The blog will take one more break during the holiday, coming back Wednesday. But get ready, because I don't see any more breaks coming until the spring sports have ended. So we've got a lot of blogging ahead of us during this school year.

I'm going to close out 2007 with another batch of basketball rankings before all of the area teams return to their conference schedules (as early as Wednesday). As always, if you think a team should be in here, make your case in the comments. Enjoy!

Class 4A

1. Ferris (8-0)
2. Franklin (7-2)
3. Decatur (10-1)
4. Federal Way (10-1)
5. Bellarmine Prep (9-1)
6. Shadle Park (7-1)
7. Roosevelt (9-2)
8. Kentwood (8-2)
9. Kentridge (10-2)
10. Wenatchee (9-1)

On the radar: Central Kitsap, Garfield, Prairie, Mariner, Lake Stevens, Edmonds-Woodway.

Class 3A

1. Rainier Beach (8-1)
2. Auburn (10-0)
3. Renton (10-0)
4. Lakes (8-1)
5. Mercer Island (7-2)
6. Bellevue (8-1)
7. Meadowdale (7-1)
8. Squalicum (8-0)
9. Mount Rainier (9-1)
10. Kennedy (8-1)

On the radar: Enumclaw, Cleveland, O'Dea, Seattle Prep, Eastmont.

There was a big shakeup this week in the Class 4A rankings, especially with Lake Stevens debuting at No. 5 after an impressive holiday weekend that included a win against Moses Lake. Jackson also moved into the poll.

Class 4A

1. Lewis & Clark (8-0)
2. Mead (7-1)
3. Skyview (9-0)
4. Ballard (10-0)
5. Lake Stevens (8-0)
6. Moses Lake (6-2)
7. Puyallup (8-0)
8. Prairie (7-3)
9. Jackson (6-1)
10. Mt. Tahoma (8-3)

On the radar: Snohomish, Inglemoor, Kentwood, Roosevelt, Bellarmine Prep, Walla Walla, Eastlake.

Class 3A

1. Issaquah (8-0)
2. Lakes (8-0)
3. Auburn Riverside (6-3)
4. Kennedy (9-0)
5. Meadowdale (7-1)
6. Auburn (8-1)
7. Seattle Prep (9-1)
8. Lakeside (8-1)
9. Capital (7-1)
10. Bellevue (7-2)

On the radar: Renton, Ferndale, Camas, Kelso, Bainbridge.

As promised yesterday, here's the list I put together of the 10 girls games I'm looking forward to the most this winter. With a lot of compelling games ahead, it wasn't easy.

10. Ballard at Inglemoor, Jan. 4, 6:30
9. Newport at Bellevue, Feb. 1, 7:30
8. Snohomish at Lake Stevens, Feb. 4, 7:30
7. Bethel at Puyallup, Jan. 29., 7:30
6. Jackson at Meadowdale, Jan. 16, 7:30
5. Kennedy at Lindbergh, Jan. 22, 7
4. Lakeside at Seattle Prep, Feb. 5, 8
3. Ballard at Roosevelt, Feb. 6, 7:30
2. Issaquah at Bellevue, Feb. 5, 7:30
1. Auburn at Auburn Riverside, Feb. 8, 7:30

These games came from a longer list I compiled of the area's best games. You can see that list by clicking on either of these links:

By conference

By date

Morning stars

1. Kristi Kingma, Jackson, girls basketball. Scored 27 points in a 63-54 victory against Roosevelt.

2. Ryan Snowden, Auburn, boys basketball. Led third-ranked Auburn with 27 points in a 74-54 win in the Harbour Homes Holiday Classic.

3. Karri Gallagher, Lakes Stevens, girls basketball. Scored all of Lake Stevens' seven overtime points -- for a total of 27 -- in a big 59-55 win against Moses Lake.

4. Nichole Jones, Rogers, girls basketball. Led the way with 24 points in a 58-46 win against Shelton.

5. Brett Kingma, Jackson, boys basketball. Scored 33 points, the most of the night, but it wasn't enough for Jackson, which lost by a dozen to Bellevue Christian.

Tonight's top games

1. Auburn at Decatur, boys basketball, 7:45 p.m. This is the kind of game that makes holiday tournaments great. The No. 3 team in Class 3A plays the No. 3 team in Class 4A, both of them undefeated.

2. Kentwood vs. Issaquah, girls basketball, 3 p.m. at Bothell High School. Another fantastic holiday matchup, pitting the top-ranked 3A team against SPSL North power Kentwood for the Comcast Christmas Classic championship.

3. Kentwood vs. Prarie, boys basketball, 7:45 p.m. at St. Martin's College in Lacey. They're playing this time, for real (I listed this game yesterday, but it turns out we had the schedule wrong). And it should still be a close one.

Our area teams have scattered all across the West Coast this weekend, playing in tournaments from San Diego to Juneau, Alaska. But once the New Year comes, they will return to their conference schedules, and then the season will start to really get interesting.

With 2008 approaching, I'd rather look ahead than back. So with that, I've put together a long list of the conference games that figure to be most influential this season. And from that list, I've parsed it down to the top 10 games I'm looking forward to the most this winter. Tomorrow, I'll have the girls games. Today, I have the boys:

10. Seattle Prep at O'Dea, Jan. 29, 7:30.
9. Federal Way at Decatur, Jan. 24, 7:30.
8. Franklin at Roosevelt, Jan. 22, 7:30.
7. Mariner at Meadowdale, Jan. 22, 7:30.
6. Rainier Beach at O'Dea, Jan. 18, 7:30.
5. Mercer Island at Bellevue, Jan. 8, 7:30.
4. Auburn at Enumclaw, Jan. 31, 7:30.
3. Mount Rainier at Renton, Jan. 31, 7.
2. Decatur at Kentwood, Jan. 31, 7:30.
1. Franklin at Garfield, Feb. 8., 8.

If you click on "Continue reading" below, I have comments on each game and a longer list of the season's top games to come.

Morning stars

1. Jordan Hamilton, Seattle Prep, boys basketball. Scored 32 points in an 85-61 victory against Pleasant Grove, Calif., in the Another Level Christmas Classic.

2. Lindsey Moore, Kentwood, girls basketball. Led the Conks with 22 in a victory against Bothell that sets up Saturday's marquee game against Issaquah.

3. Alfie Miller, Mount Rainier, boys basketball. Scored 24 points in a 65-61 win against Bothell in the Comcast Christmas Classic at Bothell, setting up a semifinal game against Skyline tonight at 8:30.

Tonight's top games

1. Kentwood vs. Prairie, boys basketball, 7 p.m. at St. Martin's College in Lacey. Two teams with high state playoff hopes meet in the Saint Martin's Tournament.

2. Roosevelt at Jackson, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m. Two of the top area teams in Class 4A play a non-league game.

3. Lake Stevens vs. Moses Lake, girls basketball, 3:45 p.m. The undefeated Vikings get their best test yet: No. 2 Moses Lakes.

Good morning everyone, I hope the holiday season has been treating you well. I wanted to start the prep blog back up with a story I came across this morning from Georgia.

The Savannah Morning News asks the question "Is it time for a shot clock in high school basketball?" (A great picture accompanies the story.)

In winter tournaments this year, Georgia has seen its share of stalling. Boys teams, without the pressure of a shot clock, can hold the ball as long as they please -- sometimes for multiple minutes at a time.

Only seven states in the country have a shot clock for boys basketball. Georgia and Washington do not.

The NBA implemented a shot clock in 1954. The women's college game started one in 1971. Men's college basketball adopted one in 1985, trimming it from 45 seconds to 35 in 1993. Girls high-school basketball also uses a shot clock.

There are arguments to both sides of the issue. Some say a shot clock only benefits the losing team. Or the better team. Shot clock supporters want to see a more high-scoring, exciting version of the game.

Where do you stand? Should high school boys basketball be the only version of the game without a shot clock?

Morning stars

1. Chris Holmes, Franklin boys basketball -- The 6-foot-2 junior wing scored 14 of his team-high 27 points in the fourth quarter to lead the undefeated Quakers to a 85-73 win over Pasadena at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic in San Diego. Holmes was 11-of-13 from the free-throw line and added eight rebounds.

2. Paul Morse, Mercer Island boys basketball -- Morse, a 6-foot-1 senior guard, scored on a putback at the buzzer to give the Islanders a 55-53 win over St. Mary's at the Desert Heat National Invitational in California.

3. Riley Carel, Enumclaw boys basketball -- The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard had a season-high 12 points, three of which came on a game-tying shot at the end of regulation to force overtime. The Hornets then outscored Westview of Beaverton, Ore., 10-6 in the extra period for the 60-56 win.

The blog is going to take the next two days off, giving everyone a chance to enjoy their holidays.

But before the break, I have a holiday gift: new basketball rankings. These won't run in the newspaper until Tuesday, but I figured that with no games between now and then, I might as well post them tonight.

Ferris, with DeAngelo Casto back in the lineup, keeps its grip on the top spot in 4A. Roosevelt played tough with some of the country's best at the Mission Prep Christmas Classic in California, and that's why the Roughriders are still in the 4A rankings.

