Two men with lasting connections to Sultan High School will be leading Turks teams this winter.
Sultan hired Bill Woolley to be its girls basketball coach and Garth MacDicken as its wrestling coach. Woolley was hired Sept. 28, MacDicken a day later.
A longtime math teacher at Sultan High, Woolley had previous stints coaching Sultan’s boys and girls basketball teams. He also coached at Mercer Island. Woolley replaces Rodney Walker, who coached the Sultan girls for two-plus seasons before accepting the girls basketball coaching job at Monroe in May.
The last time Woolley coached the Sultan girls basketball team, the Turks advanced to the district tournament and fell one victory short of qualifying for state, Sultan High athletic director Scott Sifferman said. Woolley takes over a Sultan team that was 11-11 last season and is expected to return all-conference players Bianca O’Hara and Cassie Beucherie.
Praising Woolley, Sifferman said, “He has experience and he’s been successful.”
“While he hasn’t been coaching for a while,” Sifferman added, “he’s a basketball junkie. He goes to watch our girls all the time and our boys all the time. He has a great positive connection with these kids (in the classroom), which I’m sure will translate (to basketball).”
Eight people applied for the girls basketball job and two were interviewed, Sifferman said.
Meanwhile, MacDicken — a former Sultan High male athlete of the year, according to Sifferman — is the Turks’ new wrestling coach. The team’s third head coach in three years, MacDicken takes over for Mike Pine, who guided Sultan to co-league and sub-regional championships in his only season as head coach. Pine now coaches Monroe.
MacDicken was a Sultan assistant last year and also coached wrestling at Sultan Middle School. MacDicken knows how to relate to kids, Sifferman said: “He’s very positive (and) outgoing. He has a lot of energy and is always looking for whatever we’re doing, what can we do better?”
Readers say Jackson soccer is the best
In a Herald online poll, readers said Jackson (9-0-1) is the area’s top girls soccer team. The Timberwolves received 248 votes, 60 percent of the total votes. Unbeaten Everett (10-0) was second in the poll. The Seagulls got 121 votes (29 percent). To vote in upcoming polls, visit Heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
M-P’s multi-dimensional ‘keeper
Goalkeeper Lauren Schoonover stops shots, but she also takes them. Last week in a division game against Lake Stevens the versatile junior ran to midfield for a few free kicks. She nearly scored, banging one kick off the crossbar in M-P’s 2-0 loss.
“It’s fantastic. That’s one thing we’ve kind of been working on with her,” M-P coach Gary Riozzi said. “She does have that capability. It definitely adds a different dimension to the game. I don’t think other schools are used to it.”
Cascade’s Hancock is OK
Spencer Hancock, a senior defensive back/split end on Cascade’s football team, hurt his neck Friday in the Bruins’ game at Snohomish but is OK, Cascade coach Jake Huizinga said. After getting hurt in a third-quarter collision, Hancock was taken away in an ambulance. He did not suffer a concussion, Huizinga said, but has a sore neck and might sit out Cascade’s game this week against Shorewood.
Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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