Fall 2012Sports Preview

10 — Wednesday, September 12, 2012 FALL SPORTS PREVIEW The Journal of the San Juan Islands | SanJuanJournal.com

With two wins in their first two games of the 2012

season, the Wolverines may have taken some Friday Harbor football fans by surprise.

But not Head Coach Darrin Scheffer, who credits a change here and there in the starting lineup for the team’s quick start.

Most notably, senior Donald Galt, the team’s starting quarterback the past two seasons, and junior C.J. Woods, a wide receiver and backup QB a year ago, swapped positions. The two combined for a touchdown pass in each of the first two games. Galt, who picked off two passes in the team’s sec-ond win, will anchor the defense at the safety posi-tion again this season.

“The way they played meets where my expecta-

tion is for this group of guys,” Scheffer said on the

heels of the Wolverines impressive season-opening 21-0 victory on the road over Anacortes, a 2A team. “I’d say we’re optimistically enthused about where we are right now, recognizing there are some mistakes that we need to take care of.”

Mistakes, meaning yellow flags.

While the defense pitched a shutout in Anacortes, pen-alties stripped the offensive unit of a couple of com-pleted passes and a signifi-cant chunk of yardage. And even though the Wolverines were far from flawless in the penalty department in their following game, a 21-14 tri-umph at home over 1A rival Lynden Christian, they never trailed and the defensive unit turned in its best perfor-mance of the game on the

Lyncs final possession, and with the game on the line.

Still, a win is a win, as the saying goes, in spite of yellow flags. And the Wolverines are 2-0 with seven regular-season match ups still to come. The team finished the 2011 season at 3-10 and man-

aged no more than three wins in each of the past three seasons.

Friday Harbor will next face a pair of familiar Division 2B foes, hosting the Vikings of Orcas Island in the annual Island Cup, Sept. 14, followed by a road

Home games in boldDate Opponent TimeAug. 31 Anacortes 7 p.m.Sept. 7 Lynden Christian 6:45 p.m.Sept. 14 Orcas Island 6:45 p.m.Sept. 21 La Conner 7 p.m.Sept. 28 Meridian 6 p.m.Oct. 5 Blaine 7 p.m.Oct. 12 Mount Baker 6 p.m.Oct. 19 Nooksack Valley 7 p.m.Oct. 26 Lynden Christian 6 p.m.

Momentum spurs season of promise

Home games in boldDate Opponent TimeSept. 7 Sundome Festival TBASept. 11 Orcas Island TBASept. 15 Evergreen Lutheran 1 p.m.Sept. 18 Mount Baker 4 p.m.Sept. 22 South Whidbey Invite 10 a.m.Sept. 27 Meridian 4 p.m.Sept. 29 Nooksack Valley 1:30 p.m.Oct. 1 Orcas Island 6:30 p.m.Oct. 9 Concrete 4:30 p.m.Oct. 11 Cedar Park Chr. (MLT) 4:30 p.m.Oct. 13 Blaine 2 p.m.Oct. 16 La Conner 6 p.m.Oct. 18 Darrington 4:30 p.m.Oct. 20 Lynden Christian 1:30 p.m.Oct. 23 Shoreline Christian 5:30 p.m.

Airsoft at Juan’s Detailing

Alvarado Marine

and Power Equipment

Be Chic Boutique

Benedict Restoration and Repair

Brandli Law

Browne’s Home Center

Chicago Title

Coldwell Banker –

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Crows NestCoffee Shoppe

Diesel America West

Downriggers

Friday Harbor Electric

Friday HarborPlumbing

Guard Electric

Haley’sBait Shop &

Grill

Harbor Insurance

Harbor Rentaland Saw Shop

Island Automotive –

(NAPA)

Island Bicycles

Island

PetroleumService

Island Studios

Island Towing

Islanders Bank

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Kings Market

There is of course a flip-side to not hav-ing a single senior on

your team in any given year. When the next season rolls around, as it invariably does, chances are your lineup is ready to roll, battle-tested from top to bottom and loaded with experience.

So, it’s safe to say Head Coach Travis Mager is beyond delighted. He wel-comes back not just the heart of the Wolverines scrappy starting lineup of a year ago, but all six starters and, in Allie Galt, the addi-tion of an athletic and tall freshman too.

Don’t be surprised if you notice a bit of a swagger in their step and twinkle in their collective eye when

the Friday Harbor volley-ball team takes the court in 2012. There’s reason for it.

“This team has tons and tons of court time,” Mager said. “The girls have a full-grasp of what they’re doing out there now. I think you’ll see a huge difference in the level of play.”

The Wolverines can count on having experience on their side as four-year var-sity veteran Kaylen Meeker, an all-league honorable mention a year ago, returns to the starting rotation along with fellow seniors Ashleigh Brown, Jean Melborne, Lizzy Starr and Sierra Truesdale, and junior Kendra Meeker and sopho-more Maddie Williamson. With Galt in the mix, Friday Harbor adds another layer

Experience on their side

Scott Rasmussen / Journal photoBack row, from left; Kaylen Meeker, Lizzy Starr, Allie Galt, Maddie Williamson, Jean Melborne, Kendra Meeker. Bottom row, Sierra Truesdale, Ashleigh Brown.