Rainier Beach proved why it's the No. 1 team in 3A by winning the Mission Prep Christmas Classic. Bellevue makes the largest leap after winning the Maui Christmas Classic.

We'll be back on Wednesday morning. Have a great holiday break.

Class 4A

1. Ferris (7-0)
2. Franklin (5-0)
3. Decatur (9-0)
4. Federal Way (5-1)
5. Bellarmine Prep (8-1)
6. Shadle Park (6-1)
7. Roosevelt (8-2)
8. Wenatchee (8-0)
9. Kentwood (6-2)
10. Central Kitsap (9-1)

On the radar: Prairie, Kentridge, Garfield, Snohomish, Mariner, Spanaway Lake, Richland.

Class 3A

1. Rainier Beach (8-1)
2. Renton (7-0)
3. Auburn (8-0)
4. Mercer Island (5-0)
5. Bellevue (8-1)
6. Lakes (4-1)
7. Enumclaw (5-1)
8. Mount Rainier (7-0)
9. Kennedy (6-0)
10. Meadowdale (6-1)

On the radar: Seattle Prep, Skyline, Eastmont, North Thurston, Cleveland.

This was a difficult week to rank, especially in Class 3A. That's because Auburn Riverside, the former No. 1, went to Phoenix and played four of the country's best teams in the Nike Tournament of Champions. Riverside went 1-3, albeit against tougher competition than most Washington teams will see this season.

Issaquah has played great, and Lakes scored a big win against Mt. Tahoma, so No. 3 for Riverside felt right. You're more than welcome to share your feelings on the matter in the comments section.

Class 4A

1. Lewis & Clark (8-0)
2. Moses Lake (6-0)
3. Mead (6-1)
4. Mt. Tahoma (7-1)
5. Kentwood (6-1)
6. Skyview (7-0)
7. Prairie (5-2)
8. Ballard (7-0)
9. Snohomish (5-1)
10. Puyallup (8-0)

On the radar: Jackson, Inglemoor, Bellarmine Prep, Lake Stevens, Walla Walla.

Class 3A

1. Issaquah (6-0)
2. Lakes (7-0)
3. Auburn Riverside (4-3)
4. Auburn (7-0)
5. Kennedy (7-0)
6. Meadowdale (6-1)
7. Seattle Prep (7-1)
8. Bellevue (5-1)
9. Lakeside (6-1)
10. Capital (6-1)

On the radar: Bainbridge, Newport, Enumclaw, Renton.

He might not be 40, but Josh Smith is a man. Beneath the boyish face of a high-school sophomore is the hulking frame of a powerhouse forward in this state for years to come.

After he scored 28 seemingly effortless points last night against Lakes' Kavario Middleton to lead Kentwood past the Lancers, our second-ranked team in Class 3A, Smith's coach had a reminder about the big man.

"He's only beginning the role he's going to have in the next couple of years for us," Kentwood coach Michael Angelidis said.

If this is only the beginning, I can't wait to see the end (by the way, he's expected to grow to around 6-11).

The more I think about it, this state is teeming with young talent. The future of basketball here seems sound (no pun intended) for quite a few years. Just take this into account:

-Three of the state's top guards, Franklin's Peyton Siva and Bellarmine Prep's Abdul Gaddy and Avery Bradley, are juniors.

-Look at the overall rotation for second-ranked Franklin, and there isn't a single senior.

-Bellevue has won seven straight without junior Alex Schrempf in big part because sophomore Aaron Bright -- a transfer from Issaquah -- is averaging 19.5 points, and junior Colton Christian -- a transfer from O'Dea -- is averaging 14.9 points.

-Jackson freshman Brett Kingma, brother of Kristi Kingma, is averaging 15.6 points per game.

-And how about Garfield freshman Tony Wroten, whom Hoopscoop.com has rated as the nation's top freshman. Wroten upped his average to 22.5 points per game with 27 last night against Franklin (Ore.). I saw him in the opener against Franklin and then later against Inglemoor, and how much he has adjusted to playing within the team was obvious. Suddenly, Garfield's a team to look out for, having won six straight.

Continue reading for the morning stars and tonight's top games..

I gave you my ballots a few days ago, now here's the results from the statewide voting. As you'll see, the area had plenty of players on the teams.

State player of the year (all classes) -- Johri Fogerson, sr., O'Dea.

CLASS 4A

Co-players of the year -- Alex Shaw, sr., Lewis and Clark; Tony Heard, jr., Edmonds-Woodway.

First-team:

Quarterback -- Ryan Robertson, sr., Eastlake.
Running backs -- Tony Heard, jr., Edmonds-Woodway; Alex Shaw, sr., Lewis and Clark; Marcel Smith, sr., Graham-Kapowsin
Wide receivers -- Jared Karstetter, sr., Ferris; Cory Mackay, sr., Eastlake; Robert Akeo-Orr, sr., Bethel.
Tight end -- Caleb Brown, Central Kitsap (unanimous pick).
Offensive line -- Le'Roi Edwards, sr., Kentridge; Tad Harman, sr., Moses Lake; Nick Oglesby, sr., Snohomish; Isaac Fry, sr., Lewis and Clark; Matt Bernard, Gig Harbor.
Kicker -- Anthony Arena, fr., Inglemoor.
Defensive line -- Steve Johnson, sr., Lewis and Clark (unanimous pick); Brandon Carlson, sr., Olympia; Patrick Mealey, sr., Central Valley; Justin Mann, sr., Woodinville.
Linebackers -- Cory Burk, sr., Bothell; Alex Shaw, sr., Lewis and Clark; Kevin Friermuth, sr., Puyallup; Nick Morrison, sr., Cascade.
Defensive backs -- McKenzie Murphy, Ferris; Antoinne Wafer, sr., Edmonds-Woodway; Blake Skidmore, sr., Olympia; Jamison Rowe, jr., Richland.
Punter -- Bobby Cowan, sr., Evergreen (Vancouver).
Returner -- Antoinne Wafer, sr., Edmonds-Woodway.

Honorable mention:

Running back -- Demitrius Bronson, sr., Kentwood.
Wide receiver -- Ryan Coulston, sr., Moses Lake; Hakeim Pearson, sr., Heritage.
Offensive line -- Aaron Lenk, sr., Graham-Kapowsin; Drew Schaefer, sr., Eastlake; Joe Mullen, sr., Richland; Donald Gaddy, sr., Snohomish.
Defensive line -- Dan Spitz, sr., Mead; Trevor Guyton, sr., Redmond; Jamie Cruz, sr., Marysville-Pilchuck.
Linebackers -- Jerry Bruner, sr., Evergreen (Vancouver); Tyler Cochran, sr., Central Valley.
Defensive backs -- Brandon Turner, sr., Kentridge; Dan Durkin, sr., Bellarmine Prep.
Returner -- Jordan Elmo, sr., Eisenhower.

CLASS 3A

Player of the year -- Johri Fogerson, sr., O'Dea.

First-team:

Quarterback -- Jake Heaps, so., Skyline.
Running backs -- Johri Fogerson, sr., O'Dea (unanimous pick); Larry Dixon, Olympic; Kyle Burbridge, sr., Shelton.
Wide receivers -- Gino Simone, jr., Skyline (unanimous pick); Jermaine Kearse, sr., Lakes; Robbie Mitchell, sr., Kennewick.
Tight end -- Kavrio Middleton, sr., Lakes.
Offensive line -- David DeCastro, sr., Bellevue (unanimous pick); Kyle Sutphin, sr., Kamiakin; Alameda Ta’amu, sr., Rainier Beach; Bryce Davis, sr., Auburn; Senio Kelemete, sr., Evergreen (Seattle).
Kicker -- Stephen Gilbert, sr., Kamiakin.
Defensive line -- Kavario Middleton, sr., Lakes; Everrette Thompson, sr., Kennedy; Kodi Otero, Peninsula; Nick Stewart, sr., Columbia River.
Linebackers -- Maxx Garrett, sr., Kamiakin (unanimous pick); Eric Biege, sr., Skyline; T.J. Paaopega, sr., Fort Vancouver.
Defensive backs -- Blake Johnson, so., Olympic; J.T. Gardner, sr., Kamiakin; Lonnie Quirk, sr., East Valley (Spokane); Vince Taylor, sr., Eastside Catholic.
Punter -- Justin Gunn, sr., Renton.

Honorable mention:

Quarterback -- Calvin Schmitdke, sr., Lakes.
Wide receiver -- Jake Madison, Port Angeles.
Offensive line -- Kyle Harbine, sr., Ferndale.
Kicker -- Curtis Stensland, sr., Newport (Bellevue).
Defensive line -- Ed Pelzer, sr., O'Dea; Jeremy Girod, jr., Fort Vancouver; Tupou F. Manea, sr., Lakes.
Linebacker -- Kyle Harbine, sr., Ferndale.
Defensive backs -- Casey Locker, jr., Ferndale; Max Hannah, jr., Ferndale; Gibby Briones, sr., Sunnyside.
Punter -- Stephen Gilbert, sr., Kamiakin.

