That group, along with five other former Wolves, was inducted into the latest Kitsap Sports Hall of Fame class last weekend.

It was a nice recognition for a group of deserving recipients.

June (Fike) Griebel still holds the school record in the javelin. Jim Cutchall, a heavyweight, was the Wolves’ first state champion wrestler, and also was talented enough to earn a scholarship to the University of Oklahoma.

Both of those accomplishments occurred in 1976, which leads into my only concern about the class.

What took so long?

“I was surprised because it’s been such as a while ago,” Griebel told the Kitsap Sun when she received a call informing her of the honor.

She is not the only one.

Timeliness should be an important consideration. Some probably recognize Jason Ellison, a former major-league outfielder for five teams, including Seattle, who graduated 15 years ago. And others might know 1984 South graduate David Rill from his time as a linebacker at the University of Washington or for his work at Rill Chapel’s Life Tribute Center.

But the other members, such as Cutchall, Griebel and Denise Posey, a 1994 South graduate, are more obscure. After all, Cutchall remained in Oklahoma after his wrestling career with the Sooners ended.

This is not professional sports, where athletes have a cult-like following from their adoring fans. And even in those sports, athletes often are elected to their hall of fame within a decade of retirement.

Contrast that to hall of fames in smaller areas, such as this one, where the inductees often were stars at local high schools. Parents generally follow those teams as long as their children are involved in the program.

That means timeliness should be an even more important consideration when considering high-school athletes. Names such as Jake Beitinger, Aaron Cunningham, Stephanie Davison, Renard Williams and other legends of the last decade should be candidates in the near future. After that, South’s 2009 boys state soccer champions would make a lot of sense.

Those are names that many will remember — at least for now.

Even with the graduation of starters Kelsey Callaghan, Dana Goularte and Angela Romonsky.

The Wolves continued to show this week my confidence was not misplaced with a 51-26 win Friday night against Central Kitsap. That followed Wednesday’s 36-33 win at Bellarmine Prep. South (9-2 overall, 5-0 4A Narrows) handed both their first league losses.

The Wolves again were led by seniors Jackie Steiger and Taylor Sunkel. The duo combined for 27 points against the Cougars.

There still is plenty of games remaining — South plays both Bellarmine and Central again — but the Wolves are proving that they could be at least as good as last season’s team that won 20 games for the first time in a decade and reached the second round of the state tournament.

That should be a mismatch, but the Grizzlies have a 7-0 record this season and have dominated just about every opponent they have faced. With the exception of a 47-37 win Dec. 6 against Seattle Christian, Bear Creek has defeated each of its opponents by at least 24 points. The winner of that contest plays at 5:15 p.m. Thursday against Inglemoor (1-6) or Renton (2-4). The loser also plays one of those teams at 1:45 p.m. Thursday. South, which had a 1-2 record last year in Bellevue, will finish the tournament Friday.

If the Wolves win their first two games, they will play that evening against Juanita, Monroe, Nathan Hale or Oak Harbor.

He later was traded to Arizona, Oakland, where he made his major-league debut in 2008, and then San Diego. He has a .231 batting average in parts of four seasons with the Athletics and Padres.

Well, perhaps it might be more compelling if this game settled the winner of Class 4A Narrows League.

That won’t be the case the case, but there are several other elements that make this game interesting. This not only is a historical rivalry that dates back to 1925, but it also has been one of the most competitive series in the state. Since 1949, the Cougars and Wolves are 22-22-1 in head-to-head meetings.

South (5-3 overall, 3-3 league) and CK (4-4, 3-3) this time will be playing for the right for 4A Narrows’ fourth — and final — spot in the state play-in game. The loser settles for a meaningless crossover game next week against a 3A Narrows opponent.

The counterargument usually would be that the winner would just get blown out by a perennial powerhouse, such as Skyline, the following week. It won’t be quite that difficult, though.

If the Wolves win Friday, they play the loser of the 4A Wesco championship game between undefeated Lake Stevens and Edmonds-Woodway. That likely will be the latter.

The Warriors, who enter Friday’s game with a 5-3 record, have a unique history. But little of it involves a tradition of excellence on the gridiron. When former rival high schools Edmonds and Woodway merged in 1990, they had six state-playoff appearances combined in their history. In more than 20 years since then, Edmonds-Woodway has advanced to state four times.

