League action intensified for Cheney and Medical Lake winter sports teams. The Blackhawks entered the heart of their Greater Spokane League schedules while the Cardinals kicked off Northeast A League action.
CHENEY
Boys basketball
After starting the season 1-2 the Blackhawks have gone on a tear – posting a 7-3 record since Dec. 9 that include a pair of three-game winning streaks. Cheney is currently fifth in the GSL with a 1-1 record, third among schools in the league’s 3A classification and 8-5 overall.
Cheney’s second three-game winning streak came in the GESA Winter Shootout taking place at Wenatchee and Eastmont high schools Jan. 1-3. The Blackhawks knocked off both host schools, defeating 4A Wenatchee 67-59 and the Wildcats 56-35, along with a 64-54 win over Idaho 5A Sandpoint.
Cheney is in the meat of its GSL schedule, and has big games coming up, traveling to third-place Central Valley on Jan. 30 and hosting league-leading Mt. Spokane Feb. 3. Both schools are ranked ninth and 10th in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Jan. 14 3A RPI.
Girls basketball
The Blackhawks are finding the scoring difficult to come by in their 3-10 overall start to the season, 0-2 in GSL play. Cheney has been held to 30 or fewer points in eight of their 13 games, and have only managed to score 40 or more points three times, including a 60-56 win over North Central and a 40-20 win over East Valley.
The Blackhawks are currently ninth in the GSL standings, and face some difficult opponents with upcoming games against four of the league’s top-five teams, all of whom appear the WIAA’s 4A and 3A RPI top-15.
Boys Wrestling
The Blackhawks boys have started 2026 at 0-2, 0-4 overall, losing to Mt. Spokane in the GSL 3A opener Jan. 7, 45-36, and to state 4A runner-up Mead, 50-15, on Jan. 8. Cheney rebounded to place second out of 22 teams overall at the annual Blackhawk Invitational on its home mats, Jan. 10, trailing 4A Moses Lake by 52.5 points for the championship.
“It’s nice to be able to wrestle a tournament in our home gym,” head coach Brian Skaff said. “Great effort by all our wrestlers.”
Skaff said they had several firsts at Mt. Spokane, beginning with a “standout performance” by senior Aiden Carr, who lost a 6-0 decision at 120 pounds to 2025 3A state third-place finisher Maddox Taft in Carr’s first match of the year. Skaff also pointed to freshman Hunter Ghering, who noticed his first varsity win with a pin of Maximos Lopachuk at 175.
Also earning wins for Cheney were Hank Ghering at 132, Ethan Guske at 157, Kaden Rasmusen at 165, Cooper French at 190, Wyatt Wells at 215 and Brendan Hughes at 285.
Against Mead, the Blackhawks were led by performances from a pair of brothers. Ethan Guske and Jude Guske both earned wins, Ethan a 6-3 decision at 150 and Jude a second-round pin at 165 while the Gray brothers, Chaz and Cacee, earned decisions at 285 and 126.
“He just kept wrestling and got the pin,” Skaff said of Jude Guske’s match. “Great and exciting match. lots of lead changes.”
Cheney had 10 wrestlers place in the top-10 at the Blackhawk Invitational. Ethan Guske led the way with a championship at 150, with French finishing second at 190 and Rasmussen third at 157.
Fourth-place finishes went to Wells, Powers and Chazz Gray at 215, 150 and 285 respectively. Cacee Gray and Jude Guske placed fifth at 126 and 165, with Aiden Carr and Stevie Rasmussen sixth at 120 and 175.
MEDICAL LAKE
Boys basketball
The Cardinals are 7-5 overall and enter Northeast A League action Jan. 16, hitting the road face Colville (6-6). Medical Lake posted a four-game winning streak in late-December, three of which came at the Eagle Holiday Classic at West Valley High School where the knocked off Newport, GSL 2A East Valley and former NEA member Kettle Falls.
Two of the Cardinals losses came against GSL schools, 75-55 at 4A Mead and 71-44 at home to 3A Ridgeline.
Girls basketball
The Cardinals are 3-8 overall entering NEA play on Jan. 16 at Colville (8-4). Medical Lake’s wins have come against Upper Columbia Academy, 40-34; Newport, 52-23 and GSL 2A Shadle Park, 46-35.
Results for Cheney and Medical Lake boys swimming, girls wrestling and Cardinals boys wrestling were not available at press time.
Under the watchful eyes of assistants Ella Ryan (13) and Victoria Baycroft (rear), Blackhawks Unified basketball player
Brandon Schuller (21) prepares to get a shot off against Ridgeline High School during competition with the Falcons
and North Central on Jan. 9 at Ridgeline. After falling behind 6-0 to the Falcons, Cheney rallied for a 26-22 win. The
Blackhawks also downed the Wolfpack 24-16 to earn the sweep at Ridgeline.
