Bear Creek's Rial: Three-sport star is one great Grizzly

In this day of specialization when it comes to high school prep sports, the three-sport athlete has become an increasingly rare breed.

But don’t tell that to Bear Creek School junior Morgan Rial.

Rial first lit up the soccer pitch in the fall as one of the offensive juggernauts of the Grizzlies’ young team, finishing second in the Sea-Tac 2B league with 12 goals scored.

In the winter, Rial moved indoors to the cozy confines of the Bear Creek gymnasium, where she was a tri-captain of the basketball team. Then this spring, she capped off her year with a pair of medals at the 2B state track and field championships in Cheney three weeks ago.

With a schedule full of athletic commitments, one would think that a student would find it difficult to balance academics and extracurricular activities, but Rial also shined in the classroom. She posted a 3.88 cumulative GPA while taking a rigorous course load, including AP Biology, and served as the Vice President on the ASB Student Council.

For her high achievement in both athletics and academics at Bear Creek this year, Rial has been named the Reporter’s Female Athlete of the Year.

SOCCER STARDOM

Soccer was Rial’s first love, having played since she was in first grade on a recreational team.

From there, she improved quickly and eventually played for the prestigious Crossfire Select program in seventh grade, and has played club soccer ever since.

This season, the Grizzlies were a very young and inexperienced team – and Rial, only a junior, was able to lead by example after being nominated as the squad’s captain.

“Her teammates look up to her, not only because of her high skill level on the field, but because she works hard to continually improve upon her skills,” explained head coach Kailee Blankenship. “She knows that takes time, extra practice, dedication and commitment. She sets the bar high by always giving her all, which in turn encourages her teammates to do the same and push themselves even harder.”

That bar was pushed to the limit when the Grizzlies battled for the third time against Seattle Lutheran, a team that has had their number and eventually won the 2B state championship last fall. In fact, the Grizzlies had never beaten the Saints before in the regular season.

The first two times, Bear Creek had lost by just one goal, and before the third game Blankenship took Rial out of her comfort zone and simply told her to “stick like glue” to the Saints’ best player who had scored the two previous game-winners.

Rial did just that, shutting her down and ended up celebrating a 1-0 upset victory after Caroline Bridgwater scored midway through the second half.

“That was the most exciting game of all-time,” said Rial on that win.

But according to her coach, Rial’s ability to be a game-changer did not come as a surprise.

“Morgan leads by example,” said Blankenship. “She works hard and always gives 110 percent effort and energy in everything she does on the field and at school.”

BASKETBALLS AND BATONS

After falling in the state quarterfinals in soccer, Rial went right back to work on the basketball court as a forward on the Grizzlies’ hoops team.

One of the three junior captains on that squad, which had no seniors, Rial shined on defense and again led by example.

“(Rial) is always energetic, smiling, working hard, and extremely coachable,” said head coach Greg Cheever. “Great role model of athleticism, humility, and class for her peers and up-and-coming Lady Grizzlies.”

Although the Grizzlies ran through the Sea-Tac 2B League and the Tri-District tournament, they struggled at state going two-and-out.

The team’s youth, however, may have been a blessing in disguise as all players return in 2011-12, armed with experience and knowledge of what it will take to advance farther at state.

“Our team became really close, and I think it was really great that we have this year too, and that we’re all still together,” Rial said. “Now we have even more time to develop and do even better than we did last season.”

Moving on to the track season, entrenched on Rial’s mind was back-to-back years of heartbreak in the 400 meters, as she narrowly missed a state berth in both her freshman and sophomore years.

She put any doubt to rest as to whether she could break through this year, running a career-best 60.69 seconds in the 400 at the district meet to earn a gold medal and added a bronze at the state meet.

“That was just unbelievable,” said Rial on finally getting into state as an individual. “I made it to districts every year since freshman year in the 400, and this is the first year I actually made it to state. My friends and family had been praying for me, and I will never forget that experience. It was amazing.”

Rial was also a key member of the Grizzlies’ 400 and 800 relay teams, which both made the final heat at the state meet.

While the 800 relay received an unfortunate disqualification, the 400 relay squad, consisting of Rial, Danielle Isbell, Elizabeth Fernandez and Halle Coleman, brought home the bronze medal with a run of 52.80.

“They’re the best friends I could ask for in track and they really support me in my individual events,” said Rial on her relay teammates. “When I ran the 400 they cheered me on, and it really motivated me.”

Added track coach Scott Wright, “Morgan is one of those rare runners that you could put in to any running event and she would excel at it. (She’d) always seem calm, even in high pressure situations. She is very steady and we can always count on Morgan to run not a good leg, but a great one.”

As far as next year, Rial plans to do all three sports again and has a goal to return to state in each one. She will also be taking AP Chemistry and AP Statistics to further pad her impressive academic resume for college.

“Academics is definitely my first priority, and my teachers and coaches have been very reasonable with me and are willing to help with anything,” Rial noted. “They know I’m really busy with sports, and they’re willing to give that extra time after school hours.”

Finally, she wanted to make sure to thank her friends, her family, and especially her coaches for being excellent role models.

“Kailee Blankenship, Greg Cheever and Scott Wright, we call him Scotty,” Rial said. “They have all had a huge influence on who I am as a player, and a person.”