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Articles written by John Mcneil Ii


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  • Track finishes last two meet week of season

    John McNeil II|May 6, 2015

    The Raiders travelled to Mansfield April 28 for the Iceberg Invitational and then to Oroville on May 2 for the Draggoo Financial-Oroville Invitational. The boys placed third overall at Mansfield with 68 team points. Raider girls took fifth overall with 20 team points. At Mansfield, Katelynn Schilling recorded two career personal records. She took first in the shot put with a 36 foot, 2.5 inch-throw. At discus she took another first by throwing another PR of 100 feet, 1 inch. At Oroville... Full story

  • Raiders defeat Warriors

    John McNeil II|Apr 8, 2015

    The Lake Roosevelt Raiders defeated the Warriors of Almira/Coulee-Hartline twice on March 31 at Greene Field in Coulee Dam. In the first game, the Raiders 10-runned the Warriors to win early by the mercy rule. But in the second game, the Raiders found themselves down 10 runs with time running out. LR rallied back with a nine-run fifth inning to make the score 15-14. Then in the bottom of the sixth, the go-ahead run came home for LR to take the lead and hold on to it for a 16-15 victory. “I was proud of the Raiders for coming back in our s... Full story

  • Raider tennis girls keep on winning

    John McNeil II|Apr 8, 2015

    Raider tennis girls’ singles stayed on a winning streak last week, defeating Liberty Bell at home March 31 and Oroville on April 2, also at home. “The girls continued to dominate at first, second and third singles,” Head Coach Steve Archer said. “I’m very pleased with their consistency.” The Raider boys continue to grow as the season progresses. Against Liberty Bell, freshman Malcom Carson recorded a victory over D. J. Haley in the number-three singles match, 6-1, 6-1. This was the only victory for the Raider boys against Liberty Bell. Again... Full story

  • Raider tennis off to soggy start

    John McNeil II|Mar 25, 2015

    The Raider tennis team's first match on the new court surface at Lake Roosevelt was delayed an hour due to rain on Friday. Because of the delay, Head Coach Steve Archer said, the format was changed. "So we shortened the format by playing eight game pro-sets, instead of two-out-of-three sets," he explained. Besides the weather, Raider Tennis was dealt another blow before the match even started. After grade checks Wednesday, seven players were declared ineligible for the match. "The result was... Full story

  • Lady Raiders on win streak

    John McNeil II|Jan 28, 2015

    After a bad set of games, the Lady Raiders are on a win streak, sweeping all opponents last week. Lake Roosevelt is sitting in the number-two spot in the Central Washington North, behind Okanogan. The Lady Raiders’ win-loss record stands at 9-6 overall, and 7-2 in league play. At Oroville Jan. 20, the Lady Raiders held off a strong Hornet team by the final score of 44-37. Then at Liberty Bell on Thursday, the Lady Raiders posted a solid win, beating the Mt. Lions 50-34. To finish the week the Lady Raiders defeated the Fillies of Bridgeport b... Full story

  • Raider boys win two of three

    John McNeil II|Jan 28, 2015

    The Raiders won two of three basketball games last week to put them in fourth place in the Central Washington North standings, with a 6-3 league win-loss record and a 9-6 record overall. The wins came at Oroville and Bridgeport. Liberty Bell defeated the Raiders to tie the season series at one apiece. “We didn’t quite perform like we wanted to this week, but we battled in a lot of ways,” Head Coach Matt Simpson said of the Raiders’ performance on the road last week. At Oroville Jan. 20, the Raiders defeated the lowly Hornets with ease. LR jump... Full story

  • Wrestlers make good showing at Kittitas

    John McNeil II|Jan 28, 2015

    The Raiders came up against many schools that will have state competitors Saturday in Kittitas and competed in challenging matches and took home three medals from the Coyote Classic. “We got a chance to see teams like Ilwaco and Napavine, who will be at state and we haven’t yet seen this season,” Head Coach Steve Hood said. Gabe Moses, at 138 pounds, took home his first gold medal. Moses pinned all his opponents on the way to the gold. His opponents were Sam Smith of Napavine, Chance Robinson of Pomeroy, and Wegner of Liberty Bell. Oscar Pakoo... Full story

  • Raider boys on two-game win streak

    John McNeil II|Jan 21, 2015

    Raider Boys Basketball won two of three games for the second straight week and began a win streak. Lake Roosevelt had a rough start to last week against the fourth-ranked Okanogan Bulldogs Jan. 13 at Okanogan. The Raiders started a different group of players, and the game was close until the end of the first quarter when the Bulldogs found a rhythm. During the first quarter, Merle Picard accounted for six of LR's 10 points in the first quarter, which ended 17-10, Okanogan. In the second... Full story

