Mariners News
The Mariners just ticked off a major box on their offseason to-do list.
ESPN reports that the M’s are in agreement with first baseman Josh Naylor on a five-year contract. The 28-year-old was acquired at the trade deadline and provided the Mariners with arguably their most steady bat, hitting .299 with nine home runs and a stunning 19 stolen bases.
Specific details of the contract have not been released yet.
Seahawks News
The Seahawks came up just short in a battle for the NFC West division lead. Seattle fell to the Los Angeles Rams 21-19 yesterday.
The Hawks overcame four interceptions by Sam Darnold to kick a 61-yard field goal for the win as time expired, but Jason Myers’ attempt went wide right and short.
Myers ended with four field goals, while Kenneth Walker scored Seattle’s sole touchdown. Jaxon Smith-Njigba stayed red-hot with 9 catches for 105 yards.
Seattle fell to second place in the NFC West with the loss, which not only snapped their four-game win streak but also their 10-game streak on the road. They’ll look to rebound in Tennessee next Sunday against the league-worst Titans.
Week 11 wraps up tonight with Pete Carroll, Geno Smith and the Las Vegas Raiders hosting the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. Coverage begins at 4:00 and kickoff is at 5:15 on KPUG.
12’s fans suffered more bad news over the weekend.
Former hard-hitting Seahawks safety Kenny Easley passed away on Friday at the age of 66. The Hall of Famer spent all seven years with Seattle before his career was cut short due to a severe kidney ailment, forcing him to retire at age 28.
Despite some off-field disagreements with the team, Easley was inducted into the Hawks’ Ring of Honor in 2002 and was just named as one of their 50 greatest players in franchise history.
Huskies/Cougs News
The Huskies and Cougs earned a pair of dominant wins over the weekend.
Washington beat Purdue 49-13 on Saturday to improve to 7-3 on the season They’re currently tied for 6th-place in the Big Ten standings.
Meanwhile, Washington State blew by Louisiana Tech 28-3 to even up their record at 5-5.
HS Football News
Four Whatcom County teams are still standing following the opening round of the state football tournament over the weekend.
Ferndale and Nooksack Valley each got bounced, with the Pioneers falling to Life Christian Academy 35-7 on Saturday.
Lynden and Sehome each picked up wins to move on to the 2A quarterfinals for the second straight year. The Lions handled West Valley of Spokane 28-14 and Sehome edged Othello 24-21 to keep their seasons alive.
The 6th-seeded Lions will now travel to Yakima to play 3rd-seeded East Valley on Saturday, while the 9th-seeded Mariners head down south to face top-seeded Archbishop Murphy.
Over in the 1A tournament, Lynden Christian and Mount Baker had the weekend off after each securing first-round byes. The 3rd-seeded Mountaineers will host 11th-seeded Omak at Blaine High School at noon on Saturday before the 4th-seeded Lyncs host 5th-seeded Montesano on the same field at 4.
Meanwhile, Anacortes kept its hopes of three-peating alive with a 45-7 win over Steilacoom to advance to the 2A quarterfinals.
HS Volleyball News
The Lynden Lions are state volleyball champions.
The Lions swept Ellensburg on Saturday to earn their first 2A state volleyball championship in program history. It came after beating Sehome in the semifinals, as the Mariners came in at 4th place at state.
Over in the 1A bracket, 7th-seeded Meridian made a Cinderella run all the way to the championship, where they fell to Chelan. Lynden Christian followed with a 5th-place finish.
And in class 3A, Ferndale beat Snohomish in the district consolation bracket on Saturday to book a ticket to state. The Golden Eagles will face Roosevelt in a loser-out match on Friday morning in the opening round of the tournament.
HS Soccer News
In the world of soccer, the Sehome girls had their season come to an unexpected end in the quarterfinals. The Mariners fell to Hockinson 1-0 at Civic Field on Saturday in their first loss of the season.
Lynden Christian saw the same struggles, losing to Bear Creek 1-0 in the 1A quarterfinals.
Anacortes is still alive, they’re facing Columbia River in the 2A semifinals on Friday. They won their first state tournament game in program history just last week.
WWU Vikings News
Western’s women’s soccer team fell in the GNAC Championships over the weekend.
The Vikings lost to Simon Frasier in PKs on Saturday after playing to a scoreless draw in regulation.
Western secured one of four at-large bids for the national tournament in the selection show earlier today. They earned the top seed in the West Region and will host the winner of Azusa Pacific vs. Point Loma on Saturday at Harrington Field.