Long-time South fans might dismiss that as a consequence of playing in a league with such state powers as Cascade and Snohomish. But that no longer is the case. Legendary coaches Terry Ennis and Dick Armstrong left their respective schools long ago. And both schools lost a substantial portion of their student bodies as newer campuses opened in the area. Entering Friday, they have a combined 3-13 record.

Ascending to the top of 4A Wesco just is not what it used to be.

That does not mean it will not be a challenge – playing on the road nearly always is – but it is difficult to imagine an easier scenario for a fourth-place team to get into state.

But for South, that first means beating the Cougars. Three of the last six meetings between the schools have been decided by 10 points or less.

While both teams share identical league records, the Wolves have scored 10 more points and have allowed 22 fewer in 4A Narrows.

Not a substantial difference, but South should be considered a slight favorite at Joe Knowles Field in a game that again could come down to the fourth quarter.

And be just as intriguing as a rivalry should be.

Plenty of opportunities – few tangible results.

But junior Becca Schoales found senior Kailey Lyman on a cross in the 48th minute to guide the Wolves to a 1-0 win Tuesday night against Stadium at Joe Knowles Field.

“It was just a really nice cross and one of our girls (Claire Posadas) missed it,” Lyman said. “It was just right to my feet. A corner shot is really difficult for any keeper.”

It marked the first win for South (2-0-0 overall, 1-0-0 league) in the three-year tenure of coach Julie Cain against the Tigers. The Wolves’ last win in the series, 5-3, came on Oct. 23, 2008. Stadium (1-1-0, 0-1-0) tied the previous three meetings.

“That was a really big game to win because this is a really good team,” Lyman said. “Since they lost to us, that’s going to help us continue on and hopefully get first.”

South also tied three other times in Class 4A Narrows League play last year, which helped knock the Wolves down to a third-place finish despite only allowing nine goals, which was the fewest in the league along with Bellarmine Prep.

Stadium, which finished second in the league a year ago behind Bellarmine, did not make senior goalkeeper Bri Smallige’s second straight shutout easy. The Tigers had shots in the 32nd and 65th minutes hit off the crossbar.

“This was our first test,” said Cain, whose team won its season opener, 11-0, against Lincoln on Thursday. “It almost felt like our first game in a lot of ways.”

Lyman and freshman midfielder Hailey Parker had shots in the first 20 minutes, but Cain did not feel her team played well.

“I thought we played a little nervous in the first half,” she said. “I didn’t think we possessed it all that well.”

There were exceptions.

“Kailey Lyman played all four positions for us in the midfield and I thought she possessed it very well for us,” Cain said.

She felt her team performed better in the second half even though Smallige saved a shot in the 64th before another attempt hit the crossbar a minute later.

But Cain said some of that was a result of the Tigers adding pressure as they tried to close their deficit.

“Delaney (Digiovanni) ran our back line well,” said Cain, referring to South’s junior defender. “I think she really was composed, especially in the second half when they were attacking. They were putting another player up.”

Both Cain and Lyman agreed the Wolves still need plenty of improvement despite the outcome.

“We have a lot of freshmen,” Lyman said. “Once we get our rhythm, we’re going to be really good.”

Despite the close score, Cain still was able to use 20 players.

“We’re still working out the kinks and who plays where,” she said. “I’ve got more thoughts on where people should go. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”

Tuesday
At South Kitsap 1, Stadium 0
First half-None.
Second half-1, South Kitsap, Kailey Lyman (Becca Schoales), 48th minute.

Thursday
At South Kitsap 11, Lincoln 0
First half-1, South Kitsap, Brita Oleson (Rachel Prince), 2nd minute; 2, South Kitsap, Becca Schoales (Kailey Lyman), 13th; 3, South Kitsap, Prince (Delaney Digiovanni), 15th; 4, South Kitsap, Schoales (Hailey Parker), 20th.
Second half-5, South Kitsap, Claire Posadas, 41st; 6, South Kitsap, Schoales, 43rd; 7, South Kitsap, Schoales (Lyman), 45th; 8, South Kitsap, Adri Jackson, 64th; 9, South Kitsap, Hayley Romo (Amy Bakalarski), 68th; 10, South Kitsap, Jackson (Parker), 71st; 11, South Kitsap, Bakalarski (Posadas), 78th.