If you continue reading, you'll find the teams for Class 2A and below.

Not everyone was able to see the Franklin-Rainier Beach instant classic I've written so much about, but at least now you can see the highlights from that incredible game (and I'm sure you'll agree after seeing them).

We're back, and gymnastics fans, this is your time to shine.

Today we ran a story on Issaquah's team -- specifically senior Kara Chin and freshman Olivia Goree -- as it looks to rebound from a narrow loss at state last season.

We also ran a list of gymnasts to watch this season:

• Kara Chin, Sr., Issaquah
• Corrine Wise, Sr., West Seattle
• Sophie Wenzlau, Sr., Bainbridge
• Katie Arlan, Sr., Bothell
• Louise Baker, Jr., Lindbergh
• Annie Zuckerman, Jr., Bainbridge
• Gwen Smithberg, Jr., Kennedy
• Ashley Perkovich, Jr., Auburn Mountainview
• Hailey Wells, So., Woodinville
• Rebecca Turnbow, So., Auburn Riverside
• Sienna Viltz, So., Lake Washington
• Alexi Morton, So., Auburn Mountainview
• Nora Keith, So., Kent-Meridian
• Olivia Goree, Fr., Issaquah

So here's the question: Who are some of the athletes and teams you feel we should keep an eye on this season?

Morning stars

1. Ian Lunsford, Hazen wrestling -- Lunsford pinned his Lindbergh opponent in 22 seconds, the fastest recorded win by fall reported Wednesday.

2. James Harrang, Eastlake boys swimming -- Harrang contributed to Wolves wins in four events: all three relays and a winning time of 2:09.06 in the 200 individual medley.

3. Katie Grad, Auburn Riverside girls basketball -- Grad, a 5-foot-8 senior guard, scored 10 of her game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter, fueling a late comeback against Shelbyville Central of Tennessee. The Ravens were down 50-45 late in the game, but closed it out on a 12-0 run.

Today's top game

1. Auburn Riverside girls basketball vs. Notre Dame Academy of Middleburg, Va., 1:45 p.m., at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix. The Class 3A defending champions and top-ranked Ravens face the nation's No. 1 team.

After all the hoops hoopla we've posted the past couple of weeks, I thought I'd weigh in on some wrestling this morning.

Is there a more grueling high-school sport?

Multi-sport athletes are getting tougher to find these days. But when you find one transitioning from football to wrestling, a lot of them will admit they've really got to get in shape now.

For a running back who carries the ball 20 times a game or a lineman who plays both ways for four quarters, that might sound absurd. But those six minutes (or more) on a wrestling mat take a massive amount of endurance. The training these athletes put in is rigorous, including miles and miles of running on top of hours of strength and agility work.

Check out a match and watch the incredible effort wrestlers put forth in in competition that can be both physically and mentally exhausting. Not to mention the emotional side of a sport that truly pits one individual against another. Triumphs can be inspiring. Defeats can be devastating.

It is no longer strictly a male's domain either. More and more females have flocked to the sport and Washington now has a girls state tournament sanctioned by the WIAA. These girls are tough and talented and many of them compete against boys during the regular season.

What other sports don't get their due? Basketball gets top billing during the winter, for sure, but let's not forget about the other prep sports. Gymnasts might deal with more pain during a season than any other athletes. The pounding their ankles take makes me wince. And the top swimmers spend countless hours in the pool -- some of them for a 50-yard freestyle that's over in a blink and others for that 500-yard marathon that demands another kind of endurance.

Which athletes draw your respect?

-- Sandy Ringer

Tonight's top basketball games

Skyline at Bellevue, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. This has become more than a football rivalry. A win over the eighth-ranked Wolverines (3-1, 3-1) would likely vault Skyline (6-0, 5-0) into the top-10. Bellevue's lone loss was to No. 6 Mercer Island (4-0, 4-0).

Eastlake at Franklin, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m. Wolves (3-2, 2-1) can stay in the hunt with a victory over the Quakers (2-2, 1-2), who can't afford to fall too far behind.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: They're doing some construction on our Seattle Times blogs this week, so after Sandy's post tomorrow, we might not have another post until possibly Friday.

I take care of the Times' voting for the Class 4A and 3A all-state football teams. These are the selections:

Class 4A offense

QB Ryan Robertson, sr., Eastlake
RB Tony Heard, jr., Edmonds-Woodway
RB Demitrius Bronson, sr., Kentwood
RB Marcel Smith, sr., Graham-Kapowsin
WR Jared Karstetter, sr., Ferris
WR Cory Mackay, sr., Eastlake
WR Robert Akeo-Orr, sr., Bethel
TE Caleb Brown, Central Kitsap
OL Drew Schaefer, sr., Eastlake
OL Matt Bernard, Gig Harbor
OL Le'Roi Edwards, sr., Kentridge
OL Tad Harman, sr., Moses Lake
OL Aaron Lenk, sr., Graham-Kapowsin

Class 4A defense

DL Trevor Guyton, sr., Redmond
DL Dan Spitz, sr., Mead
DL Steve Johnson, sr., Lewis and Clark
DL Justin Mann, sr., Woodinville
LB Alex Shaw, sr., Lewis and Clark
LB Cory Burk, sr., Bothell
LB Derek Jones, sr., Snohomish
LB D.J. Williams, sr., Puyallup
DB McKenzie Murphy, Ferris
DB Justin Glenn, sr., Kamiak
DB Antoinne Wafer, sr., Edmonds-Woodway
DB Brandon Turner, sr., Kentridge
K Anthony Arena, fr., Inglemoor
P Bobby Cowan, sr., Evergreen (Vancouver)
R Antoinne Wafer, sr., Edmonds-Woodway

Class 3A offense

QB Calvin Schmitdke, sr., Lakes
RB Johri Fogerson, sr., O'Dea
RB Larry Dixon, Olympic
RB Kyle Burbridge, sr., Shelton
WR Jermaine Kearse, sr., Lakes
WR Gino Simone, jr., Skyline
WR Jake Madison, Port Angeles
TE Kavario Middleton, sr., Lakes
OL David DeCastro, sr., Bellevue
OL Senio Kelemete, sr, Evergreen (Seattle)
OL Alameda Ta'amu, sr., Rainier Beach
OL Kyle Sutphin, sr., Kamiakin
OL Bryce Davis, sr., Auburn

Class 3A defense

DL Everrette Thompson, sr., Kennedy
DL Ed Pelzer, sr., O'Dea
DL Kavario Middleton, sr., Lakes
DL Nick Stewart, sr., Columbia River
LB Maxx Garrett, sr., Kamiakin
LB Eric Biege, sr., Skyline
LB T.J. Faaopega, sr., Fort Vancouver
DB Vince Taylor, sr., Eastside Catholic
DB Lonnie Quirk, sr., East Valley (Spokane)
DB Blake Johnson, so., Olympic
DB J.T. Gardner, sr., Kamiakin
K Curtis Stensland, sr., Newport (Bellevue)
P Justin Gunn, sr., Renton

What did we learn Friday night?

Franklin's season won't be a day at the Beach. After beating Rainier Beach last week, the Franklin boys moved to No. 1 in our top 10. On Friday night, the Quakers were on the cusp of their first loss, trailing 64-61 in the final seconds. Then, as our veteran Craig Smith recounted today, chaos broke loose.

Inglemoor was called for a foul on a Peyton Siva 3-pointer, and then Inglemoor's Mark McLaughlin's response to the call drew a technical foul call. Siva made two of three free-throw attempts, and the Chris Holmes made one of two on the technical. That tied it up and sent it to overtime, and the Quakers cruised from there to an 81-66 victory.

I won't blame Inglemoor for being upset this morning; that's an awfully tough way to lose, especially going into the top-ranked team's gym. But the Vikings proved that in what could be Franklin's final season in KingCo 4A â€" a return to the Metro League next year is very possible â€" the Quakers won't cruise through the conference. Inglemoors and Garfields and Roosevelts are all over the schedule, ready to take the top-ranked Quakers down.

On a side note, this was another solid game for Franklin freshman Lavell White, who's been impressive so far. Scary thought: not one player in Franklin's six-man rotation is a senior.

The Ballard girls are for real. That's not too difficult to say after the Beavers dismantled Roosevelt 50-26. Ballard improved to 6-0 (and 4-0 in KingCo 4A) with the win against the fifth-ranked Roughriders. Coach Karen Blair came to Ballard after a successful tenure at Meadowdale, and she has the Beavers on the way to the first winning season since she arrived.

One big reason? 6-foot-5 center Jeanette Hansen, who is an exchange student from Denmark. As we saw with the Auburn Riverside volleyball team, a transfer can make a big difference. But another big reason? Some tenacious D. Roosevelt scored in single digits in each quarter.

Other lessons:

-Kentwood's Lindsey Moore has a lot of grit, going out and playing with a sprained wrist to lead the way to a victory against Kentlake.

-The Auburn boys have yet to meet their match. The Trojans cruised again, 72-35 against White River to get to 7-0. They will get Enumclaw on Tuesday in what should be a heck of a game.

