The cold and snow over the past week got me wondering, which spring sport is the worst to play in frigid conditions?

Obviously, snow forced the cancellation of some events. You can't really golf or play tennis in blizzard conditions. In track and field, the pole vault competition often is called off due to wet and/or windy weather. I saw where some hurdle races were scratched over the weekend, too. That's a bit more unusual.

For the most part, soccer and track & field endure neaerly any condition (barring lightning). Over the years, I ofen have felt sorry for kids running around in shorts on cold, wet nights. But this spring is about the worst I can remember. I can barely imagine just sitting and watching all bundled up, even, coffee or hot chocolate in hand, let alone being out there trying to compete.

The sting of an aluminum bat smacking a baseball or softball has to be extra intense. Ouch!

So, tell us, which spring sports do you think are most adversely affected by the c-c-c-cold?

Nothing evokes memories of our spring sports quite like a 35-degree afternoon with scattered snow showers. And when there's weather like we had on Friday, there's a good chance baseball and softball teams are going to take the night off. They did.

So after a slow Friday night, this might be the best time to pass along the link to a story that appeared last week in the New York Times, with former Times writer Greg Bishop -- one of the best guys I've ever read -- telling the secret that many of you already know: Washington basketball teams can hold their own.

Other links to keep you busy this weekend:

-Takkle, owned by Sports Illustrated, has released its top national baseball prospects. Beau Brett of Ferris, who has signed with USC, comes in at 29. Catcher Kyle Buchanon, from Auburn, ranks 43rd. In a state where it snows on March 28, I'd say two in the top 43 is not too shabby.

-Speaking of Brett and Ferris (Brett was the sixth man on the Ferris basketball team), MaxPreps put together its top 10 dunks of the high school season nationally. No 9? DeAngelo Casto slamming one home against Garfield in the state tournament. MaxPreps also wrote out its highlights of the season in alphabetical order, and for J, they wrote:

"J is for Jeff and Jared, Minnerly and Karstetter from Ferris (Wash.). Two-time Washington 4A champs and winners for 58-straight games, they leave many memories to cherish."

-Finally, for those who appreciate the fine high-school based television show Friday Night Lights like I do, there's good news: a third season appears likely. It would have been a shame for it to end like it did during the writers' strike, right in the middle of a season.

Morning stars

1. Shea O'Donnell, Skyline, track and field. On a day when most of the events were canceled because of snow, O'Donnell won the 100 and 200 meters to lead Skyline to the championship in the Eastmont Invitational.

2. Dylan Gaddy, Kamiak, boys soccer. Gaddy broke through for a goal one minute into the second half to break a scoreless tie and then scored another and added an assist in Kamiak's 4-0 win against Jackson, one of the area's better defensive teams.

3. Anthony Drobnick, Seattle Prep, baseball. One team played baseball Friday, but that's because Seattle Prep was in Tampa, Fla., where the Panthers lost in the Spring Break Invitational championship game on a squeeze bunt in the seventh. But Drobnick, a Wazzu signee, allowed just two hits and struck out 10. He also went 3-for-3 and drove in Seattle Prep's only run.

Baseball Northwest has put out its list of the top 185 prospects in Washington. Here's the top 30:

1. Andrew Kittredge RHP Ferris
2. Trevor May RHP Kelso
3. Bryan Peterson OF West Valley
4. Beau Brett 1B Ferris
5. Colby Sokol OF Emerald Ridge
6. Doug Joyce C Stanwood
7. Blake Gibbs C Newport
8. Kevin Komstadius 1B East Valley
9. Rusty Shellhorn LHP Central Valley
10. Seth Haehl RHP Eastmont
11. Jarek Cunningham INF Mt. Spokane
12. Brandon Rhode LHP Gig Harbor
13. Danny Oh OF Jackson
14. Beau Didier INF Bellarmine Prep
15. Colin Bennett OF Newport
16. Rusty Devitt RHP Klahowya
17. Kyle Buchanan C Auburn
18. Jay Skilton INF Stadium
19. Jeremy Gendlek RHP Olympia
20. Jacob Theis RHP Mount Lake Terrace
21. Jacob Shadle RHP Graham Kapowsin
22. Derek Jones LHP/OF Snohomish
23. Andy Bethel INF Seattle Prep
24. Kevin Meyers INF Stadium
25. Garrett Totten INF King's.
26. Tyler Olson LHP University
27. Anthony Drobnick RHP Seattle Prep.
28. David Olson RHP/1B Auburn
29. Brady McGuire C Kentridge
30. Kevin Whitehead C Franklin Pierce

Morning stars

1. Julia Nealer, Edmonds-Woodway, softball. Nealer struck out 12 in an eight-inning no-hitter against Edmonds-Woodway. Credit Kelsey Parker with the winning hit in the eighth in a 1-0 Lynnwood win.

2. Cole Clerget, Shorewood, baseball. Struck out seven in a three-hitter and went 3-for-3 with two home runs, a double and all four RBI in Shorewood's 4-0 win against Shorecrest.

3. Christian Crain, West Seattle, track and field. Crain jumped 22 feet, 5 inches in the long jump, the best jump in the state this season and more than two feet farther than Crain had jumped in a meet.

Tonight's top games

Lake Washington vs. Woodinville, softball, 4 p.m. at Crestwood Park in Kirkland. Two KingCo 4A unbeatens try to stay that way.

Jefferson vs. Kentwood, boys soccer, 5:30 p.m. at Federal Way Stadium. A pair of undefeated SPSL 4A teams square off.

Not long ago, we ran our boys soccer preview story. It was based around how players for Crossfire Premier had to choose between select and high-school soccer.

Some kids decided to drop playing for their schools; others stayed.

This year was the first that Crossfire gave its players the us-or-them ultimatum. It's a tough spot to put kids, for sure, and some struggled with the choice.

Crossfire, clearly, is a superior organization for training athletes to play at the highest level. The training is something high school soccer can't come near. But was it fair to make kids choose one over the other?

One quote that particularly stood out to me was from North Kitsap junior Zach Sampson.

"High-school soccer is a big joke, I think," Sampson said.