But this day never will.

I awoke on Sept. 11, 2001, in my apartment in Pullman. My plans for the day: A little bit of a class and a lot of celebrating my final birthday in college.

I hadn’t even made it to my first class when I heard about the crippling of the Twin Towers by a group of terrorists that had hijacked four planes. Right here, in the land of the brave.

Biology lab would wait. I raced to the newsroom.

As editor of Washington State University’s student newspaper, The Daily Evergreen, I knew that my staff would look to me for guidance in how we would go about covering the unfathomable tragedy unfolding on the East Coast.

But how would we cover it? How would we localize the news from a tiny college town thousands of miles away?

Outside my office, campus shut down. Students grieved in the streets, on the lawns, in their doom rooms.

And, not surprisingly, the reporters poured into the newsroom without a single word from me or the other managing editors. They knew this was news. They knew this day was life-changing.

We decided that the front page would bear the image of two women in the streets of Manhattan, holding onto each other, screaming. TERROR screamed from above the fold in thick black keystrokes. We featured other coverage from The Associated Press — and then we went looking for our own stories. For the stories of Washington State University.

The reporters put aside their own problems, their own feelings, their own fears, to put out the newspaper. One staff member’s mother was a flight attendant for United Airlines — one of the attacked airlines — and it took hours for her to reach her. Still, she dug her heels in and got to work.

The news staff was given the topic of how the campus was reacting to the news. It quickly became apparent that there were so many reactions and so many personal reflections from students and staff that the story became two, and then three.

And in a solitary corner of the room, one reporter spoke quietly into the phone, choking back tears as she listened to a student explain how he was on his way to the student recreation center that afternoon to rehabilitate injuries suffered in a horrific car accident over the summer.

A group of white students appeared, knocked him down and kicked him — because he was Middle Eastern.

Other students on campus expressed fear that they may be targeted based on ethnicity. Back in the newsroom, staffers worried about flying to a student journalism conference in New Orleans six weeks later. Some students spent the afternoon trying in vain to reach loved ones in New York.

But they refused to let their fears rule them. The students of Washington State came together as a university.

When I reflect on Sept. 11, 2001, my personal experience centers around the togetherness of our newsroom — the calm, quiet collaboration. That unity was present on a much larger and more significant scale as broadcast images showed people heroically tending to those injured in the chaos. But on that day, we were unified in the only way we knew how.

It is a moment that in the midst of the chaos, I remain proud of, 10 years later.

A two-time first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection, Williams, who graduated in 2007 from South Kitsap, had 54 tackles with 6 1/2 sacks and four forced fumbles as a junior to help the Eagles to their first national championship.

“Renard has gifts that I’ve never seen at this level,” Eastern coach Beau Baldwin said in a news release.

The 6-foot-2, 300-pound Williams was joined by teammate Matt Johnson, a safety, on the watch list.

The entire news release is available here.

Here is the schedule:
Sept. 2 at Vancouver College
Sept. 9 Tahoma
Sept. 16 at Olympia
Sept. 23 Shelton
Sept. 30 at Gig Harbor
Oct. 7 Bellarmine Prep
Oct. 14 Mount Tahoma
Oct. 21 at Stadium
Oct. 28 Central Kitsap

For South Kitsap senior Isaiah Davis, talk surrounded who might be his primary challenger for the Class 4A state high-jump title.

But that ended Friday afternoon when Davis was unable to clear the 6-foot pole in the 4A Narrows League track and field championships at Joe Knowles Field.

His season was over – in that event.

“It’s not the finish I would like, but it’s over now,” Davis said. “It just wasn’t meant to be. I try and not beat myself up over it because I have three other events.”

South coach Joanne Warren said Davis has been battling a virus.

“He’s been sick and it looks like his balance – he wasn’t in the right place at the right time,” she said. “He hit it with his shoulder, which he never does.”

