Washington
State Football bolsters both sides of
line, inking two players on National Signing Day
Wed., Feb.
6, 2019, 4:40 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson Spokane S-R
PULLMAN –
As far as a National Signing Day workload goes, Wednesday’s was on the lighter
side for Mike Leach and his Washington State staff.
Just how
light?
The day
started at 6:37 a.m. when the Cougars received a letter of intent from high
school defensive end Nicholas Sheetz.
Nearly 13
minutes later, it was over.
Jimmy
Price, a junior college offensive tackle, made it official at 6:50, capping a
short yet productive signing day for the Cougars.
Historically,
Feb. 6 has been the busiest day of the year for college football programs
across America, but since the inception of the early signing period, a
three-day stretch in late December has become far more pivotal than a 24-hour
block in early February.
Leach and
his coaches only had four more scholarships to offer after 20 recruits signed
binding agreements with the Cougars in December. Sheetz and Price accounted for
two of those, which keeps two more scholarships vacant. Last year, the Cougars
still had a few to spare in May when they signed graduate transfer quarterback
Gardner Minshew and West Virginia transfer nose tackle Lamonte McDougle, along
with JC safety Chad Davis Jr.
WSU
managed to strengthen both sides of the line on Wednesday, signing a 6-foot-3,
255-pound edge rusher, and a 6-foot-5, 295-pound offensive lineman with
previous experience, both at the junior college and FCS level.
A native
of Greenwood, South Carolina, Sheetz was a three-year letterwinner at Emerald High
School, where he was an All-Region defensive lineman his junior and senior
season. The three-star prospect was rated the No. 36 overall recruit in the
state of South Carolina and tallied 52 tackles, nine tackles-for-loss, four
sacks and six pass breakups last fall.
Leach
didn’t hold an official press conference Wednesday, but commented on both
players in a school release.
The coach
called Sheetz a “big, explosive defensive linemen who has an incredibly quick
first step. He is a productive player who consistently pressures the
quarterback.”
The
Cougars intended to sign four defensive linemen during the early period, but
two defensive tackle targets – Nassir Sims and Dejon Benton – ultimately gave
their signatures to San Diego State and USC. WSU salvaged one of those spots by
inking Sheetz, a lightly-recruited prospect who didn’t hold a Power Five offer
until the Cougars came knocking late in the process.
“(Defensive
line) coach (Jeff) Phelps went all over the country those last three weeks and
really went after whoever, wherever they were located,” WSU Chief of Staff Dave
Emerick told Matt Chazanow, Alex Brink and Jessamyn McIntyre on the NSD19 Radio
Show. “We found some really good ones and really liked Nick the best of the
group we were evaluating at that time. Had some early academic issues, so some
schools had a bunch of initial interest, a bunch of offers, then the bigger schools
maybe dropped off and waited a little bit for his academic situation to be
cleared up.”
Price, who
spent one year at Stephen F. Austin before transferring to Tyler JC, wasn’t on
WSU’s radar until former Lumberjacks OL coach Bill Best referred him to
Cougars’ OL coach Mason Miller. Price got another glowing reference from an
assistant coach at Incarnate Word, where Miller and WSU had been holding
practices leading up to the Alamo Bowl.
“Normally
we like to develop guys, high school guys, and go from there. But it’s a unique
situation with Jimmy,” Miller said on the NSD show. “We go down to bowl
practice and another one of our friends that was at Incarnate Word comes up to
me and goes, ‘Hey, that big tackle at Tyler, you should probably get on him, he
looks just like your guys.’ Big get, he’s all of what you want.”
The
Cougars return four starters on the O-line, but lose All-American left tackle
Andre Dillard. Price could compete for Dillard’s job or potentially Abraham
Lucas’ right tackle spot if the Cougars opt to move the Freshman All-American
to the other side of the line. Price, who played in eight games at SFA and
started in two, has three years to play two and therefore could redshirt in
2019.
“It’ll add
some depth into that class with Abe and Brian Greene, where we only have two
guys in there,” Miller said. “So it’s a win-win for us, really excited about
him and the other three we signed in the early signing class.”
::::::::::::::::::
Vince
Grippi of Spokane S-R says:
If you
have some time this morning, you might want to spend it reading another story
as well. Yahoo Sports has an in-depth look …
https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa-investigation-underway-arizonas-sean-miller-faces-complicated-future-234415126.html
… at the
problems facing Arizona’s Sean Miller (and others) arising from the FBI
investigation.
The fire
should really get stoked in April when Christian Dawkins’ trial begins.
Dawkins,
who worked for a sports agency, has already been found guilty in federal court
once. Now he faces even more charges.
And Miller
is almost certain to be dragged into it.
It’s a
long and complicated story, but well worth the time. Why? Because it sure seems
as if the landscape of college basketball, at least on the West Coast, could
change if Miller is implicated and forced out at UA. After all, even with all
this hanging over his head, Miller has attracted the top recruiting class in
the nation for next season. The Wildcats are poised to bounce back if Miller
can survive the next few months.
