Longtime volleyball coach Keith Peden just loves it when he runs into the kids – at least he still calls them kids – that have come and gone from Olympic High School.
“They own businesses now, and they’re successful moms or housewives or they’re doing things in the community,” he said. “I think back to some of them who came in as freshmen—girls who were too timid to hit the ball, and they leave the program confident and strong women.”
That’s what he’ll miss most, he said, fighting back tears as the team’s Nov. 9 loss to the North Kitsap Vikings in the district playoffs officially marked the end of a coaching role with the Trojans that began in 1997. His team finished the year with a 16-8 record, highlighted by a 3-1 regular season upset over the Vikings Oct. 10. A loss in a five-set thriller vs. Sequim at districts put the Trojans in that winner-to-state match vs. North Kitsap.
“It’s sad they didn’t get to go (to state), but I’m proud of them,” Peden said following the loss.
Peden had led the program to its sole pair of state tournament berths in 2011 and in 2006, where the Trojans pulled off a massive upset over No. 2 seeded Hanford before falling just shy of a top-eight finish. Falling just shy of a trip to Yakima this year was a hard pill to swallow, but he feels the team will end up in good hands.
“They’ve got some good talent coming back. They’re going to be fine. It’ll be fun to maybe watch them a little bit (next season). Oly volleyball is strong for the future.”
One of the first people to share their congratulations with Peden was North Kitsap coach Kaelea Makaiwi—the pair embracing at the net in the first minutes following their final contest against each other. “That knowledge, the experience of being around. I mean he was just telling me about his memories from when the state was at the Toyota Center. It sucks that we had to play with each other,” she said.
Bainbridge coach Holly Rohrbacher, whose team made a trip to state this season in her first season back in the role she first held from 2015-17, was surprised by the news but credited Peden’s ability to be a constant positive influence in the Olympic High community.
“He always knew how to get the best out of his kids, and whatever that looks like going into each season, he knew how to turn it into a team that could win games,” she said.
Peden expects to continue teaching at Olympic for the next couple of years before fully retiring from the school. He finishes his coaching days with over 300 career wins.
