Sifting through The Enterprise sports pages from the past year generates an abundance of highlights.

Local athletes made headlines in a variety of sports — swimming, basketball and baseball to name a few.

Here is part one of a look at some of the most memorable personalities and teams that made 2003 special:

ATM boys baskeball team advances to district playoffs

There were times during the 2002-03 campaign when a lack of seniors hurt the Archbishop Thomas Murphy boys basketball team.

But in the moments after a Class 1A Tri-district qualifier loss that ended the Wildcats’ season, coach Jerry Zander wasn’t reflecting on the disappointment he felt.

Instead, Zander was excited at the prospect of next year.

“Not one of these guys will be graduating this year,” Zander said of his team. “Not having seniors can hurt you during the season, but right now it feels pretty good that they’re all back next year.”

Bellevue Christian relied on its experience to oust Archbishop Murphy 62-34 in the loser-out contest Feb. 14 at King’s High School.

Zander stressed the positive developments from the season in a lengthy team meeting in the locker room after the game.

Archbishop Murphy posted a number of first-time victories over Northwest 1A League opponents this season and secured its first postseason berth.

“There’s no question that this was a breakthrough season,” Zander said.

“We showed everybody that Archbishop Murphy can play basketball,” Luke Hagel said. “We’re returning everybody next year. Everybody should look out for us next year.”

Coate excels in all areas for Wildcat girl hoopsters

Lauren Coate doesn’t have many memories of the first time she picked up a basketball.

But a look at the family photograph collection reveals that Coate’s passion for the sport runs deep.

“We have pictures at home when I was 3 holding a basketball,” the 6-foot Archbishop Thomas Murphy senior center said. “I think my dad was out there dribbling the ball with me.”

More than 15 years later, not a whole lot has changed.

Coate is still just as passionate about basketball as ever and her father Jeff is there to support her.

About the only thing that has changed is the venue.

For the last four years, Coate has been a key contributor for Archbishop Murphy, the defending Northwest 1A League champions and one of the area’s top Class 1A teams.

Coate made an immediate impact in her freshman season, averaging 14 points per game. She also was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. Last year, Coate snagged the MVP award at the Class 1A state all-star game.

This year, Coate has added a new wrinkle to her repertoire — the 3-point shot. Coate is connecting on about 50 percent of her 3-pointers this season.

“She can play anywhere — inside, outside — and be a threat all of the time,” Kelley said.

Scoring isn’t the only area where Coate excels. She dishes out four assists a game, second on the team to point guard Trisha Terhar, and averages two blocked shots and three steals a game.

“She is doing a lot of things for us. She’s very unselfish,” Kelley said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that if it were in her mind set, she could score 25 points per game. She could do that, but winning comes first for her and being a team player. I really appreciate that.”

Jackson boys wrap up at Class 4A state swim meet

The Jackson boys swim team scored some points at the Class 4A state championships and left the meet with a strong desire to do a little better next time.

Two Timberwolves advanced to the second day of competition, which wrapped up Feb. 21 at King County Aquatic Center.

Junior Peter Mullins advanced to the 100-yard breaststroke finals and finished eighth overall with a time of 1:01.18. He also took 15th in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:03.66. Peter’s brother Andrew advanced to the consolation finals of the 100 breaststroke and placed 14th with a time of 1:02.37.

Mullins was coming off an exceptional 200 individual medley performance at districts. His time was the sixth best mark coming into the state meet.

Unfortunately, Mullins wasn’t at the top of his game at state due to an illness.

“I definitely think that hindered his performance,” Whorley said. “The sickness and emotional drain of the experience probably took its toll … both (races) were very tough performances considering the physical strain he was in.”

In the 100 breaststroke preliminaries, Mullins clocked in at 1:00.82, a performance Whorley considered solid.

Andrew Mullins’ effort in the 100 breaststroke produced a personal best time.

ATM girls finish fifth at Class 1A hoops tourney

The Archbishop Thomas Murphy Wildcats stumbled on the opening day of the Class 1A girls basketball state tournament but won their next three games to secure their best placing in school history.

Third-ranked Archbishop Murphy salvaged its rough start by topping Northwest 1A League rival Coupeville 46-36 March 8 at the Yakima SunDome to claim fifth place.

Weak second-quarter scoring — compounded by an injury to team leader Lauren Coate — proved to be the undoing of the Wildcats in a 45-41 loss to Onalaska that knocked them out of championship contention.

Archbishop Murphy took some of the sting out of the disappointment of that opening-day loss by downing Forest Ridge 72-45 in a consolation game.

Coate gave the Wildcats a scare in the closing minute of the third quarter when she went down with an apparent reinjury of her knee and left the game for five minutes.

It was Coate’s younger sister, Lisa, who stepped up in the loser-out contest, leading the Wildcats with 25 points.

Wildcats coach Bill Kelley was pleased to see that all of his players scored in the win.

“What a thrill, to always be able to say you scored in the state tournament,” he said.

Jackson moves on to baseball regionals

Jackson coach Kirk Nicholson’s message to his players after falling 12-4 to Kentridge in a loser-out Class 4A regional baseball game was clear: one defeat does not diminish what the Timberwolves accomplished in 2003.

“Where we came from before now was something I think was pretty special,” Nicholson said.

At the start of the season, Nicholson projected that only two seniors — Jason Morris and Cam Myers — would be in the starting lineup. And when Jackson took the field against the Chargers in the first round of the state playoffs, the lone senior starters were Morris and Myers.