What are your thoughts or this issue and the boys soccer soccer in general. Any other teams and/or players we should keep an eye on?

Morning stars

1. Bret DeRooy, Woodville baseball -- The junior left-hander struck out 19 batters in a seven-inning game! It was a great game too, the Falcons won in the bottom of the seventh on a bases-loaded walk.

2. Catelyn Ward, Chief Sealth softball -- Ward threw a six-inning no-hitter and had 11 strikeouts to give Sealth its first league win of the season.

3. Andrea Woogerd, Ingraham softball -- Woogerd pitched a complete game on the mound and helped her cause at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two home-runs and seven RBI.

Stanford's overtime win against Marquette last weekend might forever be remembered for big man Brook Lopez's game winner from the baseline, but over at O'Dea, Saturday will be remembered as the day Mitch Johnson had one of the more impressive stat lines a point guard could ever have in the NCAA tournament.

Johnson, an O'Dea grad, finished with nine points and 16 assists -- 16 assists! -- in the win, setting a new school assists record and finishing just two short of the NCAA tournament record. The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy had this to say:

Stanford's Mitch Johnson might be the most maligned player on the West Coast. He isn't fast, flashy, creative or dynamic -- and all of that frequently is noted by those who talk about the Pac-10.

But Johnson is in the Sweet 16 and not just because of what Lopez accomplished. Johnson played a fantastic floor game against Marquette: 16 assists, seven points, one turnover in 44 minutes against the speed and quickness of Dominic James and Jerel McNeal.

Here's how other local grads fared:

Terrence Williams, Louisville (Rainier Beach): Scored seven points with eight rebounds and five assists in a blowout of Oklahoma.

Curtis Terry, UNLV (Curtis): Scored 12 points with three rebounds in a loss to Kansas. The Jayhawks' Rodrick Stewart (Rainier Beach) didn't make it in the game.

Neither San Diego's Nathan Lozeau (Marysville-Pilchuck) nor Georgetown's Bryon Jansen (Seattle Christian) made it into their teams' tournament exits in round two.

Morning stars

1. Tuesday's hat tricks: Rogers junior Paul Mendieta, Mount Rainier's Darwin Jones and Kennedy's Rudishi Muschett.

2. Tuesday's fastpitch one-hitters: Both Rogers' Bobbi-Jo Schaapveld and Liberty's Bree Bartholomew gave up only one hit, and they combined to strike out 25.

3. Tuesday's winning blast: Kentlake's Andy Enders hit a solo home run in the seventh, giving his team a 3-2 win against Jefferson. In the sixth, Kentlke's Marcus Evans tied it at two with a two-run homer.

Tonight's top games

Issaquah at Liberty, baseball, 4 p.m. The Eagles, defending 3A champs visit Liberty, which hasn't lost yet in KingCo 3A.

Bainbridge at Lakeside, softball, 4 p.m. Bainbridge tries to run its record to 8-0 on the road.

These names sound familiar: Grady Sizemore, Tim Lincecum, Mark Hendrickson, Travis Snider, Adam Eaton?

All starred at local high schools (Sizemore at Cascade of Everett, Lincecum at Renton's Liberty, Hendrickson at Mount Vernon, Snider at Jackson in Mill Creek and Eaton at Snohomish) and now are in the big leagues.

And there may be more joining them soon. There are tons of college recruits from the area -- many going to UW or WSU (list of top players here) -- and some may get drafted.

I've only gotten a chance to see a few of the top studs, with Jackson's Danny Oh (Cal recruit) being one of the most fundamentally-sound hitters I've seen and Snohomish's Derek Jones (WSU) being a burly basher. Last time a saw Jones, he hit about a 400-foot homer out of Everett Memorial Stadium. I've also been told by sources that Meadowdale junior Chase Anselment has Travis Snider-like power. Snider was picked 14th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2006 MLB draft.

What players are on your radar?

Morning stars

1. Chris Viltz, Lake Washington, baseball. The junior outfielder hit for the cycle with three runs scored and three RBIs, but the Kangs fell to Bothell 11-9.

2. Nathan Bunch, Hazen, baseball. The senior pitcher through a complete game, one-hit shutout and had 16 strikeouts in a 3-0 win over Lindbergh.

3. Elsa Moyer, Lake Washington, softball. Went 4-4 with 3 RBIs and a home run in 13-3 win over Bothell.

Tonight's top games

1. Monroe at Cascade, boys soccer, 5:30 p.m. Cascade tries to stay perfect before Friday showdown with Marysville-Pilchuck.

2. Jackson at Meadowdale, baseball, 4 p.m. Two teams D-1 talent duel in an early-season WesCo game.

The Oregon-Washington all-star games, better known as the Northwest Shootout, is April 6, at the Chiles Center at the University of Portland, and the rosters are out. You can see the Oregon rosters here and here's the Washington rosters:

Boys:

Jared Karstetter, F, Ferris
DeAngelo Casto, C, Ferris
Shawn Stockton, G, Ferris
Aaron Broussard, F, Federal Way
Brandon Magee, G, Bethel
Renado Parker, F, Kentridge
Reggie Moore, G, Rainier Beach
Kavario Middleton, F, Lakes
Mathias Ward, F, Gig Harbor
Rich Skillman, G, Nooksack Valley

Mind you, only seniors make the team. So no Peyton Siva, Josh Smith, Abdul Gaddy, Avery Bradley or Tony Wroten here. If you haven't heard of Rich Skillman, he was selected by the Washington coaches as the Class 1A player of the year.

Notable names that aren't make the roster:

-Rainier Beach G Mike Ladd
-Decatur G Marcus Tibbs
-Shadle Park G Zack Humphrey

Here's the girls:

Ashley Corral, G, Prairie
Eryn Jones, G, Meadowdale
Brianne Ryan, G, Lynden Christian
Alyssa Shoji, G, Issaquah
Katie Grad, G, Auburn Riverside
Stephanie Egwuatu, F, Auburn Riverside
Brittany Kennedy, G, Lewis & Clark
Kayla Standish, F, Ellensburg
Shauniece Samms, F, Mt. Tahoma
Lexi Pettersen, F, Shadle Park

Notable names that aren't on the roster:

-Kristi Kingma, G, Jackson
-Sara Halasz, G, Lakes

Here's a good Monday question for you: What do you consider the most difficult high-school track and field event?

