(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

Cougars still in the running to trophy at state tourney…

Chewelah punched their ticket to the second day of the state tournament thanks to their 13-7 victory over Brewster in the first round of the State 2B Softball Tournament in Yakima. A hot Pe Ell-Willapa Valley team (two games removed from upsetting the No. 1 team in the state) handed the Cougars an 11-5 setback in the state quarterfinals, but Saturday is still wide open for Chewelah to snag a trophy.  More

(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

The end of Spring signals the time of the year where the good teams from NE Washington take a trip down to the Columbia Basin for state sports tournaments. Stevens County-ites used to our rainy/mild springs are then thrown into the frying pan of the desert part of the state with 80/90 degree temps and sun. Lots of sun.

With Chewelah softball making its third trip to the state tournament, this time in the 2Bs, and Colville making a triumphant return to the State 1A Softball Tournament in Richland, along with the Indians’ baseball teams sensational season, we’re putting together a guide to make sure everyone will survive this harrowing journey.

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(GENO LUDWIG/Chewelah Independent)

CHEWELAH SENDS 15 TO STATE: Baker and Kirry lead Olympic-sized contingent to State 2B Championships…

Roll out the Roos Field red carpet. The Chewelah Cougars are on their way to Eastern Washington State University for the 2019 State 2B Track and Field Championships.

The wet and windy weather at Central Valley’s track and field complex provided the backdrop for some hot and humid numbers as Chewelah qualified a record total of athletes to compete in this year’s state championships. Fifteen Cougars will make the trip to Eastern Washington University this Thursday through Saturday, led by district champions Lily Kirry and Wade Baker.

“We are thrilled,” Track and Field Coach Shirley Baker said. “Our team has been affected by the low number of state allocations we had in 1A. We only had two allocations from our district last year, whereas in the 2B district, we have four allocations. So our third and fourth place athletes, who in some cases were only hundredths of a second out of second place, this year are at state. We are so proud of all of them and we are excited to see what they can accomplish.” More

(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

There is plenty of reason to be smiling as Colville softball looks like they can take on the best in the state. (Heidi Seitters photo)

IMPRESSIVE YEAR: Indians overcome obstacles en route to state berth…

Colville is once again headed to the state tournament, and while that’s been the goal all along, there have been some challenges along the way. In the softball-rich NEA League, the top teams in the league could beat one another on any given day and have. The Indians, by virtue of their 6-4 victory in the District 6/7 crossover game at Vaagan Field on Saturday, punched their ticket to the 1A state bracket in Tri-Cities.

“This season has kind of been the year of ‘what the heck?’” Colville Coach Mandy Sumner said, pointing to how Deer Park, Colville, Freeman and Lakeside (all four are at the state tournament) all had close matchups. She gave credit to her girls for continuing to persevere through the ups and downs.

One of those moments happened during the crossover game when Cascade hit a home run ball on the third pitch of the game. It could have been a tone-setter, but instead all it did was cause the Colville dugout to go “huh, guess we have to go to work.”

Sumner has been the coach of the Colville program in prior years, leading them to state appearances and state championships. But after stepping down to focus on her growing family for a few years, she’s been away from the players and their strengths and weaknesses. So going into 2019, Sumner was a anew coach and had to re-learn everything about the team. More

(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

SENSATIONAL SEASON: Colville baseball advances to state semifinals for the first time ever…

Colville hasn’t been here before, but they certainly deserve to be.

With their 8-3 victory over Freeman in the State 1A quarterfinals, Colville punched its ticket to Yakima County Stadium this weekend for the State 1A Final Four.

“This is the first time Colville has made it to the final four,” Colville baseball Coach Blake Sjordal said. “It is a great milestone accomplishment for our program.”

