Wolverines shine across sports, Sep. 29–Oct. 4

October 12, 2025 1:30 am
Heather Spaulding photo. Wolverines defeated the Wolves 21 to 7 for the Homecoming game on Oct. 3.
Heather Spaulding photo. Wolverines defeated the Wolves 21 to 7 for the Homecoming game on Oct. 3.

By Declan O’Malley

Journal contributor

Friday Harbor High School student-athletes had a strong showing across multiple sports during the week of Sept. 29-Oct. 4, with wins in football and girls soccer, as well as showings in boys soccer, volleyball and cross-country.

Football

Friday Harbor football secured back-to-back wins for the first time this season, capped by a 21-7 victory over league opponent Coupeville High School on home turf.

“Coupeville was the matchup we knew it would be, close, intense, with a lot on the line. We prepared hard all week to be ready for their style of football,” said head coach Shawn Kleine, praising the team’s adaptability. “We went in planning to use our passing game, but they double-teamed our primary targets, so we leaned on Jackson Feliz to pound the ball up the middle with our offensive line leading the way.”

Feliz rushed 16 times for a career-high 140 yards and a touchdown, while also connecting on a 35-yard pass to Channing Kleine and a touchdown pass to Phenix Thomas, his first of the season. Duncan Bogart led the defense with 11 tackles in the hard-fought win.

Girls soccer

On Sept. 30, the Wolverines hosted league rival La Conner, delivering their most complete performance of the season in a 2-0 win. Sophomore goalkeeper Lola Clark made several key saves, while sophomore Lyla Ovenell scored off a pass from junior defender Emerald Hurley, marking Hurley’s first career assist. Ovenell later set up eighth-grader Aurelia Goodremont for her first high school goal. Junior defender Frankie Pignatiello anchored the back line with a strong defensive showing.

On Oct. 2, Friday Harbor traveled to Bothell and defeated Providence Classical Christian 2-1. After Providence took an early second-half lead, senior forward Stella Carli equalized with an assist from junior captain Atziry Orozco. Ovenell scored the game-winner on a Carli pass. The victory improved the Wolverines to 4-4-1.

“We didn’t play our best game, but the girls found a way to get it done,” said head coach Bryan Leighton. “Winning on the road when you’re not sharp shows a lot of character.”

Boys soccer

The Wolverines faced strong competition last week, starting with a 2-1 loss to undefeated defending state champions Orcas Island on Oct. 1. A second-half goal by Emilio Bayas fell short of securing the win, according to head coach Mike Horn. Friday Harbor then tied Mount Vernon Christian 1-1 on Oct. 3.

Boys tennis

Friday Harbor boys tennis played two matches this week, falling to South Whidbey High School on Oct. 1 before taking on Summit Classical Christian on Oct. 4.

“We were fortunate to complete the match before the rains; a storm lashed the bus as we pulled out of Langley,” said head coach Kyle Loring.

Despite hustling across the court, the Wolverines fell to the SW Falcons 4-1.

“The serves are starting to land, and the guys continue to work on their consistency and on recognizing when even an excellent shot can come back over the net and force them to hit another one,” Loring said. “We’re also figuring out how to play aggressively through an entire point so that we finish it off when we have the opportunity rather than letting the opponent work their way back into it.”

Volleyball

Friday Harbor volleyball opened October with a match against Darrington High School, where the Loggers defeated the Wolverines in straight sets.

Cross-country

The Wolverines competed in the NW 1B/2B League Meet at Fort Casey State Park in Coupeville on Oct. 1.

Boys 5,000 meters: Evangel Classical won the team title with 39 points, followed by Coupeville (59), Mount Vernon Christian (61), and Friday Harbor in fourth with 78 points.

Neil Gresseth led Friday Harbor with a ninth-place finish in 19:11.43, followed by Ash Hamlin (12th, 19:25.42) and Harrison Edge (14th, 19:37.89). Other scoring runners included Nick Taylor (17th), Nick Roberson (26th), Walter Rovente (32nd), Dustin Neal (34th), Victor Rovente (35th), Hugo Thompson (38th), Scott Sears (39th), Brian Guerrero (40th), Carter Staton (48th) and Hunter Matthews (50th).

Girls 5,000 meters: Mount Vernon Christian won with 31 points, with Friday Harbor close behind in second with 35. Flora Compton led the Wolverines with a second-place finish in 21:35.05, followed by Autumn Vaught (4th), Isabel Bashaw (6th), Lyla Frohm (10th), Qwynne Price-Morris (14th) and Rylee Drew (20th).