  • Wrestlers make strong showing in Rainier

    John McNeil II|Jan 21, 2015

    Raider Wrestling travelled to Rainier Jan. 16, for the Sgt. Justin Norton Memorial Tournament, where all the Raiders on the trip placed. This annual trip was met with good roads and a good practice on Friday, and Head Coach Steve Hood won the annual bowling game, again prompting many of the wrestlers to practice their bowling skills for next year’s game. Oscar Pakootas added another gold medal at 132 pounds against the stiff competition at Rainier. Pakootas dominated the field for the start, pinning Matthew Vandenbrock of Kalama and defeating T... Full story

  • Two wins include OT battle

    John McNeil II|Jan 14, 2015

    The Raider boys capped last week with an intense overtime victory at home, one of two wins of the three games played and a lesson in pressure. The week left them at "2-1 overall" and "moving in the right direction," Head Coach Matt Simpson said. "We wanted to go 3-0 this week for sure; however, we played well when it needed to happen and grew as a team in multiple ways." The week started off with a trip up to Tonasket for a league matchup against the Tigers Jan. 6, the Raiders came away with a... Full story

  • Lady Raiders in fourth place

    John McNeil II|Jan 14, 2015

    The Lady Raiders won two of three games last week to set themselves up in fourth place in Central Washington 2B North standings. At Tonasket Jan. 6, Lake Roosevelt defeated the last-place Tigers, 43-27. Jan. 8, the LR hosted Brewster, which was not the juggernaut of the past but is still a tough foe. LR took an early lead in the first quarter of the low-scoring contest, 9-4. In the second, the Lady Bears came back to tie the game at 16. LR took the lead in the third quarter, when Brewster was co... Full story

  • Wrestlers continue success

    John McNeil II|Jan 14, 2015

    Raider wrestlers won 10 of their 11 matches at Wilbur last week, then took home three medals from a tournament, north of Spokane, full of big-school talent. “Another good week of wrestling,” Head Coach Steve Hood said “The guys are working their rears off to compete at the very high level week in and week out.” Last Wednesday the Raiders travelled to Wilbur for a mixer where the Raiders won 10 of their 11 matches. Oscar Pakootas continued his run of victories, pinning both Connor Beattie of Davenport and Cole Swanson of Lakeside. Jacob Smith w... Full story

  • Raiders pick up big win, hold own against perennial power

    John McNeil II|Jan 7, 2015

    Raider boys basketball found success at the Eagle Holiday Classic on Dec. 29-30 in Spokane Valley, knocking off 2A East Valley and forcing an overtime game against Colfax, a perennial 2B contender. Raider Head Coach Matt Simpson was pleased with the way his team played and what they took away from the tournament. “Great confidence booster in how we played as a team,” he said, adding that the games also highlighted certain areas that need improvement. “We … need to improve balanced scoring for the whole group,” he said, “and to produce strong fi... Full story

  • Wrestlers press ahead ready for the stretch

    John McNeil II|Jan 7, 2015

    Raider Wrestling hosted the annual Powerhouse Tourney Dec. 30, then headed south to Warden Jan. 3 for the Jeremiah Schmunk Invitational. At their Powerhouse Tournament, held in the old middle school in Grand Coulee, LR placed 10th out of 11 teams with 41.5 team points. Oscar Pakootas took control of the 132-pound bracket early and came away with the gold medal. Pakootas pinned Phillips of Republic and Pruneda of Warden to set up a championship match with former teammate James Monaghan, now of Omak. In the championship match, Pakootas continued... Full story

  • Raiders pick up big win, hold own against perennial power

    John McNeil II|Jan 7, 2015

    Raider boys basketball found success at the Eagle Holiday Classic on Dec. 29-30 in Spokane Valley, knocking off 2A East Valley and forcing an overtime game against Colfax, a perennial 2B contender. Raider Head Coach Matt Simpson was pleased with the way his team played and what they took away from the tournament. “Great confidence booster in how we played as a team,” he said, adding that the games also highlighted certain areas that need improvement. “We … need to improve balanced scoring for the whole group,” he said, “and to produce strong fi... Full story

  • Lady Raiders falter at Holiday Classic

    John McNeil II|Jan 7, 2015

    The Lady Raiders last week took on the six-time 1B State Champion Colton and Lakeland of Idaho, both at the Eagle Holiday Classic at the West Valley High School gyms in Spokane Valley Dec. 29-30. Lake Roosevelt lost both games. Against Colton, both teams started cold with no score until after two-and-a-half minutes passed in the first quarter. Colton then built a 12-0 lead before a pair of three pointers by Lachelle Bearcub put the Lady Raiders on the board in the last minute of the quarter. In the second quarter the Lady Raiders stayed close... Full story

  • Raider boys now .500 for the season

    John McNeil II|Dec 24, 2014

    After losing the first two games of the season, the Raiders rebounded back to .500 by winning both games last week. Both were at home in the Grand Coulee gym. Roof repairs continue at Lake Roosevelt's Gailord Nelson Gym. Lake Roosevelt's game against Bridgeport Dec. 16 was moved to Grand Coulee due to vandalism at Bridgeport. In that game against the Mustangs, the Raiders took a lead and held on to it, coming away with a 58-22 win, a big boost for the previously 0-2 LR. "Guys really bounced... Full story

