Wolverines winter sports wrap up successful season

Friday Harbor High School winter sports teams are wrapping up a stellar season.

Wrestling

By Mandi Johnson

Reporter

Orcas Island High School senior Beau Wiebe trained with Friday Harbor Wrestling coaches this year, helping him earn his third-place award at the Washington state championship in Tacoma on Feb. 16 and 17.

Though Wiebe wrestled at tournaments with the Wolverines, he was officially an Orcas player per the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.

“I’m happy for him, I know he was hoping for a better result. He said he wanted to win a state title for me. We’ve been through so much together, a lot of ups and downs, but just looking back on the whole picture, the last 10 years,” said Matthew Wiebe, Beau’s dad. “He’s accomplished a lot. I’m proud of him.”

The 18-year-old Orcas Island High School senior wrestles with the Friday Harbor High School team because Orcas does not have a wrestling program. Wiebe and his family moved to Orcas last year. Since starting in 2009, Beau has wrestled freestyle and Greco Roman and has won state champion honors in both of those disciplines, said Matthew. Beau has even made it as far as taking fourth place at a national competition in Utah in 2014.

“I wrestle because there is no other competition more competitive and more intense than wrestling,” he said.

Beau placed first in his weight class on Saturday, Feb. 10 at the regional wrestling tournament, following a first-place win in the district’s competition.

Girls basketball

By Tate Thomson

Sports reporter

The Friday Harbor High School Girls Basketball season comes to an end. The girls, coached by Fred Woods, earned a spot at the 2018 WIAA 2B Girls Regional Playoffs where they battled against Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars on Feb. 24. The Wolverines lost, 24-55, meaning it’s the end of the road for their 2018 season.

The team can look back at their successes with pride, including the two wins against their neighbor rival Orcas Island, 42-40 on Jan. 30 and the 34-33 buzzer-beater on Jan. 12. They were on fire in the midst of their season, winning five consecutive games between Dec. 20 and Jan. 5. Their Northwest 1A/2B final standings are 6-4 in conference and 11-12 overall.

The team bids farewell to two seniors, Kiana Woods and Savannah Hoffman.

Boys basketball

By Tate Thomson

Sports reporter

The Wolverines get a shot at becoming state champions. Friday Harbor’s boys, coached by Rod Turnbull, worked hard this season and made it to the 2018 WIAA 2B Boys Regional Playoffs where they beat the Oroville Hornets 51-32 in Wenatchee on Feb. 23, securing their spot in the state tournament.

They will make the journey to Spokane where they battle against Morton-White Pass on Feb. 28 and will advance to the next round if they win.

The team gave fans a thrilling season with some nail-biting games, like the 52-53 loss against Concrete on Jan. 5 and the two wins against their neighbor rival Orcas Island; 64-49 on Jan. 12 and 55-50 on Jan. 30. They lose two seniors this year, Rio Black and Isaac Mayer.

Check the Journal to view results of the Feb. 28 state tournament game.