SNOHOMISH — It’s pretty easy for the Glacier Peak baseball team to signal the point in its season when everything changed for the Grizzlies.
“It had to have been the last game against Meadowdale,” senior catcher Nate Sanders said. “We had that talk out in right field. That first game against Lynnwood was kind of the spark for us.”
After a 6-1 loss to the Mavericks on April 8th — the only series loss for the Grizzlies this season — the players and coaches had an unusually long postgame meeting to discuss the future of the Glacier Peak team’s season.
“We kind of discussed what was going on,” junior Ryan Ober said. “We had just struggled the last few games and just sat there figuring it out for about 20 minutes. Mainly, we talked about practice and getting stuff done. We figured out a better plan for practice and how to play together more.”
“We had a little dip halfway through, a little ‘coming to Jesus meeting’ with our team,” Glacier Peak head coach Bob Blair said. “I think we found ourselves and started playing for each other and developed a bond and that’s where we’re at right now. Guys are picking each other up. We always had the talent. It was just getting them to play for each other and put themselves out there and think about the team more.”
Blair’s talk with the team had an immediate impact. With games coming up against Lynnwood, Edmonds-Woodway and Shorewood, Glacier Peak went 6-3 and clinched the Wesco 3A South title in nail-biting fashion with a win on the last game of the regular season over Shorewood.
The victory gave Glacier Peak (12-6 in league games) the tiebreaker over fellow 12-6 teams Lynnwood and Shorewood.
Edmonds-Woodway (11-7) finished right behind them.
“It’s the toughest division, I think,” Ober said. “Two years ago, my freshman season, we started out 2-8 and then the last 10 games we went 8-2 and ended up winning a district championship. It wasn’t as extreme as that year but we definitely turned something around.”
Glacier Peak continued its run in the district tournament, going 3-0 to clinch the 3A District 1 championship. In the title game, the Grizzlies fell behind Lynnwood 4-0 in the first inning.
But Glacier Peak, harkening back to that April meeting, battled back to defeat the Royals 5-4 in eight innings.
“We have faith in each other,” said senior Cole Walchenbach. “We don’t need to do it all ourselves. We know we have teammates that’ll help us when we go down. He’ll pick me up. I’ll pick him up. It’s all the team. It’s about being our best as a team.”
Now, for the third time in four seasons, Glacier Peak is back in the regional round of the 3A state tournament. The Grizzlies have yet to win a state game, but are hoping that changes when they take on Lakeside at 1 p.m. Saturday at Sherman Anderson Field in Mount Vernon.
“It kind of sucks having to wait for Saturday,” Ober said at practice on Tuesday. “We’re ready to go. We’re feeling good. It’s like, ‘All right, let’s get this going.’ Preparing for it is fun. It’s really exciting.”
Said Sanders: “We’re still peaking. We’ll be ready.”
Glacier Peak’s eight seniors, including Sanders and Walchenbach, are trying to postpone their final high school game for as long as possible. They are rallying the underclassmen to try to ensure the Grizzlies’ season continues beyond Saturday.
“For the seniors who aren’t playing baseball next year every game might be your last game,” Walchenbach said. “So we’re always trying to make it one more game, one more game. We don’t want it to end.”
Blair hopes the players, especially the seniors, get a chance to enjoy the state experience. He’s talked to the Grizzlies about taking it all in and making the most of the opportunity.
“It means a lot,” Blair said. “Like I tell the kids, ‘I’m going to be here for a long time. So I get a multitude of chances to make it to the state tournament.’ And it’s nice to see these kids, especially the seniors, get their chance. As a coach, that’s what you want for your players.”
Blair built a successful culture around the Glacier Peak baseball team almost immediately upon its creation. The excitement is evident on everyone, from the senior leaders to junior varsity coach Darrin Divito.
Divito first played for Blair when he was 8-years-old at a baseball camp. Now, he finds himself heading to Mount Vernon with his old coach — and current boss — for the state tournament.
“It’s all coaching,” Divito said with a laugh. “It’s been pretty fun to be part of a winning program, a winning tradition. Plus the coaching staff and the team is awesome.”
Ober was a freshman the last time Glacier Peak made it to regionals, when the Grizzlies suffered a 6-1 loss to Bonney Lake to end its season.
“We had one game, two years ago, we showed up and we were not ready,” Ober said. “We definitely can’t do that again. We’ve got to show up with the same energy we’ve had the last 10 games or so. I think we can keep taking care of business. I remember they got up 2-0 in the first inning and we just sort of gave up. They had a good pitcher on the mound who was dealing and we weren’t in it. We just gave up.”
But after their latest come-from-behind victory against Lynnwood in the district championship game, Glacier Peak knows it can battle back. The Grizzlies want to do whatever they can to ensure they continue to have postgame meetings in right field for as long as they can this season.
“We’re still concerned, obviously, because you’re down to the best 16 teams in the state,” Blair said. “But I don’t necessarily think we’d be scared of anybody. We know we can compete with whoever’s left.”
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