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Articles written by John R Mcneil Ii


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  • Nathan Morrell competes at state track meet

    John R McNeil II|Jun 1, 2016

    Nathan Morrell represented the Lake Roosevelt Raiders at the WIAA State 1B, 2B, 1A Track Meet at Eastern Washington University Saturday. Morrell threw the discus in the first flight, which included all the other District 5-6 competitors from the week before. The weather on May 28 was cool with a intermittent wind. Morrell’s first throw was from the standing position. He fell away on release and the throw went out of bounds. On his second throw, Morrell threw using the full spin to record a distance of 103 feet, 5 inches. For his final throw, M...

  • Discus thrower moves on

    John R McNeil II|May 25, 2016

    Nathan Morrell has qualified to compete in the 2016 State Track & Field Championships at Eastern Washington University this Saturday. The Lake Roosevelt discus thrower was the only Raider who qualified out of the five that had an opportunity to move on at the district competition in Ephrata Saturday. Morrell placed fourth in the discus with a throw of 103 feet, 6 inches. Morrell will throw at state on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. behind the Jim Thorpe Fieldhouse on EWU’s campus at Cheney in the first flight of 2B Boys Discus competitors. Nathaniel H...

  • Tennis ends season at district

    John R McNeil II|May 25, 2016

    The Raider tennis doubles team of Jordan Charles and John Drapela traveled to Omak last weekend to try to make it to the state tournament, falling short of that goal by one match. In the first match of the day, Charles and Drapela faced the district tournament’s top seed from Chelan. They tried hard but fell short by the match scores of 6-3, 6-3. In their first consolation match, the team faced Flodin and Brulotte from Cascade. After losing the first set, Charles and Drapela forged ahead to take the victory 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Charles and Drapela s...

  • Golfers' season ends at district

    John R McNeil II|May 25, 2016

    Raider golfers ended their season at the district tournament last week at the Alta Lake Golf Course outside of Pateros. “I was very pleased with how our young team handled themselves at this year’s district tournament,” Head Coach Steve Files said. “This was the first go-round for all but one of our players. … This tournament is always a step up in pressure and competition, and Alta Lake is a dangerous course.” Raider Golf had also traveled to Alta Lake on May 13 against Okanogan. As of publishing, there was no information from Head Coach Steve...

  • Many Raiders named to 2B North all-league squads

    John R McNeil II|May 18, 2016

    Lake Roosevelt’s baseball and softball teams had several members named to the Central Washington 2B North All League squads last week. Khani Priest was named to the First Team softball squad. Priest was a big part of the Lady Raiders’ turnaround season. Sean Garvin was named to the second team. Garvin will be a big part of the Lady Raiders’ future as the team looks to build on the success from this season. Senior Lachelle Bearcub and junior Tristen Adolph each were given an honorable mention. Bearcub has been a big feature for the Lady Raiders...

  • Bulldogs end Raiders' postseason

    John R McNeil II|May 18, 2016

    Raider baseball’s season came to an end Saturday at Moses Lake as the Okanogan Bulldogs defeated the Raiders 6-0. LR had to win to stay alive in the postseason. It was the furthest the Raiders have gone in the postseason since the 2011 state tournament appearance. The 2016 season was Lake Roosevelt’s the seventh straight winning season. Looking to next year, there are a lot of question marks for the Raiders. Seven of the eleven who played this season are graduating. Many of those seniors have been big contributors for the squad for the pas...

  • Tennis moves on to districts

    John R McNeil II|May 18, 2016

    Raider Tennis took part in the Central Washington B League Tennis Tournament in Omak at the North Cascades Athletic Club last Friday and Saturday. The results from the matches determined both who would advance to the district tournament against the Caribou Trail League schools and for whom the season would be over. Lake Roosevelt’s doubles team of Jordan Charles and John Drapela will advance to districts as a number-four seed. Head Coach Steve Archer said he was proud of how Charles and Drapela played, especially in Saturday’s final match. “Th...

  • Five tracksters move on to districts

    John R McNeil II|May 18, 2016

    Five members of the Raider boys’ track team qualified from the sub-district competition May 11 to this Saturday’s district meet in Ephrata. At the sub-district level last week at Oroville, the Okanogan Bulldogs won both the boys’ and girls’ titles. For the Raiders, Nathaniel Hall advanced in the 100-meter dash, finishing fourth with a personal-record time of 11.71 seconds. Robert George advanced in the 110-meter high hurdles, finishing fifth in 18.35 seconds. In field events, Nathan Morrell moved on to districts in discus, taking fifth by thro...

