THE FRONT ROW with Mark Nelke May 30, 2013
The phrase "rewriting the record book" gets bandied about way too much when a team breaks a few season records.
But in the case of Lake City High softball, its record book - or record wall, in this instance - the phrase fits.
The Timberwolves broke six of its seven individual season records, and six of its seven team records, en route to its 28-0 season - their second undefeated state title campaign in the past three seasons.
New individual records set this season include: Hits, Vanessa Shippy, 70 (old, Jessica Ross, 56); doubles, Casey Stangel, 18 (old, Stangel, 16); home runs, Lindsey Willmon, 18 (old, Katie Rowe, 12); batting average, Shippy, .737 (old, Stangel, .605); RBIs, Willmon, 76 (old, Stangel, 59); and stolen bases, Shippy, 54 (old, Shippy, 29).
New team records set this season include: Hits, 410 (old, 308, 1999); doubles, 84 (old, 61, 2011); home runs, 49 (33, 2012); batting average, .491 (old, .425, 2012); RBIs, 324 (old, 213, 2012); and stolen bases, 97 (old, 83, 1999).
The only records not broken were Stangel's season ERA of 0.33, and the team ERA of 0.607, set in 2001.
This week, Lake City is ranked No. 2 in MaxPreps' Xcellent 25 softball rankings.
End of an era: Some coaches are synonymous with their schools, and Ron Miller has been that way with Lakeside High for more than two decades.
But Miller is resigning as football coach of the Knights, after 20 seasons as head coach, Lakeside athletic director Jerel Hight said.
Miller resigned as girls basketball coach prior to last season, after two stints that lasted 20 years.
Dick Abrams, most recently football coach at 4A Monroe High, in Washington's biggest classification, was named to replace Miller as football coach.
According to the Washington State Coaches Association website, Abrams has been a varsity coach for 17 years in Washington, previously coaching at Jackson, Marysville-Pilchuck, Stanwood and Port Angeles, with an overall record of 67-94.
Also, Brad Calkins has also resigned as Lakeside boys basketball coach, Hight said. Calkins went 11-12 in his lone season with the Knights, guiding them to a share of the North Star League title, and to the play-in game to the state 1A Division I tournament.
Tough marine: This from North Idaho Christian girls basketball coach Jerry Bittner:
"Two years ago Sarah Kaschmitter played center for us at North Idaho Christian School. She enlisted in the Marines this year and just finished boot camp.
"On her last night of boot camp she had to go on a 10-mile hike with backpacks. If she did that she would pass boot camp and become a Marine. She did it.
"Later it was found out that she had broken both legs during boot camp. She had a stress facture in her left leg and four stress factures in her right leg. This is another of those home school girls that I love to coach, because they give it everything they have."
ADs honored: Belated congrats to three local high school athletic directors who were recently named ADs of the year in their respective classifications by the Idaho Athletic Administrators Association - Todd Gilkey of Coeur d'Alene (5A), Tim Cronnelly of Timberlake (3A) and Jeff Andersen of St. Maries (2A).
Gilkey and Cronnelly also received this honor in 2009, and Gilkey also earned the 3A honor in 2005 while at St. Maries.
Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at CdAPressSports.