Colton girls go for eighth straight

Colton freshman Dakota Patchen pushes the ball up the floor at Mt. Spokane High School. Patchen led the Wildcats off the bench with 27 points to advance to state.

He walks into the lobby and the concierge is there to greet him.

“Welcome back, Mr. Vining, your block of rooms is ready.”

Colton coach Clark Vining arrives in Spokane the first weekend in March for the 10th consecutive year.

Like Elton John's red piano in Las Vegas, Clark Vining and his white clipboard is a perennial Spokane attraction as the seven-time running state champions try for an eighth.

But each performance is different.

Th...