By Declan O’Malley
Journal contributor
Football
In their final home game of the season on Oct. 17, Friday Harbor hosted the Blaine Borderites, a 1A program. Blaine defeated the Wolverines 42-21, moving to 2-5 overall and 1-0 in district play.
The Wolverines faced Coupeville on Oct. 24 to decide the division title. Results from that game will be included in the next issue.
Boys soccer
Friday Harbor shut out La Conner High School 8-0 on Oct. 15. The Wolverines then traveled to Orcas Island on Oct. 18, falling 3-0 to the Vikings.
“We had a solid 8-0 victory over La Conner last week and lost 3-0 to Orcas in a closer game than the score indicated,” said head coach Mike Horn.
The team bounced back with a 5-1 road win against Coupeville on Oct. 22. Abdul Guzman and Riley Miller are leading the team in goals, while Isidro Churape and Milo Martin have contributed double-digit assists.
“The team is playing with confidence and has developed a balance of hard-nosed physicality and creative, high-possession soccer that we hope will lead to a deep postseason run,” Horn said.
Girls soccer
Friday Harbor picked up a 6-0 home victory over Orcas Island on Oct. 14.
“We were able to assert ourselves offensively. It allowed us to rest some key players and give everyone on the roster significant playing time. We have players who may not be starters, but they work tirelessly in every practice, so it’s great to see them find success — they deserve it,” said head coach Bryan Leighton.
Lyla Ovenell led the team with two goals, while Stella Carli, Nikky Clark-Cole, Ayla Weese-Burkhardt and Natalie Miller each added one. Emy Compton had two assists, with Hazel Leighton, Ayla Weese-Burkhardt and Atziry Orozco contributing one each. Goalkeeper Aryelle Gunwall recorded a clean sheet.
The Wolverines then played back-to-back road games, falling 2-0 to Mount Vernon Christian on Oct. 16. Despite the return of senior captain Norah Leighton and sophomore goalkeeper Lola Clark, who made several key saves, Mount Vernon Christian scored early and added a late goal to complete a season sweep. The loss, combined with La Conner’s upset over Lopez, dropped the Wolverines to fourth in the league.
Volleyball
The Wolverines split their matches during the week. Friday Harbor earned a 3-1 home win over Concrete on Oct. 14 but fell 3-0 at home to Mount Vernon Christian on Oct. 16. The team closes the regular season with a three-match homestand: hosting Sultan on Oct. 28, Auburn Adventist on Oct. 30 and La Conner on Nov. 4.
Boys tennis
Boys tennis was not in action during this span, but did wrap up their season with the district tournament on Oct 22. The write-up will be featured in the next edition.
Cross-country
Friday Harbor competed at the Lake Lap Invite on Oct. 16 in Bellingham. In the Girls Platinum 2.6-mile race (JV 2A+ and varsity 1A- division), Friday Harbor finished third with 72 team points behind Meridian (20) and Lynden Christian (66). Flora Compton led the Wolverines, placing sixth in 16:57.42, followed by Autumn Vaught (15th, 18:33.16), Lyla Frohm (16th, 18:37.09), Isabel Bashaw (21st, 18:52.04), Qwynne Price-Morris (28th, 19:18.63) and Rylee Drew (42nd, 21:04.36).
In the Boys Gold 2.6-mile race, the Wolverines finished seventh with 181 points. Neil Gresseth led the team, finishing 16th in 14:54.44. Other top finishers included Carter Staton (38th, 15:33.04), Harrison Edge (50th, 15:53.17), Nick Taylor (71st, 16:47.69), Nick Roberson (73rd, 16:50.14), Dustin Neal (82nd, 17:23.98), Brian Guerrero (84th, 17:26.48), Hugo Thompson (87th, 17:56.72), Scott Sears (89th, 18:02.60) and Hunter Matthews (90th, 18:11.10).
John Simpson photo. Wolverine #8 Channing Kleine runs the sideline for a touchdown.
John Simpson photo. Friday Harbor played Blaine High School on Oct. 17. The final score was Friday Harbor 21, Blaine 42. Wolverine Cyrus Rollins #2 tackles Borderites’ ball carrier in the back field.
