Top 10 most-read sports stories from 2023

Published 1:30 am Saturday, December 30, 2023

Football was the king of Snohomish County sports in 2023. Whether it was a high school squad winning a repeat state championship or the region getting a new indoor team, football was on the forefront of the The Herald’s readers’ minds the past year. Here’s a look back at the top 10 sports stories of 2023 as determined by web views. 

10) Exciting times for Mountlake Terrace H.S. football

August is the time of optimism in the high school football world, as teams begin practices in anticipation of the upcoming season. That was particularly true for the Mountlake Terrace Hawks this year, a they were featured in a season preview feature story. Mountlake Terrace returned the bulk of its team from 2022, when the Hawks won five games after managing just one victory in each of the previous two seasons. Led by senior running back/linebacker Zaveon Jones, Mountlake Terrace went on to go 5-2 in Wesco 3A South play and 6-4 overall, advancing to the Week 10 playoffs.

9) Former Silvertips coach Kevin Constantine suspended indefinitely by the WHL

Kevin Constantine was both a successful and a controversial figure during his two four-year stints coaching the Everett Silvertips in 2003-07 and 2013-17. His return to the WHL, when he was hired by the Wenatchee Wild in July, was certain to draw an interesting response from Tips fans. However, those fans never received that chance as Constantine was suspended indefinitely by the league in October for violating “the WHL Standard of Conduct policies by making derogatory comments of a discriminatory nature.” In this column Nick Patterson expressed sadness that Constantine made this his lasting WHL legacy.

8) A good night for locals at Mat Classic

It was a fruitful year for local wrestlers at Mat Classic, which serves as the high school state tournaments. February’s event was headlined by Marysville Pilchuck’s Alivia White, as the much-decorated senior won her third state championship when she claimed the girls 190-pound title, becoming the first ever girls three-time state champion in Snohomish County history. Other local champions included Glacier Peak’s Karianne Baldwin (girls 125 pounds) and Connor Aney (4A boys 285 pounds), Arlington’s Tre Haines (3A boys 138 pounds) and Shorewood’s Hunter Tibodeau (3A boys 220 pounds).

7) Eichert sisters lift Lake Stevens H.S. volleyball

Katelyn and Laura Eichert have long had a connection on the volleyball court. Katelyn, a silky-smooth senior setter, has been setting up her younger sister Laura, a punishing sophomore outside hitter, since Laura was in seventh grade. In November the duo was profiled as they were the key components in the Vikings advancing to the Class 4A state tournament. The Eicherts ended up leading Lake Stevens to a fourth-place finish at state, earning the Vikings their fifth straight state trophy.

6) Change coming to high school classifications

Washington high school athletics have an issue with balance between the 4A and 3A classifications. Currently there are 51 schools in 4A, the state’s largest classification, and 79 schools in 3A. Therefore, in May the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association voted to change the enrollment numbers for the 2024-28 cycle in an effort to achieve greater parity between the number of schools in 4A and 3A. The change is expected to see multiple Wesco schools, such as Cascade and Arlington, elevated from 3A to 4A.

5) The Wolfpack get their name

Indoor football is coming back to Everett. The rebooted Arena Football League revealed in July that Everett would be home to one of the 16 teams that will be a part of the AFL’s inaugural season in 2024. After much anticipation — and many questions regarding the team, venue and league as a whole — Everett’s ownership group announced in October that its team would be named the Washington Wolfpack. The Wolfpack will play home games at Angel of the Winds Arena, and the team is scheduled to begin play in April on a date yet to be determined.

4) Arlington man sets electric boat speed record

John Peeters is no stranger to water speed records, setting 61 records in various classes since 2006. But the record the Arlington resident set in October was different, as he became the fastest ever driver of an electric-powered boat. Peeters was recruited by Princeton University students to pilot Princeton Electric Speedboating’s vessel for a record attempt on Lake Townsend near Greensboro, North Carolina. Peeters averaged 114.20 mph over two passes of a 1-kilometer course to break the previous record by more than 25 mph.

3) Blown call leads to unusual football replay

In September the Lakewood High School football team appeared to have lost a game to Burlington-Edison 25-20. However, Lakewood coach Adam McShane appealed the result, saying the officials had incorrectly spotted the ball by more than 60 yards on a change of possession early in the third quarter. The Northwest Conference agreed with McShane and declared the game would be replayed from the point of the mistake. The game was resumed in October and Lakewood won 29-14.

2) Arlington H.S. football finally wins a state playoff game

It was a banner season for the Arlington High School football team. The Eagles went a perfect 7-0 in Wesco 3A North play and were seeded No. 3 to the Class 3A state playoffs. But Arlington was also working against history, as the Eagles had not won a state playoff game since 2005. That drought finally came to an end in November when Arlington rode quarterback Leyton Martin’s five-touchdown day to defeat Ridgeline 35-13 in a first-round game. Arlington lost to eventual state champion Bellevue in the quarterfinals to finish the season 11-1.

1) It’s back-to-back state titles for Lake Stevens H.S. football

Coach Tom Tri has built the Lake Stevens High School football program into a state powerhouse, and in 2022 the Vikings finally reached the pinnacle when they claimed the Class 4A state championship after years of coming up short. What would Lake Stevens do for an encore? All the Vikings did was go on a dominating run through the state playoffs, recording blowout victories over Woodinville, Kennedy Catholic and Kamiakin. Then in December’s championship contest Lake Stevens avenged its loss in the 2021 title game, racing past Graham-Kapowsin 31-6 to lift the trophy for the second straight year.