1st father-son duo inducted into Hanford High hall of fame + Ams set season opener

It’s been a few years, but the Hanford Falcon Sports Boosters were recently able to induct some former student athletes and coaches into their athletic hall of fame.

An induction hadn’t happened since 2019. But the boosters helped an event on June 3 in the school’s gym, with an ice cream social to boot.

Here is the latest list of inductees:

▪ Members of the 2012 and 2013 girls golf state team champions — Kelsey Aiello, Bri Hadler, Taylor Kain-Godoy, Lacy Skwarek, and Katie Stephens; as well as girls head golf coach Mike Neidhold.

▪ Veronica Bradley, a girls state long jump champion in 2011.

▪ Joe Collett, the 110 and 300 boys hurdles state champion in 2012.

▪ Former coach Joe Covington, who was a long-time assistant in football and the head coach for track and field.

▪ Aaron Cunningham, a boys state champion shot putter in 2013.

▪ Jalen DeVine, a three-sport athlete who was named Tri-City Herald Male Athlete of the Year in 2013.

▪ Caleb Gifford, a state wrestling champion in 2010.

▪ Erin Hegarty, a 2011 girls state cross country and track and field standout with multiple state placings.

▪ Scott Kim, a state boys golf champion in 2011.

▪ Cody Quinton, the boys discus state champion in 2012.

▪ Jeff Smith, who was second-team all-state in baseball in 2006.

As an interesting side note, Jalen DeVine joins the same hall his father, Denny DeVine, is in at Hanford.

Denny DeVine was an all-state baseball player in 1977.

College track and field

Johan Correa (Kennewick) completed his college career last month by placing fourth in the men’s 800 meters final at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships.

Correa, competing for Central Washington University, finished the event in 1 minute, 49.35 seconds — which is a personal record for him.

He was named a first-team All-American for his efforts.

Correa was also named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s Male Athlete of the Year for men’s track and field.

WHL

The Tri-City Americans recently announced their home opener for the 2024-25 Western Hockey League season will be on Saturday, Oct. 5, against the Kelowna Rockets.

The WHL and the Americans should announce their complete 2024-25 season schedule sometime in July.

In another couple of moves, the Ams signed both of their assistant coaches, Jody Hull and T.J. Millar, to contract extensions following the end of the 2023-24 season.

Stu Barnes’ top two assistants will begin their third seasons with the team this fall.

Prep baseball

Look for both Tri-Cities Prep and River View to have strong baseball teams next year.

Jason Jarrett and his two-time 2B state defending champs at Prep will lose some seniors to graduation. But the Jags seem to reload every year with a strong freshmen class. Jarrett expects next year to be no different.

Meanwhile, Brian Eisenbarth’s River View squad has a loaded junior class this coming school year.

“We played a lot of young guys,” said Eisenbarth about this past season in which the Panthers finished second at state, losing 2-1 to Prep in the final. “With five sophomores (this past spring), we were pretty good. Four of those sophomores started for us when they were eighth graders.”

What is going to help the Panthers, as well as Jarrett’s Jaguars, is something called the Tillage League.

It’s a summer league of 10 teams based all over central Washington: the Brewster Rockits, Cashmere, Eastmont, Ellensburg Cowboys, Ephrata, Naches, River View Railriders, Sunnyside, Tri-City Badgers (Prep), and Wenatchee.

They’ll play seven weeks of regular-season play, and finish with playoffs in Wenatchee.

Here are the standings through Week 3 of the seven week regular-season schedule: Rockits 5-0; Wenatchee 4-2; Badgers 2-0; Cowboys 3-2; Sunnyside 2-1; Eastmont 0-2; Naches 0-2; Cashmere 0-3; River View 0-4; Ephrata 0-0.

Prep basketball

I’m expecting Columbia-Burbank’s Quincy Scott to get a few college scholarship offers this coming school year.

The Coyotes boys basketball standout has helped lead his team to the WIAA 2B state basketball for three consecutive years, including a second-place finish back in March.

He’ll be a senior this fall.

Recently, Scott received a scholarship offer from Northwest University in Kirkland.

Prep football

Kennewick football standout Alex Roberts has received his first college offer, this one coming from Minot State.

Roberts, a senior running back and defensive back, was one of the Mid-Columbia Conference’s top rushers last season for the Lions.

As a junior, he rushed 112 times for 1,028 yards.

This spring, Roberts was clocked in the 100 meters during track and field season with a time of 10.82 seconds.

That’s a Kennewick High School record.

Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.