What a wild and rewarding year it was for area sports in 2017

What an interesting year we are about to complete in West Plains sports. OK, and the country, too.

It was a time of both upheaval with the departure of two of the area’s biggest coaching names, Eastern Washington University’s Beau Baldwin in football and Jim Hayford in men’s basketball.

It was a year of notable accomplishments in Medical Lake where basketball excelled and cross country continued the dominance it has experienced since the arrival of head coach Gene Blankenship in 2010.

For years, ever since Eastern won the 2010 Football Championship Subdivision national title in Frisco, Texas,...