A new baseball franchise in Reno, streak extensions by two different athletic teams at the University of Nevada, a state team title at Douglas High, two team and two individual states title at Carson and a World Series appearance by Western Nevada College. All in all, a very successful year.
It's time for the top stories of 2009. A reminder that this reflects only my opinion and not the entire sports staff at the Appeal.
10. Douglas High's girls track team won its first-ever regional title last May, edging McQueen by two points. Douglas went 1-2 in the discus with Jessica Waggoner winning and Minneah Holdridge finishing second with a throw of 108-1. The quartet of Cara Dunkelman, Kara Barth, Tia Lyons and Halle Niehoff won the 1,600-meter relay event to clinch the title. Waggoner would
eventually win a state discus title.
9. The Reno Aces played their first season in Reno, and the team was a rousing success, not only at the box office but on the field. Reno surged in the second half to finish second to the Sacramento Rivercats, the Triple-A franchise of the Oakland Athletics. More than 9,100 fans showed up on Opening Night, and the team averaged more than 5,000 fans per contest.
8. Nick Schlager enjoyed an outstanding 2009. He finished second at last winter's state meet and then capped off the calendar year by winning the 135-pound title at the prestigious Asics Sierra Nevada Classic just two days ago. Schlager pinned Mikie Rodriguez, a two-time state champion in the finals. He also enjoyed success during cross-country and track seasons.
7. Douglas High's girls soccer program finished behind Carson in the regular season, but went out and won both regional and state titles. Douglas finished with 23 wins. It was Douglas' first team title in any sport since 1999.
6. Wade Meddles is the top cross-country runner in the entire state in any class. The Sierra Lutheran star finished in third place at the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships in early December. He was timed in 15:26 over the 5k course. He also won the 2A cross country championship in the fall and swept the distance events at the state meet last spring.
5. Western Nevada's baseball program has only been in existence for four years, but in that span the Wildcats have gained national prominence with two World Series appearances under coach D.J. Whittemore. The program has sent 47 players to either four-year colleges or the professional ranks.
4. Mandatory drug testing came to both Carson and Douglas high schools this past season. Both schools have indicated that the program has been very successful. Carson High said there was very little resistance when the program was first announced.
3. The Douglas baseball team, under the guidance of fiery John Glover, won the Sierra League and 4A regional title and a total of 31 games last spring. The Tigers knocked off Reno 4-3 in the regional final and went on to beat Cimmaron Memorial 9-5 in the state event. Senior pitchers Tyler Hoelzen and Tyler May were outstanding the entire year.
2. Carson High enjoyed a great football season this past fall, winning a school-record nine games and the Sierra League championship with a 34-6 win over Douglas on the last weekend of the season. It was nice to see the stands packed every Friday night, and the team actually traveled well, too. Carson lost its three games (McQueen, Manogue and Galena) by a total of 12 points. The Cinderella season came to an end in the regional semifinals when the Senators were upset 14-7 by Galena. Dylan Sawyers, a sophomore, scored 24 TDs, and senior Luke Carter led the defense with 116 tackles. Both were all-Sierra and both made the 4A regional squad.
1. The Carson cross-country program was arguable the most dominant on campus. In the past decade, the girls brought home titles in 2001 and 2007. This year was a banner one, as both the boys and girls won state championships under coaches Pete Sinnott and Jeanne Stelzer, a feat accomplished by Reno in 2006. Richard Shroy, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Chad, won the 4A individual title. Shroy also won the 4A 3,2000-meter title at the state track meet last spring.