The young but talented Jackson team, which included a sophomore and two freshmen starters, experienced some growing pains early in the season. But the Wolfpack hit its stride late in the year, winning nine out of its last 10 games to finish third in the Western Conference 4A South Division.

The Timberwolves (16-8 overall) then opened the Northwest District 4A tournament with a pair of memorable victories over Marysville-Pilchuck and division champion Kamiak.

Jackson defeated Marysville-Pilchuck 21-14 in a first-round game and then knocked off Kamiak 5-3 in a semifinal game that few people probably thought the Wolfpack would be able to pull out.

“The big thing is you come back and beat Kamiak, who is a wonderful team,” Nicholson said. “I believe they have five guys on the all-league team. Their three pitchers all throw it in the upper 80s and 90s. You win that game, that’s a huge win for a program.

“I’m not going to forget those things just because of today.”

New hockey league makes its debut

The area’s top hockey players have a new league to showcase their talents.

The Western Washington High School Hockey League made its debut with 11 teams throughout the Puget Sound region, including squads based out of the Edmonds, Everett and Shoreline school districts.

The league is not an officially-sanctioned WIAA (Washington Interscholastic Activities Association) sport, though officials plan to work towards that goal in the future.

The primary motivation of starting up the league was to enable players to garner some recognition from their peers.

“These kids are great athletes,” said league commissioner Bill Greene. “They practice twice a week. They play a 60-game schedule during the year. We really did it for the peer recognition that they’re lacking at their high schools. They’re as good or better athletes than any other high school sport … they never really get to play in front of their peers.”

The league is sponsored through Sno-King Amateur Hockey with the cooperation of other associations in the area.

The process of starting the league began last fall when organizers met with school officials. Certain requirements, such as having a minimum number of players from one school, had to be met before a team was chartered.

Though the league is not officially-sanctioned, players must adhere to the same requirements as other high school athletes, such as the no-pass, no-play policy.

Jackson’s Myers takes third at Star Track XXI

Jackson’s Brandon Myers grabbed a high finish May 31 at Star Track XXI at Edgar Brown Stadium.

The Jackson senior had never competed in the 110-meter high hurdles before this season, yet that didn’t stop him from a third-place finish in the Class 4A finals.

Myers can thank his results, in part, to his senior project, which was on the finer points of hurdling. He’d never tried the hurdles, although he is an excellent all-around athlete and wants to compete in the decathlon in the coming years.

“I had to spend 25 hours on the project,” Myers said. “I probably spent 30, at least, during the season — I’m shocked to get third. My goal was the top three.”

Myers had to learn how to hurdle in order to do the decathlon, and his last year in high school seemed the right time. At first, Jackson coach Eric Hruschka was against it because Myers already competed in all the jumps and most of the sprints.

“He said, ‘No, not another one,’” Myers said.

In the end, however, Hruschka was persuaded. Myers knew he had the speed to compete, but he had to go through a crash course in proper technique.

Complicating things were a bevy of nagging injuries, including a sore back from a car accident at the beginning of track season. Then, too, Myers’ other duties as a sprinter and jumper interfered with the full concentration he may have wished for in his hurdling technique.

“I was spread pretty thin all season,” he said.

At state, Myers was disappointed in his shaky preliminary heat, in which he barely finished fourth to qualify. In the finals, however, he exploded out of the blocks, got the best start of the eight competitors and was first halfway through.

But Myers’ trail-leg knee hit a hurdle — the first time he’s ever done that, Myers said — and fell back momentarily. But he kept his head, used his speed, regrouped on his technique and took third in 15.14 seconds.

Young boy receives new leg prostheses

Jordy Erazo Cordero of Ecuador wasn’t content viewing life from the sidelines.

The 8-year-old wanted to be able to walk to school. He wanted to run and play soccer with his friends.

But because Jordy was born with tibial hemimelia, or deformed lower legs, his physical activity was severely limited. The only way he could transport himself was by walking on his knees or dragging himself over the ground.

Jordy’s single mother, who works as a secretary to support her extended family, could not afford to pay for the leg surgery and prostheses necessary to allow Jordy to walk. And the required medical technology and resources were not accessible to doctors in Ecuador, where the family lives.

Luckily, Healing the Children was able to assist Jordy. The organization arranged for his visit to the Shriners Hospital in Portland, Ore., in July 2001. There, the doctors could do what eluded the Ecuadorian doctors at no cost to Jordy’s family.

Jordy returned to Ecuador after his treatment was complete and last summer, after only one year with his new legs, he competed in and won his first race. The foot race was Ecuador’s version of the Special Olympics.

“Very happy, very happy, very happy,” Jordy, now 10, chanted in a sing-song voice, describing how he felt after winning the race.

Jordy came back to the U.S. earlier this month to be fitted for new leg prostheses at Shriners Hospital. The hospital will provide him with new legs when he outgrows the old ones, which will probably be every two years or so.

Jordy is staying with Rebecca Snyders, of Mill Creek, and her family.

Before he returns to his hometown of Guayaquil in his native country and starts the fifth grade, Jordy has one more important appearance to make.

He will be the special guest at the second annual Kirtley-Cole Charity Golf Tournament to benefit Healing the Children at the Harbour Pointe Golf Club in Mukilteo.

It will take Jordy some time to get adjusted to his new legs, but Snyders said he doesn’t let setbacks deter him.

“When he falls he gets right back up. He never cries like most kids his age (would),” she said. “He just gets up, brushes himself off, and says, ‘OK, one more time, let’s go.’”