CK XC and Klahowya soccer seek repeats, and a Bremerton swimmer lead fall sports stories

Even though football is king of high school athletics in the fall, there are plenty of other storylines in West Sound involving other sports. So what athletes and teams are primed to be in the headlines over the next months?

Let's start with two teams aiming to capture state championships for the second consecutive year:

Central Kitsap cross country chasing repeat

Central Kitsap's girls cross country team won last year's Class 3A championship at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco, totaling 70 points to finish well ahead of South Sound Conference rival Gig Harbor, which placed second with 89 points.

Here's the thing about the Cougars: they'll likely to be even more dominant this fall.

"We're stronger," said Central Kitsap head coach Jeremy Duplissey, whose team ranked No. 1 in the preseason coaches 3A state poll, one spot ahead of Gig Harbor. "Everbody got a lot better."

The team returns almost all its top runners from 2022, including junior Clare Herring (2nd individually at the 3A state meet), sophomore Audra Palmer (10th at state), junior Taylor Palmer, seniors Camryn Bishoff, Eva Huff and Sally Corder. The Cougars also added Luma Voss, who competed as the No. 3 runner for Bishop Blanchet last fall.

Duplissey believes his girls have the ability to put five runners within the top-15 places at state, led by Herring and Audra Palmer.

"They'll both be competing for the top 3-5," Duplissey said.

Central Kitsap's boys were ranked No. 2 in 3A in the preseason state poll, behind Seattle Prep. The Cougars, who placed seventh at state last year, return senior Blake Reynolds, junior Michael Vlach, sophomore David McClain and junior Gavin Brown.

Could Central Kitsap be in position to pull of a championship sweep in November? Duplissey said his boys should be in the mix.

"They've got a chance to win state, one of four teams," he said.

The best chance to watch Central Kitsap race locally is Oct. 5 at Kitsap Golf and Country Club. The three-team meet with Gig Harbor and Yelm begins at 3:30 p.m.

After the high school season, the Cougars are planning to compete in a Nike regional meet in Boise. The top-two teams and top-five individuals not attached to teams will qualify for Nike nationals in Portland.

Kingston's boys, which began the season ranked eighth in 2A in the state coaches preseason poll, return senior Lucas Lenz. He placed sixth at the 2A state meet last year. Bainbridge junior Mairin O'Brien placed 14th in the 3A girls race.

Another crown for Klahoywa girls soccer?

Klahowya girls soccer coach Troy Oelschlager netted his third state title with the Eagles last fall, securing the 1A crown with a 3-1 victory over Lynden Christian. Klahowya previously won titles in 1999 and 2014.

The team might not have to wait long for its opportunity to add championship No. 4.

With nine starters returning, the Eagles hope to do more celebrating in November. Klahowya has more than enough firepower offensively with Nisqually League MVP Amira Lyons and offensive player of the year Ali Divano leading the way. The team won its first two games, rallying from a 4-1 halftime deficit to knock off North Kitsap 5-4, then topping Bellevue Christian 4-2.

One game to watch this week: Thursday's 5 p.m. home game against Montensano, which is a rematch of last year's state semifinal (won by Klahowya 3-0).

Bremerton swim champ seeking Ironman status

Bremerton junior Gabbie Patti expects to be a state title contender at the 2A/1A swim/dive championships in November. The big question is what medals will Patti chase after winning the 50-yard freestyle and taking second in the 100-yard backstroke last year — because she should have plenty of options.

Patti achieved Ironman status as a sophomore, qualifying for state in all eight individual events, and she'll attempt to do so again this fall. Swimmers are only permitted to compete in a maximum two individual events and two relay events at state, which is scheduled for Nov. 9-11 at King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.

Bremerton head coach Andrea Cochran said Patti is prioritizing the 100 free as one individual state event this year. The second could be the 100 breaststroke since Patti has significantly dropped her times in that event, the result of a stroke alteration made in the offseason.

Team-wise, last year's top West Sound finisher at state was Bainbridge. The Spartans placed third in 3A after winning a state title the year before. Top returners include seniors Kathryn Houseman, Uma Pal, Emma Atchinson and juniors Sara Kreigh, Piper Majors and Maya Geddes.

