By Tim PfarrIssaquah Press reporter

For as long as he can remem-ber, Liberty High School wrestlerHamilton Noel has learned fromthe best. His father, Wright Noel,was a state championship highschool wrestler and an NCAAFirst-Team All-American wrestlerat Brigham Young University.

With the lessons learned fromhis father — and his ownstrength and determination —Hamilton Noel took second placein his weight class at the statewrestling championships for thepast two years.

Building on the foundation ofwrestling, Hamilton — now ahigh school junior — has becomea dangerous football player and adominating track-and-field ath-lete.

“It’s a competitive-naturedsport, and if you bring that toother sports, it helps,” Hamiltonsaid about wrestling.

He said that applies both men-tally and physically, and the phys-ical core strength gained inwrestling provides a solid physi-cal foundation for other sports.

His supreme drive has earned

him widespread accolades at Lib-erty.

“He’s very highly respected byplayers, teachers and coaches,”Liberty football coach SteveValach said. “You’d have tostretch a long way to find some-body who would have somethingbad to say about Hamilton.”

A record that speaks for itselfHamilton Noel first began

wrestling with his brothers athome before joining his middleschool wrestling team. He was onthe track-and-field team through-out middle school, and joined thefootball team in eighth grade,thanks to encouragement fromhis friends.

When he started high school,he went straight to the varsitywrestling squad, taking to the135-pound weight class. He fin-ished the season with a 25-9record, advancing to the Mat

Classic state tournament in theTacoma Dome. He won his firstmatch in the tournament 14-1,but he lost his second match intriple overtime and his third byjust four points, which ended hischampionship run.

With just one more win, hewould have placed in the topeight in the state.

By his sophomore year, Hamil-ton had moved to the 145-poundweight class, improving hisrecord to 30-5 and again advanc-ing to the state tournament, andfalling just six points short of achampionship. He further im-proved his record to 33-2 his jun-ior year, advancing to the champi-onship match again but failing towin by four points.

Hamilton also competed in thisyear’s National High SchoolCoaches Association High SchoolWrestling Nationals Champi-onship in Virginia from March 29

to April 3. Noel wrestled in fivematches, boasting a 3-2 recordagainst the county’s strongest. Hefell just short of placing.

Early in his high school career,Hamilton worked his way throughthe football program, advancingto the varsity team his junior year,getting considerable playing timeas a fullback, outside linebackerand safety.

“It’s a great team sport. I reallylike the coaches,” he said aboutLiberty’s football program.“Games are obviously super fun.”

In his junior season, Noel had69 carries for 616 yards — an av-erage of 8.9 yards per carry. Hislongest run was 77 yards, and herecorded six touchdowns. Defen-sively, he racked up 44 tackles —the second-most on the team —and a team-leading four intercep-tions.

Valach said Hamilton is a quietleader, although one with tremen-dous heart.

“The best thing about Hamiltonis he leads by example,” Valachsaid. “He’s not only tough and de-termined, he’s really talented.He’s a guy that lets his playsspeak for him.”

Hamilton took his freshmanyear off from track and field, andwhen he joined the team hissophomore year, he finished ninthin state in the pole vault with a12-foot 6-inch leap. He also ran inthe 100-meter and 200-metersprints.

This year, he dropped the indi-vidual sprints to join the team’s4x400 relay team with Joshua

SPORTS� �

The Issaquah Press

�WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011Page B4

By Christopher HuberIssaquah Press reporter

There’s nothing in springtimesports quite like three straight drydays.

And for the Skyline High Schoolgirls tennis team, three days with-out rain meant three matches in arow to make up for a plethora ofpostponements.

Although the Spartans are in arebuilding year, the squad showedsome promise by winning its thirdmatch in as many days April 21 inSammamish.

After beating Redmond April 19and Eastlake April 20, it blankedBothell, 7-0, to improve to 5-2.

“It wasn’t the hardest match,but it was a lot of fun,” said seniorNo. 1 doubles player Molly Knut-son after the match. “It was an en-joyable match.”

Knutson and doubles partnerAlyson Opitz beat Bothell’s ColleenByrne and Morgan Milner instraight sets, 6-0, 6-2.

