The Mercer Island boys soccer team knew that there was very little room for error following its losses to Newport and Mount Si to start the season. That focus has led to a 3-0-1 record during the past two weeks, including two big wins against second place Bellevue and a comeback against Sammamish last week.
Changing the attitudes of players on a squad such as the Mercer Island High School varsity baseball team is not easy. Ridding the players mind of losing thoughts before they step on the diamond can be difficult after a decade of sub .500 seasons. But those attitudes and habits have to change before the record will improve. Coach Brian Potoshnik is changing his players habits in hopes that the team’s 1-6 record will be different come May.
The focus of the Mercer Island girls tennis team last week was the battle against the defending 3A KingCo champion, Newport Knights. The Knights knocked off Mercer Island last year to take the regular season title from the Islanders for the first time in over a decade. The Islanders beat the Knights at Newport 6-3. But the combination of very little pre-season practice and a two-day event against Newport left the Islanders drained. Skyline took advantage with a 7-2 victory at Mercer Island Thursday, putting the 3A KingCo title in jeopardy.
The Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club’s gym was transformed into a martial-arts arena Saturday, as about 200 competitors from Washington and Oregon attended the Evergreen State Open Judo Championship.
Sean White, a 1999 Mercer Island High graduate, made his debut with the Seattle Mariners Wednesday at Safeco Field against the Oakland Athletics. White pitched… Continue reading
Most sports fans would think that a 4-3 score between Mercer Island and Interlake High School would be a baseball or softball game. It would also be a typical water polo final or a low-scoring lacrosse contest. But when an Islander soccer team vying for the 3A KingCo title blows a comfortable three-goal lead at halftime to the second worst team in 3A KingCo, eyebrows raise and jaws drop among the Islander fans in the stands.
Mercer Island junior Chris Black has been one of the most consistent starters for the high school baseball team. That consistency was on display Thursday night as Black baffled Liberty hitters for six innings and no earned runs at Island Crest Park. But the problem Thursday was the defense behind the right handed junior. Mercer Island gave up five unearned runs during the game, dropping its sixth in-league game in a row 7-5.
3:30 p.m. Girls golf at Mount Si
A lot has been made during the past three years of the carousel that is known as the Mercer Island fast-pitch softball head coaching position. But on April 10 it wasn’t the coach that cost the team a forfeit against Sammamish.
The Mercer Island boys lacrosse team traveled to California to play a four team tournament against the West Coast’s best in high school lacrosse, including the California and Oregon state champions, and returned with a win and two losses.
Next year, every 3A Washington high school football team will take aim at the Islanders’ biggest natural rival, Bellevue High School — the defending state champions.
The Mercer Island girls water polo team has been about as steady as the sports yellow ball sitting on top of a whirlpool. A loss to rival Newport before spring break lit a fire under the team. The renewed spirit of competition led to 35 goals in two games last week against Roosevelt (20-8) and Shorewood (15-5). But an uncharacteristic fifth-place finish at the annual Curtis Tournament raises questions about Mercer Island’s continued dominance in the sport.
Forrest Marowitz is in his first year as the starting varsity goalkeeper with the Mercer Island High School boys soccer team. The sophomore follows a long line of outstanding keepers that have helped the Islander program establish itself as a force, not only in 3A KingCo, but in the state. Marowitz, and the defense in front of him, proved that they will be hard to get a shot past come the 2007 post season, as they shutout Issaquah and league-leading Newport last week.
Mudville Youth Baseball Club presents their inaugural Kick-off and Hall-of-Fame Celebration, honoring current and former youth players in the Mercer Island community. The event will take place on May 11 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Community Center at Mercer View on Mercer Island.
The Mercer Island girls lacrosse team came into the season with the mantra “16 strong,” meaning that every player was important to the success of the team. It may have seemed like all 16 Mercer Island players were on the field at once to Bellevue on Wednesday, as the Islanders came away with one of the most lopsided victories, 20-0, in the history of the program.
The Mercer Island girls golf team lost for the first time all season in KingCo play during the final day of the regular season Monday, 227 strokes to 232, as Skyline took the league title. A decline in its team score during the final weeks of the regular season made Islander coach Don Papasedero nervous heading into the final meet.
Three years ago a group of seniors walked away from the Mercer Island softball team for various reasons. Many senior athletes choose not to play a sport during their final year of high school to concentrate on academics or to prepare for college. But these seniors, a majority of them starters on the team, left at a critical time. They unknowingly started a chain reaction that has put the Mercer Island High School softball program in the worst place imaginable.
One loss during a grueling week kept the Islander girls tennis team from the 3A KingCo title for the second consecutive year. But that one loss to Skyline is all that Mercer Island has had to endure this season as they prepare for the post season.
Every Mercer Island boys lacrosse fan knows how good Greg Mahony is. His quickness, shot selection, endurance and overall athleticism has allowed him to lead the Islanders during his senior season. But now the nation is taking notice.
