Yakima Valley Sports Network

08/20/2020

Not much going on in the world of sports these days, except cancellations and postponements. I hope to revisit this website project in the spring — or maybe fall 2021, at this rate. Here's one of my recent ramblings that appeared in the Selah Journal this month.

Who could’ve imagined back in March that we might have to go an entire year without high-school sports? First, the spring season was wiped out due to COVID-19. Then came fall sports. Now we’re all …

06/18/2020

I posted this article on my personal page yesterday, but here it is just in case you missed it. Wish it weren't true, but fall sports in the Yakima Valley are in peril.

It’s good to see sports starting to make a comeback. Players, coaches and fans have been going through some serious competition withdrawals during this quarantine spring, and we’re all ready for so…

05/12/2020

It's been a rough couple of months with no sports of any kind — and, unfortunately, the void may continue for a while. As people around the country start to get itchy about a return to "normal," we need to keep in mind that this whole coronavirus thing is far from over. Could we be in for a fall with no football? Nooooooooo!

What’s worse than being stuck at home for two months? Being stuck at home for two months without sports. Now that we finally have an excuse to sit on the couch all day, we can’t truly enjoy our fre…

03/27/2020

Former Toppen*sh High basketball star Jenni Johnson made her mark at Yakima Valley College during her sophomore season, leading the NWAC in scoring at 20.9 points per game. Now, she's fielding a number of offers from four-year colleges in Oregon and California. She's also got big plans off the court. Read more about Johnson's rapid rise here:

The first six weeks of the Yakima Valley College women’s basketball season must have felt like an eternity to Jenni Johnson. The former Toppen*sh High School star is used to being at the center of …

03/18/2020

It was such an exciting winter sports season at Selah High School that I had to write a column about the Vikings' many successes for the local newspaper. I also talked about what to look forward to this spring, but that was before everyone's world was upended by the you-know-what. Now, it's looking like there won't be a spring season at all, but it may be fun for some of you to read about what might have been. Life without sports pretty much sucks.

Note: This column was written March 8, prior to the cancellation of the spring sports season and the suspension of classes due to the coronavirus outbreak. ••••••• Now that the winter sports season…

02/28/2020

The Toppen*sh High wrestling team continued its dominance last weekend at Mat Classic ###II in Tacoma, winning their fourth team state championship in five years. The Wildcats won six individual titles — including a pair of three-time state champs in Haiden Drury and Kyler Romero — and landed 12 wrestlers on the podium. Not to be forgotten, Isabella Morales won an individual girls state championship. Read more about this classy yet infinitely dominant program here: https://yakimavalleysports.com/2020/02/27/toppen*sh-high-wrestlers-wrap-up-fourth-state-title-in-five-years/

02/25/2020

Former Zillah High School star Samantha Bowman is having a breakout season for Central Washington University, averaging 11.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. She started the first 12 games for the Wildcats and earned a GNAC Player of the Week award in mid-December. More recently, she scored a career-high 27 points in a win over Simon Fraser. But more importantly, she's loving her college experience. Read more about Bowman's success at https://yakimavalleysports.com/2020/02/24/former-zillah-high-basketball-star-sam-bowman-finally-in-a-zone-at-cwu/?fbclid=IwAR3vEBA_x5Hhz93ZrGQl5Wv-L3mII2B-03EAja9-G0CJPbMKfhwIdSMq7K8

Samantha Bowman has come so far over the past 16 months that casual fans of the Central Washington University women’s basketball team may not remember her from last season. The Wildcats’ sophomore …

01/16/2020

The Toppen*sh High basketball teams are showing their mojo at midseason, with both teams posting victories over Ephrata on Tuesday night. The boys are undefeated at 13-0, thanks in part to senior Isaac Perez (pictured), while the girls have won three straight in league and are 8-5 overall. Freshman Bree Peters (also pictured) has been a major revelation for the 'Cats this season.

01/10/2020

I had a chance to take photos at the Selah-Wapato doubleheader on January 11. Here are some of the highlights and a link to the full gallery: https://yakimavalleysports.com/2020/01/09/photos-selah-vs-wapato-basketball/

12/30/2019

It's been a fun start to the winter sports season in the Valley, complete with some accurate predictions (the Zillah boys are really good) and a few surprises (Toppen*sh boys are also really good). Read about the early-season highlights here:

The winter sports season is off and running in the Yakima Valley, with dozens of basketball and wrestling teams looking to establish their identities before the playoff push begins in a few weeks. …

12/24/2019

Check out our fall season roundups for all of the teams from 12 Yakima Valley high schools, plus a few winter sports posts. Have you heard about the Toppen*sh boys basketball team? They're 7-0 after a big overtime win over Prosser.

The start of the 2019-20 season has been about as good as the Toppen*sh High boys basketball team could have expected. After last Saturday’s thrilling overtime win over Prosser, the Wildcats sit at…

12/23/2019

A couple choice pics from the Cadet Classic at Eisenhower High School (Yakima, Washington) on December 21.