Mercer Island Reporter
Mercer Island Reporter
During the past six years very few boys water polo teams in Washington state have come close to playing at Mercer Island’s level. And with eight of the last nine state titles being won by the Islanders their was some question as to weather the dynasty would ever come to an end. This year, with a coaching change, injuries and very few games with a solid starting lineup for Mercer Island, the Newport Knights took their best shot at slaying the kings.
Sports reporting can get monotonous. There are only so many ways to win a high school golf meet, tennis match or basketball game. But once in a long while, one performance will stand above the rest. And once in a while, I find myself at a game that I know I will never forget. Friday’s Mercer Island football game against Seattle Prep fell into that category as a very empty and wet Islander stadium bore witness to Greg Mahony’s record-setting night of 351 yards rushing and six touchdowns. I have seen my share of great running backs at the high school level. I watched a kid named Ian Barron run for nearly 500 yards and eight touchdowns for Coupeville High School during my first year as a professional journalist. But in that instance, the school was at the 1A level of play and Barron played the entire game.
Freshman don’t normally make a very big impact on varsity athletic teams. Once in a while, one will stand out and help a team win a key game or meet. Last year the freshman class for the Mercer Island boys swim team helped it win a state title.
Mercer Island senior Georgia Gier knows that she will be playing basketball at Colgate University next season. She knows that her ability and size has come with high expectations. She also knows that this is her last year to leave her mark on the Mercer Island girls basketball program.
Last year marked the worst season the Mercer Island boys basketball team has endured in the 39 seasons that Ed Pepple has been the team’s head coach.
The Mercer Island wrestling team went through a transition season in 2005-2006. Creighton Laughary took over for longtime head coach Paul Jackson. The team had just one senior and a litany of talent with no experience. This was supposed to be the year when the team moved back into contention for a 3A KingCo title that it won in 2005 and 2004.
One question has loomed over the Mercer Island High School gymnastics team during the off season: How do you replace the best gymnast in school history? The answer is that it can’t.
The Mercer Island boys basketball team played the Wolves Eastlake High School Saturday, but it was the Islanders clawing their way to a heart-stopping 59-58 season-opening victory.
Reporter staff
The blast of snow and ice that wreaked havoc over much of western Washington last week also forced the cancellation of five games or meets for Mercer Island High School athletic teams. But the weather wasn’t the only reason for all the cancellations.
Many great coaches are associated with Washington state high school athletics. But just one has 900 victories.
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