1. Marysville Pilchuck/Oak Harbor football: Borne out of a horrific tragedy, the two Wesco 3A North football teams showed what sports are all about in the wake of a fatal shooting at Marysville Pilchuck on Oct. 24. Oak Harbor, which was supposed to play the Tomahawks that night for the Wesco 3A North title, offered to forfeit the game and give Marysville Pilchuck the No. 1 seed and a berth in the Wesco 3A Championship game the following week — which the Tomahawks won over Meadowdale 55-34.
Several Wildcat players also came to a Marysville Pilchuck team meeting that Friday night to encourage the Tomahawks.
“That’s the most amazing thing I’ve seen,” Tomahawks coach Brandon Carson said on Oct. 24. “That just shows you what kind of people they are. Those guys have showed it tonight just by coming here and coming to the vigil and visiting us at our team meeting. I can’t put into words what it means for not only high school athletics, but for our team to get through this grieving process.”
Marysville Pilchuck traveled to Oak Harbor the following week to present the Wildcats with the league trophy and a pizza party, and to thank the Oak Harbor team for its support.
2. Jackson wins state swim title: The Jackson girls swimming team needed a lot to go right in the final three events of the 4A state swimming and diving meet in November to have a chance at a state championship. Fortunately for the Timberwolves, everything did.
Jackson’s Madison Pressler started the rally quietly by improving from her qualifying position to place fifth in the 100 backstroke. Sophomore Nicole Limberg followed with a victory in the 100 breaststroke to get within striking distance of the title. A victory in the 400 freestyle relay, the final event of the meet, clinched a share of the championship with Richland.
“I was focused on each individual race and that was what I was tasking each girl with,” Jackson head coach Drew Whorley said. “Nicole and I talked about her winning the 100 breaststroke. We talked about winning the 400 freestyle relay.”
Jackson wasn’t the only local swim team to win a state championship in 2014. Archbishop Murphy won the 2A boys state championship in February.
3. Edmonds-Woodway girls soccer wins first state championship: A team with several players already committed to play soccer in college, the Edmonds-Woodway girls soccer team got off to a mediocre start, winning three of its first six games.
But The Warriors never lost again.
Thanks to big playoff performances by forward Madison Schultz and goalkeeper Kiera Towell, the Warriors won the first team state championship in Edmonds-Woodway history with a 2-1 win over Southridge on Nov. 21.
“It (has) not happened in school history, so to be the first, that’s awesome,” Edmonds-Woodway head coach Bill LeCompte said.
4. Brooke Wherley claims first state title in Marysville Getchell history: The Marysville Getchell senior will forever be remembered for delivering the first state championship in school history with her victory in the diving competition at the 3A state championships in November.
After placing second as a junior, Wherley’s focus was on winning a state championship as a senior. With a score of 438.85, she finished more than 22 points ahead of runner-up Hannah Walsh of Bellevue.
“Last year, I really wanted to win, but I kind of figured it might not have been an attainable goal like it was this year,” Wherley said. “This year, I had a lot more confidence, especially since I had a better season coming into it than I did last year.”
5. Darrington community rallies after tragedy: Several Darrington student athletes spent their spring break volunteering with relief efforts after a deadly mudslide in Oso on March 22. The school — and community — got to work within minutes of the slide to do all it could in the search and rescue efforts.
“These kids are going out of their way to help,” Darrington athletic director Cory Ross said in the days after the mudslide. “I’m not surprised. Their parents instill that in them. That’s how this community works.”
Several Seattle Seahawks came to Darrington to show their support, and Central Washington University extended an invitation to the Loggers’ volleyball team to attend its annual summer tournament and waived the participation fee.
6. Kamiak ends Jackson’s tennis winning streak: It had been 97 meets since a Wesco boys tennis team beat Jackson before Kamiak pulled of the feat in October. The Knights’ victory in the final meet of the season not only ended Jackson’s streak, which lasted six seasons, but clinched a share of the league championship with the Timberwolves.
With an opportunity to end the streak, the Kamiak student body came out to support the team.
“It was a crowd that was as loud as a basketball game,” Knights head coach Vic Alinen said. “It was the greatest attendance I’ve ever seen at a (high school) tennis match ever — and they were loud.”
7. Marysville Pilchuck volleyball surprises with state berth: Qualifying as the eighth and final seed for the 3A District 1 volleyball tournament didn’t stop the Tomahawks from reeling off two consecutive victories, including an opening-round win over top-seeded Shorewood, and advancing to the 3A state tournament.
The Tomahawks’ run came just two weeks after the tragic shooting at Marysville Pilchuck High School.
“After everything that happened, we we’re going to show people that we’re strong and that we can do this as a team,” setter Courtney Fitzmaurice said. “We’re going to come back and do it for our school and do it for our friends and community and everything — and we did. We’ve never wanted anything as much as we wanted that.”
8. Roe wins 4A state cross country race: Coming into the 4A state cross country meet in November, Jackson’s Aaron Roe had never placed higher than sixth and had the 10th-best 4A time in the state. That didn’t stop the senior from capping off his career with a state championship.
Roe edged Bothell’s Charlie Barringer by better than seven seconds.
An excited Roe was happy to see his hard work pay off.
“I didn’t get up in the mornings and go out late at nights for two runs a day not to be state champion,” he said. “This is what everyone wants to do and this is what everyone has their eye on. I’ve been dreaming about this ever since I was a little kid.”
9. Snohomish brings home a state soccer title: The Panthers secured the third state championship in Snohomish boys soccer history with a 2-1 victory over Ferris on May 31. Tanner Corrie and Blake Crutchfield scored for the Panthers, who also got a strong season from The Herald’s All-Area Player of the Year, forward Uriel Herrera.
“It brings tears to my eyes,” junior defender Gus Baxter said after the title game. “I’m surprised (the tears) haven’t started yet. It feels extraordinary knowing there’s going to be a banner in the gym now that says, ‘2014 Snohomish boys soccer.’”
10. Lake Stevens wrestling continues to be really, really good: Vikings sophomore Michael Soler clinched his second individual state championship in as many years with a late sweep of the leg in his 113-pound match to give Lake Stevens its second consecutive team title on Feb. 22.
Lake Stevens, one of the top wrestling programs in the state, edged Moses Lake 133 to 116½. The Vikings have won the state meet three of the past four seasons.
“(2013), it was awesome because it was my first year winning it,” Soler said. “But this year there was just so much more on the line. The kid beat me earlier in the year. I had that going through my head. I knew the team counted on me. It was amazing.”
Honorable Mentions
— The Lynnwood girls basketball finished third at the state tournament, the highest finish in school history, after a dominating season in which the Royals suffered just two losses
— The Mountlake Terrace football collected the first playoff win in program history.
— The Mountlake Terrace girls cross country team finally topped Wesco rival Glacier Peak at the state meet, finishing second overall
— Marysville Pilchuck’s Austin Joyner won the state long jump title over Bellevue’s Budda Baker.
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