HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 97-4664, by Representatives Hatfield, Doumit and Quall

      WHEREAS, Led by Head Coach Rob Friese, the Willapa Valley Vikings of Pacific County capped an undefeated season when they captured the Washington State B-11 football championship at the Tacoma Dome; and

      WHEREAS, Assistant Coaches John Peterson and Greg Wonhoff worked with Coach Friese in guiding the Vikings to their flawless 13-0 season; and

      WHEREAS, Willapa Valley's Matt Bannish teams with Coaches Friese and Peterson as Coathletic Directors, thus providing the school a one-two-three leadership punch the likes of which is seldom seen in southwest Washington or in any other region; and

      WHEREAS, The rich tradition of athletic prowess at Willapa Valley has endured over the decades since the Viking basketball men proved Giant Killers in vanquishing a big-city school for the state championship sixty years ago; and

      WHEREAS, Coaches Friese and Bannish helped carry on that rich tradition as Willapa Valley students when they starred on former Viking football Coach Bud Sanchez's state-championship teams of 1978 and 1979; and

      WHEREAS, In 1981, Coaches Friese and Bannish also starred on the Viking basketball state champions; and

      WHEREAS, The B-11 football finale last December was a hard-fought contest and could perhaps have gone either way if the blue-ribbon Willapa Valley offense had not prevailed to bring the impressive championship hardware home to Pacific County; and

      WHEREAS, Twenty-nine young Willapa Valley men out of a total school enrollment of one hundred forty-eight participated on the state championship Viking football team; and

      WHEREAS, Sixteen players on the team are members of the Class of 1997, thus requiring the Willapa Valley coaching staff to reload in preparation for the next football season;

      NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives salute and applaud the Willapa Valley Vikings for their undefeated, state championship football season; and

      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives to Willapa Valley's coaching staff, administration, and each of the players on Willapa Valley Vikings Championship Football Team.

      I hereby certify this to be a true and correct copy of

      Resolution 4664 adopted by the House of Representatives

                          April 21, 1997.

                 ________________________________

                  Timothy A. Martin, Chief Clerk