Five Wolverines advanced to post-season play in spring as Friday Harbor thrashed the Coupeville Wolves at the district playoffs, Saturday at Coupeville.
Take a glance at the stat sheets and it looks like a stalemate. But in the end, it’s the numbers on the scoreboard that matter. And the Friday Harbor football team ended up with eight points too few at home Saturday against Meridian in a rematch that was even closer than the 21-13 final score might suggest.
The Friday Harbor tennis team put a group of mostly elder tennis statesmen through their paces Saturday in tuning up for the Northwest District playoffs. The Wolverines’ No. 1 and No. 2 singles and doubles teams, a total of six players, will go head-to-head against their Coupeville counterparts with a shot at advancing into post-season regional action on the line.
The Wolverines have a tailored-made opportunity to surpass last season’s win total with back-to-back matches this week against Mount Vernon Christian and Concrete. The Concrete Lions are winless so far this season, while the Mount Vernon Christian Hurricanes have just one win in Northwest 1A/2B League competition, and that was against the Lions.
The Wolverines got a cruel lesson about who not to put on the Homecoming guest list. The Nooksack Valley Pioneers, ranked No. 7 among state 1A schools, turned the tables on Friday Harbor’s Homecoming celebration Saturday and left town with a convincing 22-7 start-to-finish victory in tow.
The Wolverines got a cruel lesson about who not to put on the Homecoming party guest list. The Nooksack Valley Pioneers, ranked No. 7 among state 1A schools, turned the tables on the Homecoming celebration Saturday in Friday Harbor and left town with a convincing 22-7 start-to-finish victory over the Wolverines in tow.
In the game of volleyball, momentum can turn on a dime. And it was a steep price the Wolverines paid after losing it. Orcas overcame a four-point deficit in the fifth and final game to claim a hotly-contested match up between the inter-island rivals Thursday in Turnbull Gym.
The Friday Harbor girls soccer team clinched the Northwest 1A/2B championship Thursday, defeating Orcas at home 3-0. Fifth-year coach Mark Fishaut believes it’s the first title in the program’s history — if not the first in its history, the first in Fishaut’s career and the first in recent memory.
After an even and scoreless first half, the Wolverines — undefeated in league, 8-2 overall — came out strong and dominated the second session. Elle Guard broke the ice with a Steven Gerrard-like strike from 30 yards in the 44th minute.
The Friday Harbor tennis team righted the ship last week with back-to-back wins on the road at Coupeville and Lynden high schools. The Wolverines (5-3) avenged a recent loss against 1A rival Coupeville with a convincing 4-1 win on Oct. 8.
It’s easy to forgive Friday Harbor volleyball coach Travis Mager and the rest of the Wolverines for accentuating the positive despite being swept at home by La Conner last week in three straight games. The Wolverines nearly pulled off what no other team has against the perennially playoff-bound Braves, who have yet to lose even a single game this season. Friday Harbor gave La Conner, 7-0 in league, all it could handle in two rounds and almost stole the opener.
In a game loaded with big plays, none proved bigger for Friday Harbor than having a pass picked off on the first play of overtime. It set the stage for a dramatic 27-21 loss to Lynden Christian which, though arguably tops in entertainment value, knocked the Wolverines down to the bottom rung in the competition for post-season play.
The sixth annual Salmon Classic Invitational at Roche Harbor Resort is Feb. 5-7. The blackmouth derby is a three-day sportfishing event that attracts anglers from all over the Northwest and Canada. There are more than $25,000 in cash and prizes.
