With the 2022-23 high school sports season in the books, there’s still plenty to keep Kitsap Sun sports reporter Jeff Graham busy this summer.
Catching a morning ferry to Whidbey Island on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, I felt somewhat like a marathon runner stumbling across the finish line following a major race. There was a mix of exhaustion and elation after enduring one of my busiest sports Saturdays in recent memory.
Unlike the fall and winter, when the state playoffs are spaced out across several weeks, state championships for high school spring sports in Washington are mostly held during a three-day stretch in May that runs right into Memorial Day weekend. Cramming all that baseball, softball, boys soccer, track and field, and boys/girls tennis into such a short window can leave reporters and photographers across the state scrambling to cover everything.
Last week, I found myself in a bit of a quandary after Klahowya’s baseball team and North Kitsap’s softball and boys soccer teams all reached titles games on Saturday afternoon/evening.
How often do we have a trio of teams reach finals in the spots of baseball, softball and boys soccer? I know it hasn’t happened in the past three decades. Heck, it’s rare for even two of our spring teams to make it that far; the last time it happened, in 2012, Bainbridge’s boys soccer team won the 3A title and Central Kitsap’s boys soccer team took second in 4A. Conveniently, I was able to cover both of those games since they were Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.
Another tricky thing about spring sports championships is that host venues are typically scattered across the state. That was true last Saturday as Klahowya’s baseball team played Naches Valley in Bellingham, North Kitsap’s softball team faced Ridgefield in Selah and North Kitsap’s soccer team took on Columbia River in Renton.
After mulling things over Friday night, I made the decision to drive to Selah to cover North Kitsap’s softball team, which ended up pulling off an 8-1 win to secure its first-ever title and put the finishing touches on an undefeated season. Later that night, I called Klahowya baseball coach Eddie Beloate to congratulate him on his team’s victory in the 1A title game up in Bellingham. I also texted with North Kitsap boys soccer coach Greg St. Peter, whose team saw its stellar postseason run conclude with a 2A title game defeat.
As tired as I was by the end of Saturday night — or was it Sunday morning? — I was reminded of how this job never fails to surprise me. None of those three teams I mentioned above had ever competed in a state championship game before last weekend. Klahowya had never even won a state playoff game before. Yet there they were, three years after the COVID-19 pandemic knocked out spring sports altogether, challenging for state glory. Two first-place trophies and a second-place trophy, plus a decent haul of medals from track and field and tennis, finished off the 2022-23 high school sports year on a high note.
I’m guessing three spring teams in the finals probably won’t happen again any time soon. Or maybe it will happen in 2024. You never know.
With the calendar flipping over to June, there’s still plenty sports stories for me to work on. On Sunday, I’ll have a feature on Kingston High School’s new football coach. Gathering up all-league lists and making picks for Kitsap Sun male, female and coach the year are still on my to-do list. But first, a few other sports tidbits to chew on….
Fuiava headed to Eastern Washington
One of the top track and field athletes to come through West Sound in recent years, Central Kitsap graduate Pono Fuiava, held a college signing ceremony last Saturday. Fuiava is headed to Eastern Washington University after competing the past two seasons at Olympic College.
While competing for the Rangers at the Northwest Athletic Conference championships May 22-23, Fuiava claimed titles in women’s discus and shot put for the second consecutive season. She’ll depart OC with school records in both events: shot put (41-10.75) and discus (145-6). In 2019, Fuiava won the Class 3A discus title while setting a new West Sound high school record (146-1).
Another OC athlete, Bremerton graduate Garrett Armbruster, broke a 50-year school record at the NWAC championships by clearing 14-7-5 in the men’s pole vault. Armbruster placed sixth in the event.
Bainbridge’s Ritchie recovering from surgery
In some unfortunate news from the world of minor league baseball, Bainbridge Island’s JR Ritchie faces a long recovery after recently undergoing Tommy John surgery. Ritchie, selected 35th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2022 draft, began the season pitching in Single-A for the Augusta GreenJackets and exited his May 6 start with injury.
In four starts this season, Ritchie had a 0-1 record with a 5.40 earned run average in 13 and 1/3 innings. He had an impressive 25-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Ritchie’s father, Ian, said his son is currently rehabbing in Florida, but plans to return to the area for a July 4 parade on Bainbridge Island.
Another minor leaguer with local ties, Olympic graduate Shane Matheny, is in town with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats for a six-game series against the Tacoma Rainiers at Cheney Stadium. Olympic High athletic director Nate Andrews, Olympic baseball coach Chris Campbell and Matheny’s parents were among those in attendance during Wednesday’s series opener. In the first two games against Tacoma, Matheny went 0-for-7 with one RBI. He played third base on Tuesday and right field on Wednesday.
Fairgrounds hosting all-star baseball, softball games
Many of West Sound’s top high school baseball and softball players will be competing in all-star games sponsored by the Kitsap Athletic Roundtable on June 6 at 4 p.m. at the Fairgrounds. The senior baseball all-star contest serves as a feeder game for the Washington State Baseball Coaches Association All-State Series, held later this summer.
The softball showcase includes players of all grades and will feature the National All-Stars, led by Klahowya coach Meika Hall, against the American all-stars, led by North Kitsap coach Clay Blackwood.
Bremerton hosting officials appreciation/recruiting event
Bremerton High School is hosting an officials appreciation and recruiting event June 10 from 1-4 p.m. Food will be provided and community members interested in learning about becoming a sports official are encouraged to attend.
Jeff Graham covers sports for the Kitsap Sun. Reach him at jgraham@kitsapsun.com.