North Kitsap boys tennis talent runs deep

Jay DeVries has been around North Kitsap's boys tennis program a long time. The head coach isn't sure he's had better roster than the one he boasts this fall.

"The North team will be as solid as we have ever been in the 23 years that I have been there," said DeVries, who led the Vikings to a second-place finish at state in 2023.

Juniors Dayshawn Harper (5th at state) and Indigo Gallagher (7th at state) will serve as the Vikings' top singles players, while senior Mason Chmielewski (4th at state with 2023 graduate Ethan Gillespie) will partner with senior Owen Wilkinson as the top doubles team.

Other names to watch are frsehman Grady DeVries, sophomore Spencer Gillespie and junior Justin Gallant (state qualifiers in doubles last spring), juniors Mason Repp and Aidan Reister, and seniors Kaden Lancaster and Matthew Tan.

The Vikings are off to a 3-0 start this fall after collecting wins against Olympic, Sequim and Bainbridge.

Boys tennis programs in West Sound play league and district competitions in the fall, then take a hiatus before competing in state championship tournaments in the spring.

Reclassification is on the horizon

This is a topic that could bring about some changes to West Sound athletic programs and the leagues in which those programs compete: reclassification.

The 2023-24 school year represents the final year of the current Washington Interscholastic Activities Association's classification cycle, which seperates high schools into 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A, 2B and 1B groupings based on enrollment size in grades 9-11. Every four years, the WIAA takes stock of enrollment numbers and adjusts groupings, the goal being to maintain competitive balance.

The current cycle, which began in 2014, has West Sound's schools situated this way: South Kitsap (4A) as members of the 10-team South Puget Sound League; Central Kitsap (3A) as members of the eight-team South Sound Conference; Bainbridge (3A), Bremerton (2A), Kingston (2A), North Kitsap (2A), North Mason (2A) and Olympic (2A) as members of the eight-team Olympic League; Klahowya (1A) as members of the nine-team Nisqually League; Crosspoint (1B) as members of the 14-team Sea-Tac League; and Chief Kitsap (1B) as members of the four-team North Olympic League.

Although enrollment counts won't be finalized until November, preliminary enrollment numbers have all West Sound schools remaining in their current classifications except for Bainbridge, which would move down a classification into 2A if the current numbers hold. Considering the Spartans are currently the only 3A team in the Olympic League, dropping down to 2A would benefit both the Spartans and the league from a playoff perspective.

Two of the smallest 2A schools in the state, Kingston and North Mason, are slated to remain in that classification, although there's potential for both to explore an appeal process if the Buccaneers and Bulldogs feel that 1A would be more beneficial from a competitive standpoint.

There is also the real possibility that South Kitsap and Central Kitsap could see their leagues reshaped. If a number of teams in Pierce and Thurston counties bump up from 3A to 4A, which is likely, South Kitsap could find itself in a SPSL that expands and becomes a two-division league. If that comes to fruition, Central Kitsap could be left in a significantly smaller South Sound Conference, leaving the Cougars to ponder membership elsewhere.

Some dates to keep in mind as we head into the fall and winter: on Dec. 1, final enrollment counts will be made available to schools; Dec. 22 is the deadline for schools to declare opting up and/or provide notification of intent to appeal classification assignments; Jan. 21, the WIAA executive board approves classification numbers and range balancing; Jan. through Aug. 2024, schools can begin the league alignment process and sport schedule planning.

Bainbridge's Becker earns athlete of the week honor

Bainbridge girls soccer player Riley Becker earned this week's Kitsap Sun athlete of the week honor in an online poll that drew 69,817 votes.

Becker, a senior midfielder who totaled four goals across Bainbridge's first three games of the season, picked up 35,089 votes. Other nominees were Klahowya tennis player Carson Langguth (26,471 votes), North Kitsap girls soccer player Evelyn Beers (2,732 votes), Central Kitsap volleyball player Jordan Lingenbrink (2,021 votes), Kingston football player Camden Singer (1,516 votes), Cenral Kitsap boys tennis player Marcus Brotsky (1,290 votes) and South Kitsap football player Jorden Lee (698 votes).

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Repeat titles, reclassification among top sports storylines this fall