From KITSAP NEWS Reports
There were jubilant celebrations and painstaking heartbreaks in what was an up-and-down year for Bremerton area athletics. It was a roller-coaster ride for the King’s West Warriors as the girls basketball team lost in agonizing fashion at the 2B WIAA State Basketball Championships in what was an otherwise great season, Lakiesha Nilles won the state championship in the javelin as the team finished in 15th place and the girls volleyball team made a nice run to state.
Bremerton’s 2007 campaign included wrester Billy Richardson’s incredible run, the football team’s Olympic League Sportsmanship crown and its athletes sweeping the Kitsap Sports Award Banquet by taking all three awards.
The Bremerton Patriot takes a look back at these stories and more in what made 2007 an exciting year in Bremerton sports.
t Warrior girls lose at state
King’s West lost in heartbreaking fashion against Liberty Bell High School in a loser-out game at the 2B WIAA State Girls Basketball Championships at Spokane Arena. KW squandered a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter, falling 36-35 on a last-second jump shot by Liberty Bell guard Shelby Scott at the buzzer.
The Warriors were clinging to a 35-34 lead and had their most reliable player, Megan Spence, at the free-throw line with nine seconds remaining in regulation. Spence missed the ensuing free throw and in a wild scramble for possession, a jump ball was whistled with four seconds left in the game. The possession arrow, however, pointed in LB’s direction and the Warriors never regained possession.
t Nilles first state champ at KW
Besides winning the state championship in the javelin, Lakiesha Nilles helped the Warrior 400-meter relay team take fifth place and was a big part of the girls tie for 15th-place overall at the WIAA 2B State Track & Field Championships.
Nilles was joined on the relay team by Irene Moore, Megan Morris and Megan Smith. The team squeaked into the finals, taking eighth in the preliminaries by just one-tenth of a second at 53.7 seconds. The quartet put together a perfect string of exchanges in the finals to take fifth with a school-record time of 52.42.
Moore and Nilles were part of another school record, teaming with Smith and Michelle Webster in the 800M relay, which finished 10th.
t Warrior ladies win once at state volleyball tourney
The King’s West girls volleyball team lost to Wilbur-Creston, the eventual third-place finisher, to open the state tournament in the SunDome.
That put the team into the consolation bracket against Life Christian, one of the teams to beat King’s West at districts. King’s West came out firing and took control of the contest early.
“We jumped on them,” coach Dan Dittmer said, “and we just played error free. It was scary good. It was really a lot of fun. The kids just played so well. Those were the best three games we’ve played all season.”
KW faced Darrington next but fell 15-25, 19-25 and 19-25.
t BHS’ Richardson captures crown at 103 pounds
Billy Richardson’s goal still was in reach after pinning Cascade Christian’s Joel Russo in the semifinals of the North Mason Classic.
“I don’t want to get scored on the entire tournament,” Richardson said.
In the finals, Richardson pinned Adam Lafave of Clover Park early in the third round to win a championship. Lafave scored his only point on an escape early in the second round.
BHS coach Jeff Barton was pleased to see Richardson’s tenacity evident on the mat.
It was only the start for Richardson however, as the then-Bremerton junior would go on to a third-place finish at state. 2008 could bring more good things, as Richardson closed 2007 wrestling well for the Knights, moving up to 112.
t B-town rollers punch state ticket
The Knights rollers stepped up to the plate, compiling 3,140 pins to capture second-place at the district tournament, earning a spot to the state tournament, where the Knights would take fourth place.
“It feels good to have our whole team make it to state,” Knights coach Dean Wagner said. “We’re matched up on the lanes with Shelton and that inspired us.”
“We improved each and every game,” Wagner said. “In the Baker games we kept each other going. Shelton was just on fire and that inspired us to do well. Our whole team stepped up for us again.”
The Knights were proud to represent BHS at the 2006-07 bowling state tournament.
“It’s fantastic. The last time Bremerton High School had an Olympic League banner go up in the gymnasium was 1993,” Wagner commented.
