The End Zone

Hiro Fujiwara, an Issaquah Little League All-Star this past season, was one of three players from Washington state recently invited to the 2011 USA Baseball 13U National Team Identification Series.

As part of the Northwest region team, Fujiwara will compete against 12 other regions from across the country in the NTIS, Sept. 9-11 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.

From the NTIS, USA Baseball will invite a minimum of 32 players to future 14U, 16U and 18U National Team trial opportunities with the ultimate goal of being selected to represent Team USA.

Fujiwara attends Pacific Cascade Middle School. After six years in Issaquah Little League he will play for the O’Brien 13U Koufax baseball team this coming season.

Brian Mogg, right, shared the "Battle of the Border" championship with Frank Garber on Aug. 24 at the Coeur d 'Alene Golf Course.

Sammamish golfer Brian Mogg, 15, tied for first place Aug. 24 at the “Battle of the Border” Junior Golf Northwest event at the Coeur d ‘Alene Golf Course.

The sophomore at Skyline shot a 67 — his lowest round of the summer. He tied four-time Washington State Junior Champion Frank Garber of Kirkland.

Here are the Reporter Newspaper preseason football polls for 4A, 3A and 2A as voted on by a group of sports writers on the Eastside.

Skyline and Eastlake earned enough votes to finish 1-2 in the 4A classification, while Issaquah finished ninth.

It will be exciting to see how things shake out once games get started on this Friday.

CLASS 4A
1. Skyline
2. Eastlake
3T. Ferris
3T. Bellarmine Prep
5. Chiawana
6T. Olympia
6T. Kentlake
8. Skyview
9. Issaquah
10. Federal Way
Others receiving votes: Kentwood, Richland, Union, Bethel, Curtis, Bothell, Mead, Jackson

CLASS 3A
1. Bellevue
2. Lakes
3. O’Dea
4. Mount Spokane
5T. Kamiakin
5T. Camas
7T. Timberline
7T. Capital
9. Mount Si
10. Ferndale
Others receiving votes: Liberty, Juanita, Peninsula, Kennedy Catholic

CLASS 2A
1. Tumwater
2. Lynden
3. Archbishop Murphy
4. Burlington-Edison
5. Othello
6. Prosser
7. W.F. West
8. East Valley
9T. Sequim
9T. Mark Morris
10T. North Thurston
10T. Anacortes
Others receiving votes: Lindbergh, Interlake, Washington

Kneeling left to right: Jason Sealy, DeWayne Hartfield, Mike King, Bobbie Thompson, Greg Huckabay, Alan Favini, Standing left to right: Dennis Wajda (coach), Nick Kazaras, Jerry VanZant, Jeff Allen, Jake Richards, Sean Eller, Ron Eller (coach), Derek Swanson, Eric Burnett

The Issaquah Wolves softball team earned itself a big prize last weekend, claiming a gold medal in the Special Olympics Summer Classic 2011 in Everett.

The team coached by Dennis Wajda defeated the Mead Pride of Spokane, 7-6, in the Masters 1 Division, ending their nine-year run as champions.

The Issaquah Panthers, coached by George Whitehouse, also won a gold in the Junior Division, while the Issaquah Lions, coached by Ted Stamper, earned a bronze medal in the Masters 6 Division.

More than 800 Special Olympics athletes descended on Everett’s Walter Hall and Kasch Memorial Park Aug. 20-21 to compete in golf and softball.

Kate Deines, a senior on the University of Washington women’s soccer team and 2008 Issaquah High School graduate, is one 30 collegiate athletes up for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS award.

The acronym CLASS stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School. The award itself honors seniors across 10 collegiate sports, who excel in four different aspects: community, classroom, character and competition.

Deines has produced on the field from the start of her career at UW. As a freshman she finished second on the team in scoring with seven goals and was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman First-Team.

As a sophomore Deines was named to Second-Team All-Pacific Region Second-Team All-Pac-10. Last year, Deines had her best season yet as one of the Husky team captains. She earned both First-Team All-Pacific Region and First-Team All-Pac-10 honors while leading the Huskies in goals and points and to the NCAA Elite 8. Her achievements allowed her to play for U-23 National Team this summer.

Additionally, she was acknowledged with the Provost Academic Excellence Award at the WESPYs (Washington’s version of the ESPY awards). Her studying was also awarded by making Second-Team Pac-10 All-Academic and NSCAA Scholar All-West Region. She was also recently named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch list for top player of the year.

