I had noticed William Ribellia, 2, and his parents, Quincy and Claudia, at a Martin Luther King speach and saw them again at a Ash Wednesday service in East Wenatchee. Originally, I planned on covering a different event - one at Kenroy Elementary School - but I had the wrong day so ended up a few blocks away at this service. Because of the change in plans, I got to the ceremony very late but hung around in back of the church hoping something would happen that could be interesting. That’s when I saw William.

I narrowed down my selection to these choices:

And decided I like the look of the one below. I’m not a fan of photographs when people are looking at my camera but I do like the quiet look William is giving me, and anyone who looks at the picture.

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Photographer Kelly Gillin was out with reporter Jay Patrick, looking for places that might be in trouble for not keeping the sidewalks clear of snow. I was headed home for lunch, just starting to cross the George Sellar Bridge when I spotted Amaza Clothier having a difficult time as he began the journey across the bridge making his way along a narrow path of tramped down snow and ice. I crossed the bridge, trying to decide if I should try to get the photo and called Kelly to see if they had found anything yet. They hadn’t so I made my way back to Wenatchee across the bridge then back across and found a place to park. I ran to a spot on the East Wenatchee side with a minute to spare as Clothier walked the final few feet across.

I’m glad I went back for the picture and missed a few minutes of lunch.

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Perusing esteemed colleague Rene Ferran’s prep basketball blog on the Tri-City Herald’s web site when I noticed that a noticeable number of area hoopsters are in Washington’s top 15 0r 20 in points per game averages. This info further cements my belief that the quality of basketball being played across our valley is way up this year and should make for a very exciting postseason. Here are some of the numbers, and remember, these rankings are in the whole state.On the girls side, Wenatchee’s Dani Hallberg is seventh in 4A at 16.7 points per game. Eastmont’s Brooke Randall is netting 17.4 per game, good enough for ninth in 3A. Randall’s ppg may go up in the Cats last three games with even more of the offensive load falling on her shoulders with the injury to Karinne Tuttle. Quincy’s Tashia Zamarron is sixth in 2A at 18.0 per game and Pateros’ Clara Hull (19.2), Tonasket’s Cierra Silverthorn (18.7) and Lake Roosevelt’s Melissa Meza (16.1) are fifth, seventh and 13th, respectively in 1A/B which are lumped together.On the boys side, Joe Harris’ 22.6 points per game for Chelan jumps out, and is third in the state at 1A/B. Zac Kinman of Oroville (seventh, 20.2) and Erick Harper of Mansfield (14th, 18.2) are also on the list. 

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I photographed the security checkpoint at the courthouse in Wenatchee Monday and got to see many of the items secured from people. My first thought was how dumb of people to bring things like knives to the courthouse but remembered how my home-schooled daughter, the cowgirl type, was used to carrying a knife. She was reminded by me that she needed to leave it home when she went on public school property as a member of the golf team. I wonder how our local high school’s ag departments keep their students from having something like that happen.

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I heard about an overcrowding of dogs at the humane society from reporter Jay Patrick and went to photograph yesterday afternoon. I found six crates with dogs in one of the hallways and made a decent photograph.

But while I worked on this picture, Jonathon Nikolas, an employee there, walked in with another dog, making it a much better photograph. Having the dog at right looking through the crate sure helps too.

I was a little worried at first though as I had the focus locked on the dog at right when Jonathon walked in.

But with a quick turn of the focusing knob, the auto focus sensor went right to him. Auto focus to the rescue!

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Colleague Mark McKenna of the Tri-City Herald did a fantastic job with this piece on Prosser basketball and football star Kellen Crawford.The 6-f0ot-5, 215-pound Crawford was a terror for opposing teams as a defensive end and tight end on the Mustangs’ 2A state championship-winning football team, but says his first athletic love has always been basketball. Schools such as Air Force are already pounding his door down with offers to play college football, but Crawford’s holding out for a chance to play both sports. 

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Tacoma’s Wilson High School won the 4A girls bowling state championship, its third straight title on Saturday and Breanne Mattson of Cascade (Everett) won the individual title at Narrows Plaza Bowl in University Place. We’ll never know whether seniors Whitney Penny or Chelsie Cooper would have done anything to change that.Due to the closing of Snoqualmie and Stevens passes because of the weekend’s snowfall, Wenatchee was not able to get to the state tournament. Panthers assistant coach Jay Young said that Wenatchee athletic director B.J. Kuntz attempted to arrange a plane to fly the bowlers to the tournament but the weather put the kibosh on that plan too.Maybe postponing the entire event for two girls is a little rash, but for Cooper and Penny not to be able to compete for a state championship after earning the right to be there is inexcusable. Couldn’t the WIAA have set up a satellite event where Cooper and Penny could bowl somewhere around here with a sanctioned official watching the proceedings? It’s horrible to take away two seniors’ last chance at state glory in their chosen sport.”For us coaches, we’ll be back, but for the girls, this was their shot,” Young said.Hate to be the one to say it, but if anybody thinks the same thing would have happened to the Wenatchee basketball team going to state, I’ve got a bridge I’m looking to sell. 

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Bizarre story out of western Pennsylvania this week, where Mike Marshall, wrestling coach at Central Cambria High School outside Pittsburgh, was forced to resign after biting one of his wrestlers in the leg during practice. The player, who was not identified, declined to pursue criminal charges if Marshall stepped down.”The bite, in the upper thigh, caused bruising but did not draw blood,” Cambria Township police Officer James McGough said.

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One final thought about the New York Giants thrilling win on Sunday.Very few people expected the Giants to have a chance in this game, much less ruin the New England Patriots’ perfect season by winning it.It took until the Super Bowl, but an opposing team was finally able to put Tom Brady on his back, and thus not allow the Patriot offense to get in rhythm. No team this season has put as much pressure on Brady as the Giants did in their two matchups with New England, and it got them Super Bowl rings. We saw the crowning point of Eli Manning’s terrific post-season and there can’t be any more doubters over whether Manning the Younger is Manning the Lesser. 

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Brian Adamowsky: Patriots 35, Giants 21Unlike most of America, I don’t think the Giants are just going to lay at the feet of the Brady Express. In the end, New England will just have too much firepower. The Pats will get off to an early lead and take away the Giants running game, making Young Eli have to throw 40 times for the G-Men to win. He’s not ready, although he has made great strides this postseason. A New England Super Bowl win has taken on a certain degree of inevitability and a Patriot loss would be a shock beyond all shocks. I just don’t think anyone can beat them this year. Belichick and Brady just won’t allow it.

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