Boys lacrosse registration

Registration for boys spring lacrosse, grades five through eight, is now open online at www.mercerislandlacrosse.com.

Players are accepted on a first-come basis. When teams are full, players will be waitlisted for openings that occur prior to the start of the first official game. The 2009 lacrosse season will include three seventh- and eighth-grade teams and two fifth- and sixth-grade teams. Practices for the 2009 middle school lacrosse season begin on Feb. 9, 2009.

For updated information, go to: www.mercerislandlacrosse.com.

IMS wrestling results

The IMS Gator wrestling team defeated Chief Kanim, 65-18, on Dec. 3. Individual results: 78 pounds, Jake Pruchno won by forfeit; 85 pounds, Luca Caruccio won by forfeit; 90 pounds, Connor Gullstad pinned Billy Beach, second round; 95 pounds, Peter Mahony pinned Josh Hamann, second round; 100 pounds, Will Medlock defeated Torin Weatherbee, 12-7; 105 pounds, Kenji Walker defeated Tyler Amsher, 12-1; 110 pounds, Edan Stern defeated Alec Holt, 13-0; 115 pounds, Hayden Reisman pinned Bruce Stuart, second round; 120 pounds, Sam Gottleib pinned Max Kenagy, third round; 125 pounds, Sam Alpert pinned Joey Cotto, third round; 130 pounds, Chris Richards defeated Jared Schattenkerck, 7-0; 137 pounds, Parker Johnson pinned Conor Klupar, first round; 145 pounds, Danny Stanke pinned LG Hernandez, first round; 154 pounds, Brian Rauzi defeated Cole Palmer, 4-0; 164 pounds, Alec Bean pinned Bradley Stevens, second round; 175 pounds, Wade Peyou won by forfeit; heavy weight, Sean Pyne vs. Shad Schreiber, Wt. Margin.

The IMS Gator wrestling team defeated Snoqualmie, 86-6, on Dec. 1.

Individual results: 78 pounds, Jake Pruchno pinned Hunter Conway, first round; 85 pounds, Luca Caruccio def. Ryley Absher, 13-2; 90 pounds, Connor Gullstad pinned Billy Beach, second round; 95 pounds, Cooper Johnson won by forfeit; 100 pounds, Will Medlock pinned Tate Wright, third round; 105 pounds, Kenji Walker pinned Methus Welson, second round; 110 pounds, Edan Stern pinned Riley VanCampen, first round; 115 pounds, Hayden Reisman pinned David Butler, first round; 120 pounds, Double forfeit; 125 pounds, Sam Alpert won by forfeit; 130 pounds, Chris Richards won by forfeit; 137 pounds, Parker Johnson won by forfeit; 145 pounds, Danny Stanke won by forfeit; 154 pounds, Brian Rauzi won by forfeit; 164 pounds, Alec Bean defeated Brandon Wilson, 15-3; 175 pounds, Wade Peyou won by forfeit; heavy weight, Sean Pyne won by forfeit.

Seventh-grade team wins title

After losing in the championship game during the Eastside Catholic tournament on the previous weekend, the seventh-grade Islander Cascade team was not to be denied a tournament victory this week. The preseason Wildcat tournament began with the Islanders losing to Issaquah during the first game, 40-31, on Friday. However, both teams won the rest of their games in the 12-team field to meet again in the championship game. The Islander team shot a season low from the field but was a solid 76 percent from the free-throw line, for 19 points, during the physical defensive battle. Issaquah tied the score at 29-29 to force overtime on a put back off a miss as the buzzer sounded. On the opening tip-off of the overtime period, Cray Bryan recovered the ball and was fouled hard on his injured shooting hand. He went to the free-throw line and hit them both to put the Islanders up by two. Halfway through the overtime period, the Islanders lost their leading scorer and tournament MVP, Zack Lane, when he fouled out of the game and Issaquah took a two-point lead with 14 seconds remaining. After a missed Issaquah free throw, Zach Rothenberg raced down the court with the ball and then passed back to Bryan, who was two feet outside of the three-point line. With 7.6 seconds left, Bryan’s 21-foot three-pointer swished in to give the Islanders the hard-fought title, 36-35.

Successful weekends for MI boys select basketball teams

Last weekend, all eight Mercer Island boys select basketball Teams competed in the annual Mount Si Wildcat Basketball Tournament. Ninety-eight teams participated in the tournament, in eight divisions. Of the eight Mercer Island teams, the eighth-grade ETL (Eastside Travel League) team, the seventh-grade CTL (Cascade Travel League) team and the fifth-grade ETL teams won their championships.

The Mercer Island eighth-grade boys ETL team split their pool play games and went into the playoffs seated No. 2 within their pool and played the No. 1 seed, Eastside Catholic. It was a hard battle, but the boys advanced to the semifinal round to be matched up with the other No. 1 seed, Eastlake. This game ended up being the most competitive game of the tournament, with overtime needed to seal the victory for the Islanders. The boys advanced into the championship game against Skyline. Islanders went on a 12–2 run and had a couple of challenges by Skyline; however, they never relinquished the lead and won the eighth-grade ETL Championship. The Islanders had many outstanding individual and team efforts in the five games leading up to the championship, with Mike Amsel being honored by the tournament director as the MVP of the eighth-grade division. The team is led by coach Brad Chase and his assistants, Dave Samp and Blair Rasmussen. The team members are Mike Amsel, Mason Azose, Zach Bucklin, Alex Emanuels, Alec Ernst, Brian Higgins, Kyle Huber, Gill Biesold-Mcgee, Nikhil Misra, Espen Platou, Joe Rasmussen and Karsten Sherman.

The MI boys seventh-grade select Cascade basketball team won the championship in the Wildcat Tournament in a rematch against Issaquah. The game was a hard-fought battle, and Issaquah tied the game at the buzzer. During overtime, Mercer Island — down one player (tournament MVP Zach Lane) due to fouling out — won the championship game with just .4 seconds left after a clutch three-point shot by Cray Bryan. Other key players included Zach Rothenberg, Sam Peterson and Reid Fuhr, whose defense was critical; Cal Pugel, with second-chance shots; and Danno Mayer, playing with a broken finger, helped coach Joe Phillips to see his second consecutive game in the finals. Aggressive play by Christian Byrne, Nathan Cohen, Liam Tu, Timmy Black and Noah Zachariah all ensured that Mercer Island got the trophy.

Fresh off a tournament championship the previous weekend in Bellevue, the Mercer Island fifth-grade ETL Team cruised through the Mount Si Wildcat Shootout preseason tournament without a loss. The Islanders’ scrappy, pressure defense was the key to their success for much of the weekend, limiting all of their opponents to fewer than 20 points. After winning pool play games against Eastlake and the Jackson Wolfpack, the Islanders claimed a No. 1 seed and then defeated Glacier Peak and Bothell to advance to the championship game. Facing Liberty, the Islanders wasted no time opening up an early lead, running away with a 48-17 victory and a second consecutive tournament championship.

Jr. Hoopsters

for girls

It is not too late for this fun Saturday camp with the MIHS girls basketball teams and coaches.

Go to www.migb.org for information. Camp price will be pro-rated.