The suspense is building. The trophies have been all polished. The envelopes are ready to be unsealed.

It’s that time of the year again.

It’s time for the most eagerly anticipated, coveted and prestigious awards of the year — the sixth annual E-prizes.

The 2006-07 school year provided a wealth of memories for athletes, coaches, fans and even journalists.

Let’s get started.

Boys team of the year: Edmonds-Woodway football. The Warriors were the complete package. Head coach John Gradwohl was blessed with a wealth of talent that included three of the most potent offensive players we’ve seen in years — senior running back Josh Heard, senior wide receiver Eric Greenwood and junior quarterback Kyle McCartney. Senior tight end Casey Hamlett and sophomore running back Tony Heard just added to the myriad of options available for the Warriors, who advanced to the Class 4A state semifinals. In their final seven regular season games, the Edmonds-Woodway’s defense limited their opponents to only one touchdown in each game, while the Warriors’ offense piled up 288 points.

Runner-up: King’s boys track. Sophomore Josh Fuller swept the sprints and contributed to the winning 400-meter relay as the Knights ran away with the Class 1A title.

Girls team of the year: King’s cross country. Archbishop Murphy soccer.

The Wildcats are sure glad they kept plugging away. For five straight years, Archbishop Murphy advanced to the final four of the state tournament but never tasted the ultimate victory. That changed last fall when the Wildcats defeated arch-rival Cedarcrest 1-0 to win the first girls soccer championship in school history. The title was the first for any girls team or individual and the first team title at the 2A classification for Archbishop Murphy.

The King’s girls cross country team claimed its first title since 2003, when it won the latest of three straight championships. Sophomore Olivia Thomas placed second and freshman Adele Eslinger took 12th to pace the Knights. The best part of the win over second-place Chelan was that all five of the Knights’ top five runners are all freshman and sophomores. The team has no seniors and two juniors. Sounds like another dynasty in the making for coach Rod Wilcox and company.

Runners-up: Shorecrest volleyball and King’s volleyball, which both finished third at state.

Most exciting male athlete: Edmonds-Woodway’s Eric Greenwood. The 6-foot-6 wide receiver clearly had a height advantage over his defensive counterpoints. But his natural talents aside, Greenwood also brought a determination and a love of competition that seemed to inspire his teammates. Greenwood also helped lead the Warriors’ basketball team to state for the first time since 1998. To top the year off, he high jumped his way to the state track and field championships for the second straight year. Through it all, Greenwood brought a fun-loving spirit that was refreshing. While many athletes choose to focus on one or two sports, we’re glad that Greenwood shared his talents with us throughout the year.

Most exciting female athlete: Jackson’s Kristi Kingma. Soccer. Basketball. Track. As good as Kingma was her junior year — she helped lead the soccer and basketball teams to state and also was one of the area’s top triple jumpers — we can’t wait to see what unfolds her senior year. What stands out about Kingma is her devotion to the “team.” Sometimes that means Kingma has to take over the game. We’re lucky that we’ll still be able to follow Kingma after she graduates high school since she’ll be playing basketball at the University of Washington.

Game of the year: Edmonds-Woodway vs. Curtis football. No one in attendance at the first-round Class 4A state football playoff matchup will ever forget the twists and turns of what turned out to be a classic game. It surely didn’t start out that way as the bus transporting Edmonds-Woodway was late, resulting in a 20-minute delay to the start of the game. The Warriors were understandably distracted and promptly fell behind 17-0.

Edmonds-Woodway appeared headed for certain defeat when Curtis took over possession of the ball at midfield with a five-point lead and about a minute left in the game. But defensive lineman Casey Hamlett stripped the ball away and teammate Tony Heard pounced on the ball. Four plays later, Josh Heard, Tony’s older brother, scored what turned out to be the winning touchdown as Edmonds-Woodway prevailed 41-38. Fans were treated to a dizzying second-half display of six lead changes, blocked extra points, fumbles, interceptions and 55 points of offense. Ask any Edmonds-Woodway player about the game and you’ll no doubt see a smile on his face.