-Spanaway Lake boys just keep on winning. The Sentinels are 8-0 now after yet another tight victory, 44-41 against Graham-Kapowsin. This, at least, is for sure: the Sentinels know how to win a close game. They have won five straight by three or fewer points.

Here's a look at the area's top scorers so far, from statistics reported to The Seattle Times:

Boys

1. Jordan Smith, Lopez: 30 ppg.
2. Jordan Nicholes, Sultan: 28.3 ppg
3. Zachary Israel, Grace Academy: 27.8 ppg
4. Alfie Miller, Mount Rainier, 27.3 ppg
5. Jordan Kidd, Chief Sealth: 26.5 ppg

Girls

1. Kristi Kingma, Jackson: 25.3 ppg
2. Kimi Pohlman, Bear Creek: 24.5 ppg
3. Eryn Jones, Meadowdale: 21.8 ppg
4. Katie Grad, Auburn Riverside: 21.5 ppg
5. Monica Nevi, Hazen: 20.3 ppg

Morning stars

1. Lindsey Moore, Kentwood, girls basketball. Led the sixth-ranked Conks in a 66-36 victory against Kentlake.

2. Peyton Siva, Franklin, boys basketball. Teammates Lavell White and Chris Holmes perhaps had steadier nights, but Siva was the area's leading scorer with 29 points Friday night.

3. Tanner Riley, Mount Si, boys basketball. Riley had 25 points to lead Mount Si in a victory against Interlake.

4. Becky Farden, Shorewood, girls basketball. Had 29 points, but Shorewood fell short 66-59 against Lynnwood.

5. Erika Wilson, Lake Washington, girls basketball. Amid a coaching change, Wilson led LW with 22 points in a 68-55 win against Garfield.

Tonight's top games

Inglemoor at Meadowdale, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. A day after the controversial and heartbreaking loss to Franklin, the Vikings take on undefeated Meadowdale.

Bainbridge at Newport, girls basketball, 5:30 p.m. Two quality programs look to bounce back from losses last night.

As part of our Mitchell Report coverage today, the Times had this story on the state of high-school steroid use and testing in Washington. What did we find?

1) There won't be any state-wide steroid testing in Washington in the near future.

2) Coaches seem to think that the problem was much worse five to 10 years ago.

3) The U.S. government's gold-standard study on high-school drug use, the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future study, indicates that steroid use has declined in the past five years, from 4.0 percent to 2.2 percent.

Yet, as the Mitchell Report points out, even 2.2 percent of high-schoolers is a lot of kids. Hundreds of thousands. Think about it -- that's one in 50.

I tried to reach the UM professor in charge of the study last night, but I didn't get a hold of him. But I did find this recent story, where he almost directly connects the rise and decline in steroid use during the past 10 years to the success of Mark McGwire and the negative publicity surrounding Barry Bonds.

Give the story a read. You always hear about athletes as role models, but it's chilling to see evidence of just how much of an effect they have.

But is testing the answer? Three states currently test for steroids. New Jersey and Florida already have testing programs in place, but they test a very small percentage of athletes. The idea there is that even the minute chance of being tested can deter an athlete from using steroids.

The Texas program, which will be in place by the end of the year, will test 20,000 to 25,000 athletes. But it comes at a cost: almost $6 million. Not even moving the Class 3A football semifinals after breakfast could raise that much for the WIAA, so that money would have to come from somewhere.

But again, there's no push for a program right now from Washington schools. So this is a moot issue, at least for the foreseeable future.

Here's a link to today's story on Johri Fogerson, our state player of the year for football. His numbers (2,545 rushing yards, 36 touchdowns) are incredible and the productivity only increased against one of the state's best defenses in the Class 3A title game.

The Times all-state team also ran today. Here's the offense first, then the defense:

QB Calvin Schmidtke, Lakes, 6-0, 185, Sr.
RB Johri Fogerson, O'Dea, 6-2, 202, Sr.
RB Tony Heard, Edmonds-Woodway, 5-11, 225, Jr.
WR Cody Bruns, Prosser, 5-11, 170, Sr.
WR Gino Simone, Skyline, 6-0, 165, Jr.
TE Kavario Middleton, Lakes, 6-6, 250, Sr.
OL Nick Cody, Hockinson, 6-5, 290, Sr.
OL Alameda Ta'amu, Rainier Beach, 6-4, 340, Sr.
OL Drew Schaefer, Eastlake, 6-5, 275, Sr.
OL David DeCastro, Bellevue, 6-5, 290, Sr.
OL Le'Roi Edwards, Kentridge, 6-4, 284, Sr.
K Raul Farias, Connell, 5-10, 175, Sr.
AP Antoinne Wafer, Edmonds-Woodway, 5-7, 165, Sr.

DL Everrette Thompson, Kennedy, 6-5, 250, Sr.
DL Trevor Guyton, Redmond, 6-5, 290, Sr.
DL Senio Kelemete, Evergreen, 6-4, 270, Sr.
DL Dan Spitz, Mead, 6-6, 270, Sr.
LB Alex Shaw, Lewis and Clark, 6-2, 220, Sr.
LB Derek Jones, Snohomish, 6-0, 205, Sr.
LB Maxx Garrett, Kamiakin, 5-11, 185, Sr.
DB Jermaine Kearse, Lakes, 6-0, 170, Sr.
DB Justin Glenn, Kamiak, 5-11, 185, Sr.
DB Erich Armstrong, Franklin Pierce, 6-1, 180, Sr.
DB Vince Taylor, Eastside Catholic, 6-3, 190, Sr.
P Justin Gunn, Renton, 6-4, 205, Sr.

Also here is a list of the players and coaches of the year for all classifications.

4A: Alex Shaw, Lewis and Clark; Tom Yearout, Lewis and Clark
3A: Johri Fogerson, O'Dea; Steve Gervais, Skyline
2A: Cody Bruns, Prosser; Terry Ennis and Rick Stubrud, Archbishop Murphy
1A: Charlie Velling, Cascade Christian; Wiley Allred, Royal
2B: Bryce Hayunga, DeSales; Mike Spiess, DeSales
1B: Jordan Hughes, Almira-Coulee-Hartline; Brandon Walsh, Almira-Coulee-Hartline

There have to be lots of thoughts. There are two juniors on the team (Simone, Heard), three players from Lakes (Schmidtke, Middleton and Kearse), and lots of Seattle-area players.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

Morning stars

1. Ashly Bruns, Jackson girls basketball -- "With the score tied at 67 and Jackson playing for the final shot, Bruns drove the lane, spun and made the tiebreaking layin for a 69-67 WesCo girls basketball win over Meadowdale Wednesday night at Jackson."

2. Seamount gymnasts -- Louise Baker of Lindbergh, Gwen Smithberg of Kennedy, and Nikita Ginnett of Mount Rainier all swept every single event at their Wednesday meets en route to all-around victories.

3. Eastside Catholic girls basketball -- Beat Chief Sealth 53-45, giving the Crusaders their third win in three seasons. Last year, Eastside Catholic beat an Australia touring team and finished 1-19. In 2005, the Crusaders finished 1-18.

Let's say you're starting a high school basketball team -- boys or girls. You can build around one player.

Said player can be an imposing inside presence, a floor leader, a sharp-shooter, or, I suppose, a combination of the three.

It'd be tough to turn down a tall, bruising post player. Especially at the high school level, where a very good post/center can go to town in the paint all night long.

Spencer Hawes, who dominated while at Seattle Prep, would be Exhibit A of why to go with size.

Then again, there are the Jason Terry's and Venoy Overton's, etc. who had tons of success in the backcourt.

To maximize success, which type of player do you build around and why? Build your argument in the comments.

Morning stars
1. Justin Walden, Chief Leschi, boys basketball. Had a triple-double (24 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals) in 56-54 win over Northwest Yeshiva.
2. Ben Scheideman, Nathan Hale, boys basketball. Scored 32 points in 50-43 loss to O'Dea.

3. Taylor Stevens, Marysville-Pilchuck, boys basketball. His 31 points weren't enough for the Tommies, who were defeated 61-58 by Everett. The 6-foot-6 center is averaging 25 points per game.

Before we get to the rankings, I want to begin with a few important points about them:

-Forget the preseason rankings. We don't base any of our rankings from here on out based on where teams were ranked at the start of the year. Now it's about how teams play. Consider this batch of rankings the first set. In other words, Franklin didn't move up a spot this week to No. 1. Based on the Quakers' win against Rainier Beach, they're starting at No. 1. (Now if only we could get the college pollsters to do the same.)

-Strength of schedule matters. We're not going to punish teams for playing difficult non-league schedules. You'll see Rainier Beach is staying at No. 1 despite losing on Saturday in overtime to Franklin. Well, just because Beach lost to the No. 1 team in 4A in overtime doesn't change our minds that the Vikings are the team to beat in Class 3A. Instead, we credit both teams for taking on the challenge. This will be especially important to remember during the holiday season, when some teams will play against the nation's best.

-Have fun with them. This is why we rank teams. For fun. It's good debate. We don't mean disrespect to anyone. If you think you're team belongs, make your point and make it cleanly in the comments. We had to delete several comments at the end of football season because people here stopped having fun with it and started getting explicit and personal.