  • Lady Raiders on three-game win streak

    John McNeil II|Dec 24, 2014

    The Lady Raiders picked up two wins in the Grand Coulee gym and are now in a three-game win streak. Head Coach Wallace Pleasants attributes the winning ways in part to what Entiat had shown the Ladies in their loss. He said they had “played horrible at Entiat, and that exposed the girls to what needs to be worked on, and we have been working on that ever since.” Last Tuesday, Bridgeport Fillies came to Grand Coulee for a game that had been moved due to the vandalism at their own school. The Fillies challenged the Lady Raiders, but in the end... Full story

  • Wrestlers continue improvement process

    John McNeil II|Dec 24, 2014

    Raider wrestlers earned success at the two outings they travelled to last week. Against the Tonasket Tigers, Oroville, and Pateros the three Raider wrestlers at Tonasket Dec. 17 split their matches 2-2. Octavio Alejandre and Oscar Pakootas won matches at Tonasket, while Oscar Pakootas and Reese Caddy lost theirs. “For the three that wrestled, they came up against good competition at Tonasket,” Head Coach Steve Hood said. “They are going to be a big factor this year in the B’s.” Hood said the stiff competition is part of the process toward th... Full story

  • Wrestling adjusts to gym situation, keeps on wrestling

    John McNeil II|Dec 17, 2014

    Raider Wrestling had to move its Dec. 10 home mixer to the Grand Coulee middle school gym, but at least the move was made easier by new mats the wrestling program received through a donation by the Nespelem District of the Colville Tribes. Chelan's JV, Brewster, Wilbur-Creston-Keller, and Davenport attended, with 45 matches being wrestled. LR had only three wrestlers competing. Oscar Pakootas and Octavio Alejandre dominated their competition at the mixer, winning matches with ease. Reese Caddy... Full story

  • Lady Raiders take down Liberty Bell Cougars

    John McNeil II|Dec 17, 2014

    The Lady Raiders had an interesting week. The Dec. 9 game against Liberty Bell was rescheduled for Jan. 22nd. Then the home game Dec. 11 against Oroville was cancelled and will not be settled until early January at the League meetings. LR did get to play on Dec. 13 at Warden, where the Lady Raiders recorded their first win of the season. The Cougars were behind for most of the game. LR came home with a 16-point win over Warden, 54-38. This week, the Lady Raiders were supposed to travel to... Full story

  • Raiders lose in Warden

    John McNeil II|Dec 17, 2014

    The Lake Roosevelt boys basketball team had been scheduled to play three games this past week, but instead one was rescheduled, one is up in the air, and the Raiders lost to Warden in the only game played. A Dec. 9 road trip to Liberty Bell has been rescheduled for Jan. 22. Oroville protested moving to the old middle school a game scheduled for last Thursday, and stated that as the reason they would not come to play Lake Roosevelt. “The outcome of that contest will be decided at the League Athletic Directors meeting in January,” Grand Cou... Full story

  • Wrestling team finishes seventh at Davenport

    John McNeil II|Dec 10, 2014

    Six Raider wrestlers officially opened the 2014-15 season Dec. 6 at the Davenport Invitational, where 13 schools attended, including many from the Northeast A, Bi-County, and other Central Washington League schools. Oscar Pakootas started his season off on the right foot by taking home the gold medal from Davenport at 138. In the prelim matches no one seriously challenged Pakootas, who pinned Riley Flack of Freeman in 50 seconds and took down Tommy Ott of Kittitas, 9-0. In the championship... Full story

  • Boys barely lose opener on free throws

    John McNeil II|Dec 10, 2014

    The Entiat Tigers defeated the Raiders 59-57 in the Lake Roosevelt boys’ rhythmless opener, but the game was even closer than the score, one where mistakes make or break the other team’s chances. LR travelled to Entiat for the Dec. 4 game originally scheduled for Coulee Dam. Because of the potential for another rainout under the leaky Gailord Nelson Gym during reroofing, the game was moved to Entiat. “Tough that it wasn’t a home game,” Head Coach Matt Simpson said, explaining how the team adjusted to the change in locale. “Just how we prepare,... Full story

  • Lady Raiders lose to Entiat

    John McNeil II|Dec 10, 2014

    The Lady Raiders lost to the host Entiat Tigers 59-44 at Entitat on Dec. 4. The loss is a setback for the Lady Raiders who were looking to open with a win. Due to weather concerns, the game had been moved from Coulee Dam to Entitat. For the Lady Raiders the game at Liberty Bell that was scheduled for last night has been moved to Dec. 15. This means Thursday’s home game against Oroville, starting at 6 p.m., at the middle school gym,∂ will be the Central Washington 2B North opener for the Lady Raiders, weather permitting. Then on Saturday the... Full story

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