Obviously, it takes great stamina to run the 3,200 and 1,600. The big races take some stragegy, too. Do you go out fast? Let someone else be the "rabbit" and hope you've got the best kick?

The 800 is grueling, too, but I think the 400 might be the toughest race from a pure start-to-finish standpoint. It's a sprint from the opening gun. It's agonizing to watch some of these runners come around that final and sort of "hit the wall," almost staggering to the tape.

Of course, the hurdles take a great deal of technique. Being vertically challenged (5-foot-2 and shrinking), that event nevery particularly appealed to me in terms of running them. But to this day I love watching those races. The top hurdlers make it look so effortless. I was spoiled the last four years watching Devin Brooks from Holy Names. Man, can that girl hurdle!

What about the field events? The triple jump intrigues me. Obviously it's a lot more complicated than the pure long jump. And of course you just don't go out and pole vault without plenty of instruction (and, in my book, a helmet!).

There's plenty of technique required for the shot put, discus and javelin, too.

So, let's hear your thoughts. Which are the most difficult events? And which are the most fun to watch?

Let's start with who's still alive:

Terrence Williams, Louisville (Rainier Beach): 9 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists in a win against Boise State.

Mitch Johnson, Stanford (O'Dea): scoreless with 5 assists, 4 rebounds in a win against Cornell.

Curtis Terry, UNLV (Curtis): 6 points, 8 assists in a win against Kent State.

Rodrick Stewart, Kansas (Rainier Beach): 2 points, 2 rebounds in a win against Portland State.

Nathan Lozeau, San Diego (Marysville-Pilchuck): Freshman got one minute in the Torreros' big upset of UConn and grabbed a rebound.

And here's who didn't make it out of round 1:

Steven Gray, Gonzaga (Bainbridge): Scored a team-high 21 points on seven 3-pointers, and as Steve Kelley pointed out today, had the unenviable task of guarding Davidson's Stephen Curry. Teammate Micah Down (Juanita) grabbed a couple rebounds for the Zags.

Matt Nelson, Boise State (Skyline): Scored 17 points with seven rebounds in a loss to Louisville.

Garrison Carr, American (Issaquah): Played all 40 minutes of American's first ever NCAA tourney game and led American with 26 points in a loss to Tennessee.

Alex Tiefenthaler, Portland State (Bethel): Scored 10 points in eight minutes in a loss to Kansas.

Conor Mullen, Cornell (O'Dea): Against former teammate Mitch Johnson, Mullen scored two points in five minutes in the loss to Stanford.

It was a cold day for baseball on Thursday night. How cold? Shorewood coach Wyatt Tonkin told the Everett Herald that his game with Mariner was "the coldest game I've ever played in."

But near-freezing temperatures in March didn't seem to effect the guys in Oak Harbor. There, Oak Harbor beat Cascade 11-10 in a game that had 19 hits (more than the runs scored), had eight pitchers and eight runs scored in the seventh inning.

It ended with Cascade scoring three runs in the top of the seventh to take a 10-6 lead. Things looked good, until Oak Harbor came right back. With two outs, Oak Harbor's Danny Lura saved everyone from extra innings in the cold with an RBI single to give Oak Harbor the win.

The fans at the Edmonds-Woodway vs. Meadowdale game weren't so lucky to get out of the cold in seven. But they did see another great game (better if they were there for the E-W.) Meadowdale tied it at four with a run in the bottom of the seventh, but Edmonds-Woodway broke away in the top of the eighth with four runs. That includes Tyler Lange's two-run home run.

-The rosters for the East-West Football All-Star Game are out, and you can find them right here.

-Speaking of football, Archbishop Murphy has found a new coach. It's Dave Ward, who won a state title two years ago at Oak Harbor.

-Also, as I write this, Gonzaga freshman Steven Gray -- our state player of the year at Bainbridge last season -- just put down his sixth three-pointer.

Morning stars

1. Thomas Sheets, Snohomish, boys soccer. Scored all four of the Panthers' goals in a 4-0 win against Oak Harbor.

2. Dani Jackman, Jackson, softball. Threw a one-hitter in five innings with 13 strikeouts -- in other words, only two outs were not strikeouts.

3. Kevin Babcock, Ingraham, baseball. Went 4-for-4, with three runs and three RBI, which came on a three-run home run in Ingraham's big 8-3 win against Seattle Prep.

Of course, March Madness began this morning. I hope you all filled out your brackets, found some sleepers and joined an office pool or two -- not that I condone slacking on work or gambling.

I wanted to pass along some information that ran in Monday's paper on the local high school athletes that are participating in the NCAA Tournament.

Here they are in alphabetical order:

Player, Year, Pos., College (High School)
Garrison Carr, Jr., G, American (Issaquah)
Kyle Coston, So., F, Portland State (Lynden Christian)
Micah Downs, Jr., G, Gonzaga (Juanita)
Will Foster, So., C, Gonzaga (White River)
Steven Gray, Fr., G, Gonzaga (Bainbridge)
Justynn Hammond, Fr., G, Portland State (Garfield)
Ben Haynes, Jr., G, Oral Roberts (Pullman)
Josh Heytvelt, Jr., F, Gonzaga (Clarkston)
Mitch Johnson, Jr., G, Stanford (O'Dea)
Nathan Lozeau, Fr., C, San Diego (Marysville-Pilchuck)
Zack Moritz, Fr., C, Boise State (Columbia River)
Conor Mullen, Jr., G-F, Cornell (O'Dea)
Matt Nelson, Sr., F, Boise State (Skyline)
Aaron Osgood, Fr., F-C, Cornell (Overlake)
David Pendergraft, Sr., G, Gonzaga (Brewster)
Mickey Polis, Jr., G, Portland State (Mark Morris)
Andrew Sorenson, Jr., G, Gonzaga (Olympia)
Rodrick Stewart, Sr., G, Kansas (Rainier Beach)
Curtis Terry, Sr., G, UNLV (Curtis)
Alex Tiefenthaler, So., F, Portland State (Bethel)
Terrence Williams, Jr., F, Louisville (Rainier Beach)

Note: Players who appear on rosters but who have not played this season are not listed.

