By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 27, 2009
Here they are, the final 2008-09 season Pacific high school basketball ratings. Before voices are raised in protest over one team being rated over another with a better win-loss record, keep in mind, these are post-Far East tournament ratings and reflect the teams' tournament performance as well as their season performance. Sort of like how a final exam is worth, say, 40 to 50 percent of your final grade. Stated another way, it's not always about how many games a team wins, but when they win them.
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere we go:
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 27, 2009
Catching up with a couple of DODDS alums from Kanto Plain-area schools who've gone on to shine in their respective collegiate sports:
-- Elliko Heimbach, Yokota Class of 2004, earnedtwo individual and two team gold medals in the Western Athletic Conference swim championships at San Antonio. Heimbach swims for Hawaii, which was fifth after three days in the team competition with 340 points; first-place Nevada had 442. The Rainbow Wahine captured the 800 freestyle relay in 7:18.76 with Heimbach swimming the lead leg and won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:32.91 with Heimbach as anchor. Heimbach won the 50 free in 23.16, edging Northern Arizona's aptly named Rachel Foe by .06 seconds, and also won the 100 butterfly, her signature event, in 53.29.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 27, 2009
It's only been done once before, one school capturing all three of its Far East High School Girls Class A Tournaments in one school year.
OsanAmerican's girls have a chance this spring to repeat the feats of the 2001-2002 class. With volleyball and basketball titles in hand, the soccer season beckons and the chance at a rare trifecta looms.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 22, 2009
Musings and mutterings as Ornauer hits the post-Far East decompression chamber for a few hours:
-- Where do St. Mary's International'sshockers overSeoul American in Friday's semifinal and Yokota in Saturday's championship rate among the top upsets in Far East High SchoolBasketball history? The question was posed to me Saturday, and was answered most eloquently by one of Yokota High's three venerable "Wise Men,"John Thek:"Without checking the program, do you think before Friday that anybody knewthe names of any of St. Mary's players?"
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 21, 2009
Boys Class AA final: St. Mary's International 35, Yokota 33.
Girls Class AA final: Faith Academy 50, Seoul American 47.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 21, 2009
Musings and mutterings as the Class A tournaments go in the history book and the Class AA championship games beckon:
-- Not surprising: Every time -- four times, to be exact -- that Osan American's girls have placed third in the Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference tournament, they've won the Far East Class A Tournament. The latest happened Friday, when Jasmine Pressley and the COUGARS edged Robert D. Edgren 41-37.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 20, 2009
It's all about timing. Never mind what you did during the regular season, or even the first couple of days of the Far East High School Basketball Tournaments. It's what you do during the three-day Class A and four-day Class AA playoffs. That's all that matters.
Read about teams 'peaking at the right time' here and get Day 4 full-field results here.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 19, 2009
Pool play done. Playoffs begin. Now, the real conversation starts all across Japanabout whoare considered the "it" teams in the Far East High School Basketball Tournaments.
And there's no shortage of opinions about who merits an elite spot in that conversation: Yokota, ASIJ, Seoul American and Kadena in Boys Class AA; Faith, Kadena and Seoul in Girls Class AA; and St. Paul and Morrison in both Class A tournaments are all getting shoutouts from coaches everywhere.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 18, 2009
Why have some teams that rely on strong post playbeen forced to shoot fromoutside this week?
Perhaps it's thegame-changing big people on Far East High School Basketball Tournament team rosters. Folks such as Kadena's Jasmine Taylor (15 blocked shotsvs. Yokota), Daegu American's Drew Snowden (four blockedsvs. Hokkaido International) or Nile C. Kinnick's Shannon Jackson (19 points, 19 reboundsvs. CAJ). And future stars, such as Zama American's Mike Jorgenson.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 17, 2009
Sure looks as if anybody who hoisted a championship trophy after last year's Far East High School Basketball Tournaments is looking to do the same thing this week.
Seoul American's boys and Kadena's and Faith Academy's girls definitely are still in that conversation, with Faith taking the step up from Class A to Class AA thanks to an enrollment spike.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 14, 2009
As voted by you, SportsBlog Nation, we've crowned the Far East's Outstanding Wrestler of the last 25 years -- Zolboo Enkhbayar of Brent International School-Subic.
Enkhbayar, a Mongolian whose father wrestled in the XXIV Summer Olympic Games in 1988 in Seoul,was a three-time Far East Tournament champion and the only wrestler selected Far East Outstanding Wrestler twice in his career. (Those numbers might have become four and three had not DODDS-Pacific limited Far East to DODDS-only starting in 2005, Zolboo's senior season).
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 14, 2009
With the wrestling mats rolled up and put away until next November, time to hit the hardwood one last time as the Far East Class A and Class AA Basketball Tournaments begin Monday.
Will home dominance continue in the large-schools tournaments? Since 1986, Girls Class AA host teams have reached the title game 17 times; 12 emerged victorious, including the past seven. The boys’ host teams have hit Center Court 19 times, winning 12, since 1982.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 14, 2009
Musings and mutterings after the biggest runaway dual-meet final victory in DODDS-Pacific Far East High School Wrestling Tournament history:
-- What a change from last year's dual meet, which came down to the very final bout. Kadenatook charge from the very get-go, Nick Breier lighting the fireworks with a pin of Far East champion Marcus Boehler and the Panthers never looked back.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 13, 2009
Musings and mutterings as we head 'round third and head for home, aka the dual-meet phase of the 2009 DODDS-Pacific Far East High School Wrestling Tournament:
-- That all-out war called the 158-pound weight class was "all that," and thensome. As forecast, any one of six wrestlers could have won that carnage; turns out Zama American's Michael Spencer rose to the top.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 11, 2009
Boys
1, Seoul American (34-10) --KAIAC titles seized/shared; now, time to bag back-to-back Far Easts?
