Looking back at 2004, a busy year in the Mat-Su sports world

JEREMIAH BARTZ/Sports Editor

Editor's note -- This is the second piece of a two-part look back at the news from the Mat-Su sporting world that topped the headlines in 2004.

As one year ends and the next begins, it is often time to recollect events of the past 12 months. Many things will be associated with the year 2004. In the Mat-Su sports community, 2004 will be remembered for the championships, the end of a few eras and a few remarkable accomplishments.

The following are some of the stories from 2004 to be remembered.

April

The headlines in the month of April feauted Mat-Su area standouts of past, present and future.

Former Colony High School standout Jessica Moore won her third national championship as a part of the University of Connecticut women's basketball team.

"It's unbelievable," Moore said. "You only dream about it when you are little, but don't think it's actually going to happen-- being from Alaska. In means so much to me and my family."

Moore proved to be an intergal part of her team's success as the Huskies won their third straight national title. Moore started every game during her junior season and was named to the All-Final Four team.

Stars of the present also shined bright. Wasilla senior Chandice Cronk ended a stellar career with the Warrior girls' basketball team, by winning the 4A state player of the year award. Colony senior Kristina Klapperich and Palmer senior Stanley Ratcliff were each named all-state in 4A basketball.

And a future star in Valley athletics found his name in the headlines. Jake Parisien, an eighth-grader at Palmer Junior Middle School, broke a pair of 10-year-old records at the Palmer Invitational middle school track and field meet. Parisien now holds the record for the 800-and 1,600-meter runs.

May

May signals the end of the school year, but May of 2004 also called for the end of a career for two of the most recognizable people in Valley athletics. Doug Bean, most recently the Wasilla High activities director and longtime coach and teacher in the Mat-Su area, and Kay Omer, a physical education teacher at Butte Elementary and coach in the Palmer area for more than 20 years, retired.

Wasilla High School not only recognized the farewell of Bean, but honored the career of Cronk. The jersey of Cronk was retired by WHS.

In a busy month for running enthusiasts, the Curt Menard Run became officially recognized as the Alaska state championship for the 5-K and a pair of Colony track athletes won state titles.

Junior Justin Schwartzbauer won the 300-meter hurdles state crown and fellow junior Shelby Beairsto won the state title in the high jump.

June

The first official month of summer is also the first month of the major outdoor events in the Valley.

Jens Beck and Stacey Deschamps won their respective divisions in the Big Lake Triathlon, while Najeeby Quinn and Jerry Ross each won Menard Run titles.

After winning his second Region III coach of the year award, Brandon Blake decided to step down from his position as the head coach of the Moose boys' hoops program in June to become the school's activities director.

"It really happened quite fast," Blake said. "I wasn't planning on it this year, but the opportunity presented itself.

"The way I thought about it, I love athletics, I love kids. Its a great job."

July

Chris Malone, a pitcher now in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, enjoyed one of the best pitching performances in Mat-Su Miner history with a no-hitter against the Alaska Goldpanners.

"Tonight everything went right, he was dominating," Mat-Su manager Mike Buchmiller said. "He had command of three pitches and threw the ball where he wanted to."

Malone's no-hitter and a win over the Goldpanners on July 31 helped the Miners clinch the Alaska Baseball League title.

The Miners were not the only conference winners in the Valley. The Valley-based Alaska Road Warriors American Legion baseball squad won its district title.

Also in July, Palmer senior Rory Egelus won the Junior Mount Marathon.

August

The Miners continued their winning ways straight to the championship game of the National Baseball Congress World Series. Stellar pitching and timely hitting helped the Miners finish second in the national tournament.

Also in August, the Warriors took time to recognize another Warrior from the past. The jersey of former Wasilla basketball star and Gatorade Player of the Year, Ray Schafer, was retired.

September

Palmer High School added three new head coaches. Former Service High School coach Greg Fullmer was named the head boys' basketball coach, longtime PHS assistant Paul Reid was named the girls' basketball coach and former Moose athlete Norm Rousey was named the head hockey coach.

The first month of fall was a month for Colony senior Peter Doner to remember. Doner won the Mat-Su Borough cross-country running title for the second straight season and just two weeks later Doner won the Region III cross-country title.

October

The Colony and Palmer football squads advanced to the 4A state playoffs in October. The Moose fell in the first round to the eventual state champions, North Pole, while Colony earned a first-round win over Lathrop and fell to West in the semifinals.

Colony head coach Randy Magner was named the Northern Railbelt Coach of the Year award, while his defensive coordinator, Jamie Mayo, earned both conference and state awards for assistant coach of the year.

In October Magner also coached his final game for the Knights. Magner, who served three terms as Knight head coach, was the first head coach in the history of the Colony program.

While Colony lost a football coach, the Knights gained a wrestling coach. Fred McKinney, a longtime head coach at Kotzebue High School, was named the CHS head wrestling coach.

November

The Colony volleyball team concluded a memorable season with a Region III championship and a third-place finish in the 4A state tournament in November. The Knight spikers finished the regular season undefeated in conference play and defeated cross-town rival Palmer in the Region III title match.

December

In the final month of 2004, Houston senior Dan Harvey won a small-school state wrestling title and Hermon Brothers Field was recognized as the top high school baseball facility in the country.

After winning a region title in his weight class, Harvey won the state title in the 171-pound bracket at the state meet. Harvey helped Houston grab fifth place in the team standings at the state meet.

The American Baseball Coaches Association named Hermon Brothers Field the best high school field in the country of those that participated in its annual contest.

Also in December, the Susitna Valley volleyball squad advanced to a state tournament for the first time in program history. The Rams finished fourth in the 1-2-3A state championships.

2005?

So what will happen in 2005?

Will the Wasilla girls' basketball team win a fourth straight Region III title?

Will the Mat-Su Miners repeat as ABL champions?

Who will be named the next head coach of the Colony High football program?

Keep reading the Frontiersman and find out.