It was not all negative for Davis, though. Two days earlier, he won the long jump with a leap of 22 feet – 2 inches ahead of Gig Harbor’s Brandon Gagliardi.

“Now he can really focus on the long jump,” Warren said. “It really has been a secondary thing for him.”

Junior Kelsie Forcier had perhaps the most dominant performance for the Wolves. On Wednesday, she defended her Narrows title in the shot put with a throw of 34-11.

“It was really rainy,” Forcier said. “Everything was really slick, but I did my best.”

The second day of the league meet came even easier to her. Forcier’s top throw of 121 feet in the discus was more than 15 inches better than her nearest competitor.

“I did a lot better warming up than I usually do,” Forcier said.

The top four placers in each event advance to districts next week at Mount Tahoma.

“I’m just stoked to go onto districts and see what I can do there,” Forcier said. “It gives you a sense that you’re one of the best.”

She said she plans to work on her technique before districts. Forcier said she benefits from competing in districts and at state in 2010.

“Last year I was terrified,” she said. “I’m calm now.”

Davis and Forcier will be joined by 10 teammates Friday and Saturday at districts at Mount Tahoma. Two others finished second, including seniors Ashlee Becker (9-06) in the pole vault and Bethany Sanchez in the long jump (17-05 ½).

Class 4A Narrows League meet
Top four placers advance to West Central/Southwest Bi-District track and field meet
Girls
200-1, Sarah Hartwell (BP) 25.37; 2, Brenna Thompson (SHE) 26.26; 3, Amanda Wilson (SK) 26.4; 4, Alexis Fesenbek (OLY). 400-1, Hannah Derby (BP) 59.8; 2, Thompson (SHE) 59.84; 3, Maria Abando (STA) 1:00.48; 4, Katherine Frame (GH) 1:00.85. 800-1, Kelly Williams (GH) 2:19.07; 2, Daryl Phill (BP) 2:19.11; 3, Derby (BP) 2:19.83; 4, Maegan Tracy (STA) 2:24.18. 1,600-1, Maureen Tremblay (GH) 5:12.24; 2, Williams (GH) 5:13.09; 3, Casey Lyons (STA) 5:13.22; 4, Phill (BP) 5:14.24. 3,200-1, Tremblay (GH) 11:24.74; 2, Lyons (STA) 11:29.14; 3, Jessica Peterson (SK) 11:32.19; 4, Jordan Thurston (BP) 11:32.19. 100 hurdles-1, Dallas Edge (GH) 16.37; 2, Suzanna Barnett (STA) 16.89; 3, Sarah Lacey (SK) 17.19; 4, Monika Fairley (OLY) 17.51. 300 hurdles-1, Samantha Dowling (BP) 46.05; 2, Edge (GH) 46.46; 3, Lacey (SK) 47.42; 4, Michaela Rubenstein (CK) 47.95. 400 relay-1, Central Kitsap 50.23; 2, South Kitsap 50.84; 3, Olympia 51.01; 4, Stadium 51.2. 800 relay-1, Central Kitsap 1:43.84; 2, Bellarmine Prep 1:45.03; 3, Shelton 1:46.21; 4, Stadium 1:46.95. 1,600 relay-1, Bellarmine Prep 3:56.64; 2, Gig Harbor 3:59.46; 3, Stadium 4:00.13; 4, South Kitsap 4:03.05. High jump-1, Courtney Jost (GH) 5-02; 2, Tayler Fettig (OLY) 5-02; 3, Molly Peters (OLY) 5-0; 4, Naphtali Ward (GH) 4-08. Pole vault-1, Annie Fitchet (SHE) 10-07; 2, Ashlee Becker (SK) 9-06; 3, Andrea Clarke (OLY) 8-06; 4, Thunder Braun (CK) 8-06. Long jump-1, Jost (GH) 17-05 ½; 2, Bethany Sanchez (SK) 17-05 ½; 3, Holly Trunk (GH) 16-03 ½; 4, Larisa Robic (BP) 16-02 ½. Triple jump-1, Jost (GH) 34-10; 2, Hayley Vivian (GH) 33-05; 3, Elle Walters (STA) 33-0; 4, Chelsi Swanson (SK) 32-09 ½. Shot put-1, Kelsie Forcier (SK) 34-11; 2, Tina Atonio (STA) 34-00 ¾; 3, Karen Bulger (OLY) 33-06 ¾; 4, Shelby Jackson (SK) 32-11 ½. Discus-1, Forcier (SK) 121-0; 2, Hannah Fabert (GH) 105-04; 3, Briana Carlin (BP) 103-08; 4, Alaura Jones (SHE) 102-0.