Scott Rasmussen / Journal photoFrom left; Front row: Ryan Rojas, Lucas Stromberg, Ashton Ormond, Jesse Kolowitz, Jesse Hargrove, Jonathan Ogle, Griffin Oakes, Alejandro Orozco. Second row: Carson Brown, Isiah Hauck, Jerray Napier, Oliver Webb, Willie Blackmon, Benjamin Ware. Third row: C.J. Woods, Brandon Allen, Gabe Lawson, Sergio Trujillo, Landon Rischel, Bill Revercomb, Patrick O’Brian, Connor Brown. Fourth row: Wyatt Phillips, Marquis Napier, Donald Galt, Nelson Wynn, Nathan Steenkolk, Peter Holt, Tate Brumsickle. Back row: Alex Estrada, Jorge Torres, Jacob Justiniano, Jacob Jackson, Noah Stone, Austin Pederson, Ryan Allen, Micah Powell.

See FOOTBALL, Page 12

See VOLLEYBALL, Page 12

The Journal of the San Juan Islands | SanJuanJournal.com FALL SPORTS PREVIEW Wednesday, September 12, 2012 — 11

Home games in boldDate Opponent TimeSept. 7 Coupeville 3 p.m.Sept. 8 Lynden 11:30 a.m.Sept. 17 South Whidbey 2:30 p.m.Sept. 21 Coupeville 3 p.m.Sept. 22 Lynden 11 a.m.Sept. 27 South Whidbey 3 p.m.Oct. 5 Coupeville 3 p.m.

Home games in boldDate Opponent TimeSept. 8 Lynden 11 a.m.Sept. 11 Orcas Island 4 p.m.Sept. 13 Concrete 5 p.m.Sept. 15 Evergreen Lutheran 11:30 a.m.Sept. 18 Mount Baker 4 p.m.Sept. 20 La Conner 4 p.m.Sept. 22 Bear Creek 2 p.m.Sept. 27 Meridian 4 p.m.Sept. 29 Nooksack Valley 12 p.m.Oct. 1 Orcas Island 4 p.m.Oct. 4 Mount Vernon Christian 4 p.m.Oct. 9 Concrete 4 p.m.Oct. 13 Blaine 12 p.m.Oct. 16 La Conner 4 p.m.Oct. 20 Lynden Christian 11:30 a.m.Oct. 23 Mount Vernon Christian 4 p.m.

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Nash BrothersSporting Goods

Paradise Lanes

Petro San Juan

Printonyx

Rainshadow,Mark Gardner

Ravenhill Construction

Michelle Reynolds, DMD–The Tooth Ferry

Richard LawsonConstruction

Roche Harbor Resort

Salt Spray Window Cleaners

SJ Fitness andAthletic Club

San Juan Jewels

San Juan PhysicalTherapy

San Juan Surveying

San Juan Wireless

San Juan Vision Source

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Sound FinancialPlanning, Inc.

Starr Excavation, Inc.

Tookie’s Hair Design

Bo Turnage, DDS

Anthony D. Vivenzio –

Attorney at Law

Windermere RealEstate

They look like athletes. Fast athletes.If one were to watch the Friday Harbor girls soc-

cer team practice alongside new head coach Paul Hopkins, it’s easy to see why he enters his first varsity sea-son with optimism.

“They practice hard and they’re all in shape,” says Hopkins, who coached more than half of the 17 varsity and 18 junior varsity players as they rose through the ranks of the island’s youth soccer leagues.

“They’re all fast,” Hopkins adds when asked about team speed, a key characteristic of winning soccer teams. “Even our fastest girls, Emily Guard and Tegan Serna, are only marginally faster than their teammates.”

Hopkins inherits a program in which winning has become tradition. The Wolverines won four consecutive league championships, either outright or as co-champion, in the six years that Mark Fishaut coached the team. They share the 2011 title with La Conner. Hopkins assures he’s not trying to match Fishaut’s record, which included two coach-of-the-year awards.

“I thank Mark for the solid program he built, and I want these girls to win for themselves,” he said. “It’s always more fun to play a sport if you win.”

“Nobody wins every game,” continued Hopkins, “but

Speedy squad chases 5th straight title

Scott Rasmussen / Journal photoFront row, from left; Jacklyn Justiniano, Emily Guard, Teagan Serna, Katrina Wakeman, Sydney Wilson. Back row, Coach Paul Hopkins, Ronnie Hanson, Kelli Ashcraft, Kia Williams, Ellen Goudie, Lita Gislason, Miranda McPadden, Robyn Roberts, Libbey Snow, Madeline Marinkovich, Isabel Place, Brook Ashcraft, Asst. Coach Emily Carrington.

Dick Barnes’ 25th season as tennis coach at Friday

Harbor High School nearly came to an end, even before it began.

“Tennis nearly died last week,” said the longtime coach known as “Mr. Tennis” to a generation of local high school ten-nis aspirants, when only returning players Cody Coyne and Sean Hills showed up for the team’s first practice.