And that's no fun.

Without further adieu:

Class 4A

1. Franklin (2-0)
2. Ferris (4-0)
3. Decatur (5-0)
4. Bellarmine Prep(3-0)
5. Shadle Park (3-0)
6. Kentwood (3-1)
7. Roosevelt (3-0)
8. Federal Way (4-1)
9. Prairie (3-1)
10. Wenatchee (5-0)

-The concern about Franklin was how would the Quakers -- with no starters taller than 6-foot-3 -- play against a bigger team. That concern has been answered so far, as the Quakers went up against Beach -- three starters taller than 6-foot-3 -- and came out with the win. Especially with DeAngelo Casto ineligible for Ferris, Franklin begins on top.

-Ferris and Shadle Park play tonight in a tough early-season Greater Spokane League game.

-Also tonight, Kentwood plays Decatur. Boy, the SPSL 4A seems like constant attrition. Whoever comes out of that league will be battle-tested for the state tournament.

Class 3A

1. Rainier Beach (2-1)
2. Lakes (2-0)
3. Renton (2-0)
4. Seattle Prep (2-0)
5. Auburn (5-0)
6. Mercer Island (4-0)
7. Enumclaw (3-0)
8. Bellevue (2-1)
9. Mt. Rainier (2-0)
10. Kennedy (2-0)

Notes:

-Two huge wins for Renton allow it to begin at No. 3. The Indians beat Gig Harbor and Kentwood, toppling a pair of 6-foot-9 big men in the process.

-Bellevue's still without forward Alex Schrempf, but the Wolverines have rebounded with two wins without him.

-Enumclaw has two impressive wins against North Thurston and O'Dea, but look how well everyone above the Hornets is playing. A lot of good teams up there.

Class 4A

1. Lewis & Clark (4-0)
2. Moses Lake (3-0)
3. Mt. Tahoma (2-0)
4. Mead (3-1)
5. Roosevelt (3-0)
6. Kentwood (3-1)
7. Bellarmine Prep (4-1)
8. Skyview (4-0)
9. Prairie (1-2)
10. Snohomish (2-1)

Notes:

-After a big win against Kentwood, Roosevelt makes its debut at No. 5.

-A 1-2 team? Are we serious? With Prairie, we are. The Falcons went to a tournament in Oregon and lost to two of the country's top-ranked teams. We're not going to punish the Falcons for playing USA Today's No. 1 team (Long Beach Poly) and its No. 10 team (Southridge). We still think Prairie's one of the 10 best teams.

-Mead's one loss? Lewis & Clark.

1. Auburn Riverside (1-0)
2. Issaquah (3-0)
3. Meadowdale (4-0)
4. Lakes (3-0)
5. Auburn (4-0)
6. Kennedy (2-0)
7. Seattle Prep (2-1)
8. Newport (3-1)
9. Bainbridge (3-0)
10. Capital (5-0)

Notes:

-Auburn won its first three games by at least 39 before winning a tough game against rival Auburn Mountainview on Friday.

-Capital keeps winning, even if each of its five wins are by eight or fewer points. A 5-0 start definitely caught our attention.

Hungering for some more hoops?

Unlike football, there's no need to count the days until your next fix. There are appetizing games on tap every day except Sunday.

But there's still some buzz about Saturday's Les Schwab Hoop Challenge, and not all of it centers around Peyton Siva's 45-point outburst in Franklin's OT victory over Rainier Beach.

I'm still intrigued by that girls game between Roosevelt and Kentwood. Wish I would have seen it, but had my first Saturday off in nearly two months.

Kentwood coach Keith Hennig had me convinced coming into the season that the Conquerors were going to be even better than last year. Their 3-0 start, including a victory over Seattle Prep, seemed to back that. Then, bam, they lose to a Roosevelt team that had been flying below the radar.

The Roughriders answered a lot of questions with that victory, and look for them to jump into The Times' top-10 tomorrow. They play at Juanita tonight, but the game I've got circled is Roosevelt at unbeaten Ballard this Friday. And the Roughriders play at Jackson over the holidays.

We should know a whole lot more by then.

On the boys side, No. 5 Decatur deserves its props with a pair of victories over ranked teams, No. 3 Kentridge and No. 6 Inglemoor. I covered that Kentridge game and was very impressed. The Gators have numerous ways to hurt teams and their guard tandum of Marcus Tibbs and Michael Hale is highly entertaining. Tibbs can fill it up from anywhere and Hale is simply a fearless floor leader who knows when to drive and when to dish. Throw in athletic Darious Walker and Decatur is daunting.

The Gators have a key game with Kentwood and sophomore sensation Josh Smith tomorrow night. That should be worth a trip down South.

Renton certainly turned heads early with victories over Gig Harbor and Kentwood, both ranked in 4A. The Indians end a 10-day layoff with a game at Hazen tomorrow night. They don't get a crack at Kennedy until Jan. 15.

One of the top Seamount girls games should be tomorrow night as Lindbergh travels to Kennedy. Lindbergh, which is 4-0 since a 55-49 loss to Eatonville, features 6-3 center Marcisa McMillan. Kennedy (2-0) drilled a good Holy Names team in its last outing a week ago and talk about balance -- five Kennedy players scored in double figures.

So, who do you consider the biggest surprises thus far? And don't forget to check back tomorrow for our newest rankings. How would you shuffle the decks in 4A and 3A for both the boys and girls?

-- Sandy Ringer

Tonight's top games

1. Holy Names at Lakes, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m. Unbeaten Lancers (2-0) should rise in the rankings with another victory.

2. Bellevue at Mount Si, boys baskteball, 7:30 p.m. While it's mostly upper KingCo 3A teams against lower teams tonight, this match-up could be interesting.

3. Mount Si at Bellevue, girls baskteball, 7:30 p.m. Wildcats are better than their 2-3 record indicates.

This felt like a game people will remember for a long time. The kind of game that 5 or 10 years from now, it will cause someone sitting in the stands of a gym somewhere will say, "Remember when Peyton Siva dropped 45 on Beach?"

Siva took this game over in the third quarter, and then he won it in the fourth quarter and over time. All told, he scored 33 of his 45 after halftime.

Yet, somehow, how he did it was even more impressive than the totals. If you haven't had the opportunity to see Siva drive to the hoop, spin between defenders and still keep the control to put a reverse layup softly off the backboard, it's worth a trip. Fortunately for everyone who doesn't play Franklin, you'll have two years to do it.

There was a moment â€" barely a moment â€" in the fourth when Rainier Beach's Reggie Moore hit a three-pointer to go ahead 66-61 where I began to think Beach was going to come out with it. Seconds later, Siva hit a three-pointer of his own, and then just 30 seconds after that, he tied it with a layup.

Then, when two Moore free throws with 3:44 left to put Beach ahead 70-69, Siva came back with a 3-pointer eight seconds later. Beach was back ahead.

Then in overtime, Siva scored four of Franklin's first six points before he went barreling through the lane again. This time, when all of the Beach defenders collapsed on him, Siva let go a no-look pass that had about half the gym fooled. Chris Holmes was all alone under the basket for a lay-in.

Franklin coach Jason Kerr said before the season that Siva can score 40 or more every night, but that won't always help the Quakers win if he's not getting other players involved. Siva's 45 definitely helped Franklin on Saturday, but other players were involved.

Sterling Carter had 23 points, including two critical three-pointers to open the fourth quarter. Chris Holmes drew the most important charge of the game â€" one of four charges taken by Franklin â€" in the final two minutes, then hit two free throws. Freshman Lavell White his two very important free-throws with 10 seconds left in regulations. And the Quakers played great defense on a significantly larger Rainier Beach team â€" which probably deserves to stay atop the state's 3A rankings.

I received plenty of response to Franklin's top-two ranking two weeks ago, most of it concerned that the smaller Quakers couldn't compete with larger teams. For at least one day early in the season, the Quakers have proven they still belong among the elite.

Morning stars

1. Peyton Siva, Franklin, boys basketball. His 45 points helped Franklin claim city supremacy.

2. Darious Walker, Decatur, boys basketball. Scored 31 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in a 70-60 win against Inglemoor.

3. Katie Benson, Snohomish, girls basketball. Scored 19 points, with 11 rebounds, in a 54-49 victory against Jackson.

Decatur 70, Inglemoor 60. I think we might have our new No. 3 team in the 4A rankings. A day after toppling third-ranked Kentridge -- which went on to lose to Garfield today -- Decatur beat the sixth-ranked Vikings. Darious Walker, who received a fifth year this season, led the way with 31 points on 15-of-19 shooting. Inglemoor's Mark McLuaughlin had 22 points on 7-of-21 shooting (including 2-of-10 on three-pointers).

Franklin 95, Rainier Beach 90 (overtime). Whew. That was a heck of a game. Franklin's Peyton Siva scored 45 -- 45! -- points, and the Quakers held off Beach in overtime. I'll have more on this game tomorrow.

But let me just say: Wow.

