North Kitsap nabs district boys soccer title in shootout
North Kitsap's boys soccer team went extra lengths to earn sweet revenge Saturday in the championship game of the Class 2A West Central/Sea-King Bi-District tournament.
In a contest played at Integrity Stadium at Olympic High School, the Vikings put their nerves to the test during a game-deciding shootout after North Kitsap and Franklin Pierce played 90 minutes of scoreless soccer. Finally, after nine rounds of kicks from the spot, head coach Greg St. Peter's crew could celebrate when Vikings senior Angel Chavez beat Cardinals goalkeeper Hunter Thompson for the winning kick.
"This process is super valuable," said St. Peter, whose second-seeded team knocked off No. 7 Clover Park 2-1 and No. 3 Sammamish in early district matchups before taking on No. 1 Franklin Pierce. "Getting these results is super valuable."
North Kitsap (16-1-1) will learn its first-round 2A tournament opponent on Sunday after a state committee meets to determine seeding. The Vikings, who haven't won a state game since 1988, are likely to earn a high seed and the right to host an opening-round game in Poulsbo.
"We're looking forward to it," St. Peter said. "This will hopefully bump us up in the rankings and help us out."
North Kitsap senior Mason Chmielewski said before the district tournament began, the Vikings were hoping to face Franklin Pierce after being eliminated from the playoffs by the Cardinals last spring. That game ended with a controversial call on a Franklin Pierce shot attempt where it was unclear if the ball crossed the goal line.
"We were hoping for this matchup," Chmielewski said. "We wanted to get our revenge and prove ourselves."
Scoring chances were few and far between as Saturday's game progressed. The high temperatures and windy conditions prevented the Vikings and Cardinals from generating many opportunities on net, but St. Peter felt his team's possession game began to bear fruit late in regulation.
"In the last 5-10 minutes, we finally started clicking," he said.
North Kitsap avoided disaster in the final minute of overtime after being called for a foul a yard outside its own penalty area. Junior goalkeeper Justin Anderson made a diving stop to his right on Franklin Pierce's ensuing free kick to send the contest into kicks.
The Cardinals saw their first attempt from the spot bang off the post, but Franklin Pierce gained an advantage after Thompson made a pair of saves on North Kitsap freshman Ethan Peck and sophomore Harper Sabari. Anderson kept the Vikings alive by denying Franklin Pierce's Ethan Shoemaker, allowing senior Blake Hoepfinger to knot things up at 3-3 after five rounds of kicks.
Both teams converted their next three attempts before Anderson made a leg save on Franklin Pierce's Victor Ceron in the ninth round, allowing Chavez to convert for the winner.
"We definitely have a lot of confidence in Justin," Chmielewski said.
"Our goalkeepers are fantastic," added St. Peter, who started senior goalkeeper Trevor Dill in net in the first half. "Justin usually plays in the second half for that reason. We practice PKs all the time because in our league, you need to."
Since the shootout extended into the ninth round, St. Peter said it was nice to see many of his players convert with the game on the line.
"There's not a set five," St. Peter said, "so some guys I was really pleased to see fight through those demons a little bit."
Only one other West Sound boys soccer team will join North Kitsap in state tournament play: Central Kitsap. The Cougars (12-4-0) finished tied for third in the West Central/Southwest Bi-District 3A tournament earlier this week to punch its ticket to state.
Bainbridge (17-4) missed out on a chance at state by falling 1-0 against Auburn Mountainview on Saturday in a game played at Franklin Pierce High School. The Spartans dropped their final two district contests after opening the West Central/Southwest Bi-District 3A tournament with three victories.
Bainbridge baseball carrying momentum into state
Bainbridge's baseball team entered the West Central/Southwest Bi-District 3A tournament as the lowest seed in the field: No. 17.
Four wins later, the Olympic League champion Spartans are headed to the state playoffs with a whole lot of momentum.
Bainbridge blanked No. 11 Auburn Mountainview 6-0 on Saturday, completing an impressive run of pitching performances that included a 2-1 win over No. 15 Mountain View on May 5, a 5-1 win over No. 10 Bonney Lake on May 9, and a 5-1 win over No. 2 Kentlake on May 10. All four wins came on the road and the first three were loser-out games.
Three runs allowed in 28 innings of work is impressive for a team that graduated star pitcher J.R. Ritchie last June.
"Our guys have just really locked in," Bainbridge head coach Geoff Brown said.
Junior Cole Pentin picked up his second playoff win on the mound Saturday, shutting out Auburn Mountainview over seven innings. Senior Luke Lavigne and freshman Braden French earned the victories in Bainbridge's other two district wins.
Although Bainbridge's low district seeding was a result of the Spartans being a 3A team competing in the Olympic League (2A) during the regular season, Brown felt confident of his team's chances to advance to state. The Spartans have relied on quality pitching and defense all season.
"They've 100 percent embraced that and it's been fun to watch," Brown said.
Bainbridge will be one of four West Sound baseball teams at state, joining North Kitsap (2A), Klahowya (1A) and Crosspoint (1B). The same four programs qualified for state in 2022. State committees will reveal tournament seeding on Sunday.
In West Central/Sea-King Bi-District 2A tournament play Saturday, No. 2 North Kitsap dropped a pair of games: 6-2 against No. 6 Fife and 11-4 against No. 1 Enumclaw. The Vikings (14-8) clinched a state berth with a first-round win against Steilacoom. No. 8 Olympic (12-11) saw its season end with a 5-4, nine-inning loss in a West Central/Sea-King Bi-District 2A winner-to-state game.
Nisqually League champion Klahowya (18-2) clinched a state tournament berth with a 12-3 victory Friday in the West Central District 1A title game.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: North Kitsap nabs district boys soccer title in shootout