Bremerton’s bowlers were hot again before the new year, virtually locking up another league title before the holiday break with an undefeated record rolling into 2008.
t Bremerton breaks out the broom at sports banquet
The eighth annual Kitsap Sports Award Banquet turned into a night for Knights June 24, as Bremerton took all three of the top awards.
Jacki Hill won the female athlete of the year award, Trace Jordan was voted the male athlete of the year and Daniel McInnis captured the coach of the year honor. All three are involved with multiple sports for the Knights.
t Football team
a class act
The BHS football team finished the season with only one win, but gained respect amongst its competitors by taking the Olympic League’s sportsmanship award. The team also had two players — wide receiver Dimitri Alston and linebacker Chris Martindale — selected to the All-Kitsap County Football first-team. Seniors Alex Griffin and Jamiere Abney received honorable mention votes as members of the second-team.
t East Bremerton takes one Pee Wee football title
Chico took advantage of a three-team league by edging South Kitsap 38-29 for the A-level championship, East Bremerton took the B-league title with a 33-29 win over Chico, Silverdale handled Chico 38-16 for first-place in the C-level competition and North Perry came away with the D-league crown by winning 42-0 over Tracyton.
t Hill leads Lady Knights track to fourth
Jacki Hill won three individual events and carried the Lady Knights track team to a fourth-place finish at the Olympic League Track and Field Championships in May. Hill continued her domination of the sprints by winning the 100M, 200M and 400M events. She ran a leg of the 400-meter-relay, too, helping the Knights reach top podium spot in a fourth event. On the boys side, Alex Griffin took the 100M dash as the team finished fifth-place overall.
Hill and Griffin would each go on to a second-place finish at state.
t BlueJackets come close to WCCBL title game
The Kitsap BlueJackets finished the regular season 32-19 (24-18) and won the first game of a best-of-three playoff series against Corvallis, Oregon in what was an exciting run for Kitsap’s team. But after winning the first game, Corvallis pulled out consecutive wins, 7-3 and 4-3 respectively, to eliminate the BlueJackets and earn the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League’s West Division Championship.
2007 wasn’t all fun for the BlueJackets, however. Co-owner Wynne Littman, a longtime Kitsap County resident and business owner, died in November. She was 66.
“She gave more than what she wanted to receive,” husband and co-owner Charlie Littman said of his wife. “She loved everybody and always saw the positive in everyone.”
t Tomahawks
miss playoffs
Last season wasn’t the kind of hockey season Tomahawks coach Josh Reis is accustomed to. The Tommies finished the 2006-2007 season with an overall record of 14-30, leaving them six points behind fourth-place Tri-Cities in the Northern Pacific Hockey League Pacific Division.
“In my 15 years as a hockey coach I’ve never had a losing season,” Reis explained.
t OC softball sees postseason return
The Olympic College Rangers returned to the postseason for the first time in two years with an 18-14 showing in league play. While the trip was short, the team has a deep class coming into 2008.
t Bremerton alum Adrian makes
a big splash
2006 Bremerton graduate Nathan Adrian, a state champion swimmer, made his collegiate debut with the University of California. And what a debut it was.
Adrian was named the Golden Bears’ team MVP while placing eighth in the nation in the 100-meter freestyle, also earning placings in two other individual events and on four relays. His 100M free time of 42.57 seconds was a new record for the 18-years-old-and-younger age group.
t Mosey shines on, off court for Warriors
King’s West’s Chloe Mosey took the honor of Bremerton Patriot Student-Athlete of the Year as the 6-footer excelled for four years as a power forward on King’s West’s basketball team, collecting a boatload of honors and a scholarship from NAIA powerhouse Montana Western University.
She also finished the school’s record-holder in the discus.
t KW XC wins league, district
The Warrior harriers took the team’s second-consecutive district track title, finishing seventh at state. Stina Moseng, who took fourth at districts, was also the highest state-placer. The success followed the Warriors’ league title.
