Knights win overall against Wahluke on the court
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 2 months AGO
MATTAWA — The Royal City Knights were able to come out on top in what was looking to be a stormy pairing against the Wahluke Warriors on Friday afternoon. Royal was able to win both matches with the girls winning 4-1 and the boys winning 3-1.
The matches started a little earlier than expected as there were already high winds, and it was looking like the weather was going to take a turn for the worse. When they first got out there, both teams had their doubts that they would even be able to play according to both Knights coach Rodrigo Fajardo and Wahluke coach Adrian Sandoval.
“We got going and everything went well,” said Sandoval.
For doubles, the Knights were able to stay aggressive at the net and were able to play strategically. The same went for the singles where both teams were able to keep up long rallies as they tried to figure out ways of finishing the point, said Fajardo.
“I think everyone grew in some capacity,” said Fajardo.
Wahluke still has a young team to build up with only one senior on their team who won her match. The match they were able to win on the boy’s side was through sophomore Ramiro Ochoa, said Sandoval.
Wahluke has also started having junior high players join the team so they can get even more experience once they get into high school. With this program in place, Sandoval is very hopeful for the future of his team.
“We’re a young team, but we’re learning every day,” said Sandoval.
The Knights look to continue the successes that they had in their games against Wahluke.
“Just really excited for the season,” said Fajardo. “These kids have been working really hard and I’m excited to see what they can do.”
The Knights will be playing at home against Connell on Monday at 3 p.m. and Wahluke’s next home game will also be against Connell Wednesday at 3 p.m.
ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
Erickson looks back on a busy and successful four-sport high school career
WARDEN — A four-sport athlete is not someone you often come across due to the time and dedication it takes for success in one sport, but for Amaya Erickson, tackling that challenge was something she was up for in her senior season. “My family’s always been really big into sports,” said Erickson. “Both my parents have played and my siblings both play, so I guess they’re all a really great inspiration for me.”
Tigers start summer 3-1 after split with Sunnyside Christian
EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tiger Baseball Club (3-1) finished their second matchup of the season as they split a doubleheader with Sunnyside Christian Tuesday evening. “I was pleased with a lot of aspects of the doubleheader,” said Tigers Head Coach David Tempel. “The summertime is all about development and getting some experience. The good part about (Tuesday) is we were in some different situations that we haven’t seen much, so we were able to learn from those and use those to our advantage.” Sunnyside was the first on the board during game one as they put up two runs in the top of the second inning. The Tigers responded at the bottom of the third as they put up five runs to claim the lead.
Fletcher named new Eagles volleyball head coach
SOAP LAKE — The Soap Lake Eagles volleyball team will be under new leadership this fall as Erin Fletcher has been selected as the new head coach. She is following the successful tenure of the previous head coach, Nikki Noble, who helped guide the team to multiple state appearances over the years. “I’m so excited,” said Fletcher. “I’ve had the opportunity to watch these girls play the last couple years as a (referee). I’m really excited to be able to step in after Coach Noble and continue on that winning and competitive spirit that they’ve had for so long and kind of take it now to the next level.” Her love for athletics came from growing up in an athletic family of basketball players, but in second grade, she became the first in her family to start playing volleyball. From there, a passion for volleyball began to grow.