Roberts sisters go 1-2 at state
For the second time in three years, Kingston High’s Ruby Roberts won a state title in cross country. And this time, her little sister stood next to her on the podium.
Roberts, a senior, placed first in the Nov. 7 race with a time of 18 minutes, 6 seconds. Her sister, Marina, a sophomore, took second place in the race, with a time of 18:28.
The high finishes helped Kingston place second overall as a team, just two points behind champion Sehome High.
Kingston cross country coach Roger Coffman credits the girls’ success to their strong work ethic. Both sisters said they enjoy a friendly rivalry and both plan to continue running in years to come.
“I think we like to work hard,” Ruby Roberts said. “The more we run, the better we feel.”
North Kitsap boys soccer team goes to state
In 2009, the North Kitsap High boys soccer team had one of its best seasons in nearly a quarter of a century.
For the first time since 1986, the Vikings won a league title and made it to the state tournament. North finished the season with a 13-3-2 record and went undefeated in league play. In the first round of the state tourney, the Vikings faced Seattle Prep and fell 4-0.
Looking ahead to next season, Head Coach Chris May said, “We have a really good group of freshmen coming up, the JV squad’s really strong, and we’ve got guys coming in that are going to play well here for a few years, so we’re looking good for a while.”
NK, Kingston baseball teams go to state
It was a banner year for the Kingston and North Kitsap high school baseball teams, as both reached the state tournament.
North Kitsap finished the 2009 season atop the Olympic League and earned a No. 2 seed in the state playoffs. The Vikings would face Seattle’s O’Dea and fall in the first round.
“We’ve come a long way from the beginning of the season,” said Head Coach Jeff Weible. “The teams that are going to go far are the teams that get along together and play for each other and pull for each other. And that’s one thing we’ve done a lot better job at the last two-thirds of the season.”
Kingston advanced to the state tourney for the second year in a row in 2009. The Buccaneers shined in the first round, beating Archbishop Murphy, 5-3. Danny Orr, Paul Bagala and winning pitcher Tyler Sullivan each had home runs in the win.
In game two, just hours after beating Archbishop Murphy, the Bucs fell to Cedarcrest, 8-2. Kingston finished the season with a 14-8 record.
NK girls show off their skills
Female athletes at North Kitsap High School played to impress last fall.
Both the girls soccer and volleyball teams went undefeated in Olympic League play on their way to league titles in 2009. The Viking volleyball team was ranked as high as No. 2 in the state in the 3A division. Each team’s top player — Siara Byers for soccer and Sarah Baugh for volleyball — was selected as the league MVP for her respective sport.
In cross country, the North Kitsap girls team qualified for the state tournament after a first-place finish at districts. The Vikings ended up in third place overall at state.
“It’s not just the race, it’s the whole excitement,” Viking Head Coach Richard Christopher said before the state tourney. “You’re kind of in rarified air up there.”
Finally, North Kitsap swimmer Bethany Aban placed ninth in the 100-yard breaststroke at the state finals in November. Aban also broke her own school records at North multiple times over the course of the 2009 season.