Any surprises? How about Mark Morris and Overlake with players dancing?

Gonzaga is the clear leader with six Washington players on the team. Two Metro powers, O'Dea and Rainier Beach, have two alumni apiece with national title hopes.

Whose a former Washington prep hoops star that you're rooting for?

Morning stars

1. Metro bombers -- West Seattle's Tyler Cherin had two home runs and seven RBI in a loss to Bainbridge, and Andy Bethel of Seattle Prep had two home runs, including a grand slam, in the Panthers' win.

2. Robbie Ryan, Juanita baseball -- The sophomore southpaw threw a no-hitter against Garfield to go to 2-0 on the year. He retired the first 18 batters before a lead-off walk in the seventh kept him from perfection.

3. Melissa Becker, Graham-Kapowsin softball -- Becker gave G-K its first win of the season with a game-winning RBI triple in the bottom of the eighth inning.

So, what's your thing in the spring?

Football news seems to dominate in the fall, while basketball hordes the headlines during the winter. What's the thrill in the spring?

I know there are plenty of baseball junkies out there. Probably even some prep fantasy leagues. But track and field certainly has its following and we've had some sensational performances over the years. Who do you expect to sizzle this season?

Of course, there's more soccer (boys) and tennis and golf. But you know where I'll be Memorial Day weekend, which doubles as state championship weekend for most spring sports? In Tacoma for the Class 4A fastpitch softball tournament, unless my traditional assignment unexpectedly changes.

I enjoy fastpitch and if you've never seen a game between two quality teams, you're missing out. That showdown between Jordan Birch of Monroe and Cory Mattson of Everett sounded like a classic -- 25 combined strikeouts! Monroe won, 2-0, on a pair of unearned runs.

So, let's hear what gets your heart pumping this spring, and why.

Morning stars

1. Jordan Birch, Monroe softball. OK, so we'll be seeing a lot of her here this spring, but performance against Everett is noteworthy: 7 innings, 12 Ks, 2 hits, 2 BB. Plus she singled and scored a run.

2. Darwin Jones, Mount Rainier soccer. Drilled five goals, including three in a row over an eight-minute span, as the Rams improved to 3-0 in Seamount League play and dropped Lindbergh to 1-2. He has eight goals and four assists in four games.

3. Bobby LaCount, Shorewood baseball. Got it done on the mound (complete-game, 8 K's, 2BB) and at the plate (2-3 with a 3-run HR and 3B) to earn a 6-2 win over Mariner.

4. Will Pierce, Newport baseball. His grand slam in the fifth inning was the difference in a 5-1 victory over Interlake.

5. Kylie Sparks, Juanita softball. Went 4-4 with a triple and two doubles as the Rebels edged Inglemoor, 6-5.

6. Oliva Jacobs, Shorewood softball. Pitched all 10 innings in a 4-2 win over Mariner, scattering four hits and allowing one earned run while striking out eight. Also was 2-for-5 at the plate with a dboule.

Today we released our all-state teams and our state players of the year: Prairie's Ashley Corral and Ferris' DeAngelo Casto.

How do we pick the teams? After all the tournaments are over, we have seven people on our high school staff (writers and editors) pick their top 10 players in boys and girls. Then we add up the votes.

Here's how it turned out:

BOYS

First team

DeAngelo Casto, Ferris, C, Sr. (6 first-place votes)
Reggie Moore, Rainier Beach, G, Sr. (1 first-place vote)
Abdul Gaddy, Bellarmine Prep, G, Jr.
Peyton Siva, Franklin, G, Jr.
Josh Smith, Kentwood, F, So.

Second team

Avery Bradley, Bellarmine Prep, G, Jr.
Shawn Stockton, Ferris, G, Sr.
Jared Karstetter, Ferris, F, Sr.
Renado Parker, Kentridge, F, Sr.
Mike Ladd, Rainier Beach, G, Sr.

Others receiving votes: Kavario Middleton, Lakes; Nick Stackhouse, Squalicum; Marcus Tibbs, Decatur; Steven Bjornstad, Columbia River; Tony Wroten, Garfield; Aaron Broussard, Federal Way.

GIRLS

First team

Ashley Corral, Prairie, G, Sr. (Three first-place votes)
Kristi Kingma, Jackson, G, Sr. (Three first-place votes)
Katie Grad, Auburn Riverside, G, Sr. (One first-place vote)
Carly Noyes, Moses Lake, F, Jr.
Eryn Jones, Meadowdale, G, Sr.

Second team

Brittany Kennedy, Lewis & Clark, G, Sr.
Lindsey Moore, Kentwood, G, Jr.
Kayla Standish, Ellensburg, F, Sr.
Ashlee Smith, Skyview, C, Sr.
Sara Halasz, Lakes, G-F, Sr.

Others receiving votes: Nichole Jackson, Auburn Riverside; Brittany Gray, Bainbridge; Katie Benson, Snohomish; Brittany Quick, Hanford; Mercedes Wetmore, Auburn Riverside; Mary Ochiltree, Lake Stevens.

Morning stars

1. Stephen Adams, West Seattle, baseball. Hit a pair of solo home runs as the Wildcats scored 20 runs in a win against Lakeside.

2. Alexandra Jennings, Lake Washington, softball. Went 4-for-4 with three runs and two triples in a win against Inglemoor.

3. Brooke Rychard, Juanita, softball. Went 1-for-4, but that 1 was big: it brought home the winning run in the bottom of the seventh in the Rebels' win against Ballard.

With the final season upon us, it's time to look at candidates for our prep athletes of the year. With thousands of tremendous local athletes, this is no easy feat.

Here are some of the criteria: must be a Seattle-area athlete (sorry Kavario Middleton, Brittney Quick and Jared Karstetter) and must excel at two or three sports throughout the year (explains why Spencer Hawes wasn't considered).

