extra! (Sports pgs. A5,6-11/5/09)

SE teams seek state tickets at Colfax, Dayton

Six 1B volleyball teams will arrive in Colfax today to start the SE elimination battle for three tickets to the state finals in Yakima next week. The action matches up contenders from the north and south sides of the SE with St. John/Endicott and Tri-Cities Prep in the top slots.

Action at Colfax will start with Colton facing Touchet at 3 p.m. and LaCrosse/Washtucna facing Rosalia at 4:30. Winners of those rounds will face the top contenders in a semi-final battle with SJE set for a 6 p.m. match and TCP at 7:30.

Winners of the semis get a guarantee of a trip to state, and they will collide at 2:30 Saturday when all the SE teams converge at Dayton. Title game for the 1Bs will be at 2:30.

Tekoa/Oakesdale starts the 2B playoff trail today at Dayton at 3:30 with a match against Waitsburg/Prescott. The 2B start at Dayton features eight teams.

Winners of the first four first 2B games will match up in semi-finals, also today, and winners of the semis will play the title game Saturday at 1 p.m.

The 2B playoff at Dayton will be just two slots to the finals next week at Yakima.

Last Thursday in the league’s final round, LaCrosse defeated Colton in a three-game sweep, 25-18 25-22 and 25-20 with Della Fleming putting down 13 kills and Gladys Martinez putting up 22 assists.

St. John/Endicott dropped Rosalia in three straight, 25-3 25-14 and 25-12 to finish out a 9-1 run at the top of the SE-North. Kelly Van Lith booked 8 kills and Tricia Luft had 8 assists.

Rosalia finished at 1-9 and takes the bottom seed into the playoff round today at Colfax.

Briann Maley had four kills and six blocks for the Spartans in the Thursday match, and Katelyn Maley had six digs.

Tekoa/Oakesdale wrapped up a power finish with a comeback win at Asotin in five games. Desiree Chappell had 26 kills against the Panthers and Kaela Dewan put up 21 assists.

The final match at Asotin boiled down to a 17-15 finish in the fifth game. Line score for the first four games a 15-25 25-17 24-26 and 25-13.

Pomeroy, which has the number-two seed for the north in the 2B start at Dayton today, downed Garfield/Palouse in three straight Haylee Koller had 14 digs for the Pirates, and Madi Woltering had 10 digs for the Vikings who finished the season without a win.

Landers dog disappears during hunting season

A two-year-old German Shorthair Retriever disappeared from his rural residence in the Glenwood area during the start of hunting season.

Jaeger belongs to Richard and Cathy Landers and has not been seen since Oct. 18.

As a precaution during hunting season, the Landers outfitted Jaeger with an orange hunting vest so he wouldn’t be mistaken for game. The dog, who had the run of their place north of Glenwood, was afraid of guns. Cathy Landers suspects he may have bolted for several miles after hearing the normal round of shots when hunters worked the area, which is just above the North Palouse River.

Jaeger has a full tail, a trait unusual for the breed, and weighs about 65 pounds. He was not wearing identification tags on the day he vanished.

Landers said they hope their dog has been taken in as a temporary guest at the home of another rural resident who has no way of knowing where Jaeger resides. Dogs of this breed are capable of traveling for miles once they go into a panic mode, Landers said.

The dog could have also been picked up by hunters who did not know his place of origin.