North Kitsap boys lacrosse faces Bellarmine Prep on April 17 | Boys lacrosse

The North Kitsap boys lacrosse team hopes to shake its rough start to the season when it faces Bellarmine Prep on April 17, 7 p.m., at Mount Tahoma High School. Both teams are 1-3 — Bellarmine in the Washington High School Boys Lacrosse Association’s Narrows League, North Kitsap in the association’s Olympic League.

By Richard Walker • April 8, 2014 2:55 pm
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Members of the North Kitsap boys varsity lacrosse team vie for a ground ball during a recent practice at Strawberry Field in Poulsbo. The team is 1-3 but is poised to improve on its 2013 record.
Members of the North Kitsap boys varsity lacrosse team vie for a ground ball during a recent practice at Strawberry Field in Poulsbo. The team is 1-3 but is poised to improve on its 2013 record.

POULSBO — The North Kitsap boys lacrosse team hopes to shake its rough start to the season when it faces Bellarmine Prep on April 17, 7 p.m., at Mount Tahoma High School.

Both teams are 1-3 — Bellarmine in the Washington High School Boys Lacrosse Association’s Narrows League, North Kitsap in the association’s Olympic League.

North Kitsap was handily defeated by Narrows League powerhouse Tahoma 20-1 on April 5 at home. North Kitsap goalie Nickolas Brown got a workout, stopping nine of 29 goal attempts.

North Kitsap midfielder Kellson Arthurs scored his team’s only goal. All told, North Kitsap managed three goal attempts.

Nate Gowdey led Tahoma’s scoring with seven goals. Kyle Dige led the defensive effort by snagging 10 ground balls. Tahoma is now 5-0.

North Kitsap is in position to improve on its 4-6 record from 2013. After four games this season, Arthurs is 23rd in goals (12), and 13th in ground balls (27) — that’s of all players in the 62-team WHSBLA.

Among all WHSBLA goalies, Brown is 25th in saves (29) and 18th in shots.

North Kitsap lost its March 15 season opener 20-4 to Emerald Ridge-Puyallup, overwhelmed South Kitsap 18-3 on March 18, then followed with losses to Peninsula, 14-6, on March 22; and Tahoma on April 5.

Next, North Kitsap (1-3) faces an evenly matched Bellarmine Prep (1-3);  Vashon (2-3) faces 2013 champ Nathan Hale (0-2). A loss by Vashon and a win by North Kitsap would bump NK into third place in the Olympic League. Losses by Peninsula (2-2) at Stadium (1-2), and Klahowya (1-1) vs. Gig Harbor (1-3), and NK would enjoy a tie for first in the league.

STANDINGS
WHSBLA Division II
Olympic League
Peninsula 2-2-0
Klahowya 1-1-0
Vashon 2-3-0
North Kitsap 1-3-0
South Kitsap 0-4-0
Port Angeles 0-2-0

Next game: at Bellarmine Prep (Mount Tahoma HS), April 17, 7 p.m.

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MIDDLE SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

Art Claflin is coaching North Kitsap’s middle school team, nurturing North Kitsap’s future varsity players for his third or fourth season.

The middle-schoolers won their first game 12-4 in Eatonville, then shut out Lake Tapps 12-0 the following week. NK yielded to Gig Harbor 5-8.

Middle-school lacrosse is an instructional league, and Claflin gives all of his players time on the field. Claflin and his players work a lot on hand-eye coordination and stick handling. “Eighty percent of the game is catching and throwing,” he said.

This year’s squad consists of 23 players; 16 are eighth-graders, Claflin said. “We have a lot of first-year players. They’re holding together pretty well and I feel like we’re doing good,” Claflin said. Noting that 2-0 start to the season, he said, “Last year, we didn’t win a single game.”

 

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