Certain male athletes that come to mind: O'Dea Johri Fogerson (state football POY, All-Metro third-team basketball), Brandon Turner of Kentridge (Star Times football, SPSL North second-team basketball) or how about Meadowdale's Matt Gorman (WesCo South first-team basketball, Division I baseball recruit).

How about these female candidates: Kristi Kingma of Jackson (Star Times soccer and basketball, last year's winner) or Kentwood's Jessie Genger (Star Times volleyball, SPSL North first-team basketball).

Now I know I probably missed some obvious and deserving candidates. Let 'em fly in the comments!

The days are longer, the sun is brighter and, well, it's still raining and cold in Seattle. But that's beside the point.

It's spring and with that comes the chaos of the final high school sports season. Basketball, wrestling and gymnastics are out. In comes baseball, fastpitch, soccer, track, golf, tennis, lacrosse and pretty much anything else that involves a ball and uniforms.

We've already run a few of our spring sports previews (fastpitch and baseball) and while things calm down after the chaos of state hoops, get ready for upwards of 150 results each day. It's a fun time for high school sports and, hey, maybe we'll see some sunshine.

Tonight's top games

Cascade at Jackson, baseball, 4 p.m. Two solid WesCo squads dual it out in some nonleague action.

Meadowdale at Bellevue, baseball, 4 p.m. Should be a fun WesCo-KingCo 3A clash...especially if Mavericks stud pitcher Matt Gorman (UW recruit) is on the hill.

As I did with the boys on Thursday, it's time to take a look at what girls teams figure to contend for basketball championships next winter. With this year's 3A champ moving up to 4A, next year should be interesting.

4A

Lewis & Clark. Seriously? Yes, seriously. The back-to-back-to-back champs return four of their six top scorers, includinig junior Jeneva Anderson. We could be talking about a four-peat next year. But the Tigers will have to deal with...

Auburn Riverside. The Ravens are moving up to 4A, and they will look menacing once again. Katie Grad leaves but the system stays, as do Nichole Jackson, Mercedes Wetmore and Kathleen Cooper.

Moses Lake. There's no reason to think, with 6-5 junior Carly Noyes and guards Kelly Sutherland and Jordan Loera returning, that the runner-up Chiefs can't be the same force in next year's tournament.

Kentwood. Star Times pick Lindsey Moore returns with Jessi Genger, Amanda Thomson and Kylie Huerta to give Auburn Riverside a run in the SPSL North (which Kentwood went undefeated in this season). Can you tell yet that 4A is going to be a heck of a tournament next year?

Others to watch: Snohomish, Roosevelt, Bellarmine Prep.

3A

Kennedy. The Lancers, the 3A runner-ups, return all of their starters and all but one player on this season's team. Leading scorer Yasmine Fuller is only a sophomore. The Lancers more than likely will be the favorites next season.

Lakeside. The Metro champs have all but one of their top nine scorers coming back next season, including junior forward Morgan Merriman.

Ferndale. The Golden Eagles were the surprise champs of the Northwest District, but they won't surprise anyone next year. Four of their top five scorers leave after this season, but 6-foot junior Ashley Honeycutt returns, as does freshman Ericka Locker.

Others to watch: West Valley (Yakima), Bainbridge, Issaquah.

I wanted to pass along a couple stories I came across the last couple days. The first takes us to Maryland, where Michael Spriggs, an 189-pound senior from C.H. Flowers High, just wrapped up his wrestling career at state last weekend.

The kicker? Spriggs is blind.

Born with cataracts and glaucoma, Spriggs was declared legally blind before his first birthday after many surgeries. Undaunted, Spriggs continued to find a way to compete:

He would double plastic grocery bags around footballs and listen as the ball whizzed through the air, catch it and then sprint straight on.

This year he finished with a 27-11 record and was one of two wrestlers from his school to go to state.

***

In other news, a national high school basketball association is thinking about implementing instant replay for prep hoops.

Nneka Ogwumike of Cy-Fair High School in Cyprus, Texas, was named 2007-08 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. She'll play for Stanford next season.

After a referee discrimination story received national attention -- when an all-boys school basketball team refused to be reffed by a woman -- the state of Kansas has moved to prevent such occurrences.

Morning stars

1. Three hat tricks to mention: Chad Kearns, Roosevelt; Nickolas Burdett, Marysville-Pilchuck; and Max Doolittle, Edmonds-Woodway. All three of their teams won Friday.

2. Cory Mattson, Everett, softball. Gave up just one hit and struck out 13 in a 4-0 win against Jackson.

3. Ryan Stromberg, Eastside Catholic, baseball. Had four RBI on two home runs in a 11-0 win against Ingraham.

How dominant were Rainier Beach and Ferris this basketball season? Both teams won the overwhelming majority of their games by double digits. Nobody even touched Ferris, which stretched its win streak to 29 games, in the 4A tournament. Rainier Beach won all of its 3A games by at least six points.

But if you're looking for this kind of dominating run next year, don't count on it.

In Class 4A, Ferris loses all of its main rotation. The Saxons will be an entirely different team next year, and there's not clear team that can say it's primed to take Ferris' spot. In Class 3A, Rainier Beach loses a lot but still returns many promising players, but that class is about to get a lot more interesting with a powerhouse on its way to the Metro League.

Before we close the book on basketball (which we'll do Tuesday with our all-state teams), I want to take a look at the teams that should contend next year:

3A

Franklin. The Quakers are moving to Class 3A, and they're bringing back their entire rotation, including star guard Peyton Siva, point guard Vionte Reid, wings Freddy Wilson and Sterling Carter, hard-working forward Chris Holmes and promising freshman L.C. White. Thought the Metro League was tough before?

Shadle Park. The Highlanders lose sharpshooter Zack Humphrey, but Wazzu signee Anthony Brown returns, as do starters Robby Douglas and Aaron Dunn (both sophomores). The Highlanders should be the Greater Spokane League favorites.

Rainier Beach. The Viking lose four-fifths of their starting rotation, but that last fifth, Aaron Dotson, should have an interesting senior season. Dotson should be one of the most sought-after players in the state this summer. D'Vonne Pickett, Jaamon Echols and Lee Monsegur all will take on bigger roles.