2, Yokota, Japan (25-1) -- DODDS-Japan and Kanto champions set sights on same prize.
3, Kadena, Okinawa(25-11) -- Heating up at the right time.
4, Faith Academy, Philippines (22-10) -- See Kadena.
5, Seoul Foreign (21-3) --Off to APAC.
6. Nile C. Kinnick, Japan(21-7).
7. Guam High (6-1).
8.St. Mary's International, Japan(14-12).
9, American School In Japan (8-7).
10, Robert D. Edgren, Japan (12-9).
Girls
1, Faith Academy, Philippines (32-0) --Only needs to win at CAJ on Saturday to clinch first unbeaten regular season in school history.
2, Seoul American (25-1) -- See Falcons' boys.
3, International School of the Sacred Heart, Japan (9-2). Third straight Kanto Plain titles; only two regular-season losses in that span. What a job Kurt Rose has done with the Symbas.
4, Zama American, Japan (17-4).
5, Yokota, Japan (16-4).
6, Osan American, South Korea (14-3).
7, Seoul Foreign (15-8).
8, Nile C. Kinnick, Japan 13-7).
9, Kadena, Okinawa (11-14).
10, Rob ert D. Edgren, Japan (10-6).
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 10, 2009
At last, we've arrived at the start of thatannual magical 11 days of non-stop wall-to-wall Far East High School Tournament action, starting with wrestling on Wednesday at Okinawa's Camp Foster Field House.
Here are some of the story lines we'll be following as the four-day mat event unfolds:
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 8, 2009
At last, the time has come to crown our Pacific Best 13 Wrestlers of the Past 25 Years.
One change to the program: I'll be giving everybody a chance to vote for their Outstanding Wrestler in a new poll to be published after the following results. You can see the results of the poll as we go along, and the winner will be crowned Outstanding Wrestler.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 7, 2009
Musings and mutterings following Ornauer's Grand Shinkansen Tour of Japan, spanning Misawa and Iwakuni in less than 48 hours:
-- Regarding Nile C. Kinnick wrestling: "They're baaaa-aaaack." And the Red Devils' performance in the Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools Tournament on Saturday provided positive proof. Reigning DODDS-Pacific Far East Tournament Outstanding Wrestler Cameron Butts struck gold along with heavyweight Mikkariece Curry as Kinnick outdistanced host St. Mary's International 77 points to 68. First Kanto tournament title and first Kanto regular-season title in four years.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 4, 2009
DODDS-Pacific in September 2004 ruled that future Far East cross country, tennis and wrestling tournaments would become DODDS-only events, citing billeting and athletic facility availability concerns.
Some DODDS wrestling coaches would like to see that overturned, citing a desire to compete and win gold medals and team titles in Far East mat events with the best teams available in the region.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 3, 2009
Boys
1, Seoul American (31-9) --Falcons have eighth straight KAIAC title in their sights.
2, Yokota, Japan (22-1) -- Didn't just fall from the unbeaten ranks; injuries now a question.
3, Kadena, Okinawa(22-11) -- Next stops: Kubasaki on Friday, Far East on the 15th.
4. Nile C. Kinnick, Japan(20-6) -- Doing well despite major personnel adjustments.
5, Seoul Foreign (18-2) --Big home battle Wednesday with Seoul American.
6, Faith Academy, Philippines (17-9).
7. Guam High (6-0). New entry off to a flying start.
8, American School In Japan (8-7).
9.St. Mary's International, Japan(12-11).
10, Robert D. Edgren, Japan (12-7).
Girls
1, Faith Academy, Philippines (28-0) --Former Vanguards hero Julie Stauffer back in fold as assistant
2, Seoul American (21-1) -- See Falcons' boys.
3, International School of the Sacred Heart, Japan (7-2). Razor-thin margin separating these next four.
4, Yokota, Japan (15-3).
5, Zama American, Japan (15-4).
6, Osan American, South Korea (12-2).
7, Seoul Foreign (14-6).
8, Nile C. Kinnick, Japan 12-6).
9, Kadena, Okinawa (9-14).
10, Rob ert D. Edgren, Japan (9-5).
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 1, 2009
Musings and mutterings after the last weekend of January, Weekend 4 of Wall to Wall, as Ornauer calls it, with Rumble on the Rock now history and Kanto wrestling and KAIAC hoops beckoning:
-- One might get the impression that when a Cody Cash, Jake Bloom or Chris Hoshaw graduate, that Kadena wrestling coach Steve Schrock simply picks a few buds off what must be a Panthers "athlete tree" out back of the school. Or maybe the planets aligned properly. Whatever the case, a new cadre of title contenders, holdoversShanon Lautenschlager and Dillon Bush, freshmanGabe Ahner and transfers J.C. Henderson and Jacob Bishop, captured gold over the weekend in the 2nd Rumble on the Rock Tournament and defending Far East Tournament team champion Kadena won handily 110-58 over Kubasaki.
By Dave Ornauer
Published: February 1, 2009
OK, folks, grab a chair, for here we go with semifinal bouts in SportsBlog Nation's mythical tournament to crown the Best 13 Pacific high school wrestlers of the past 25 years.
Championship bouts are next Sunday following the Kanto Plain Association of Secondary Schools Tournament. And we'll also crown our Outstanding Wrestler of the past quarter century.
