FOOTBALL: Peyton Pelluer’s return was breath of fresh air
for Washington State
UPDATED: Sat., March 24, 2018, 8:52 p.m.
By Theo Lawson Spokane S-R
PULLMAN – An otherwise dim offseason for the Washington
State football team was offered a short window of relief in late January.
It came straight from the NCAA, of all places.
On Jan. 25, between the Cougars learning of Tyler Hilinski’s
suicide and the departure of the next assistant coach, inside linebackers coach
Ken Wilson spilled some good news on his Twitter account, presumably only after
he received Peyton Pelluer’s OK.
Pelluer, the well-known middle linebacker who’d been a
general and captain for WSU’s defense before sustaining a season-ending foot
fracture, had applied for a medical hardship waiver that if approved, would
grant him another season of college eligibility.
When Pelluer got the green light, Wilson was the first to
know. Pelluer’s mother got the second call.
“I had to let coach know that I was coming back,” Pelluer
said. “He was pretty ecstatic.”
On the heels of WSU’s second spring practice, Pelluer spoke
at length Saturday about the process that led to his return – something that
wasn’t always so certain, even if the linebacker felt confident his case would
prevail.
“We had a pretty solid plan in place,” he said. “Our
trainers and our compliance people, they did a great job of helping me out with
every step and it took awhile, it took a little longer to hear back from the
NCAA and the Pac-12 than we wanted it to. So it was a little nerve-wracking
there, but the good thing is that I got the extra year and that’s what matters
and it’s a blessing to be back.”
Pelluer may have lost some sleep as the waiver process
dragged on, but his head coach didn’t.
“That one, just within the framework of the rule, it’s
pretty much a slam dunk,” Mike Leach said. “If he hadn’t gotten it, we would’ve
appealed it because it’s so within the rule.”
Pelluer was a fifth-year senior in 2017 and already the most
veteran linebacker on the Cougars’ roster. That now makes him a unicorn in the
college football universe: a sixth-year player who could be celebrating his
25th birthday before the Cougars potentially play in their fourth consecutive
bowl game.
“I kind of feel like the grandfather of the group,” he said.
“We joke around all the time about how old I am compared to these guys, but it
doesn’t matter. We’re all out here doing the same thing, just having fun
playing the game that we love.”
Pelluer was one of WSU’s top defensive assets before he
fractured his foot, but his value to the Cougars didn’t completely dissipate
after the injury. Pelluer’s acumen and wisdom were vital tools for Wilson’s
young linebackers. The group wound up starting two redshirt freshmen – Jahad Woods
and Justus Rogers – when Isaac Dotson and Nate DeRider went down with injuries,
and Pelluer made it his misson to mentor both.
Now, between Pelluer, Woods and Rogers, the Cougars bring
back three players who’ve started 48 college games.
“They’re not just young guys,” Pelluer said, “they’re young
guys with experience and they’re getting older day by day.”
Now Pelluer has at least more 12 more games to build on an
already-accomplished career.
The Sammamish, Washington, native was an All-Pac-12
performer as a redshirt junior when he led the Cougars, and ranked fourth in
the conference, with 93 total tackles. Pelluer returned an interception for a
touchdown to fuel WSU’s thrilling comeback win over Boise State last season and
made 14 tackles against the Broncos.
“I think it’s real important,” WSU coach Mike Leach said of
Pelluer’s return. “And plus he’s always been an achiever and a guy that works
really hard. He’s kind of a by example guy, but he’s always been one of those
guys that feels like he needs to earn his job every day.”
A forewarning for any WSU fan who shows up to Martin Stadium
this fall hoping to identify Pelluer by his signature brown locks: You’re
better off looking for his No. 47 these days.
“I told myself I was going to get rid of (the hair) after
the season and I postponed it,” Pelluer said. “Then I told myself I was going
to get rid of it before Midnight Maneuvers and that didn’t happen. Then I was
down in California and I was like, I’ll just chop it off here. It’s been a
little bit of a transition. It feels like something’s been taken away from me
but it was bittersweet.”
Leach joked that Pelluer passed on his haircut to freshman
quarterback Cammon Cooper, who also wears a full head of brown hair down past
his shoulders.
“He’s going to carry on the legacy,” Pelluer said.
………….
Cougars Grabs Six
Wins Friday at Sam Adams Classic Meet
From WSU Sports Info
SPOKANE, Wash. -- The second
day of the 13th Sam Adams Classic track and field meet provided another mix of
rain with some snow and a little dark of night but also some solid performances
by the Washington State University competitors Friday at the Pine
Bowl/Boppell Track on the Whitworth University in Spokane.
Molly Scharmann (redshirt
sophomore, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) won the women's pole vault with an
outdoor lifetime-best mark of 13-feet 1 1/2 inches (4.00m). Scharmann cleared
her final height on her third attempt and then missed the next three at 13-5
1/4 (4.10m). Her PR of 13-3 1/2 (4.05m), fourth-best in WSU all-time records,
was accomplished during the 2018 indoor season.
Chrisshnay Brown (junior,
Lompoc, Calif.) won the women's shot put with a season-best throw of 44-5 1/4
(13.54m) and finished second in the discus with a throw of 145-8 (44.40m), just
three inches off her PR mark.
In the men's field events,
Tucker Mjelde (redshirt junior, Maple Valley, Wash.) won the pole
vault after clearing a height of 15-1 (4.60m).