BOYS -- No. 7 Enumclaw 43, No. 8 O'Dea 42. The Hornets held off a late Irish push, and when an O'Dea shot with five seconds left missed, Enumclaw escaped with the win. The winning point came with 38.6 seconds left, when Enumclaw's Taylor Myers made one of two free-throw attempts. C.J. Fitzpatrick led Enumclaw with 11 points; Brian Walker led O'Dea with 13.

We're only halfway through the Les Schwab Hoop Challenge, and the two third-ranked teams in our 4A rankings have already been upset.

First, the Garfield boys beat No. 3 Kentridge 65-52. The Bulldogs, who beat Eastlake last night, pulled away in the third quarter after trailing 28-27 at halftime. Tony Wroten scored 26 points -- 6-of-15 from the field and 12-of-16 on free throws -- to help Garfield get back to 2-2 with an impressive victory.

Then, in the most recent game, the Roosevelt girls upset No. 3 Kentwood 53-48, a huge win for first-year coach Gregg Kalina.

In the other two games, the Snohomish girls beat the Jackson girls 54-49, and the Bellevue Christian boys beat Brewster 63-43.

More to come later...

With the basketball season underway, I have some housecleaning to do. I have some notes from the beginning of the season and links I have been saving up from basketball previews around the state.

I'll start in the Seattle area, though, where after tonight's excellent slate of games we'll have the Les Schwab Hoop Challenge on Saturday. As we outlined in today's story, they've really put together some great matchups.

In girls games, WesCo powers Jackson and Snohomish will play at 10:30 and two of the state's best teams this decade -- Kentwood and Roosevelt -- will play at 2 p.m. I'm interested to see this time play for Gregg Kalina, whom former coach Bill Resler told me the other day "is the best coach in the state of Washington."

All but two of the six boys games feature ranked teams from Class 3A and 4A. At noon, Kentridge (No. 3 in 4A) plays Garfield. At 3:30 p.m., O'Dea (No. 8 in 3A) plays Enumclas (No. 7 in 3A). At 5 p.m., Franklin (No. 2 in 4A) plays Rainier Beach (No. 1 in 3A). Then at 7 p.m., Inglemoor (No. 6 in 4A) plays Decatur (No. 5 in 4A). I can guarantee you this: when next week's rankings come out, there will be some top-10 teams with a loss.

Other notes and links:

-We have two pieces of great news for UW fans on the Husky blog, so if you haven't seen it, I'd check it out: Johri Fogerson and Alameda Ta'amu have committed to the Huskies.

-According to Washingtonpreps.com, Franklin junior Peyton Siva has two top choices for college: the UW and Louisville.

-The Tacoma News Tribune was one of several newspapers to come out with their basketball preview this week (ours came out last week), and the TNT had some stories you might find interesting. They took a look at Gig Harbor's big man, Matthias Ward, and at Bellarmine Prep's two little men, Abdul Gaddy and Avery Bradley. Also, they've done previews on the Lakes boys and the Lakes girls; both are ranked in our top 10s.

And in this story on Franklin Pierce center P.J. Bolte is the story on Patrick McCollum, the former Mount Tahoma guard who transferred to Franklin Piece last spring. McCollum apparently moved to California the week of the WIAA hearing about his transfer.

-In its basketball preview, The Columbian took a look at the Prairie boys, who shocked some teams last year at state. That's bound not to happen this year. The Falcons looked good Thursday night, beating defending GHSL 4A champ Mountain View.

-The Tri-City Herald picked the top players in Columbia Basin 3A and 4A leagues.

Also, some news keeps coming in football. Skyline, after its 3A championship, slid into the 24th spot in the USA Today Super 25. Also, MaxPreps, which uses a mathematical equation using game results, has Skyline ranked eighth in the country going into the weekend (some states have yet to complete the season).

Morning stars

1. Katie Arlan, Bothell, gymnastics. Won the all-around competition with a score of 36.2 in a four-team KingCo 4A meet. Bothell also won the meet.

2. Toby Wellman, Sammamish, boys basketball. Led Sammamish with 20 points in a 48-39 victory against Foster.

3. Brant Kersten, Issaquah, boys swimming. Kersten swam the 100-backstroke in 57.50 seconds, good enough to qualify for the state meet.

Tonight's top games

1. Kentridge at Decatur, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. This could be one of the games of the year. So far, both top-five teams have looked incredible.

2. Newport at Skyline, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m. Two top 10 teams play in a KingCo 3A game.

3. Chief Sealth at Seattle Prep, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m. No. 3 Prep looks to rebound from its loss last weekend to Kentwood; Sealth's looking for the upset.

It is that time again, the preliminary enrollment numbers for the Washington state schools are in. There are quite a few interesting changes.

Here's the story we ran in Wednesday's paper, and here are some of the highlights:

• Franklin will drop from 4A to 3A and appears likely to return to the Metro League.

• Skyline, Issaquah and Newport came in with 4A numbers. They currently are in KingCo 3A.

• Auburn and Auburn Riverside will be back in the South Puget Sound League 4A North Division after two years in SPSL 3A. Auburn Mountainview remains in SPSL 3A.

Here are the current enrollment cutoffs:

Class 4A — 1,281 and up
Class 3A — 919 to 1,280
Class 2A — 468 to 918
Class 1A — 188 to 467
Class 2B — 88-187
Class 1B — 1-87

What are your thoughts? How much of an impact will these changes have on athletics next school year? Is the system as fair and efficient as possible?

Morning stars

1. Eryn Jones, Meadowdale, girls basketball — The senior guard scored a game-high 20 points to lead the fourth-ranked Mavericks to a 59-55 win over 4A power Snohomish. Jones has scored 20 or more points in every game this season.

2. The Kingmas, Jackson basketball — Kristi scored 30 points to lead the fifth-ranked Timberwolves to a 70-45 win over Monroe. Her younger brother, Brett, had 32 (with four three-pointers and 10-11 free throws) to lead the boys to a 68-66 win over Cascade.

3. Jon Morine, Mount Rainier boys basketball — The 6-foot-6 senior had a career-high 27 points, leading the Rams to a 75-69 over Cleveland in a nonleague game.

I'll end with the team we pick last: football. As you might imagine, choosing 25 football players out of the thousands that play on Friday nights in the area isn't easy. We have several choices at each position, and often times, the discussions get heated. But we came out with a team that at least I think represented the best we had in the area this season:

(College commitments in parentheses)

OFFENSE

Ryan Robertson, quarterback, Sr., Eastlake
Demitrius Bronson, running back, Sr., Kentwood (UW)
Tony Heard, running back, Jr., Edmonds-Woodway
Johri Fogerson, running back, Sr., O'Dea
Cory Mackay, wide receiver, Sr., Eastlake (UW)
Gino Simone, wide reciever, Jr., Skyline
David DeCastro, offensive lineman, Sr., Bellevue (Stanford)
Drew Schaefer, offensive lineman, Sr., Eastlake (UW)
Alameda Ta'amu, offensive lineman, Sr., Rainier Beach
Senio Kelemente, offensive lineman, Sr., Evergreen (UW)
Le'Roi Edwards, offensive lineman, Sr., Kentridge
Antoinne Wafer, all-purpose, Sr., Edmonds-Woodway
Curtis Stensland, kicker, Sr., Newport

DEFENSE

Ed Pelzer, defensive lineman, Sr., O'Dea
Justin Mann, defensive lineman, Sr., Woodinville
Everrette Thompson, defensive lineman, Sr., Kennedy
Trevor Guyton, defensive lineman, Sr., Redmond (Cal)
Derek Jones, linebacker, Sr., Snohomish (Wash. St -- baseball)
Cory Burk, linebacker, Sr., Bothell
Johnny Wilson, linebacker, Sr., Kent-Meridian
Brandon Turner, defensive back, Sr., Kentridge
Justin Glenn, defensive back, Sr., Kamiak (UW)
Vince Taylor, defensive back, Sr., Eastside Catholic (UW)
Kyle McCartney, defensive back, Sr., Edmonds-Woodway
Justin Gunn, punter, Sr., Renton (UW -- baseball)

Coach: Hoover Hopkins, Nathan Hale

The soccer team is another difficult team to pick because stats often don't tell the whole story. That's particularly the case with defenders and midfielders, and even goaltenders. But we're happy with the team we chose:

(College choices in parentheses)

Kelli Stewart, forward, Sr., Kamiak (UW)
Jackie Thomas, forward, Sr., Kennedy (Seattle U)
Pfeiffer Bloecker, forward, Sr., Seattle Prep
Kristi Kingma, midfielder, Sr., Jackson (UW -- basketball)
Kate Deines, midfielder, Sr., Issaquah (UW)
Sarah Martinez, midfielder, Sr., Mount Rainier (UW)
Kate Bennett, midfielder, So., Bellevue
Nicole Peterson, defender, Sr., Beamer (Seton Hall)
Lauren McAndrews, defender, Sr., Lakeside (Colgate)
Kari Nordvik, defender, Sr., Eastlake
Rachel Givens, goalkeeper, Sr., Auburn Riverside

Coach: Sasha Shefts, Holy Names

Today, the Star-Times section for the fall team sports came out amid the sports section. Before we get to the teams, I wanted to answer some questions I've received about Star Times.

