From Spongebob Squarepants to family traditions, spring proved plenty memorable | SPORTS COLUMN

Talk about ending the prep sports year with a bang.

The final three weeks of the spring season went by in a blur and was highlighted by not one, but multiple state championships. Two of those (Kent-Meridian boys track and Kentwood girls track) were won by programs that had not ever reached the golden status.

What will I remember most about the spring of 2011?

Certainly the successes, especially those at the state track and field meet.

But there also were a handful of moments that I have been unable to go into much detail about – until now, that is.

With that in mind, here’s a handful of memories that I will remember most from the spring:

1. I can honestly say that I never thought that a Spongebob Squarepants impersonation would make an appearance at the state track and field meet. Yet, after hearing about the unusual talents of Kentlake hurdler Shad Hall, I couldn’t resist. Hall delivered one of the most inspiring moments of any state event I’ve ever covered, diving to the finish line of the 300 hurdles. The dive wasn’t quite enough for Hall, who did establish a new school record and earn a second-place finish in the event with a time of 38.91 seconds. That was just a fraction of a second behind Wes Bailey of Mead (38.89). I was stunned by the dive, but was caught even more off guard moments later, when Hall was nice enough to put his “Spongebob Squarepants” dance on display. It’s a series of moves that Hall has become known for on the Kentlake oval. After witnessing Hall’s moves, I now understand why. I can’t help but give Hall’s effort in both the hurdles and the dance two thumbs up.

2. The state track meet is never short on memories. In addition to Hall’s impressive moves, I was touched by the class of Kent-Meridian’s Derrick Daigre, Kentwood’s BJ Arceneaux and Tahoma’s Kassie Jensen. Daigre, a senior, entered the state meet among the favorites in the 800-meter run. Despite delivering a school-record performance, crossing the finish line in 1:50.26, Daigre came up with a second-place finish as Jackson’s Grant Grosvenor edged the K-M star with a blistering time of 1:50.06. Daigre had been preparing for this moment all season (really, since he was derailed by injury last season). This was his time to shine. And while he certainly did shine, it wasn’t quite enough to earn a golden finish. Daigre could have easily been bitter. Instead, he walked up to Grosvenor moments later, shook the Jackson star’s hand and congratulated him on a fantastic race. The moment was class personified.

3. The classy moments were not over with Daigre. Tahoma’s Kassie Jensen and the Bears spent most of the state track meet playing second fiddle to Kentwood’s Holly DeHart and the Conquerors. When asked if she was tired of finishing behind DeHart, Jensen quickly replied, “She deserves it. She has worked so hard, and I am really proud of her.”

4. As state track came to a close, I noticed Kentwood’s BJ Arceneaux standing with a handful of Kent-Meridian athletes. As you might recall, Arceneaux spent his first three years of high school at K-M. He enjoyed a bittersweet state meet. Once of the state’s fastest sprinters, he took fourth in the 100 (10.90), but succumbed to a hamstring injury in the 200 and had to settle for eighth. Shortly before Kent-Meridian was presented with its state championship trophy, I asked Arceneaux how he felt in regards to the Royals winning a title a year after he transferred. He said, “I am really happy for those guys. We still hang out all the time, and our (Kentwood) girls got a title. I’m happy for all of them.”

5. All the impressive moments of the spring didn’t happen on the track. In baseball, few sophomores have ever impressed me more than Kentwood catcher Reese McGwire. Not only can McGwire swing it, but the kid throws darts down to second base — from his knees. That’s not an easy feat. McGwire’s biggest day, however, came at the plate on April 26, when he went 5 for 5 with a pair of home runs and 10 runs batted in against Kent-Meridian. No, that’s not a typo – he really drove in 10 runs in a single game. I have fantasy baseball teams that can’t manage that during the course of an entire week, yet he did it in a single game. Unreal. McGwire finished the season with a .515 batting average, four home runs, 42 RBIs and was named the MVP of the South Puget Sound League North Division. Something tells me a D-I scholarship might be in McGwire’s future. Just a hunch.

6. Sticking with the baseball theme, how fun was the run Kentridge put on this year? The Chargers weren’t expected to do much, yet finished just a single game away from the state tournament. What I will remember most from the Kentridge team is the leadership of seniors Kyle Leady and Ian Buckles. Before each game, Leady would get the Chargers fired up by delivering a Kentridge version of the pre-game speech from the movie “The Miracle,” a 2004 film based on the U.S. hockey team’s miraculous victory against the Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics. Leady’s version of the speech, which, might I say, is highly entertaining, can be viewed on the Kent Reporter’s web site.

7. There also were plenty of moments on the fastpitch diamond, but none better than the overall race to the South Puget Sound League North Division title between Kentlake and Tahoma. Last year, those two teams tied for the top spot, which led to a flip of a coin for the tiebreaker. Kentlake narrowly edged Tahoma this spring, but both advanced to state. Kentlake was made its seventh state appearance in eight years. Meanwhile, the Bears made it in fastpitch for the first time in school history.

8. And how about Mitchell and Jamie Thorp, the double tennis team from Kennedy High? We didn’t hear much about the Thorps until this week’s edition because they do not attend a Kent school, but they do live in the city. The Thorps won the Class 3A doubles tennis title on May 28 at Kamiakin High in Kennewick. Making their story all the more fun is the fact that they were coached by their mom, Maryann, who won a singles title at Kent-Meridian in 1979, when she went by Maryann Raftis. Talk about a family tradition.

9. Speaking of family tradition, Tess Manthou, the younger sister of former Kentwood star and four-time state tennis champion Max Manthou, continued her ascension two weeks ago, teaming with Eliana Spero for a second-place girls doubles finish in the Class 4A state tournament. Manthou took third in doubles last year, while Spero was part of a seventh-place finish. Spero, a senior, won’t be back for an encore, but Manthou will have one more crack at a top finish. Something tells me she just might get there. Keeping with that family tradition, Kentridge’s Katelyn Overland, the younger sister of former KR star Matt Overland, quickly surged up the tennis ranks this spring by winning the SPSL North crown. Yet the family connections were not done there. At Kentwood, freshman Catherina Li, the younger sister of former KW golf star Rui Li, quickly made a name for herself by taking fifth two weeks ago at the state tournament.

10. Finally, I’d be missing out if I did not mention the Kentwood boys soccer team. I had the Conquerors pegged to finish third or fourth in the SPSL North, yet they went on to win the league title, and advance to state for the first time since 2008. In impressive fashion, the Conquerors took third at state, tying the best finish in program history. What made this run really fun to watch was the performance of senior Jared Fuller. He broke his leg in the final game last season and there was doubt that he’d even be able to return this spring. Not only did Fuller return, but he also scored Kentwood’s first and last goals of the season. Nice comeback.