But Coyne and Hills did some networking, and Barnes recruited Spring Street International School students Kerry Wang and Bruce Yao, both from China. Kyle Jangard, a 6-foot 3-inch ninth grader who decided tennis might help his basketball aspira-

tions, also signed up, and two more recruits are expected before the team’s first match of the season. Suddenly, a team of eight emerged.

One of the new players,

Kerry Wang, an 8th grader, petitioned the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association for a waiver to play with the high-schoolers. Barnes thinks the waiver will be granted.

Getting kids hooked on the game at an early age may be the best hope for keep-ing the school’s venerable tennis program alive.

“I’ve said for years that I’m coaching these kids to give them a game they can play for a lifetime,” said Barnes, noting that he played in high school and college partly because there were so few players.

With their first two matches postponed because of lack of bodies, the Wolverines will open the season either on Sept. 17 at South Whidbey, or Sept. 21, at home, against Coupeville.

Although Barnes may be turning over every stone in town to cement a roster, this year’s squad can expect to benefit from loads of

competition because of its thin ranks. Graduation stripped the team of its top two singles players of a year ago and one-half of its No. 1 doubles tandem. That means competition for every slot will be wide open

Hills, a junior and heir apparent for the No.1 singles spot, played along-side senior Ryan Cole last

year, as the other half of the Wolverines top doubles team. Coyne, a senior and third year player, will likely inherit the No. 2 singles slot, or perhaps claim the lead singles position.

How the rest shakes out is anyone’s guess, even for Mr. Tennis.

– Steve Wehrly

Youth takes its turn at the top

Scott Rasmussen / Journal photoFront row, from left; Lukas Noeth, Kerry Wang, Bruce Yao, Jake Lowe. Back row, manager Roxanne Bormann, James Ronhaar, Sean Hills, Mars LeBaron, Kyle Jangaard, Coach Dick Barnes. (not pictured, Cody Coyne, Tyler Fox).

See SOCCER, Page 12

Mark and Sarah (Ware, who continues as assistant coach) showed these girls how to win.”

Longtime youth soccer coach Emily Carrington will lead the JV squad.

Last year, the Wolverines went 5-1 in league play and 7-6-2 overall — some of those losses coming against several 2A schools, like South Whidbey. The Wolverines lose to gradu-ation three of four 2011 all-league players and standout goalie Rhianna Franklin (six shutouts in 2011) graduated, but Emily Guard, all-league as a soph-omore, is back, along with three seniors who started as juniors.

Bolstering team strength are three senior starters who played as sophomores, but spent 2011 overseas as exchange students: co-captains Ellen Goudie and Miranda McPadden, and Katrina Wakeman.

— Steve Wehrly

of height and greater pres-ence at the net in its quest to improve on last year’s over-all record of 3-10, and its 3-6 mark in league play.

Mager, now in his eighth year at the helm, says expe-rience and the cohesiveness of this year’s squad trans-lates into starting off the season at a point far beyond where the team generally would be at the beginning of a fall campaign. He said the players have moved on

to a more sophisticated style of play.

“It’s not so much about the fundamentals anymore,” he said. “It’s more about the mental aspects of the game, and about learning how to read and react, how to play with confidence.”

While the team returns intact, the Wolverines’ 14-game regular-season schedule is anything but familiar. With exception of Orcas, whom Friday Harbor battles twice this year, start-ing with a rare season-opener at home, Sept. 11, the Wolverines will play

each regular-season oppo-nent just one time in 2012, including six of seven league foes.

Also new this season, clinching a berth in post-season play will, unlike past years, depend on the team’s performance against six regional 1A rivals, including perennial pow-erhouse Lynden Christian and newcomers Blaine and Mount Baker, both former 2A teams which are, due to enrollment declines, com-peting this year on the 1A level.

– Scott Rasmussen

12 — Wednesday, September 12, 2012 FALL SPORTS PREVIEW The Journal of the San Juan Islands | SanJuanJournal.com

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game in La Conner, Sept. 21. They then test their mettle against a slate of regional 1A opponents, which include Meridian, Nooksack Valley and a rematch against Lynden Christian on the road, Oct. 26, in the final game of the regular season.

The Wolverines post-season prospects

rest this year on the outcome of their games against the three Whatcom County rivals mentioned above, as well as against two teams that, due to enrollment decline at their respective schools, are competing at the 1A level this year. They host the Borderites of Blaine on Oct. 5 and travel to Mount Baker the following week to face the Mountaineers.

Expect Friday Harbor to rely on its ground game. The one-two backfield combination of senior Micah Powell and junior Nate Steenkolk proved a formidable weapon in the Wolverines first two wins

While a change or two in the starting lineup may have helped Friday Harbor to fuel its fast start, Powell says his-tory and pride are also at stake for players who tasted success in their formative years, as part of the Tigers program.

“We’ve been looking for-ward to this year forever,” he said.

Football: Continued from page 10

Soccer:Continued from page 11

Volleyball:Continued from page 10

Your online news source… www.sanjuanjournal.com