Why isn't there a team for the other fall sports?

In cross-country and swimming -- golf and tennis are decided in the spring -- the athletes determine who's the best by themselves. The teams would simply consist of the top finishers from the state tournaments. We choose the best players from the team sports because they don't have individual championships.

How do you pick the teams?

This year, four writers and two editors sat in a conference room for a total of seven hours deciding the teams. Each writer covered a different area and spent many hours beforehand calling coaches about the best players they played that season. Each writer had his or her so-called "locks," the players we had to have on the team. Then we nominated the rest of the players and spent the rest of the time paring them down until we had our teams.

I'll begin with the team we picked first: volleyball. With only seven players on the entire team, it's one of the most difficult to choose. Now, it's your turn to let us know what you think of the teams we came out of that conference room with.

(College choices in parentheses)

Betsy Devich, libero, Sr., Woodinville (Washington State)
Kylin Munoz, outside hitter, Jr., Monroe
Lauren Barfield, outside hitter, Sr., Newport (UW)
Jessie Genger, middle blocker, Jr., Kentwood
Kelcey Dunaway, middle blocker, Sr., Bainbridge (UW)
Dominika Kristinikova, setter, Sr., Auburn Riverside
Megan Augustavo, setter, Sr., Bishop Blanchet (Seattle U.)

Coach: Bill Caillier, Kentwood.

For how great Washington high school football was this season, it's finally over. (Tear, tear). But I'm ready to move on. Who's with me?

So let's talk about basketball a little bit -- a season that should be just as much fun as the football season.

There's plenty of talent on both the boys and girls side, and perhaps this year Western Washington 4A schools will take home state championships.

I'll turn it over to you guys: What are some of the story lines you're already excited about? Players you're eager to watch? Can't miss games or Holiday tournaments?

Show your excitement in the comments, basketball fans.

Morning stars

1. Brandon Magee, Bethel, boys basketball. Scored 40 -- 40! -- points in 74-58 win over Emerald Ridge.

2. Jordan Kidd, Chief Sealth, boys basketball. Good name for a basketball player. He dropped 30 points in Sealth's 73-37 win over Lakeside.

3. Tony Wroten, Garfield, boys basketball. Get to know this name. The freshman sensation scored a game-high 29 in 85-70 loss to No. 2 Franklin.

Tonight's top games

1. Meadowdale at Snohomish, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m. Perhaps the two best teams in WesCo square off in an early-season, nonleague contest. The Mavericks are ranked No. 4 in 3A, the Panthers No. 8 in 4A. Should be good!

2. Jackson at Monroe, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m. Season opener for No. 5 Timberwolves of Mill Creek. Monroe, meanwhile, already had the luxury of playing No. 4 Meadowdale.

3. Seattle Prep at West Seattle, girls basketball, 7:30 p.m. After losing season-opener to third-ranked Kentwood (4A), third-ranked Prep (3A) will look to rebound against West Seattle.

Give us this much: we waited two days. But that's all I could wait to starting thinking about what teams could be playing at the Tacoma Dome next season. I've put together a preliminary list of teams I think could be strong in 2008:

Skyline. The Class 3A champ will move up to Class 4A, but don't expect too large of a dropoff. The Spartans will lose some important seniors -- among them, LB Eric Biege, RB Tyler Washburn and WR Phil Tushar -- and there will be much to make up for on the front lines. But simply on offense, Skyline will return quarterback Jake Heaps (sophomore) and receivers Gino Simone, Kasen Williams (freshman) and Jake Knecht. If you watched the 3A title game, you know how well these guys work together. I'd be surprised if Skyline wasn't our No. 1 next season.

O'Dea. My initial inclination was to look at O'Dea losing its top two runners and defensive backs -- Johri Fogerson and Donny Lisowski -- and keep the Irish off this list. Then I took a look at at some of the guys coming back on the offensive line:

Danny Kistler, 6-foot-8, 308 pounds, Jr.
Jason Heye, 6-3, 283, So.
Garrett Brown, 6-4, 244, Jr..
Grant Enger, 6-6, 242, Jr.
Ben Riva 6-4, 247, So.

That reads like a pretty big offensive line to me. Zach Fogerson, Johri's brother, will return after a great sophomore year. So I don't think it will take too much luck of the Irish to get back.

And no, I can't believe I just wrote that, either.

Bellevue. The Wolverines had underclassmen playing all over the place this season. At one point, Bellevue had nine starting sophomores, thanks to injuries. It might have not helped this season, but that experience could play out in a big way in 2008. The Wolverines do lose David DeCastro, one of the country's best offensive linemen. It will be interesting to see how the KingCo conferences align themselves with Skyline and Issaquah's possible jumps to Class 4A, but it could mean Bellevue's loses its top two competitors from the past few years from its schedule.

Bothell. The Cougars brought back only six returning starters for this season, and went back to the state championship game. By my count, they've got more than that coming back next season, including their leader in touchdowns (fullback Trey Burwick), their top runner in the playoffs (Patrick Ottorbech), an All-KingCo center (Jackson Pierce) and two all-KingCo linebackers (Burwick and Ottorbech). Hard to count out Bothell coming back, but the 4A conference in KingCo coming back.

Other teams whose chances I like:

Kamiakin. Injuries destroyed a team that looked like a major contender halfway through the season. But I won't count out the Kamiakin defense coming back strong.

Ferndale. We all remember what happened the last time a Locker was a senior. Casey doesn't have Jake's hype, but he did take the Golden Eagles to an 11-1 season this time around.

Edmonds-Woodway. Awful lot of major players leaving after this season, but not runner extraordinaire Tony Heard.

Kamiak. Marcel Seely's return will make this as a defense no one wants to see.

East Valley (Spokane). Word in Spokane is this playoff team had a load of juniors this season and a strong coaching staff. Together, that could make for a state run, like Lewis & Clark did this season. And speaking of...

Lewis & Clark. I'm hesitant to go here because Alex Shaw is going to graduate, and coach Tom Yearout said "he's the heart and soul" of the Tigers. But if there's one lesson from the 2007 postseason, it's this: Don't count out the LC Tigers.

There have to be more teams out there that like what's coming back. So now, you tell me, who am I missing?

Morning stars

1. Kelsey Patrick, Kamiak, girls basketball. Scored 20 points in a 55-51 win against Archbishop Murphy.

2. Paese Strickland, Auburn, girls basketball. Led Auburn with 22 points in a 72-37 victory against Seattle Christian. Auburn is 3-0 this season, winning by an average of 54 points.

3. Bryce Schulle, Oak Harbor, boys basketball. Scored 28 points in a 68-47 win against an Australian traveling team.

Tonight's top games

1. Garfield at Franklin, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. The city's tighest rivalry resumes in Franklin's home opener.

2. Kentwood at Federal Way, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. Federal Way has already beaten No. 4 Prairie, now looking to knock off the seventh-ranked Conquerors. Before FW's done, it could play its way into the top five.

3. Seattle Prep at West Seattle, boys basketball, 7:30 p.m. Third-ranked Prep opens the season with the Wildcats, who come of a 16-point victory against Hazen over the weekend.

It's over.

I find it hard to believe, but the high-school football season is finally over.

If you weren't at the Tacoma Dome over the weekend, you missed quite a curtain call.

They'll be buzzing about the Skyline-O'Dea 3A final for a long time. It was a classic. If you're a Skyline fan, you focus on the crazy comeback. If you're an O'Dea fan, you might be dwelling on the colossal collapse. I tend to be more of an optimist than pessimist, the glass-half-full type rather than half-empty.

So, I see that one as Skyline digging deep to find a way to win, rather than O'Dea finding a way to lose.

All of the championship games were emotional, but none more than the 3A and 4A finals. There is something rather heartwarming about interviewing high-school players who have just realized their championship dreams. And something equally heartwrenching about interviewing the players who have had those dreams dashed.

While the Skyline players were jumping for joy, their O'Dea counterparts were slumping to the turf in tears. Sure victory ended up in unbelievable defeat.

Is there a more difficult way to lose?

Burlington-Edison (2A) and Toutle Lake (2B) suffered lopsided losses. No doubt, it didn't feel good. But those players had plenty of time during the game to get used to the idea that the outcome wasn't going to be what they might have envisioned.

O'Dea was blindsided. Bothell, too. Now, the Cougars didn't allow a big lead to get away from them, but they were the clear favorites against an unheralded Lewis and Clark team from Spokane. O'Dea, on the other hand, was a slight underdog against Skyline. Had the Irish trailed 28-7, then come back to lose by a touchdown, their disappointment probably would have been easier to swallow.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a more distraught group of players than Bothell's kids Saturday night. More than one told me he thought it was his fault they lost. I assured each of them that wasn't the case. The Cougars won 13 as a team and lost that one together, too.

For many of the players on the losing side last weekend, the postgame tears were more about the realization that they will never play together again than the actual loss. Team sports build incredible bonds, some of which last for life.