:::::::::::
From WSU
Sports Info
WSU track & field will compete in Seattle and Albuquerque
…DON KIRBY
ELITE
Friday-Saturday,
Feb. 8-9 | Albuquerque, N.M. |
Albuquerque Convention Center
Fri. Event
Start - 3:00 p.m. (PT) | Sat. Event Start - 8:30 a.m. (PT)
…HUSKY
CLASSIC
Friday-Saturday,
Feb. 8-9 | Seattle, Wash. |
Dempsey Indoor
Fri. Event
Start - 9:00 a.m. (PT) | Sat. Event Start - 10:00 a.m. (PT)
COUGARS
HEAD BACK TO SEATTLE, ALBUQUERQUE
>>
Washington State will compete as a split squad in the upcoming week, as the WSU
will be at the Husky Classic hosted by the University of Washington, Friday
through Saturday, Feb. 8-9 inside the Dempsey Indoor Facility. Cougar Track
& Field will also be competing Friday through Saturday at the Don Kirby
Elite, held at the Albuquerque Convention Center, and hosted by the University
of New Mexico.
WSU WINS
11 TOTAL EVENTS AT COUGAR INDOOR
>> The Cougars saw a big day on the women's side
with six total event victories at the indoor invitational. Regyn Gaffney took
home first overall in the 60m dash at 7.55, Samantha King-Shaw finished first
in the 5000m at 18:17.02, and Charisma Taylor tallied another victory this time
in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.48. Suzy Pace record a PR in the high jump
for the win at 5-feet 8 1/2 inches, and Aoife Martin claimed the top spot in
the weight throw at 56-feet 4 1/2 inches. Chrisshnay Brown capped off the event
with a win in the shot put with a throw of 47-feet 9 inches (14.55m).
>>
Emmanuel Wells Jr. continued to improve his 60m dash time, running a WSU indoor
facility and Cougar Indoor meet record of 6.65. Emmanuel's time saw him move up
to third all-time in WSU history in the men's 60m dash, and tied Washington
State great Anson Henry for the all-time WSU indoor 60m dash record as well. Christapherson Grant took home first place in
the 60m hurdles with a PR of 8.02 overall, and Troy Gingerich joined Grant in
the PR club on the day in the pole vault event, as Gingerich claimed first at
16-feet 4 3/4 inches. Peyton Fredrickson continued to see success in the high
jump, winning the event at 7-feet 1/4 inches, and Robby Flores took first
overall in the triple jump at 47-feet 4 1/2 inches as well.
:::::::::
From WSU
Sports Info
Arizona
State (15-6, 6-4) at WASHINGTON STATE Women’s Basketball (7-15, 2-9)
7pm Thur.
Feb. 7 2019
Friel
Court at Beasley Coliseum on WSU campus in Pullman.
—The game
will be a ‘Play For Kay’ game with WSU wearing pink uniforms supporting breast
cancer awareness.
—The Cougs
come home to begin the final month of the regular season, a time in which WSU
will play 5 of 7 inside of Beasley Coliseum. Thursday's game marks the lone
contest of the year against the Sun Devils, a team that has won 7-straight in
the series including a nail-bitting 61-58 decision last year in Pullman.
……………..
WSU golf
course: Palouse Ridge
CourseCo
receives environmental award from golf course association
February
6, 2019 from WSU News
CourseCo,
the golf course management company that Washington State University contracts
to manage the Palouse Ridge Golf Course, will receive the 2019 President’s
Award for Environmental Stewardship by the board of directors of the Golf
Course Superintendents Association of America.
The award
will be given on Wednesday, Feb. 6, during the 2019 Golf Industry Show in San
Diego that runs Feb. 2–7.
Established
in 1991, the Environmental Stewardship award is given to organizations that
create “an exceptional environmental contribution to the game of golf; a
contribution that further exemplifies the golf course superintendent’s image as
a steward of the land.”
Starting
in Northern California, CourseCo now manages 36 golf courses that are primarily
owned by municipalities or counties. A core principal of CourseCo is a
commitment to environmental enhancement, reduction of resource use and
sustainable management practices that benefit the communities they work in.
Sustainable turfgrass management is an integral aspect of every evaluation,
recommendation and management plan they implement for their clients.
Construction
of WSU’s Palouse Ridge Golf Club began June 9, 2006. It was designed by John
Harbottle III — called “one of the best golf course designers in America,” by
Golf World.
Palouse
Ridge’s irrigation system was specifically designed to minimize water use and
emphasize the natural beauty of the Palouse. It utilizes 20‑30 computerized field
monitors networked to a main computer, as well as valves under each sprinkler
head and an on‑site weather station.
The course superintendent can program each sprinkler head, factoring in such
variables as evaporation, precipitation and microclimates, thereby avoiding
overwatering. Only turf grass areas will be irrigated, leaving significant
areas naturalized.
Palouse
Ridge opened Aug. 29, 2008. The following year, Golf Digest ranked it as No. 2
on its list of America’s Best New Courses.
CourseCo
has been certified by the Audubon Society for their environmental stewardship.
Its facilities utilize both Integrated Pest Management plans and Chemical
Application Management Plans that reduce the use of chemical pesticides.
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