Title-game contenders among top storylines heading into West Sound's spring season

A long-range weather forecast of warm temperatures and dryer-than-normal conditions should be music to the ears of West Sound high school athletes looking to make their mark this spring. There are plenty of games to be played, which is always easier this time of year when the rains stay away.

What are some storylines to follow this spring for baseball, softball, boys soccer, track and field, tennis, golf and the rest? It probably makes sense to start by highlighting two teams coming off of state championship seasons and one that came oh-so-close to adding a title.

Can North Kitsap softball continue dominant run?

North Kitsap's fastpitch softball team is coming off an undefeated 25-0 season that saw the Vikings capture their first Class 2A state title. This wasn't a case of a team relying on a roster completely loaded with seniors, either.

Head coach Clay Blackwood's group returns 13 players, including junior Reese Anderson, who earned Kitsap Sun softball co-player of the year honors after going 19-0 with a 1.83 earned run average, 143 strikeouts and 29 walks. She also batted .441 with five home runs, 21 RBI and 16 runs scored. Seniors Cerenity Fake, a first-team All-Olympic League pick last season, and Hannah Richards also available to pitch this spring.

"We have a talented group of upperclassmen that should carry the load this season," said Blackwood, whose team opens its season Friday with a nonleague game at Klahowya.

Could there be another local team lurking, waiting to steal North Kitsap's thunder? Olympic (16-11) reached the 2A quarterfinals last spring, finishing 2-2 overall at state, and returns a trio of two-time All-Olympic League first-teamers in junior pitcher Brenda Morrison, junior catcher Beya Richmond and senior shortstop Hailey Feltis, who has committed to play at St. Martin's University.

Head coach Chuck Stark's Trojans, who opened the season last week with a 13-5 win over Central Kitsap, face 2A state runner-up Ridgefield on Saturday before opening league play at home against North Kitsap on March 19.

In the Nisqually League, Klahowya will be aiming to return to state after missing out during last season's 14-win campaign. Head coach Meika Hall didn't lose a single player to graduation and returns all-league first-team players Riley Carver and Bailey Watland.

A couple other seniors to watch this season are Kingston's Jayla Moon and South Kitsap's Kamdyn Hagerty. Moon, an All-Olympic League first-team pick, helped lead the Buccaneers to their first district playoff win in nearly a decade last spring. She pitched part-time, going 5-3 with 67 strikeouts in 37 and 1/3 innings, while batting .466 with one home run, 12 doubles and 22 RBI.

Hagerty, who earned All-South Puget Sound League 4A first-team honors as a junior, had a 2.72 earned run average with 125 strikeouts in 72 innings. The Colorado Mesa University commit also hit .463 with six home runs to help the Wolves qualify for district play.

Expectations remain high for Klahowya baseball

Heading into 2023, Klahowya's baseball program hadn't ever won a game in state tournament play before. So when the Eagles captured the 1A baseball title last spring in such dominant fashion, allowing just five runs across four games, it was a bit of a surprise.

It won't be a shock if the Eagles find similar success this year with seven varsity players returning and six being added from last year's junior varsity squad.

"Our expectations remain the same and that's a deep run in the state tournament," said Eagles head coach Eddie Beloate, whose team is scheduled to open the season with a pair of home games against Cascade Christian on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Despite the loss of Kitsap Sun baseball player of the year Matt Bailey to graduation, Klahowya returns several All-Nisqually League first-team players, including junior pitchers Aiden Michael and Carson Langguth, junior outfielder Carson Moore, junior designated hitter Camden Dickey and senior Blake Robinson.

Three other West Sound baseball teams qualified for state last season: Bainbridge (20-3), North Kitsap (15-10) and Crosspoint (9-8). All three were eliminated in the first round.

For Bainbridge, the Spartans return All-Olympic League first-teamers in senior Cole Pentin and Duncan Bos and sophomores Will Rohrbacher and McCrae Cuffman. Last season's Olympic League MVP Noah Sorensen of North Kitsap is still recovering from an injury suffered during the winter basketball season and is expected back after spring break. All-league first-team picks for the Vikings who are back are senior Alex Elton, junior Tate Stearns and sophomore Dawsyn Anderson. Sea-Tac League 1B MVP Silas Stenerson of Crosspoint returns for his senior season, as does sophomore Levi Bates, a first-team selection.

Vikings lead soccer hopefuls after runner-up trophy

Graduation hit hard for some of West Sound's top soccer teams, including 2A state runner-up North Kitsap. The Vikings (19-2-1) said goodbye to eight seniors, a majority of whom played key roles last spring as the Vikings enjoyed their best finish in school history, winning 19 consecutive games before falling to Columbia River in the state championship game.

The cupboard isn't bare by any means in Poulsbo. Senior Mason Chmielewski and juniors Harper Sabari and Logan Anderson return to guide a team that opened its season with a 2-1 home win against Skyview last weekend. That trio earned All-Olympic League first-team honors last spring.

"Many of our guys are flexible and filling those roles nicely," North Kitsap head coach Greg St. Peter said. "We hope to make another deep run in the postseason."

Bainbridge (17-4) tied North Kitsap for the Olympic League title last season, but saw its postseason end in 3A district tournament play. League MVP Damoni McKenna-Greenawalt graduated, but all-league players Chris Fowler, James Bruyere and August Peterson are back.

Two-time Kitsap Sun boys soccer player of the year Jake Mackenzie also graduated for Central Kitsap (12-5), which lost in the first round of the 3A state playoffs. Two names to watch for the Cougars are senior captain Porter Herbig and junior captain Nicholas Strickland.

More titles on the way for track and field?

One of West Sound's individual athletic achievements in 2023 was Central Kitsap senior Roderick Schenk winning the 3A boys javelin title with a throw of 219 feet, 1 inch, setting new state meet and West Sound records in the process.

With Schenk now a member of the track and field team at the University of Tennessee, South Kitsap senior Grace Degarimore could be in line to grab a throws title or two at this year's 4A state competition. Degarimore placed second in discus and shot put as a junior.

The lone returning state track and field champion is Crosspoint sophomore Brooke Berens, who was the Kitsap Sun's girls soccer player of the year in the fall. She was the 1B girls state champion in the 800 last year and helped lead the Warriors' 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 teams place second, third and sixth.

Some other names to follow on the track and field scene: North Kitsap senior Salix Wartes-Kahl (2nd in the girls 800 in 2A in 2023), Bremerton junior Rylee Wheaton (4th in the girls shot put in 2A), Klahowya junior Maggie Keenan (3rd in the girls 100 hurdles in 1A), Bainbridge junior Yafei Shou (3rd in the boys pole vault in 3A), and Central Kitsap senior Savannah Fourier (3rd in the girls high jump in 3A).

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Soccer, softball, baseball and track starting in West Sound