Shorecrest
Season highlights: One year after his team finished third in the state, Mitalas guided the Scots to a Class 3A championship. The Western Conference South Division champs capped their season June 4 with a 1-0 victory over Ferndale in the final. It was an odd ending for Mitalas, who watched the title game from outside the stadium as a result of a one-game suspension.
Comment: Mitalas, 44, earned his 200th career victory last season. He had planned to resign to spend more time with his family and devote energy to his job in Tukwila, but Mitalas said his players convinced him to return for a state title run. His 17th season at Shorecrest turned out to be a perfect way to go out. Mitalas knew he had a special group – Shorecrest lost just one starter from last year’s group. “The kids were awesome,” he said. “I knew that they were going to pull (a championship run) out again.” A 4-0 season-opening loss against Eastlake stunned the Scots but got them focused. After that they allowed just four goals the rest of the season.
Bio: Mitalas has a career record of 234-48-33 as Shorecrest’s boys coach and never had a losing season. He also coached the Shorecrest girls from 1989-2000 and guided the Edmonds Community College women’s program the past several years before resigning from that position as well. He runs indoor soccer tournaments for Starfire Sports in Tukwila. Mitalas, who lives in Brier, said he plans to watch his 11-year-old son play soccer for awhile, but he will consider a return to coaching if the opportunity is ideal.
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