Reporter Paul Valencia and sports administrators Tony Liberatore and Cale Piland try to always talk high school sports first, but we also had to get to the Mariners and that tough Game 7 loss
Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com
Once again, the world of sports pushed our schedule on The Study of Sports.
This was going to be a World Series preview. Or not.
Turns out, it was not.
The Mariners came oh-so-close.
Two of our sports enthusiasts, huge Mariner fans, had plenty to say of their incredible journey and heartache.
But before we get into Mariner stories, we discuss the bizarre situation up north where a school district suspended a high school football coach, just hours before a game, investigated him, and then reinstated him just a few days later. And we note why this story is also important in Southwest Washington.
This latest episode was recorded on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
Our podcast format is simple: A longtime sports reporter (Paul Valencia) discusses high school sports, and more, with longtime sports administrators and former coaches. Cale Piland is the former head football coach at Evergreen and Union and is now the athletic director for Evergreen Public Schools. Tony Liberatore is a former assistant coach and athletic director at Columbia River and is now an associate principal at Fort Vancouver.
We’re always interested in subject ideas for a future podcast. Email us a subject idea.
Send us your thoughts at: paul.v@clarkcountytoday.com.
Also read:
- The Study of Sports Podcast Dec. 30, 2025: A look ahead to 2026 with WIAA amendments, a year in review in high school sports, plus remembering the Mariners’ magical run
The latest Study of Sports Podcast looks ahead to proposed WIAA amendments, reviews high school sports in 2025, and reflects on the Seattle Mariners’ memorable run. - Virginia Rodeman defies limits and wins No-Gi World Championship in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Battle Ground athlete Virginia Rodeman won two divisions at the No-Gi World Championship in Las Vegas, continuing an eight-year rise in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition. - High school sports: Pac Coast Wrestling to showcase some of the best in the Northwest and beyond
Clark County will host major high school sports events next week, highlighted by the Pac Coast Wrestling Championships in Ridgefield and holiday basketball tournaments featuring local teams. - Columbia River salmon and steelhead endorsement goes into effect Jan. 1
Beginning Jan. 1, anglers 15 and older must purchase a Columbia River salmon and steelhead endorsement to fish for those species in the Columbia River and many Washington tributaries. - High school girls basketball: Union Titans give Brooklynn Haywood a homecoming in Alaska
Union traveled to Anchorage for two games that allowed Brooklynn Haywood to play in front of her hometown crowd while the Titans bonded through travel, cold weather, and on-court adversity.