After middling seasons in 2018 and 2017, the big maroon machine from NE Washington has blasted its way through the regular season and district tournament with an 18-2 record. They’ll face Seattle Christian in the first round on Friday at 1 p.m. More

(GENO LUDWIG/Chewelah Independent)

Abby Fuller gets fired up with Madi Koler after a double-play ball. Chewelah speed-trapped Colfax 9-6 in the District 7 2B semifinals. (Brandon Hansen photo)

YAKVEGAS, HERE WE COME: Softball’s big dance is where the Chewelah softball team is headed…

Can we just say it like it is? Chewelah is a state power now after placing fifth the past two years at the State 1A Softball Tournament, and now heading to their third straight appearance this time at the state level.

Instead of the Tri-Cities it will be Yakima, where the Cougars will face Brewster in the first round on Friday at 9 a.m. Their coffee-cup game was courtesy of a second place finish at the District 7 2B Softball Tournament in Spokane last weekend.

“In our new league, I am not as familiar with who the toughest teams in the tournament will be,” Chewelah Head Coach Tom Skok said. “NWC is probably the team for everyone to beat, but Adna is ranked higher and Pe Ell beat NWC earlier in the year so there will be some tough opponents over at the tournament.”
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(COLIN HAFFNER/Chewelah Independent)

Indians sending 12 athletes to state 1A…

Colville will send 12 athletes to the state 1A track meet May 23 to 25 at Eastern Washington University, as well as another three alternates following the results of the NEA District meet May 10 and 11 at Riverside High School.

The Indians will send five competitors and two alternates on the girl’s side and seven competitors and one alternate on the boy’s side to the state competition. More

(PRESS RELEASE/Chewelah Legion and VFW)

Memorial Day Service at Chewelah Memorial Cemetery in 2017. (File photo)

Local veteran groups to hold services at nine Stevens County cemeteries…

Members of Chewelah VFW Post No. 2047, Chewelah Legion Post No. 54, Auxilaries and SAL will conduct memorial services at nine Stevens County Cemeteries on Monday, May 27 for Memorial Day. Prayers, flowers, gun salutes, bagpipes and ‘taps’ will honor those who gave their lives in defense of our country and are buried in those cemeteries. Veterans and SAL who wish to be part of the services should be at The Legion Hall at 8:15 a.m. The ceremonies will take place at the following cemeteries at the following times: More

(STAFF REPORTS/Chewelah Independent)

Chewelah softball will be competing for all the marbles this weekend in Yakima. (Brandon Hansen photo)

Chewelah needs to break out the navy, light blue and white this week in support of their Cougars…

With Chewelah golf, softball and track and field teams heading to state tournaments this week or weekend, Chewelah Mayor Dorothy Knauss has declared this week “Chewelah Cougar Week.”

It has been a very successful spring sports season for the Chewelah Cougars. The Chewelah Golf team will have several girl golfers competing at the state tournament tomorrow in Tumwater. The Chewelah softball team clinched the No. 2 seed out of the District 7 2B Softball Tournament on Saturday. They’ll be heading to Yakima this weekend for the state tournament featuring squads from all over the state. Chewelah had to defeat the No. 3 team in the state to clinch a state playoff berth. The Chewelah Track and Field team qualified 15 athletes from the state track meet in Cheney this weekend.  More

(BRANDON HANSEN/Chewelah Independent)

Baylee Sobosky leads the team in RBI and is tied for the lead in HRs. (Brandon Hansen graphic)

TOUGH TASK AHEAD: Loaded district tournament the perfect challenge for talented Cougars…

Chewelah is known for many things: great scenery, the ski hill, golf course, farming, logging, hunting and softball.

Yes, softball, while most people struggle to pronounce the name of the town, the navy blue unis of the Cougars are becoming a common sight at blistering hot state tournaments in the Columbia Basin.

With two straight fifth place finishes at the 1A state softball tournament, the Cougars have one of the best pedigrees out of any Chewelah sports program heading into the 2Bs. This year has been another successful campaign with the Cougars racking up a 13-7 record overall and a 10-2 record against 2B squads.

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