POULSBO — As Kitsap’s 1A and 2A teams continue in their state championship bids, here’s a look at how the playoff picture is shaping up.
2A baseball
The North Kitsap Vikings defeated Tumwater 6-4 on May 20 at Auburn High School, in the 2017 WIAA 2A State Baseball Tournament.
Earlier that day, the Vikings eked a 10-9 win over Black Hills.
“The guys are believing that they can run the table,” head coach Jeff Weible said. “They’re confident and the last few days have been good practices.”
Quality pitching, solid defense, and team cohesiveness have been evident throughout the Vikings’ year.
“Everyone is pulling for one another,” Weible said. “They play for one another, there is no selfishness on the team. It’s about the team as a whole and whether we win or lose. In the baseball world, that’s pretty special.”
The Vikings won the 2017 West Central District 2A Baseball Tournament May 13, defeating Highline 8-6. The Viking victory was preceded by a 7-0 win against Fife earlier that day, and a 5-0 shutout in their opening game against River Ridge May 6 at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds.
Next, the Vikings are scheduled to play Ellensburg at 4 p.m. May 26 at Yakima County Stadium. The winner will advance to the State championship game May 27. The loser will vie for third place.
Among other Kitsap teams, Olympic was ousted from the post-season 10-0 by Cheney, May 20 at Johnson-OBrien Stadium.
Before that, the Trojans defeated Washington May 6 at Franklin Pierce, lost 4-0 to Highline later that day, then rebounded on May 10 with a 12-8 win over Franklin Pierce after their sixth place district finish to clinch a state playoff berth.
1A/2A golf
Qualifying boys and girls golfers from 1A/2A Olympic League schools competed in the West Central District III Championships May 16 at the Gold Mountain Golf Club.
Three Kingston High School athletes qualified for state at the League Championships May 2: Dawson Clark, Delaney Olson and Isaac Tran.
2A soccer
The Kingston Buccaneers, two-time consecutive Olympic League champions, traveled to face two-time state champion Archbishop Murphy May 20 at Archbishop Murphy.
Kingston’s post-season play ended in a 5-0 shut out.
1A/2A track
Qualifying boys and girls track athletes from 1A/2A Olympic League schools competed in the 1A/2A West Central District III Championships May 19-20 at Renton Memorial Stadium. Results were not available at press time.
2A fastpitch
The top three Olympic League teams — Port Angeles (12-0, 16-1), Sequim (8-4, 10-9) and North Kitsap (8-4, 9-7) — played in the 2017 West Central District III 2A Softball Tournament May 19-20 at Sprinker Fields in Tacoma.
The Vikings lost to Fife 4-1 in a loser-out game May 19.
1A fastpitch
After eking out a 4-3 win over Bremerton May 12, the Eagles were scheduled to play Seattle Christian May 19 in the 2017 West Central District 3 1A Softball Tournament at Sprinker Fields.
Klahowya lost 10-3 in the loser-out game, ending their post-season championship play.
2A girls tennis
North Kitsap (13-1, 13-1) is the Olympic League champion, followed by Olympic (9-2, 11-2) and Sequim (9-4, 9-4). Kingston follows at (9-5, 9-5).
Viking head tennis coach Jordan Prince was optimistic heading into playoffs. “We’ve had a great year,” he said. The Vikings lettered a record 22 players this season.
His top player, junior Danya Wallis, is said by Prince to have a great chance to compete in singles at state.
“Danya is going for her third state title in a row,” he said. “There’s a lot of talent, as evidenced by a number of varsity players this year. I expect to make another run at a state title. We have a bunch of very talented doubles teams who have a chance to go far at state.”
Kingston head coach Terry Grimm said Buc players Lily Beaulieu and Emily Shaleen qualified to go to the state championships. They played North Kitsap May 19 to determine first through fourth place.
“We played them in the league tournament and once during the season so this will be the third time we play them. It should be a good match. I have no other kids in this tournament,” Grimm said. “It should be a good match,” she said.
The 2A district tennis championships took place May 17-18 at the Kitsap Tennis & Athletic Center. Results were not available at press time.
— Sophie Bonomi is a reporter for the Kitsap News Group. Contact her at sbonomi@soundpublishing.com.