Bellevue. You can't slip up in the Sea-King District tournament and expect to get to state, as Bellevue found out this year. But with almost all of its starters returning this season, including guard Aaron Bright and forward Colton Christian, the Wolverines will be the KingCo 3A favorites (especially with rivals Issaquah and Skyline moving to 4A).

Columbia River. The top two players for the Chieftans, big man Steven Bjornstad and shooter Kyle Thurston, are both juniors. If Bjornstad is 6-foot-9, as he's listed, then I'm Dikembe Mutombo. OK, so I just really wanted to get that link in. But this kid's gotta be 6-11 -- and he's growing. He's going to be a force next season.

Other teams to watch: O'Dea, Peninsula, Mt. Spokane, Seattle Prep, Renton.

4A

Bellarmine Prep. Meet your de facto 4A favorite. With two of the state's top juniors, Abdul Gaddy and Avery Bradley, the Lions placed third this year. Next year, don't be surprised if they begin the year ranked first in 4A. The question will be what kind of supporting cast will round this team out.

Garfield. Rumors have been swirling about this program from the day the Bulldogs were knocked out of the 4A tournament and coach Dan Finkley resigned. But with freshman Tony Wroten, junior De'Andre Taylor, sophomore Wilson Platt and a lot more young talent returning, there's a reason so many will have an eye on who gets this job.

Federal Way. The popular opinion after the Eagles took second at the 4A tourney was that they would be one of the top teams next season. And with four-fifths of the starting rotation coming back, there's a reason for all of the optimism. How they live on without that one missing fifth, Seattle U signee and ultimate glue guy Aaron Broussard, could have a lot to do with what kind of push the Eagles make.

Kentwood. Sophomore Josh Smith will come back even bigger and better. But ultimately, the Conquerors will have to find a way to beat teams that simply pack the middle, as most teams did in the second half of the season.

Other notable teams: Decatur, Curtis, Mariner.

But remember: this summer would be a rarity if at least one of the state's top players didn't switch schools, so all of this could change by the time the season tips off next December.

I'll have the girls outlook on Sunday.

Morning stars

1. Katy Kirschner, Interlake, softball. Went 3-for-5 with a double and the winning hit in Interlake's 8-7 win against Skyline.

2. David Steenson, O'Dea, boys soccer. Had a goal and two assists for the Irish, which also had help from Ben Traub, who scored a pair of goals.

3. Andy Chriscaden, Montroe, baseball. Went 3-for-4 with five RBIs in Monroe's 14-5 win against Shorecrest.

Tonight's top games

Everett vs. Jackson, softball, 6 p.m. at Park Place. A pair of WesCo teams that made last year's state tournaments (Everett in 3A, Jackson in 4A) face off.

Beamer at Federal Way, boys soccer, 7:30 p.m. Federal Way, last year's 4A runner-up, goes up against another 4A tournament team from last spring.

Two years after the WIAA moved the Class 3A basketball tournament back to Seattle, attendance has not seen the kind of spike that many people thought was possible. In fact, this year, it even went down.

When I spoke with Mike Colbrese, the WIAA executive director, on the last day of the tournament, he said the WIAA really wants to know what people think about the two-site system (Edmundson Pavilion and KeyArena) in Seattle. So here's your chance to voice why you like or don't like the system. If you're not going to the tournaments, what's keeping you away?

A couple things to consider:

-There is no site in the city of Seattle that allows simultaneous boys and girls games to be played, like they are in Tacoma. Therefore, as long as the tournament is in Seattle, it will be at two sites. That is, as long as the WIAA continues with a 16-team, double-elimination format.

-If the tournament wasn't in Seattle, it would likely have to move to Yakima or Tacoma. The SunDome and Tacoma Dome are the two sites that can host the tournament with simultaneous games.

Morning stars

1. Jordan Birch, Monroe, softball. Struck out 17 in a perfect game against Edmonds-Woodway.

2. Jessica Razonka, Redmond, softball. Also struck out 17 in a no-hitter in a 2-0 win against Inglemoor.

3. Ian Parmley, Monroe, baseball. In addition to a pair of hits, Parmley struck out 10 in six shutout innings.

Tonight's top games

-An important note about this section for spring sports: between when this blog is published and the game time, weather could postpone the softball and baseball games listed. Always check with the school to make sure a game is still on.

Hazen vs. Kennedy, boys soccer, 6 p.m. at StarFire Complex in Tukwila. Defending 3A champ Hazen looks good so far at 2-0 and takes on a league rival.

Ballard vs. Redmond, baseball, 3:45 p.m. at Whitman Field. An early KingCo matchup of teams projected to be among the conference's contenders.

This popped up in our inbox today, and while not a ton of local interest, it's interesting to see how things played out on the national high-school boys basketball scene.

Below is the top 15 and you can see the rest of the list here.

1. St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) 30-0 (1) 2. St. Benedict's (Newark, N.J.) 24-1 (2) 3. North Crowley (Fort Worth, Texas) 38-1 (3) 4. Chester (Chester, Pa.) 31-1 (4) 5. Saginaw (Saginaw, Mich.) 24-1 (6) 6. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) 32-1 (9) 7. Oak Hill (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 34-4 (7) 8. Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 29-2 (8) 9. Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 31-1 (18) 10. Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) 36-2 (22) 11. Ferris (Spokane, Wash.) 29-0 (12) 12. Dominguez (Compton, Calif.) 32-2 (14) 13. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 34-1 (15) 14. Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 30-3 (10) 15. Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 26-4 (32)

Ferris is getting some love, just missing out on the top 10. That's what 58 straight wins can do.

Right behind Ferris, at No. 12, is Dominguez, which beat Franklin 83-74 in the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic in late December.

Another Franklin opponent, Fairfax of Los Angeles, comes in at No. 39. The Quakers won 56-55 in the King Holiday Hoopfest on Jan. 21.

The annual all-state basketball games will be this Saturday at Franklin High School. The schedule is:

1B vs 2B, 2 p.m.
1A vs. 2A, 4 p.m.
3A vs. 4A, 6 p.m.

These are the rosters, as selected by Washington coaches. The coaches' player of the year for each class is in bold.

