2016 Sports Year in Review: Remembering local athletic accomplishments

January

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos are proving their coach’s early predictions for the season true. They spent the last week bringing in the New Year by winning all three of their games. The girls now have a 3-2 league record and a 6-3 record overall.

The Lacrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus Lady Tigercats recorded their first season win last week with a win in a nonleague game against College Place. The Lady Tigercats earned the win, defeating College Place 39-29.

The Lady Broncos have begun the last few league games of their season and are finishing set to finish with a good record heading into the playoffs. Their week held two nonleague wins and a tough league loss to the St. George’s Lady Dragons.

February

The Broncos upset the league’s top ranked team in the southern division on Jan. 29, securing the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague team with a No. 2 ranking moving into the District Tournament. The win against Liberty moved the Broncos ahead of league competitors St. George’s and Colfax, and puts the Broncos in a favorable position moving into post-season play.

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos wrestling squad traveled to Reardan High School for the Regional Tournament where 14 weight classes took to the mat to battle for the top five spots in each class. The three qualifying wrestlers moving on are Matthias Ferderer, Tucker Guiles and Karl Hawks moved on to wrestle in the Tacoma Dome for the State Tournament.

March

The annual State Hardwood Classic began with the Regional Tournament on Feb. 27, where the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos earned the right to compete in the State B Tournament. The Broncos defeated Warden in the loser-out contest, with the Broncos receiving the win and a chance to continue into playoffs for the run at the state title.

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague fastpitch team’s first doubleheader of the season was postponed from March 22 to March 26 due to rain. On March 26 the team took on the Wilbur-Creston Lady Wildcats for their season opener. The Lady Broncos were able to take the win in both games by ten running the opponent, 17-7 and 16-6.

April

The Lady Broncos faced two doubleheaders in the past week and were unable to cinch a victory against two league competitors. Their first match up was against the Northwest Christian Lady Crusaders on March 29. The Lady Broncos did their best to face the Lady Crusaders offensively but were unable to turn their hits into runs and fell 3-11 and 4-18.

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos had the opportunity to host the NE 1B/2B League meet in Ritzville on April 12, and both teams finished with high scores. The LRS boys finished second with 91 points, while the girl’s team finished fourth with 75 points. Senior Alan Field continued to post high-placing results with three first place finishes and two third place finishes.

May

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague fastpitch softball team finished their regular season 9-9 and in fifth place. They played in the first round of the District Tournament on May 10 in Springdale.

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos brought home the hardware on May 28 at the conclusion of the two-day State Championship Meet. The LRS boys’ team finished in 11th place with 22 points, while the girls placed 14th with 16.5 points. On May 27, the Broncos competed in preliminary races to qualify for the second day of competition.

June

Tommi Sue Swannack, a junior at Sprague High School, has earned a position on the Washington National High School Rodeo team and will be traveling with fellow teammates to Gillette, Wyoming. On July 17-23, Swannack will compete at the 68th Annual National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) in the breakaway roping, goat tying and light rifle competitions. Featuring more than 1,650 contestant from 43 states, five Canadian Provinces and Australia, the NHSFR is the world’s largest rodeo.

Fourteen combines battled in the Lind Lions Club Arena on June 11 in hopes of becoming the victor of the Lind Combine Demolition Derby. When the dust settled, two drivers remained and split the title of 2016 Derby Champions. Longtime competitors Chad Overmyer and Jim Oswald took home the title and split the purse for the event.

July

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos’ basketball team and track team along with the Broncos baseball team gathered at the Ritzville City Park to celebrate their season during their annual banquet. The athletes who received awards for their outstanding efforts during the season were, Emily Kinney, Lacey Miller, Raeann Hoeft, Selena Lamar, Cameron Weber and Laurel Hayes for the Lady Broncos basketball team, Sieraa Kiel, Holly Nygren, Alan Field and Mason Brausen for the Broncos track team and Easton Nelson, Chandler Widman, Camden Smith, Brandon McClure, Bob Heider and Garrett Frederick received awards for the Broncos baseball team.

The Town of Lind had a unique opportunity to be a part of a demonstration pump track tour put on by the American Ramp Company on July 27 at the Southside Park. The company set up a portable skate park for the children of Lind to test out their skills with bikes, scooters and any other form of transportation on wheels. Lind children of all ages attended the event to try out the track.

August

The Ritzville Public Library hosted Summer Olympics for area youth to participate in at the Ritzville City Park on Aug. 5. The event was held in coordination with the beginning of the Summer Olympics currently underway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The annual Dig’s Tournament drew 72 golfers to the Ritzville Municipal Golf Course on Sunday, Aug. 21, to compete in the 51st annual event. The golfers enjoyed a dinner reception the night prior to the tournament and spent all of Sunday enjoying and competing in a spirited game of golf.

September

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos hosted the annual Jamboree on Friday, Aug. 26, to help them prepare for the start of a regular season. With the addition of Asotin into the NE 2B league this year, the Broncos will only be facing league opponents during the regular season.

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos returned to the gridiron on Sept. 9 to face Wilbur-Creston, after being shut out by Asotin the week prior. The young Broncos team bounced back from the early season loss to earn a 35-6 win over the Wildcats.

October

The Lady Tigercats had a successful league outing in Palouse on Oct. 6 when they faced Garfield-Palouse. The LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus team swept the match against the Lady Vikings with final scores of 25-11, 25-10, 25-6.

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos celebrated a win to close out Homecoming week at the local schools. The Broncos hosted Mary Walker on Oct. 14 and shut out the Chargers with a 38-0 win. The Broncos set the tone for the game with a 55-yard touchdown run by Damien Rouleau on the first possession of the game.

November

The LaCrosse-Washtucna/Kahlotus Lady Tigercats had one primary goal this season: compete at the District Tournament. The Lady Tigercats qualified for the District Tournament and faced a day of tough competition on Nov. 5 as they first faced St. John-Endicott and won with set scores of 25-13, 25-20 and 25-21. They then won their match against the Colton Lady Wildcats with scores of 22-25, 29-27, 25-19, 25-22 and 16-14.

The Lady T-cats ended the tournament with a loss against the Pomeroy Lady Pirates: 10-25, 18-25, 17-25.

The LaCrosse Class of 2017 hosted a fundraiser on Nov. 10 that attracted a large crowd as they gathered to watch community members compete in a spirited game of donkey basketball against teachers, and students from the local and neighboring districts. The community team won the competition atop their steads, and the event proved to be a successful fundraiser and fun night out for community members.

December

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos varsity basketball team kicked off their season with a nonleague game against St. John-Endicott on Saturday, Dec. 3, in St. John. They claimed the win against SJE with a score of 61-48.

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos added two more victories to their win column last week, after facing league competitors on the road and at home. The Broncos faced Reardan and Tekoa-Roaslia and earned league wins with scores of 55-44 and 68-47. The team hosted Asotin on Dec. 17 and after a tough match, ended up losing the game 53-46.