Top 10 most-read sports stories from 2022

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, December 28, 2022

It was a big year in the Snohomish County sports world. In 2022 we saw locals compete at the Olympics, a longtime high school football power finally reach the pinnacle, and a successful push to elevate the obscure sport of pickleball to the forefront of the state’s consciousness.

As 2022 gets ready to melt into 2023, here are The Herald’s top 10 sports stories of 2022 as determined by web views.

10) Everett Memorial Stadium reopens

Everett Memorial Stadium has been the Everett School District’s primary home since it opened in 1947. Over the summer the football field and track portions of the complex received a makeover, as both the field’s artificial turf surface and the track’s running surface were replaced as part of a $1.1 million project. The stadium was reopened in August, just in time for the start of the fall high school sports seasons.

9) Mike Price returns to Everett

Mike Price is a local legend, as the Everett High School graduate had a successful 32-year career as a college football coach. Price has been retired since 2017, but that hasn’t stopped him from instructing young football players. In June Price returned to his hometown to conduct the Price Elite Passing Academy, spending four days giving pointers to the area’s aspiring young quarterbacks and reminiscing about his days on the fields of Everett.

8) Archbishop Murphy H.S. teammates to make history in the NFL draft

As the 2022 NFL draft approached in April, Snohomish County was ready to witness history. Never before had two players from the same county high school been selected in the same NFL draft. That was about to change as University of Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon and Washington State University tackle Abraham Lucas, who were teammates on the Wildcats’ 2016 state championship team, were set to be selected in the early rounds of the draft. Gordon ended up being selected in the second round by the Chicago Bears and Lucas was taken in the third round by the Seattle Seahawks.

7) Locals Nick Hull, Brett Gillis selected in the baseball draft

The second day of Major League Baseball’s draft in July proved to be a fruitful one for Snohomish County as a pair of pitchers from the area heard their names called. Edmonds-Woodway High School graduate Nick Hull, who pitched at Grand Canyon University, was selected in the seventh round by the Chicago Cubs. Then Cascade High School graduate Brett Gillis, who played at the University of Portland, was taken by the Houston Astros one round later.

6) Sean Beighton heads to the Olympics

When Kamiak High School graduate Sean Beighton retired from competitive curling in 2019, he figured his association with the sport at the elite level was over. Who could have guessed that two months later he’d be asked to coach the defending Olympic men’s gold medalists? In January Beighton was preparing to coach two of the three U.S. curling teams competing at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Beighton’s mixed-doubles team went on to finish tied for seventh, while his men’s team lost to Canada in the bronze-medal match.

5) Tyler Tuiasosopo takes the reins of Mariner H.S. football

A new era in Mariner football began in August. Tyler Tuiasosopo, who quarterbacked the Marauders to the state playoffs twice in the 2000s, took over as Mariner’s head coach this year. He became just the third coach at Mariner in the past 30 years, following in the footsteps of John Ondriezek and Mark Stewart. Becoming the Marauders’ head coach fulfilled a dream Tuiasosopo had since he was a kid.

4) Mikayla Pivec’s basketball adventure in Spain

While Mikayla Pivec is one of the greatest women’s basketball players ever produced by Snohomish County, she endured a horrific 12-month stretch that left her questioning her future in professional hoops. However, the Lynnwood High School graduate found respite in playing for AE Sedis Basquet in Spain’s top division. In January Pivec was starring for the team commonly known as Cadi Le Seu, and she was hoping it would serve as a springboard for getting back to the WNBA.

3) Lake Stevens H.S. finally claims its state football title

It was a long time coming for Lake Stevens football. The Vikings have long been a state powerhouse under coach Tom Tri, but the one thing they hadn’t accomplished was winning the state championship. The drought was finally broken in December when Lake Stevens defeated Kennedy 24-22 to claim the Class 4A state title, the first football state championship in school history. Star running back Jayden Limar rushed for 185 yards despite dealing with an ankle sprain, and Macray Flanders kicked a 22-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter for what proved to be the deciding points.

2) Legendary wrestling coach Brent Barnes retires

Brent Barnes built Lake Stevens into the top high school wrestling program in the state. During his 35 seasons in charge the Vikings won 11 team state championships and claimed 41 individual state titles. Barnes retired in February, and in April his former wrestlers, assistant coaches and rivals shared their thoughts and stories about one of Snohomish County’s true coaching legends.

1) Locals lead the effort to make pickleball Washington’s state sport

Was the year’s top sports story really about pickleball? Indeed, it was. In January a local-led group was making a push to turn pickleball, which originated in Washington, into the state’s official sport. The idea originated with Mill Creek Beacon columnist Chuck Wright, the cause was taken up by Mill Creek state senator John Lovick, and the organizing was led by Mill Creek resident Kate Van Gent. Their efforts proved fruitful as in March Governor Jay Inslee signed SB5615 into law, declaring pickleball the official sport.