Class 4A

Brandon Magee, Bethel
Renado Parker, Kentridge
Marcus Tibbs, Decatur
Mathias Ward, Gig Harbor
Geoff McIntosh, Gig Harbor
Shawn Stockton, Ferris (Mr. Basketball)
Jared Karstetter, Ferris
DeAngelo Casto, Ferris
Zack Humphrey, Shadle Park
Aaron Broussard, Federal Way

Class 3A

TJ Stafford, Auburn
Jermaine Kearse, Lakes
Nick Rijon, North Central
Mike Ladd, Rainer Beach
Reggie Moore, Rainer Beach
Nick Stackhouse, Squalicum
Brian Walker, O'Dea
Jordan Hamilton, Seattle Prep
Evan Berndt, West Valley
Leroy Lutu, Mercer Island

Class 2A

Brady Bomber, Lynden
Jake Anderson, Burlington Edison
Jeray Key, Mark Morris
Aaron Gifford, Port Townsend
Daniel Simon, Ephrata
Kellen Crawford, Prosser
Tanner Bradley, RA Long
Brandon Semken, Tumwater
Mark McHugh, Centralia
Maurice Bouchet, River Ridge

Class 1A

Rich Skillman, Nooksack Valley
Dylan O'Niel, King's
Andre Lintz, Meridian
Gerald Hill, Charles Wright
Riley Bettinger, Cedar Park Christian
Eric Fuhlendorf, King's
Tommy Fowler, Friday Harbor
Clint Burgoyne, Castle Rock
RJ Solis, Granger
Brian Baranowski, Bellevue Christian

Class 2B

Henry Butler, St. George's
Mark Jones, Darrington
Jason Lindeman, LaConner
Chris Pynch, Riverside Christian
Jered Cates, Riverside Christian
Brandon Bartlett, Toutle Lake
Brandon Hoff, Toutle Lake
Zac Kinman, Oroville
Kyle Burkhalter, Naselle
Ryan Schulz, Reardan

Class 1B

Joel Koopmans, Sunnyside Christian
Austin Mannick, Curlew
Jordan Smith, Lopez
Terry Kissler, Spraque-Harrington
Jacob Anderson, Entiat
Jeremy Siefken, Liberty Christian
Jordan Wilson, Lummi
Bradley Ward, Neah Bay
Leonardo Quezada, Entiat
Adam Roberts, Lacrosse

Note: Shawn Stockton was named Mr. Basketball for the state, but in addition to that award, the coaches also picked a player of the year other than him in 4A. Confusing, yes, but that's they way they do it.

I saw this video over at FanHouse and wanted to share it. Washington is one of three states in the country to sanction high school girls wrestling. The state tournament was last week, we had Day One and Day Two coverage.

Obviously, detractors to coed wrestling will cite a "grope factor" and the humiliation of a boy losing to a girl, but I think it's great that so many girls are joining the sport.

What are your thoughts?

With the state tournaments behind us -- and you can go to the Full Court Press to relive our blogs from the games at the 4A and 3A tournaments -- it's now time for the Times to pick our state players of the year in boys and girls basketball (as well as our all-state teams). It's not easy, especially because the criteria for state player of the player isn't exactly universally recognized.

The state player of the year could be:

The best player on the best team. So for the boys, we'd be looking at Ferris or Rainier Beach. For the girls, Lewis & Clark and Auburn Riverside. Obvious candidates: DeAngelo Casto, Ferris; Shawn Stockton, Ferris; Reggie Moore, Rainier Beach; Mike Ladd, Rainier Beach; Katie Grad; Auburn Riverside; Brittany Kennedy, Lewis & Clark.

OR...

The best player, period. Even under this criteria, there's a question of who had the better season or who has the most talent. So these names (not listed above) immediately come to mind: Abdul Gaddy, Bellarmine Prep; Avery Bradley, Bellarmine Prep; Peyton Siva, Franklin; Josh Smith, Kentwood; Renado Parker, Kentridge; Steve Bjornstad, Columbia River; Ashley Corral, Prairie; Kristi Kingma, Jackson; Eryn Jones, Meadowdale; Lindsey Moore, Kentwood; Ashlee Smith, Skyview; Brittany Gray, Bainbridge.

Like most seasons, this won't be an easy pair of decisions. So who are your picks?

Just like the 4A draw, the girls on one half of the 3A bracket seem to have more of a legitimate beef with the system, especially the four teams in the top quarter: Auburn Riverside, Bainbridge, Lakes and Meadowdale. That's four top-ten teams, including three in the top five. I'm taking Auburn Riverside to win it (against Bellevue), but I don't think they'll get through there too easily.

On the boys draw, there's a little more balance. The top half of the draw doesn't have clear favorite Rainier Beach, but it does have Mercer Island, Lakes, Seattle Prep and Renton -- four of the top six or seven teams out there. And two of them, Seattle Prep and Renton, meet in the first round, an intriguing opening matchup because the winner has a good chance of getting to the semifinals. And once you're playing Friday without a loss, you're definitely playing Saturday. And everyone wants to play Saturday.

Mercer Island is playing extremely well right now, but the Islanders will have to figure out Columbia River's 6-foot-9 big man, junior Steve Bjornstad. Should they get through, a possible matchup with 22-1 Lakes looms. But the Lancers don't get any kind of gimme against Meadowdale.

In the late game we'll get a chance to see Squalicum, which is one of only three teams with just one loss. But not many people outside the North know exactly what to make of the Storm, and they get a West Seattle team that couldn't be more confident right now after taking out O'Dea, Bellevue and Cleveland to get to state.

Before I get to my 3A picks, let's take a look back at 4A. I had three of the final four teams right: Decatur, Ferris and Bellarmine Prep. But the one got wrong was a biggie, because I had Franklin winning, and they were gone before dinner on Wednesday. And clearly, picking Ferris would have made me look a heck of a lot smarter.

This time, I won't be going against the team ranked No. 1 all season. Not that necessarily will make me look any smarter.

