Fallows takes third

Sean Fallows competed in the Willows Run fifth annual Men’s

Eastside Amateur Golf Tournament this past weekend. Held on the Eagle’s

Talon course, this tournament was open to golfers with a USGA index not

exceeding 5.1.

In the first day’s competition, Fallows shot a 74, placing him fourth

going into the final round. Despite the rain and wind, he shot a 75 on

Sunday.

His combined scores were enough to take third place in the

36-hole, stroke-play tournament. Fallows is a member of the defending

KingCo Championship golf team at Mount Si High School.

Team makes some Magic at championship

The Skagit Valley Labor Day Kick was held over Labor Day weekend

in Burlington, Wash. Soccer teams from all over the Pacific Northwest

region attended. Among them was the Snoqualmie Valley’s very own

Cascade Select Magic, which earned the Girls U12 Division Championship.

Under the direction of coach Del Flagg, and assistant coaches Bill

Biggs and Ron Kero, Cascade Select Magic won all three preliminary

games against Skagit Storm Navy (7-1), FC Marauders (5-0) and WDL Green

(1-0).

Throughout the competition, both the Magic’s offense and

defense played with a winning attitude. The most nerve-racking match,

however, was the semifinal against Skagit Valley Storm North, which ended in a

2-2 tie. Under the tournament rules of competition, tie games in the

semifinals go directly to a shoot-out, with each team choosing their best

shooters to take a shot at the goalkeeper. The team with the most goals out

of five tries wins the semifinal, and that put the Magic’s keeper in the hot seat.

But with great shots by team members and great catches by the

keeper, the Magic was able to win the semifinal and move on to the finals,

which was played against a skilled Emerald City “A” team that had notched

four shutouts in the games building up to the championship game. Emerald

City had won its semifinal game against the FC Alliance “A” team 5-0.

In the finals, the Magic scored its first goal 12 minutes into the

game, and by halftime the defense had held the game to 1-0. From the

beginning of the second half, it was clear that Emerald City wanted to pressure

the Magic defense into submission, but the defense held.

Emerald City pushed both outside defenders way up the field,

leaving only its center defender to cover the three Magic forwards. The intent

was to put the team in a box and not let them out.

About halfway through the second half, the Magic keeper was forced

to make a spectacular save on a beautiful arching shot from midfield.

Still the defense held. With about 12 minutes left, the Magic broke out of

the box, with numbers up on attack, and scored to take a 2-0 lead.

Again Emerald City pressed their outside defenders up on attack.

With about five minutes left, the Magic defense got the ball to their three

forwards, who took it up the field. The center striker took the ball straight

at the lone center defender, and before the center defender could win the

ball, a beautiful pass was laid off to the left wing, who shot the ball past the

Emerald City keeper into the back of the net. That sealed a 3-0 victory and

the tournament championship.