Coaches of the year: Meadowdale baseball coach Bill Hummel. Shorecrest volleyball coach Dave Morehouse.

If Meadowdale was off most people’s radar screen, it’s understandable since the Mavericks finished 7-9 in the Western Conference South Division. But Hummel always kept the big picture in mind — the playoffs. For Meadowdale, a 3A school facing mostly 4A competition, the tough schedule paid dividends as the Mavericks won five straight games in the playoffs to advance to the Class 3A state semifinals. We have a feeling that Meadowdale and Hummel won’t be overlooked again, regardless of their record.

Morehouse always takes a disciplined approach to coaching and it paid off in a big way last fall. In his 20th year at the helm, Morehouse led the Scots to their best finish at state, a third-place trophy win over Camas. Morehouse talked to his team all season about learning to be mentally tough, and the Scots showed they were at state.

Best shooter: Jackson’s Jamie Eisinger. If there was ever a team that needed a player to shoulder the scoring load, it was Jackson, which saw three of its key players suspended (two were later dismissed). Eisinger was more than up for the challenge and he helped the Timberwolves to their second straight league championship. In a critical game against Edmonds-Woodway, Eisinger was virtually unstoppable as he scored 34 points. It didn’t matter that everyone in the gym knew where the ball was going.

Comeback of the year: Meadowdale vs. Shorecrest baseball. Shorecrest pitcher Pierce Rankin had the Mavericks handcuffed for the first five innings of the District 1 Championship game at Sherman Anderson Field in Mount Vernon May 12 and it looked like the Scots would cruise to the title and their first state playoff berth in 12 years.

But in the bottom of the sixth things unraveled for the Scots and Meadowdale sprang to life.

Taylor Brennan led off with a walk and Rankin hit Bryan Hogue. Rankin fell behind Matt Gorman, who he intentionally walked. Ricky Denham hit a slow roller to first baseman Bobby White, but White’s throw to freshman catcher Nick Desrosier was low and Brennan scored. Rankin then hit Chase Anselment to force in Hogue. Chris Johnson followed with a sacrifice fly to center to score Gorman with the tying run. With runners at second and third after moving up after the fly ball, Rankin struck out Teagan Dooley.

Then it was Roger O’Neill’s turn.

The catcher ripped a single to left to score Denham with what proved to be the winning run. Anselment got thrown out trying to score but the damage was done.

Shorecrest put runners on second and third with two out in the top of the seventh, but Anselment, who relieved Denham, the starter, struck out Riley Reynolds looking with a wicked curve to end the game.

The win was Meadowdale’s first come-from-behind win of the year and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Hits of the year: Edmonds-Woodway’s Owen Jones. All appeared lost for the Warriors, who fell behind Bothell 10-0 after an inning and a half in a Class 4A state regional baseball game. But in the bottom of the second, senior Owen Jones hit a home run to ignite an Edmonds-Woodway rally. His teammates followed with seven straight hits. Jones’ second appearance at the plate in the inning resulted in a second home run, this one over the center field wall (an estimated 390 feet). By the end of the inning, the Warriors cut what seemed like an insurmountable deficit to 10-9. Edmonds-Woodway still lost the game, but proved that it’s never really over until it’s over.

Best rivalry: Edmonds-Woodway/Shorewood girls tennis: No team in the Western Conference South Division in any sport had been more dominant than the Shorewood girls tennis team the last three years. The T-birds won the league in 2005 and 2006 with perfect 16-0 records and appeared poised to do it again. But Edmonds-Woodway had other ideas.

In the team’s first meeting April 2 at Edmonds-Woodway, Shorewood got its first real challenge of the year but still won easily 5-2.

The second time at Shoreview Park, April 30, the T-birds had their hands full with a 45-meet win streak on the line.

Shorewood’s No. 1 singles player Kari Fiske won her match over Warrior freshman Michelle Nelson but Amanda Waldron, the Warriors’ other standout freshman, beat Anna Chatilo at No. 2 singles, avenging an earlier loss.