  • Raider baseball needs another win

    John R McNeil II|May 11, 2016

    Raider Baseball is one win away from advancing to the regional tournament for the first time since 2011. To get to this point, the Raiders had a doubleheader in Tonasket May 3 to close the regular season as the Tigers surprised the Raiders in the first game with a 10-4 win. But in the second game the Raiders turned around and trounced the Tigers by a score of 12-1. With the number-four seed from the North going into districts, the Raiders knew they would face a tough team in the first round. In Moses Lake on Saturday, the Raiders faced the numb...

  • Tennis prepares for league championships

    John R McNeil II|May 11, 2016

    Raider Tennis played three matches last week, and one already this week, ahead of the Central Washington North 2B Tennis Tournament at the North Cascade Athletic Club in Omak this Friday and Saturday. The Raiders traveled to Entiat May 3, where, as Head Coach Steve Archer explained, they had a different match setup. “We had to play most of the matches in pro-set format, because Entiat only has three courts and no lights,” Archer said. The Raider boys defeated the Tigers but the girls came away with only one win. “Tanya Ang and Rylee Pitne...

  • Raider tracksters head into postseason

    John R McNeil II|May 11, 2016

    Raider Track wrapped up the regular season at the Ron Vanderholm Invitational in Royal City Friday. No Raiders placed at Royal City. “Our athletes continue to bring down their times and increase their heights and distances,” Head Coach Lori Adkins said. “We are excited to see what they can do as we enter the postseason.” Today, the Raiders are in Oroville for the District 5-6 Qualifying Meet starting at 3:30 p.m. The top five athletes from each event will move on to the District 5-6 State Qualifier on May 21 in Ephrata. At Royal City, Oliva A...

  • Lady Raiders finish season .500

    John R McNeil II|May 11, 2016

    The Lady Raiders’ season came to an end May 3 in Tonasket as the Tigers took both games of a doubleheader by the scores of 11-10 and 13-7. Because of losses earlier in the season, the Lady Raiders finished fifth in the Central Washington North, one place short of qualifying for districts. The final overall win-loss record for the Lady Raiders was 10-10. In league play, the Lady Raiders posted a 7-9 record, the team’s best record in years, better than in 2013 when LR qualified for the state tournament. LR was also in more games against qua...

  • LR Golf continues to improve

    John R McNeil II|May 11, 2016

    Raider Golf continues to improve and is peaking at the correct time — at Lake Wood Golf Course against both Okanogan and Omak — where two Raider boys finished the 18-hole round at under 100 strokes. Darin Whiteman led the Raider boys, shooting a 90 for the day. Derek Whiteman was the second finisher for the Raider boys, with 99 strokes. Jazmine Reed led the Raider girls by finishing the round with a score of 143. Head Coach Steve Files is now looking forward to tomorrow’s final regular season match at Alta Lake Golf Course against Omak and O...

  • Raider tennis team keeps improving

    John R McNeil II|May 4, 2016

    Raider Tennis competed in three matches last week and continued to improve to get ready for the postseason. Against Liberty Bell April 26, the Raider boys won their match 3-2, and it wasn't easy for either team. A doubles match of John Drapela and Jordan Charles against the duo of Frey and Schultz lasted for two hours and included a tiebreaker, which means playing to a score of seven with a two-point advantage. Although LR had several chances to gain that advantage, but Liberty Bell found it,...

  • Raiders on win streak

    John R McNeil II|May 4, 2016

    The Raiders are on a baseball win streak that has improved their overall win-loss record to 14-4 and their Central Washington North 2B record to 10-4. Lake Roosevelt defeated the Pateros Billygoats on senior night at Greene Field April 26 12-2 and 10-0. On Saturday, the Raiders spoiled the Manson Trojans senior night by soundly trouncing them 11-1 and 12-1. With the wins, LR is now in fourth place in the North and could hold on to the final district spot with a sweep of the Tonasket Tigers, whom they were scheduled to play last night in...

  • Four-win streak keeps Raider Ladies softball team hopeful

    John R McNeil II|May 4, 2016

    The Lady Raiders won four games last week, which moved them into the number-four spot in the Central Washington 2B North standings. If they remain there, they will have a berth to the district tournament at the Ephrata Fastpitch complex starting May 14. Last night the Lady Raiders played at Tonasket in the season-ending doubleheader. Lake Roosevelt hosted the Pateros Nannies for Senior Night April 26, when the Nannies did not put up much of a fight in the first game, which ended 16-1 for LR. But the Nannies’ bats came alive in the second g...

  • Track looks to finish on high note

    John R McNeil II|May 4, 2016

    Raider Track finished its last two-meet week with the Northeast B meet in Davenport April 26 and the Rieke Invite at Peshastin on the 29th. Head Coach Lori Adkins was pleased with the progress the team made last week. “Between the two meets last week, our athletes pulled down a lot of (personal records). This shows promise we set up for postseason.” At Davenport, the Raider boys finished seventh in team scoring with 46.5 points. LR girls finished 16th with two team points. Cameron Tillman placed placed eigth in the 100-meter dash with the tim...

