4A PLAYOFFS

Bothell (6-3) at Bethel (7-2), 7:30 p.m. Friday
Lowdown: Something’s got to give. Bethel has been held to fewer than 40 points just once this season – sixth-ranked Federal Way clipped the Braves 28-26 in Week 5 – while no team has scored more than 30 on Bothell. The Cougars have had success against the SPSL South in the postseason the past three years, winning all three of those games, including a 41-7 thrashing of Bethel in 2008. These Braves are much more potent. QB Justin Hordyk is a run-pass threat, compiling 2,558 yards of total offense (1,671 passing and 887 rushing). Bethel has a knack for forcing turnovers, posting a turnover ratio of plus-10 and that could be the difference against a tough Bothell squad.
TNT pick: Bethel 41, Bothell 34

Graham-Kapowsin (5-4) at No. 1 Bellarmine Prep (9-0), 7 p.m. Friday at Mount Tahoma
Lowdown: The Lions could be shorthanded tonight, playing without RB/DB Isaiah Flynn and RB/LB Joe Lovejoy. Flynn returned to practice this week after missing the previous three games with a knee strain, while Lovejoy left last week’s 27-20 win over Gig Harbor with a leg injury. Sophomore RB Lou Millie should see a larger role if Flynn and Lovejoy can’t play. Lions coach Tom Larsen says the Eagles “look more like a No. 2 seed than a No. 4 seed,” pointing out that they’ve won five of their past six games.
TNT pick: Bellarmine Prep 34, Graham-Kapowsin 19
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Kentwood High golfer Catherina Li was named an honorable mention Rolex Junior All-American by the American Junior Golf Association this week. Here’s the press release:

BRASELTON, Ga. – Catherina Li of Kent, Wash., has been named an honorable mention Rolex Junior All-American by the American Junior Golf Association, establishing herself among the top tier of current and former junior golfers from around the world.

Li, a sophomore at Kentwood High School, earned Rolex Junior All-America honors for the first time in her career behind her first AJGA victory at the AJGA Junior at Centennial. Ranked No. 43 in the Polo Golf Rankings, she notched runner-up finishes at the AJGA Stonehenge Junior Open and the W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek.
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Thanks to Todd Milles for doing these preview capsules, while I was out of the office earlier this week.

SPSL NORTH
No. 7 Kentlake (5-0 overall, 5-0 league) at Kentwood (4-1, 3-1), 7 p.m. Friday at French Field

Lowdown: Tempo could be a defining aspect to this titanic, intra-city matchup. The no-huddle Falcons want to play fast; the bigger and more physical Conquerors want it controlled. Kentwood must pay attention to Kentlake’s do-everything WR Austin Pernell (871 all-purpose yards, eight total TDs), who has scored on a kickoff return, an interception, a reception and a rushing attempt. If Kentlake can snap its seven-game skid in the series tonight, it will have the inside track to its first outright SPSL North title in school history.
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Jon Aarstad, who coached Kentwood to the Class 4A baseball state title in 2010, is the new coach at Auburn Riverside.

Doug Aubuert, Auburn Riverside athletic director, sent out this press release:

AUBURN, Wash. (July 14, 2011) – The Auburn Riverside High School Athletic program is pleased to announce the selection of Jon Aarstad as Head Boys Baseball Coach. The Ravens replace one 2011 SPSL Co-Coach of the Year; Chris Garrison, who resigned in June after 16 seasons leading the Ravens, with the other 2011 SPSL Co-Coach of the Year in Coach Aarstad.
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Kentwood graduate Courtney Vandersloot and Lincoln alumn Alex Montgomery were among the first 10 players selected in the 2011 WNBA Draft on Monday.

Vandersloot was the No. 3 overall pick, going to the Chicago Sky.

Here’s the Chicago Tribune’s take on the Sky drafting Vandersloot.

Montgomery was taken at No. 10 by the New York Liberty. Here’s a story on Montgomery being drafted by the Liberty.

Curtis ended the regular season with a 70-24 win over playoff-bound Beamer on Thursday night. By scoring 70 points, the Vikings tied the SPSL’s record for points scored in a season with 416. Auburn set the original mark last year.

Some other postseason-related loose ends were tied up on Thursday, too:

Kentridge and Auburn Riverside both lost, which means Kentridge will play at the winner of tonight’s Gig Harbor-Bellarmine Prep contest and Auburn Riverside will take on Graham-Kapowsin at Art Crate Field in a pig-tail game on Tuesday. Read more »

No. 3 Auburn (4-0 league, 4-0 overall) vs. No. 8 Kentwood (3-0, 4-0), 7 tonight at French Field

The lowdown: The game of the year in the SPSL North, Auburn and Kentwood are two eerily similar teams. The Trojans and Conquerors rank first and second in the SPSL in rushing attacks and total defense. Auburn moves the ball almost exclusively via the run. Running backs Alphonse Wade and Austin Embody – both are averaging more than 100 yards per game – spearhead the ground game. The Trojans have attempted the second-fewest passes in the league, completing 13 of 27 attempts for 188 yards. Kentwood’s offense is slightly more balanced, but still run-heavy. RB Mikell Everette has run wild, picking up 11.3 yards per attempt. QB Shane Green has been incredibly efficient, completing 21 of 32 passes for 401 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. Auburn, winner of the last two SPSL North crowns, has won 28 straight regular season games, the longest such winning streak in Class 4A.

TNT pick: Auburn 21, Kentwood 17
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Brian Davis has been away from the South Puget Sound League for four years, but he’s kept tabs on the conference he calls the “toughest 4A league in the state.”

“Whenever Squalicum wasn’t playing, I watching Kentwood,” said Davis, who has been an assistant coach at the Bellingham school for four seasons while pursuing a teaching degree at Western Washington University.

The 1998 Kent-Meridian graduate will now get an up-close view of the SPSL. He has been hired as the new boys basketball coach at Kentwood.

Davis said he was “instantly intrigued” when he heard about the opening at Kentwood.
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