SPORTS EDITOR

Two titles by John F. Kennedy top the list of the biggest sports stories of 2008.

The Lancers captured both the Class 3A fastpitch and girls swimming titles, and came close in some other sports.

The fastpitch crown was Kennedy’s second in a row, and came against Timberline - which is also in the West Central District tournament with the Lancers.

“Timberline is a good club,” said Kennedy head coach Dino Josie. “Both teams were in the final in the same district.”

Karli Merlich was the heroine of the story, winning on the mound and hitting 3-for-4 with a double, one run scored and two RBI. She struck out 10 Timberline batters in a complete game, five-hit effort as a pitcher.

Merlich was coming off a knee injury sustained the week before.

“I was sore, but I pushed through and we made it,” Merlich said. “It’s a definite team win.”

The Lancers’ girls swimming team is coming off a championship season just last month.

Kennedy’s state title streak was upped to three in a row for a “three-peat.”

“My girls swam phenomenal,” said JFK coach Marc Stock. “It was every bit as much fun as last year.”

The Kennedy girls basketball team also reached the state girls basketball title game, but lost to Auburn-Riverside by a 48-40 score.

The Lancers came back in the end to make it closer than it could have been.

“Toward the end, we had to fight and play strong to show that we could get close to Auburn-Riverside,” said JFK sophomore Yasmine Fuller.

The Lancers finished with a 23-2 overall record.

Kennedy took second place in boys soccer last spring, and third place in girls soccer this past fall.

The boys reached the final unscathed but took a 4-0 loss to Camas to finish in second place.

The girls missed out on the championship with a loss to the Everett Seagulls in the semifinals, then won the game for third place.

The Mount Rainier boys basketball team put on a good show last winter before settling for fourth place in the state tournament.