First round: Mt. Rainier over Mt. Spokane, Seattle Prep over Renton (flipped a coin on this one), Mercer Island over Columbia River, Lakes over Meadowdale, Rainier Beach over Peninsula, Enumclaw over Eastmont, Auburn over West Valley, Squalicum over West Seattle.

Quarterfinals: Seattle Prep over Mt. Rainier, Mercer Island over Lakes (might be the best game of the tournament if it happens), Rainier Beach over Enumclaw, Auburn over Squalicum.

Semifinals: Mercer Island over Seattle Prep (Would be another spectacular game, two very balanced teams), Rainier Beach over Auburn.

Final: Rainier Beach 67, Mercer Island 60

When it comes to the 3A tournament, you can't go wrong with the Sea-King District. Eleven of the past 12 -- 11 of 12! -- finals teams have come from that district, and this year, Beach and Mercer Island have been the two best. MI has only lose one game in the state this season -- to Beach. The Islanders are going to harass you and make you work on defense, and that's why I like them coming out of that half. In the third and fourth day, no one wants to face a team like that. And Rainier Beach found out just how tough Mercer Island is on Saturday, when the Islanders took a nine-point lead at halftime before the Vikings stormed back.

The Vikings are my pick because, much like I found out with Ferris last weekend, Rainier Beach has so many guys that can pick another one up. And like Shawn Stockton of Ferris, Reggie Moore of Rainier Beach just runs the show to near perfection. I have a hard time imagining they don't leave the HecEd without the big ball.

It should be fun to watch.

A Seattle reader called me the other day, just to ask this question: "What is going on over there in Spokane?"

Whatever it is, it's working. Eastern Washington continued its domination of Class 4A sports this weekend in Tacoma, where the Lewis and Clark girls team gritted out a third consecutive title, and the Ferris boys dominated on their way to their second straight championship. Both teams finished the season 29-0.

Now I'll admit this up front: it's easy for me to say this now. But I refuse to believe that had I seen Ferris before this tournament, that I wouldn't have picked the Saxons in the first place. I had heard about their talent, composure, their experience and their discipline. It's a significantly different thing to see it up close. I can't imagine a high-school team -- outside of the factory prep schools -- that could play better than the Saxons did for four days in Tacoma.

They had a deadly shooter (Erick Cheadle), a guy who can take you to the hoop (Jared Karstetter), a floor general (Shawn Stockton), a devastating shot-blocker and dunker (DeAngelo Casto) and a guy who did everything else in between (Jeff Minnerly). The hardest part of covering the tournament was picking an MVP out of that bunch.

In case you were wondering, since last winter, these teams East of the mountains have won state chamionships:

2007 boys basketball: Ferris
2007 girls basketball: Lewis & Clark
2007 baseball: Richland
2007 fastpitch: Shadle Park
2007 boys soccer: Pasco
2007 volleyball: Mead
2007 football: Lewis & Clark
2008 boys basketball: Ferris
2008 girls basketball: Lewis & Clark

Other observations:

-I loved watching Decatur play. Outside of the always-entertaining Bellarmine Prep duo of Abdul Gaddy and Avery Bradley, there wasn't a more fun tandem to watch than the Gators' Marcus Tibbs and Michael Hale. Tibbs will shoot it from anywhere -- and most of the time, he makes it. And Hale, at only 5-foot-7, is absolutely fearless going to the hoop.

-Edmonds-Woodway impressed just about everyone. The Warriors showed how they won the WesCo South: with relentless defense. They blew out Kentridge and made Ferris work harder than anyone else made the Saxons work in the tournament. Then they beat Foss pretty convincingly. At some point, when every teams looked their worst against Edmonds-Woodway, it has something to do with the Warriors. They deserved to win their first trophy since the school was formed in 1990.

-Reason No. 502 why anything can and will happen at the state tournament: Federal Way. Few had the Eagles getting out of round one. Instead, they went all the way to the championship.

Tomorrow, I'll have my thoughts on the 3A tournament and my picks. Hopefully, I'll get this tournament right (Hint: this time, I'm picking the favorite.)

They're done with the Class 3A girls draw, and you can find it on the WIAA Web site.

All of Wednesday's first-round girls games are at Edmundson Pavilion at the UW:

9 a.m.: Bainbridge vs. Auburn Riverside
10:30 a.m.: Meadowdale vs. Lakes
12:30 p.m.: Fort Vancouver vs. Seattle Prep
2 p.m.: Kelso vs. West Valley (Yakima)
4 p.m.: Auburn vs. Bellevue
5:30 p.m.: Hanford vs. Ferndale
7:30 p.m.: Enumclaw vs. Kamiakin
9 p.m.: Lakeside vs. Kennedy

As you can see, the tournament begins with two mammoth matchups on Wednesday morning, especially Lakes vs. Meadowdale, two top five teams for almost the entire season.

The boys Class 3A draw has been completed, and is now available on the WIAA Web site.

All Wednesday's first round games will be at Key Arena:

9 a.m.: Mt. Rainier vs. Mt. Spokane
10:30 a.m.: Seattle Prep vs. Renton
Noon: Columbia River vs. Mercer Island
2 p.m.: Meadowdale vs. Lakes
4 p.m.: Peninsula vs. Ranier Beach
5:30 p.m.: Eastmont vs. Enumclaw
7:30 p.m.: Auburn vs. West Valley (Yakima)
9 p.m.: West Seattle vs. Squalicum

These are the fields for the Class 3A boys and girls state tournaments, next week in Seattle:

Boys

Meadowdale
Squalicum
Mercer Island
Rainier Beach
Seattle Prep
West Seattle
Lakes
Renton
Enumclaw
Auburn
Columbia River
Peninsula
Mt. Rainier
Mt. Spokane
West Valley (Yakima)
Eastmont

Girls

Ferndale
Meadowdale
Seattle Prep
Bellevue
Lakeside
Bainbridge
Lakes
Kennedy
Auburn Riverside
Fort Vancouver
Kelso
Auburn
Enumclaw
Kamiakin
West Valley (Yakima)
Hanford

Real simple. Who ya got?

Boys: Federal Way vs. Ferris.

Girls: Lewis and Clark vs. Moses Lake.

Will we see a Spokane sweep, again?

Fire away!