Boys
100-1, Michael Rector (BP) 11.0; 2, Justin Browne (GH) 11.33; 3, Dominic Boddie (SK) 11.39; 4, Darrius Leaphart (MT) 11.62. 200-1, Rector (BP) 21.8; 2, Nick Lanier (GH) 22.89; 3, Austin Roth (OLY) 23.02; 4, Tyler Kahl (CK) 23.08. 400-1, Michael Thomas (CK) 50.65; 2, Ryan Adams (SHE) 51.3; 3, Derek Titus (BP) 51.32; 4, Sean Dennis (GH) 51.41. 800-Will Drinkwater (GH) 1:58.52; 2, Zackery Weber (CK) 2:00.6; 3, Wes Jones (MT) 2:01.07; 4, Brendan Franz (BP) 2:01.46. 1,600-1, Nate Brennand (OLY) 4:17.54; 2, Drinkwater (GH) 4:18.93; 3, Casey Peloquin (GH) 4:20.66; 4, Wolfgang Beck (GH) 4:22.46. 3,200-1, Brennand (OLY) 9:32.97; 2, Peloquin (GH) 9:38.57; 3, Beck (GH) 9:40.04; 4, Matt Baer (BP) 9:48.35. 110 hurdles-1, Rondie Pate (MT) 15.84; 2, Kainen Bell (STA) 16.61; 3, Bryan Larson (GH) 16.68; 4, Deandre Baines (MT) 16.76. 300 hurdles-1, Titus (BP) 40.3; 2, Bell (STA) 40.92; 3, Brian Wambaa (MT) 41.24; 4, Aaron Cheng (BP) 41.45. 400 relay-1, Bellarmine Prep 43.32; 2, Gig Harbor 43.35; 3, South Kitsap 43.7; 4, Olympia 45.09. 1,600 relay-1, Central Kitsap 3:23.23; 2, Bellarmine Prep 3:25.95; 3, South Kitsap 3:26.26; 4, Mount Tahoma 3:27.29. High jump-1, Josh Traylor (MT) 6-08; 2, Pate (MT) 6-04; 3, Jack Schorno (OLY) 6-02; 4, Tre’ Fisher (SHE) 6-02. Long jump-1, Isaiah Davis (SK) 22-0; 2, Brandon Gagliardi (GH) 21-09 ½; 3, Justin Browne (GH) 21-08 ¼; 4, Pate (MT) 21-00 ¾. Triple jump-1, Roman Hurst (SHE) 43-08; 2, Hunter Trunk (GH) 43-05 ½; 3, Traylor (MT) 43-01 ½; 3, Justin Browne (GH) 43-01 ½. Shot put-1, Cody Tarver (SHE) 48-06 ¼; 2, Phoung Truong (MT) 48-05 ¼; 3, Tyler Ambrose (GH) 48-02; 4, Samuel Hacker (GH) 45-03. Discus-1, Truong (MT) 149-0; 2, Chris Garnatz (BP) 145-03; 3, Griffin Boudia (OLY) 142-07; 4, Steven Pavlik (SK) 139-05. Javelin-1, Quinn Hale (BP) 205-02; 2, Jon Ownby (SHE) 169-08; 3, Jeff Cox (CK) 169-0; 4, Shaq Blair (CK) 160-02.

The current weight classes for boys are 103, 112, 119, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 152, 160, 171, 189, 215 and 285. Starting next season, they will be 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220 and 285.

We will have more later.

We will have more later.

But that tradition ended this season at South Kitsap. As the Narrows League became a multi-classification league with separate divisions for 4A and 3A for the first time this season, its wrestling schedule was reconfigured. That meant just one date, Dec. 16, for a home dual-league match against Olympia and Shelton. Because of that, South coach Chad Nass said it was pointless to bring out the spotlight this season. There was an average of three different dates for dual-league matches during the previous three seasons.