Peyton Fredrickson (junior,
Ridgefield, Wash.) and Mitch Jacobson (freshman, Walla Walla) tied for first in
the high jump after clearing the bar at 6-6 3/4 (2.00m). Beau Sheeran and
Max English also cleared 6-6 3/4 (2.00m) but were relegated to third and fourth
place, respectively, based on missed jumps.
Tyler Jackson (redshirt senior,
Richland, Wash.) won the discus with a season-best toss of 161-7 (49.26m), just
13 inches below his lifetime best discus throw.
On the track, Cameron Dean
(sophomore, Spokane) won the 3000m steeplechase in a time of 9 minutes 41.74
seconds.
ADDITIONAL COUGARS FRIDAY RESULTS
FROM WHITWORTH SAM ADAMS CLASSIC:
MEN
Pole Vault - Troy Gingerich (t-2nd - 4.45m/14-7 1/4),
Trevor Bushman (4th - 4.45m/14-7 1/4)
Shot Put - Drew Norvell (5th - 14.05m/46-1 1/4)
Discus - Drew Norvell (11th 37.70m/123-8)
WOMEN
800m - Jenaya Pynn (6th
- 2:25.88), Breya Wynne (8th - 2:29.96)
400m Hurdles - Adreonia Bradley
(2nd - 1:05.32)
3000m Steeplechase - Desi Stinger
(3rd - 11:42.51), Pia Richards (4th - 11.59:48)
Pole Vault - Macee Erickson
(t-4th - 3.65m/11-11 3/4), Katelyn Frost (7th - 3.50m/11-5 3/4), Emily Coombs
(8th - 3.35m/10-11 3/4)
Shot Put - Lovely Tukuafu (5th -
12.00m/ 39-4 1/2)
Discus - Kaitlin Krouse (3rd
- 43.09m/141-4)
::::::::::::::::
BASEBALL Cougars Held Off By Arizona in the Ninth
From WSU Sports Info
TUCSON, Ariz. – Washington State rallied with four runs in
the eighth inning but had the tying run thrown out at third base in the ninth
inning after trying to move up on a wild pitch, clinching a 5-4 victory for
Arizona at Hi Corbett Field Friday evening.
The Cougars (4-13, 0-4 Pac-12) received two hits from third
baseman Dillon Plew and eighth-inning two-run singles from Justin Harrer and
James Rudkin. Arizona improved to 12-9 overall and 1-3 in conference play
behind an impressive start from Cody Deason who struck out 10 and allowed two
runs in 7.1 innings.
In the first, Arizona took a 1-0 lead after an infield
single to second base and a pair of walks before a sacrifice fly to left field
score the game’s first run. Cougar starter A.J. Block ended the inning with a
strikeout and ground out, leaving the bases loaded.
In the second, the Wildcats added another run after four
hits in the inning, scoring once on an infield single for a 2-0 lead. Arizona
again loaded the bases but Block ended the inning with a popup and ground out
to Andres Alvarez at shortstop.
Washington State received singles from Danny Sinatro and
Plew in the third inning but Arizona ended the threat with a strikeout. In the
fourth, the Cougars again put a runner in scoring position after JJ Hancock
drove a triple the other way into the left centerfield gap. Arizona starter
Cody Deason again kept WSU off the board by getting an inning-ending groundout.
In the bottom half of the fourth inning, Block struck out
the first two hitters before the Wildcats put a man on after a Cougar fielding
error. The next batter doubled to right centerfield to score the runner from
first for a 3-0 advantage. Arizona pushed the lead to 4-0 with a triple just
inside the first base bag and down the right field line allowing a runner from
first to score. The Wildcats turned another triple in the seventh into a run
after executing a squeeze bunt to make it 5-0.
In the eighth, the Cougars saw pinch-hitter Derek Chapman
start the inning with a single into right centerfield. One batter later Alvarez
was hit by a pitch and Plew followed by drawing a four-pitch walk. Arizona made
their second pitching change of the inning and Harrer lined a two-run single
the other way into right field to cut the Arizona lead to 5-2. The next batter
Blake Clanton hit a ground ball that the Wildcats tried to turn a double play
with but Clanton beat the throw at first that kept the inning alive. Clanton
later moved up to second on a wild pitch to put runners on second and third for
James Rudkin who pulled a 3-2 pitch through the left side of the infield for a
two-out two-run single, cutting the lead to 5-4. Arizona ended the inning with
a strikeout.
In the bottom of the eighth, with runners on the second and
third and one out, the Cougars turned to freshman lefthander Dylan Orlando who
induced a ground ball fielder’s choice and an inning-ending strikeout, keeping
WSU within one.
In the ninth, the Cougars saw catcher Robert Teel reach
second with one out after an Arizona throwing error. Sinatro was hit by a pitch
to put runners on first and second with one out. Arizona struck out the next
hitter before the game ended after the Wildcat catcher threw out the Cougars
trying to move up to third base on a ball in the dirt.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Harrer has reached base in six straight games
Plew recorded two hits, his third multiple-hit game of the
season
Starter A.J. Block, 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 4 K
JJ Hancock recorded his first career triple
In his first at-bat of the season, Derek Chapman had a
pinch-hit single to start the 8th
Catcher Robert Teel made his first appearance after
suffering a leg injury in the fourth game of the season (vs. UC Riverside,
2/18)
NEXT UP = The series at Arizona continues Saturday at 6 p.m.
.................
COUGS WON SATURDAY NIGHT GAME, 5-4
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