The Warriors also picked up wins from Lindsay Clark over Danielle Kim 6-3, 6-2 at No. 3 singles and Emily Hedman over Brie Fulghum-Behen 6-2, 6-2 at No. 4 singles.

The clincher came in the final doubles match of the day.

Priscilla Huang and Allison Waugh beat Shorewood’s Ari McInnes and Lisa Hamman at No. 3 doubles to win the meet for the Warriors, 4-3.

Shorewood still won the league, however, by winning its final two matches combined with a E-W loss to Jackson.

Breakout performer: Shorecrest’s Cora Speidel. Speidel is no newcomer having played four years of varsity soccer and earning a fifth-place medal at state in the long jump her junior year. But she put it all together her senior year. Speidel competed in four events at state, the long jump, 100 meters and two relays. She won the long jump with a leap of 18 feet, 0.75 inches on her final attempt and finished fourth in the 100.

During soccer season she earned first team Wesco South honors as a forward while tying for the team lead in goals with 10. Speidel, an athlete with an artistic streak, hopes to take her speed and jumping ability to Eastern Washington next year.

Dynamic duo: Meadowdale’s Eryn Jones and Marelle Moehrle. Meadowdale head girls basketball coach Dan Taylor couldn’t have asked for two better players to be co-captains. The Mavericks went undefeated in the league in large part due to the play of Jones and Moehrle. Jones is one of the best point guards in the league and became an increasingly dangerous scoring threat. Moehrle was asked to play more of an inside game but still managed to be an integral part of the offense. The two standouts had different styles that complemented each other perfectly.

Blue collar worker: Edmonds-Woodway’s Casey Hamlett. Mountlake Terrace’s Casey Finnicum. Shorecrest’s Grady Small. There was one Warrior who always could be counted on to do all the unglamorous, grunt work necessary for a team to be successful. Hamlett was a first-team, all-league selection in basketball and on both offense and defense in football. Hamlett’s never-give-up attitude led to perhaps the biggest play of the year when he stripped a Curtis running back of the ball in the waning minutes of a state playoff football game. The turnover was a critical turning point that enabled Edmonds-Woodway to win its first state playoff game.

Finnicum probably isn’t the flashiest athlete out there, but he clearly is one of the hardest working and more focused individuals. Finnicum reaped the benefits of his countless hours in the gym with a Class 4A state wrestling championship at Mat Classic XIX. The Mountlake Terrace senior-to-be never stops looking for ways to improve and we expect him to be tough to beat next year.

With his legs churning, body spinning and forearm warding off would-be tacklers, Small was always a tough guy to bring down. At 5-foot, 8-inches and 185 pounds, Small’s name fit his stature, but not his heart, which was huge. An all-league first teamer at linebacker, Small led the Scots in tackles and helped them get into the first round of the state playoffs. During baseball season, Small was clutch knocking a pair of game-winning hits in the district playoffs while running down balls in the outfield. He’ll bring his lunch-bucket work ethic and attitude to the Skagit Valley College baseball team next year.

Dazzling debut: Edmonds-Woodway’s Katie Tougas. She’s only a freshman, but Tougas already is one of the league’s top sprinters. Tougas had a pair of top three finishes in the 100- and 200-meter dashes at the Western Conference South Division championships and advanced to state in the 100. Tougas handled the pressure of the postseason like a veteran. Look out for Tougas the next three years.

12-letter stars: Archbishop Murphy’s Kayelynne Huggins, Lynnwood’s Taneal Detschman and Shorewood’s Elle MacGeorge. It isn’t easy to be a student-athlete these days but somehow these individuals made it look easy earning 12 letters throughout their four-year high school careers.

In many ways, Huggins was the face of Archbishop Murphy sports. She was a key member of the volleyball, basketball and softball teams and helped all three teams to state.

Detschman was a top runner in cross country and track, but her shining moment occurred earlier this year when she took third place in her division at the first WIAA-sanctioned girls wrestling tournament.

MacGeorge made it to state in diving and gymnastics during her career and also was a standout tennis player in doubles.