So, it's over. Another high-school football season in the books. I'm ready for basketball, wrestling, gymnastics and boys swimming. But I can't help but think ahead to the next football season and who might end up back in the Tacoma Dome the first weekend of December 2008. Tom says he'll be taking a look at that in Tuesday's blog, so check back.

For now, please share any final thoughts you might have on the 2007 season before we close the book.

-- Sandy Ringer

The Lewis and Clark players slouched into the locker room, and they each knew it. That was a pathetic first half. Then coach Tom Yearout really laid into them, the kind of fire-and-brimstone speech a coach doesn't use unless he really has to.

If you're looking for a moment that turned Lewis & Clark into the Class 4A football champion, this it it: halftime, Oct. 16, Albi Stadium, against Gonzaga Prep. The Tigers didn't come back to with the game, but they left that locker room with a completely different mentality, one that carried them to this victory just as much as their big running back, Alex Shaw.

"It's been a phenomenal change," Shaw said. "The first half we played against G-Prep was probably the worst half of football I've played in my life. Hands down. He just told us the facts and told us we needed to play LC football."

Said Yearout: "It was one of the only times I've not seem them play hard. Since that half, they've played really hard. They've played with great passion. I've heard a lot, and rightfully so, about how hard Bothell plays, and we played just as hard."

The Gonzaga Prep game was LC's last of the regular season (the Tigers didn't play a week 9 game). From that point on, LC won five consecutive postseason games, heading to Western Washington for the final three of them.

The bus trip became routine. The let the kids sleep for the first few hours, and they'd eat in Federal Way and showed in Tacoma, trying to time each as if it were a game in Spokane. Then it was off to the Dome.

"We tried to have a normal bus ride like we were going to Albi," Yearout said.

Shaw was a beast in this game. When he ran for only 1 total yard on the first drive, it looked a bit like Bothell's game against Gig Harbor, another bigger team that Bothell beat 35-0. But beginning with the next drive, he just starting plowing over the Cougars. He finished with 176 yards and set a 4A championship record with 37 carries.

For two consecutive years, the Class 4A champ is a team that few predicted. And for the second consecutive year, Bothell was the short end.

In last year's game, a fumble on a punt return set up Oak Harbor's victory. This time, an interception gave Lewis & Clark one last possession.

"You know we're going to overtime," another reporter said. But only seconds after he said that, LC's Taylor Eglet threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Hanson with 64 seconds left.

It was an incredible weekend of football. Just look at the 3A and 4A games. In the 3A game, the winning score came with 1 minute, 44 seconds left. In the 4A, it didn't come until there was a minute and four seconds left. It doesn't get much better than that.

On Tuesday, I'll close out the football season by taking at look at what teams could be back at the Dome next year.

Here's a quick note about the Renton basketball team, which in back-to-back days beat a pair of ranked Class 4A teams, No. 9 Gig Harbor and No. 7 Kentwood. We'll have our next rankings a week from Tuesday, and I guarantee we'll have some shake-ups.

Morning stars

1. Alex Shaw, Lewis & Clark, football. Ran for 176 yards and a touchdown in LC's upset victory (The Tigers beat the No. 1 team that was undefeated -- yes it was an upset).

2. Josh Smith, Kentwood, basketball. The Conks lost to Renton, but Smith -- a 6-foot-9, 305-pounds sophomore -- still had 30 points and 15 rebounds.

3. Kevin Baffney, DeSales, football. Passed for 247 yards and three touchdowns and added a TD run in 30-0 victory against Toutle Lake in the 2B championship.

4. Austin Alfred, Royal, football. Passed for 229 yards and a touchdown and ran for 86 yards and two TDs in Royal's 28-16 win against Connell in the 1A championship.

5. Marcisa McMillan, Lindbergh, girls basketball. Scored 17 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in Lindbergh's 48-40 victory against Auburn Mountainview.

END 3rd Q: We're still tied at 7, with the two teams getting very little going on offense in the third.

HALFTIME: Remains tied at 7, but LC is beginning to win the battles at the line of scrimmage, which is exactly what the Tigers need to do to contain quicker Bothell. This is very reminiscent of the Ferris game, where Bothell roared down the field on the first drive, then stalled.

4:28 left, 2nd Q: Lewis and Clark ties it with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Eglet to Alex Gauper.

END 1st Q: It remains 7-0 Bothell. LC has 1st and 10 at its own 46.

7:27 left, 1st Q: Bothell takes a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard Patrick Ottorbech run.

We're about half an hour away from the Bothell-Lewis & Clark game, and it appears many of the Bothell haves braved the snow up North to get here (it's been pretty clear today down South). Understandably -- with the snow coming down in Spokane and along the passes -- the LC crowd is sparse.

One quick note: Bothell's Trey Burwick, a fullback and middle linebacker, is in uniform. He suffered a fractured fibula four weeks ago against Gig Harbor. We'll see if he gets in the game or not.

Like yesterday, we won't have many updates here, with so much writing to do for the Sunday paper. But the game, like yesterday, is on FSN and locally, you can hear it on the radio on 850 AM. And this will help everyone out of town: You can hear an Internet Webcast of the game at KBCSports.com.

Here's a reminder of how the Times writers picked this game:

Craig Smith: Bothell, 21-14
Sandy Ringer: Bothell, 28-21
Tom Wyrwich: Bothell, 21-10
Zach Landres-Schnur: Bothell 14-10
Joshua Mayers: Lewis and Clark 17-16

When O'Dea went ahead 28-7 on Saturday night behind such an incredible night by running back Johri Fogerson, I took a second to look at the Skyline roster, and right then, I told myself, "I think some of these guys will have an opportunity to get back here."

Then the Spartans actually came back, starting with two quick drives in the third quarter, and then an improbable final six minutes in the fourth. It was a comeback that happened so quickly, it took a second to put it in perspective, just how it happened.

Then, as I was driving home, the thought still hadn't left my mind: "I think some of these guys have an opportunity to get back here."

I've written much about junior Gino Simone, who won the KingCo 3A offensive player of the year award this season. He not only had 122 yards and two touchdowns Friday, but he also had the 27-yard punt return that set up Skyline's final touchdown.

There's also been plenty in this space about sophomore quarterback Jake Heaps, who was, in Gervais' words, "phenomenal" on Friday. He shrugged off an early interception to throw for 287 and those two touchdowns to Simone. The amazing thing about Heaps is you're surprised when he doesn't make a throw. And he's a sophomore.

But also consider this: Three times, when Skyline coach Steve Gervais needed to call a critical play, he decided to go to a freshman.

With Skyline trailing 28-14, the Spartans started at their own 28 in the third. On the first play, sophomore Jake Heaps threw a 43-yard bomb to freshman -- yes, freshman -- Kasen Williams, who pulled it in. On the next play, Skyline scored.

"Kasen was spectacular," Gervais said.

On the next drive, trailing 35-21, Skyline started at its own 40. Heaps threw against to Williams, who made another exceptional catch and it went for 22 yards. Skyline scored six plays later.

Then, on the final drive, Skyline started at the O'Dea 43, and after a pass interference penalty, had 1st down at the 29. Williams ran a slant, and Heaps put it right in front of him, and then Fogerson put an absolute lick on Williams as he hauled it in.

"I don't even know how I caught it," said Williams who finished with 106 receiving yards.

But Williams held on, and two plays later, Skyline scored the go-ahead touchdown. I asked Gervais after the game just how long it took to get to the point where he trusted a freshman in that scenario. He said it likely wasn't until week 10 -- the preliminary round -- when Williams really moved into the lineup.

"He's just grown, everybody's seen it, everybody's known it."

So with Heaps, Simone and Williams on offense, it's not too much of a stretch to say this Skyline team has quite a future, right? I know they move up to Class 4A next year, and the Bothell, Eastlake and Woodinville defenses are for real, but this could be a team we see back at the Dome in the next year or even two years.

If you haven't read our stories yet, you can read my game story here, and Sandy Ringer's story on Fogerson here.

There's one thing for certain after Friday night: That championship game was much better than the first-round game between Lakes and Skyline, which many had claimed should have been the championship.

They also played basketball Friday night, and there were some compelling matchups.

Renton was on my radar in Class 3A, but after a 68-51 victory against the big boys at Gig Harbor, they've got my attention. And Mercer Island opened with a critical win, 64-57 against KingCo 3A rival Bellevue (but note that Bellevue's Alex Schrempf was out with an ankle sprain).

And remember, you can read all area basketball results here:

Boys
Girls

Morning stars

1. Johri Fogerson, O'Dea, football. I don't care if the Irish lost; that was a legendary performance that no one will soon forget: 297 yards, four touchdowns.

2. Gino Simone, Skyline, football. This was such a typical Simone game. Scored one touchdown on a stop-and-go, then the next on a catch-and-run. Finished with 122 yards.

3. Jake Heaps, Skyline, football. Cool under pressure to throw for 287 yards and two TDs.

4. Malcholm Love, West Seattle, boys basketball. Scored 31 points in a victory against Hazen

5. Renado Parker, Kentridge, basketball. Helped No. 3 Kentridge survive a challenge from Rogers with 30 points in a 61-52 victory.