We arrived toward the end of the girl's
championship game, and watched Prairie knock off the
favored Bears of Central Valley. With both games being
televised on Fox Sports Northwest, there would be a
longer than normal break between the games. As Rich
Waltz and Elise Woodward recapped the girl's game, I
went over to hug the host coordinators, Marlowe and
Diane Roeser.
I stopped and introduced myself to Bill Krueger, the
former big league pitcher, who would be calling the
game. He asked what I thought about the upcoming game.
I told him that I felt if Mead were vulnerable, it
would be against a speedy team with depth that rebounds
well, and that was what they were going to get tonight.
They traded baskets early on, but Franklin's speed
took them out to a first quarter lead of 16-11. Tourney
MVP Adam Morrison led a second quarter charge that
brought the Panthers back to a 20-20 tie with about
five minutes to go in the half, but Aaron Brooks and
company took control again. The Quakers finished the
half up 32-24.
The lead dissipated to three shortly after the
intermission, but Mead found itself gasping for air
with the pace of the game. Morrison was racking up the
points, but Brooks was showing the crowd that his
selection as an All-American was no fluke, matching the
state's leading scorer point for point. We would head to
the final period with Franklin up 54-41.
Morrison was on a mission, and brought the Panthers
to within seven with a thunderous two-handed jam.
It was the last run the Panthers would make. Franklin
went into a stall with just under three minutes to play.
They were able to foul Zenrique Tellez one of the brief
moments the ball wasn't in the hands of Aaron Brooks.
The strategy worked when Tellez missed the front end of
a one and one, but they couldn't capitalize on it.
Franklin was able to run the clock out, coming away
with a 67-55 victory!
Morrison's 37 points was eclipsed by the 38 of Aaron
Brooks. With the two stars matching each other, it had
come down to what I thought: it was the depth of the
Franklin team that made the difference.
Coach Jackson pointed out his mark on the trophy.
He was a star on the Roosevelt team that won the title
in 1982! He deserves to be proud. He's a fine man with
a great family, and the trophy he helped take to
Roosevelt would roost in the halls at Franklin!
After getting the team to autograph my program,
I headed out to drop off my guests and to meet the team
at Red Robin for a celebratory burger!
I saw Adam Morrison as he headed to
the team bus. He's a phenomenal talent who brought
everything he had, and left nothing behind. I congratulated
him on the MVP, and in leading Mead to its best-ever
finish. I told him that I'd enjoy rooting for him with
Gonzaga. He shook my hand and said 'thank you, sir.'
I watched the winners who took second board their bus.
They had given their fans everything they had, and all
over Spokane there would be kids on playgrounds pretending
to be Adam Morrison and company!
But all over Seattle, there'd be kids on playgrounds
pretending they are Aaron Brooks, Kellen Williams, and
the state champion Franklin Quakers!
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Saying Goodbye
There was a bittersweet feeling about
meeting the team after the game. On one hand, I was
really proud to have hosted a team that showed so much
class in winning a championship. On the other, I was
saying goodbye to eight seniors who won't be back
when they return next year.
Lucas Eaton, Tavar Proctor, Jaxin Skyward, Zenrique
Tellez, Darryl Taylor, Ricky Washington, Aaron Brooks,
and Kellen Williams would all be onto the next phases
of their lives next year. They are a special group of
young men, and I would have been lucky to meet any of
them. I felt extremely lucky to have met all of them!
The coaches all thanked me for whatever it was that I
did. They just have no idea how much enjoyment I get
from hosting, or how they had renewed my faith
in the program over the two years I've hosted them.
Coaches Al Kawashima and Cliff Brown invited me to
sit with them. We talked about other teams I've
hosted starting with Shorecrest eleven years earlier.
I told them that, until tonight, the highlight of my
hosting was when my White River Hornets played this
very same Franklin school in the title game. Jason Terry
led the potent Quakers that year. I recalled hosting
the very classy Centralia team the year Ron Brown won
his 500th game. In all the years, though, only Cleveland
had come close to making me feel so much a part of the
team as they had.
I made sure I said goodbye to each of them on my way
out. Coach Kerr told me that he'd keep me advised when
the assembly and banquet would be. Jaxin Skyward gave me
a hug, and so did Coach Jackson's son who entertained
the crowd and refs during the whole affair! Lyndale's
parents introduced themselves. I told them that I was
sure I'd see them next year! I wished Aaron well with
the Ducks next year, and headed out into the night.
Aaron Brooks will make a name for himself in the Pac
10 over the next four years. Kellen Williams will play
somewhere, and whatever school lands him is getting a
fleet, tough, high-jumping warrior. Whatever the other
seniors do, they will do it with the experience of
having played on one of the truly great teams in the
state's history, and with the fine examples set by Jason
Kerr, Al Kawashima, Craig Jackson, and Dr. Cliff Brown.
There's no buying that much class and discipline in role
models. You just have to luck into it - like I did!
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