Upset of the year: Jackson baseball. The Timberwolves weren’t quite the powerhouse team that steamrolled the competition in 2006 when they won the Class 4A state championship. But Jackson still captured the Western Conference South Division title and were expected to go deep into the state playoffs. Instead, the Wolfpack were knocked out of the district playoffs, losing to Stanwood and league rival Kamiak. Jackson’s abbreviated playoff run is yet another reason we don’t pay much attention to polls. The Timberwolves were a consensus No. 1 pick among the so-called experts.

Always good for a quote: Meadowdale boys basketball coach Chad McGuire. Look up the definition of calm, cool and collected and you’ll see a photo of McGuire. The Meadowdale coach’s demeanor doesn’t seem to change whether his team won by 20 points or lost by a last-second bucket. McGuire is always ready to dissect the game and point out his team’s strengths and weaknesses.

Coaches we’ll miss: Edmonds-Woodway baseball coach Joe Webster.

It took some getting used to not seeing Webster in the Edmonds-Woodway dugout. Webster, who was head coach for 15 years, resigned last fall for an administrative position at Meadowdale Middle School. During his tenure, the Warriors were perennial playoffs contenders and always an interesting team to cover.

Shorewood girls basketball coach Jeff Bernhardt. Bernhardt led the T-birds to their first district playoff appearance since 2000 after three years of building the program. But Bernhardt ended up leaving in May for the girls hoops job at Hazen High, his alma mater. It was the only job that would have taken him away from Shorewood, he said. Still, Bernhardt leaves a program in good shape to Shorewood alum Nina Lowe, a standout on the T-birds’ title team in 1998. We’ll remember Bernhardt for what he did to revamp the program and for his willingness to share his opinions about his team and the basketball scene in the Wesco South.

King’s boys basketball coach Marv Morris. Morris isn’t going to be gone for good, but he’s taking a year to focus on his health while assistant Bill Liley handles the team. But we’ll miss the wisdom Morris has accumulated after 40 years teaching and coaching

Programs on the rise: Lynnwood boys soccer. Archbishop Murphy wrestling. The days of the Royals being a doormat for the rest of the league are finished. This season Lynnwood posted victories over 4A rivals Kamiak and Mountlake Terrace and also recorded a playoff win over Mount Vernon. The Royals lost a slew of senior standouts, most of whom are following coach Tim Colvin, who is taking over the men’s soccer program at Everett Community College. We have a feeling the Royals liked the taste of success and will work all that much harder next season.

The Wildcat wrestling program started in 2003 and under coach Blaine Gilchrist-Smith is making steady progress. Archbishop Murphy captured its first tournament championship at the Brian Hill Classic. Three years ago, the Wildcats finished last in that meet. Archbishop Murphy also advanced two wrestlers to the state tournament for the first time in school history.

Favorite stories: Dan and Kate Taylor’s adoption. It’s not every day that a pair of 30-year-olds adopt a 15-year-old boy from New York. What followed was a fascinating glimpse into the lives of Meadowdale head girls basketball coach Dan Taylor, his wife Kate and their new son Naji, who Kate met at a basketball camp. The lengthy and cumbersome process by which the Taylors and Naji became a family raised many issues related to our country’s adoption policies. What was never in doubt, however, was the Taylors’ love for their new son.

Another favorite story was a feature on Evan Burns, the Shorecrest all-league lineman and heavyweight wrestler, who is a practicing Buddhist. Burns is a tough competitor in the trenches, but he’s also known for his friendliness. After knocking over a defender on a block or taking down a opposing wrestler, Burns often offers them a hand and says “good job.”

Burns attends Buddhist meetings where he chants the title of the Lotus Sutra, a major work in Buddhism. Chanting focuses his thoughts and clears his mind. Burns recalled a conversation about religion at a football camp last year with a Jewish player and Christian player that focused on the similarities of the faiths rather than the differences that we often hear more about.

Burns is also the type of kid who goes out of his way to meet people from different social groups at school whether they’re jocks, band members or drama students. It’s refreshing to meet someone who makes a difference in the simplest of ways.