  • Raiders sweep Hornets, split with Mt. Lions

    John R McNeil II|Apr 27, 2016

    Raider baseball rebounded from losses to Okanogan by sweeping the Oroville Hornets last week, then splitting a doubleheader with Liberty Bell. The lowly Hornets were easily defeated by the Raiders in Oroville April 19. Lake Roosevelt won both games, 19-2 and 25-0. Liberty Bell came down to Greene Field on Friday for a double-header when both squads exchanged big games. In the first game, the Mountain Lions had a big offensive day, beating the Raiders 9-2. But in the second game, the Raiders...

  • Raiders golf enjoying the good weather

    John R McNeil II|Apr 27, 2016

    Raider Golf last week had the good fortune of playing in warm, sunny weather after having some cool wet matches early on. Head Coach Steve Files said, "The weather has been fantastic and our young team has been making steady improvement." At Moses Pointe, the Raiders faced Moses Lake Christian, Riverside Christian, and Sunnyside April 18. In tough competition on the 18-hole round, Darin Whiteman continued to lead the Raider boys, finishing the round in 106 strokes. Jazmine Reed led the Raider...

  • Raider tennis hitting stride

    John R McNeil II|Apr 27, 2016

    The Raider girls won their two team tennis matches last week, while the boys lost both. The boys won their doubles matches against the Davenport Gorillas April 18 but lost the singles, while the LR girls won the singles matches but lost the doubles. At Oroville on Thursday, the Raider girls scored another team win while the boys came close to winning by just one match. The Raiders won four of their five matches against the Hornets. “Tanya Ang’s match was a hot-and-cold affair,” Raider Head Coach Steve Archer said. “Each girl won a set at a lo...

  • Lady Raiders win one of four

    John R McNeil II|Apr 27, 2016

    Lady Raider softball had a tough week, winning only one of four games last week. “We had too many defensive errors this week,” Head Coach Cassie Wendt said. In a doubleheader against Oroville, the Lady Raiders committed 13 errors against the Hornets, then six against the Mountain Lions. Though the team did improve by reducing the number of errors, Wendt said, “We cannot expect to win games when we give the other team that many opportunities.” In the first matchup, April 19 in Oroville, the Hornets just held off the Lady Raiders in the first g...

  • Track gets closer to goals

    John R McNeil II|Apr 27, 2016

    Raider Track completed another two-meet week, traveling to Lakeside High School in Nine Mile Falls April 20 and to Quincy on the 23rd. The meet at Lakeside was a Northeast B-Leagues meet, with schools from both the Panorama and Bi-County League in attendance. Quincy was the annual invite, with schools from all across Central and Eastern Washington competing. At Lakeside, Matthew Tillman ran a personal record time in the 100-meter dash, placing fifth with a time of 12.24 seconds. Tillman also placed third in the pole vault, clearing the 8-foot...

  • LR track keeps moving forward

    John R McNeil II|Apr 20, 2016

    Raider Track competed in two meets last week. They traveled to Bridgeport April 12 for the Brewster Co-Ed Relays. Then on Saturday, the Raiders went to Cheney High School for the Big Red Invite. “The Brewster Relay meet was a team-bonding event where girls and boys competed together in various sprint and distance medleys,” Head Coach Lori Adkins explained. “It was a fun meet and a great workout day.” No results have been posted for the Raiders at the Brewster Relays. At the Big Red Invite, where the Raiders faced competition from all classif...

  • Okanogan Bulldogs use big innings to beat LR Raiders

    John R McNeil II|Apr 20, 2016

    The Raiders traveled north to Okanogan Saturday to take on the number-one Bulldogs. In the first game the Raiders kept it close until the fifth inning when the Bulldogs scored 8 runs to put the game out of reach. The final in the first game was Okanogan 10, LR 1. At the start of the second game the Raiders scored 2 runs at the top of the first. Then, in the bottom of the first inning, the Bulldogs exploded with 11 runs. The Raiders could not come back. The final score in the second game was Okan...

  • Lady Raiders lose two to Okanogan Bulldogs

    John R McNeil II|Apr 20, 2016

    Lady Raider Softball took on the Okanogan Bulldogs in Grand Coulee on the 16th. The Lady Raiders struggled in the first game. The Bulldogs jumped out and stayed ahead. The final score in the first game was Okanogan 13, LR 2. In the second game the Okanogan Bulldogs jumped ahead quick on two three-run innings and a Paxton Wood home run. Olivia Ludwig scored the first run for the Raiders in the second inning to make the score 4-1, foreshadowing innings to come. "Our bats finally caught fire in aro...

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