 and winning the second set 21-16.

October

The Broncos continued their undefeated season with a 51-7 victory over the Kettle Falls Bulldogs. With one regular season game remaining the Broncos were in a good position to finish first in their league for the 2014 season.

The LWK Lady Tigercats earned a hard fought win over the third ranked St. John-Endicott. They took the match in five sets: 26-24, 17-25, 25-13, 18-25 and 15-7 respectively.

November

In their final game of the regular season the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos overcame a seven-point deficit against the Colfax Bulldogs, securing the league championship trophy and continuing their three year winning streak.

Lind-Ritzville/Sprague cross-country runners Tracy Melville and Heidi Hennings competed in the state championship race on Nov. 8. Melville took first place in the 1B/2B Girls with Hennings finishing ninth overall.

December

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos received their first loss in 39 games, falling to the eventual state champions the Okanogan Bulldogs 34-0 in the semi-final showdown.

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague basketball teams began their regular season against Columbia-Burbank.

Both teams won their season openers before facing the Medical Lake Cardinals in another non-league game.