Former Skyline quarterback Jake Heaps is listed as the Cougars' starter headed into his true sophomore season. Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images North America

Here’s a list of local athletes who are currently listed on 2011 rosters across the country — all the way from NAIA through Division I.

Division I and Division I-AA players are highlighted in bold. If I missed anyone, or there are any changes, please contact me and I will add them to the list.

EASTLAKE
Justin Helwege, 2007, Central Washington, wide receiver
Drew Schaefer, 2008, Washington, center
Ryan Robertson, 2008, Central Washington, quarterback
Kolby Kemp, 2008, Wheaton College, wide receiver
JJ Clark, 2008, Wheaton College, tight end
Turner Lee, 2009, Central Washington, defensive lineman
Stephen Nasca, 2009, Linfield College, running back
Cameron Hunt, 2010, Illinois State, running back
Austin Reifeis, 2010, Montana, tight end
Michael Maguire, 2010, Minnesota Duluth, tight end
Kyle Lappano, 2011, Washington State, running back
Colin Nelson, 2011, Linfield College, wide receiver

EASTSIDE CATHOLIC
Bobby Kubacki, 2008, Fordham, offensive lineman
Alec Kimble, 2010, Washington, linebacker

ISSAQUAH
Jarred Warren, 2008, Whitworth, offensive line
Joey Bradley, 2009, North Dakota, quarterback
Greg Finch, 2010, Puget Sound, defensive line
Sean Stuby, 2010, Central Washington, tight end
Ryan Bergman, 2010, Western Oregon, quarterback
Daniel Fleischman, 2010, Wyoming, offensive line
Grant Gellatly, 2010, Cornell, running back
Nik Landdeck, 2011, Idaho, linebacker
Jay Deines, 2011, Eastern Washington, offensive line
Jacob Everson, 2011, Minot State, offensive line
Evan Peterson, 2011, Linfield College, wide receiver
Adam Dondoyano, 2011, Linfield College, wide receiver
Taylor Wyman, 2011, Willamette, running back

SKYLINE
Devon Jonsson, 2007, Menlo College, linebacker
Jon Meyers, 2007, Southern Oregon, defensive lineman
Mickey Hull, 2007, Southern Oregon, defensive back
Tyler Washburn, 2008, Eastern Washington, linebacker
Eric Beige, 2008, Linfield College, linebacker
Jake Knecht, 2009, Willamette, receiver
Jordan Weil, 2009, Willamette, linebacker
Gino Simone, 2009, Washington State, receiver
William Chandler, 2010, Washington, receiver
Cooper Pelluer, 2010, Washington, linebacker
Jake Heaps, 2010, Brigham Young, quarterback
Evan Day, 2010, Eastern Washington, defensive lineman
Jace Butorac, 2010, Eastern Washington, offensive lineman
Joey Evans, 2010, Menlo College, running back
Tait Stephens, 2010, Willamette, receiver
Sean Penberthy, 2010, Willamette, kicker
Nick Beauchamp, 2010, Santa Rosa College, running back
Matt Trueblood, 2010, Cal Lutheran, offensive line
Kasen Williams, 2011, Washington, wide receiver
Connor Cree, 2011, Washington, defensive end
Michael Ford, 2011, American International College, defensive back
Jordan Simone, 2011, Washington State, safety
Kai Jandoc, 2011, Cal Lutheran, running back

Former Issaquah High School wide receivers and 2011 graduates Evan Peterson and Adam Dondoyano will play football for Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore., this fall.

Peterson caught 56 passes for 1,014 yards and nine touchdowns in 2010 and holds eight school receiving records.

Dondoyano missed most of last season after tearing his ACL in the second week of the season against Liberty.

Eastlake graduate Colin Nelson, who caught 15 passes for 296 yards and five touchdowns, also joins the Linfield roster as a wide receiver.

Here’s what coach Joseph Smith had to say about each of the recruits:

Evan Peterson
“Evan is very explosive and might be as fine a receiver prospect as we’ve recruited in many years. There is no question that he has the physical talent to come in and compete as a freshman.”

Adam Dondoyano
“Adam’s senior year was cut short by an injury, but we are very excited to have him as a Wildcat, based on what we saw of him as a junior. He is a natural playmaker and should develop into a fine defensive back.”

Colin Nelson
“At 6-6, Colin’s frame makes him a tremendous target at receiver. He runs well for his size and is will be a big target for us.”

Linfield College plays at the Division III level. The program holds the all-time record for consecutive winning seasons across all levels of NCAA football. They are currently at 55 seasons (1956-2010). The Wildcats last D-III national championship was in 2004.

Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish will play host to the Hope Heart Classic on Monday, Aug. 8, where 180 golfers and various NFL alumni will join the fight against heart disease — the No. 1 killer of Americans.

Since its inception 14 years ago, the Hope Heart Classic has raised more than $1.1 million to fund heart research and education programs.

Presented by Merrill Lynch – Hollomon and Shrader, the tournament includes unique events at the holes, such as a shoot-out with UW Basketball star and cardiac arrest survivor Kayla Burt. There will also be blood pressure checks, a chance to win a Rolex from Alvin Goldfarb Jeweler and an auction which offers exclusive experiences, including Super Bowl tickets.

Dave Grosby of 710 ESPN, a heart disease survivor, will serve as emcee and Sammamish councilman John Curley will be auctioneer.

The winners of the golf tournament receive Super Bowl tickets.

Registration for the scramble formated tournament begins at 9:30 a.m. with a shotgun start set for 11:30 a.m. Cocktails and a shootout are scheduled for 5 p.m., with the dinner, awards and auction scheduled for 6 p.m.

NFL Alumni include:
Mike Allen (Seahawks)
Tony Boddie (Broncos)
Mark Bruener (Steelers)
Jason Chorak (Rams)
Cam Cleeland (Saints)
Clint Didier (Redskins)
Steve Emtman (Colts)
Nu Faaola (Seahawks/Jets)
John Fiala (Seahawks)
Nesby Glasgow (Seahawks/Colts)
Jeff Jaeger (Raiders)
Norm Johnson (Seahawks)
Jeff Kemp (Seahawks/49er’s/Eagles)
Mark Lee (Packers)
Dane Looker (Seahawks/Rams)
Curt Marsh (Raiders)
Sam McCullum (Seahawks/Vikings)
Ron Medved (Eagles)
Alonzo Mitz (Seahawks)
Randall Morris (Seahawks)
Ray Pinney (Steelers)
Andre Riley (Bengals/Chiefs)
Otis Sistrunk (Raiders)
Bob Schloredt (Huskies)
Daryle Skaugstad (Oilers/49er’s/Packers)
Joe Tafoya (Seahawks)
Jack Thompson (Bengals/Buccaneers)
Tom Turnure (Lions)
Charlie Young (49er’s/Eagles/Rams/Seahawks)

In addition to the NFL alumni, former Seattle Sonic Slick Watts, Mariner Julio Cruz and UW Husky Pat Conniff and BC Lion Tim Cowan will participate.

Brian Mogg, a 15-year-old golfer from Sammamish, finished second in the 14-15 age division at the Washington Junior Golf Association state tournament July 27-29. The incoming Skyline sophomore shot a three-day total of even par 75-70-71 – 216 at Walla Walla Country Club and Wine Valley.

Only four-time WJGA state champion Frank Garber of Kirkland scored better (72-70-71 – 213).

Li Wang, an incoming junior at Eastlake, finished third in the 16-17 division, shooting a 72-71-70 — 213. He ended the tournament three strokes behind Enumclaw’s Tyler Salsbury (69-69-72 – 210) and two strokes behind Shoreline’s Chris Babcock (71-72-68 – 211).

Sammamish’s Ashley Fitzgibbons placed second in the girls 12-13 age division, shooting an 81-78-82 – 241 — just one stroke behind Duvall’s Sarah Lawrence (81-78-81 – 240).

Sammamish’s Spencer Weiss, an incoming sophomore at Eastlake, finished 10th in the boys 14-15 division with a 75-75-77 – 227. Other golfers competing at state from Sammamish included RP McCoy, Victor Wang, John Hayes, Tommy McCoy, Jamie Midkiff and Maddie Nelson. Issaquah golfers included Zack Overstreet and Mersadie Tallman.

Back row, left to right: coach Pete Bayron, Brendan Bayron, Drew Feldman, Griffin Morimoto, Gregory Ketron, Blake Berger, Tyler Chan and head coach Cary Morimoto. Front row, left to right: Sean Peterson, Dane Mui, Bryant Hyun, Andrew Sarkozy, Corey Chaplin and Levi Bellas.

The Issaquah Reign 12U baseball team took first place in the silver division at the United State Specialty Sports Association King of the Northwest tournament in Lacey July 24, outscoring its opponents 43-8 in three games.

Issaquah defeated the Anacortes Blackhawks 18-1 in three innings, the Eatonville Cruisers 10-0 in four innings, and beat the Rawling Rebels 15-7 for the championship.