Kristin Park, in Skyline’s No. 1singles spot, beat Rebeka You, 6-0,6-1.

The key for Skyline was to adaptto Bothell’s lob-style play, accord-ing to Spartan players and coachBettina Gehle. Instead of zingingtargeted shots at Skyline oppo-nents, Bothell players, in nearly

every match, slowed down thepace with high, lobbed shots.

“They were all prepared for it,”Gehle said. “That was the mostimportant thing.”

While Spartans like Knutsonand Opitz were eager to play at amore lively pace, they’ll take thewin.

“It was a baseline game forsure,” Knutson said. “I hate play-ing against lobs.”

Knutson and Opitz took controlfrom the beginning. In the firstset, the girls went up 3-0 and eas-ily won 6-0. Byrne and Milnergave the Skyline pair trouble part-way through the second set, forc-ing shots into the net and bringingthe score to 5-2. Knutson andOpitz settled back down to takethe set, 6-2.

“Hopefully we’re on a good win-ning streak,” Knutson said. “We’reon a roll.”

Opitz noted that simple mis-takes, like underhitting a volleyinto the net, happen less whenthey face a stronger team likeNewport or Garfield.

“We always play a lot betteragainst better teams,” Opitz said.

Helping Skyline round out itsshutout, Laura Parsons beat Aria

Spartans win aflurry of three

makeup matches

BY CHRISTOPHER HUBER

Alyson Opitz, Skyline junior, returns the ball near the net during the No. 1 dou-bles match against Bothell April 21. Opitz and partner Molly Knutson won thematch 6-0, 6-2.

See TENNIS, Page B5

By Christopher Huber Issaquah Press reporter

If the Skyline High School girls golfteam learned anything from playingat Sahalee Country Club, it’s that youhave to keep your drives straightand practice a little longer on theputting green before the match.

“It’s like you’re hitting the golfball down a highway,” said Skylinecoach Erik Hansen. “If you don’tkeep it straight, you find yourselfin trouble.”

Not all of the girls learned thatthe hard way, but the course noto-rious for frustrating unaccustomedgolfers took just enough awayfrom the visiting team to preserveanother victory for Eastlake.

“This was a very difficultcourse,” said Skyline sophomoreBryalynn Vowels. “They definitelyhave home course advantage.”

The Eastlake Wolves girls golfteam took charge once again at itshome course to beat the SkylineSpartans, 272 strokes to 289. East-lake improved to 8-1 and Skylinewent to 3-3 with three matches leftbefore the KingCo tournament.

“They’re a very good team,”Vowels said. “We knew that wewere going up against something.”

Eastlake’s Megan Wotherspoonagain took first, shooting a 43 onthe par-36 East 9 course. Vowels,Skyline’s No. 1 golfer, finishedfourth overall with a final tally of56 strokes.

“Megan has been very consis-tent,” said Eastlake head coach PatBangasser. “I expect her to get downto a 38 this year, because she can.”

Following Wotherspoon’s 43,teammate Jamie Midkiff came insecond with a 52 and Skyline’sShirley Chung finished with a 54.Eastlake’s Taylor Finlon and Sky-line’s Kacy Cunningham each shota 58 to tie for fifth place.

“Every time you go out to play golfit’s a different story,” Bangasser said.

Vowels provided an example ofhow Sahalee can take the wind outof a golfer’s sails quickly. She com-pleted a solid bogey on the par-4

Consistent Skyline can’t overcomeEastlake’s home-course advantage

See GOLF, Page B5

Skyline HighSchool’s

Bryalynn Vowelstees off on the

third hole ofSahalee’s East 9course April 21.

BYCHRISTOPHER

HUBER

BY SEBASTIAN MORAGA

Hamilton Noel, Liberty High School junior, has the top position onEnumclaw’s Josh Musick early in their 152-pound state 3A championshipmatch Feb. 19 at the Tacoma Dome.

BY GREG FARRAR

Hamilton Noel, Liberty High School junior running back, eludes the last Bellevue defensive player during a 34-yard touchdown run in a football game in November.

A ‘cannonball’ rolling all year long

See NOEL, Page B5

Liberty wrestlerHamilton Noelhas become a

dominant three-sport athlete