The lack of home dates has drawn criticism from some fans in the community. Besides besides the lone dual-league match, the only other wrestling event in the school’s gym was the annual South Kitsap Invitational on Jan. 22. Nass counts himself among the schedule’s critics.

“I kind of like the way it used to be because we had more home matches,” he said after his team won 59-12 on Tuesday at Central Kitsap. “That way we could get our fans and communities involved.”

One reason why there are fewer home dates is because all matches are double duals this season that involve the Wolves and other league schools facing multiple opponents. The match at CK was the only exception.

“I’m not a big fan of these double duals,” Nass said. “We’ve only had one dual at home. We have a pretty good sized pee-wee program and three junior highs that have wrestling. When they can’t see it, it’s hard to promote it.”

Including the spotlight.

“It takes away that setting of competition,” Nass said. “I miss it. I hope we can make a change for next year. I don’t like this format.”

Eagles beat reporter Steve Bergum has this feature on 2007 South Kitsap High School graduate Renard Williams in the Spokesman-Review of Spokane. The Port Orchard Independent and Kitsap Sun also have profiled Williams, who has 11 1/2 tackles for loss from his defensive tackle position, in recent weeks. He also has 49 tackles.

If the Eagles (11-2) win, they play against Georgia South (10-4) or Delaware (11-2) in the FCS championship game in Frisco, Texas.

Williams, who has 11 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, was profiled in today’s issue. He was a first-team all-Big Sky selection for a second consecutive season.

Junior Nicole Hinely qualified in both the 200-yard freestyle, where she placed 13th in 2 minutes, 0.81 seconds, and the 100 butterfly Friday. She placed ninth in the latter event in 59.74 seconds. The top eight qualify for Saturday’s championship heat, while the next eight race in the consolation final.

Hinely improved on the second day last year in both events. She finished 10th in the 100 butterfly (58.12) and 11th in the 200 freestyle (1:56.33).

“Nicole has a chance to post a stronger statement about her swimming,” South coach Cliff Rousell said.

Senior Angela Pearson advanced to the second day for the first time in four trips to state. She finished 16th in the 500 freestyle (5:27.08).

“That’s a big plus,” Rousell said. “I’m really happy for her.”

The other individual competitor, Ashlee Becker, finished 20th in the 100 butterfly (1:02.6).

Among the Wolves’ two relay teams, the 400 freestyle team that consists of senior Kelsey Bagley-Hall, sophomore Paige Pearsall, Becker and Hinely will advance to the consolation final after placing 16th in 3:47.98. The same team placed 20th in the 200 freestyle (1:46.08).

“It is really important to go out and seek that personal best during prelims,” Rousell said. “If you don’t, you want to get a chance at that second swim.”

The Wolves (3-6) were relegated to a crossover game against a Class 3A Narrows League opponent after they lost 31-16 on Friday at Central Kitsap. That gave the Cougars (6-3) the final playoff spot from the 4A Narrows. They play at defending state champion Skyline (8-1).

South coach D.J. Sigurdson said Friday that the Wolves play on the road because of an arrangement that has 3A Narrows schools hosting crossover games this season, while 4A Narrows programs will be at home next year.

The Wolves (2-5 overall, 1-4 league) likely would need to win their final two Class 4A Narrows League contests against Stadium and at Central Kitsap for that to be possible. The top four teams in the league qualify for a state play-in game.

If South wins its final two league games, it would own tiebreakers against Mount Tahoma, which it defeated 35-22 on Friday, Stadium and CK. Shelton wins a tiebreaker against the Wolves based on its head-to-head victory this season.

In addition to some significant roster changes following the graduation of quarterback Gordy Anderson, running back/linebacker Robert Issa and wide receiver/defensive back Leon La Deaux, among others, Sigurdson’s coaching staff has undergone an overhaul. He said that Jim Fairweather, Marcus Logue, Jay Powers and Derek Sparks will not return this season.

Both Logue and Powers left the area. Sigurdson said Logue is looking for a full-time teaching position in the Seattle area, while Powers left for another high school in Nebraska. Fairweather (baseball) and Sparks (counselor) both said earlier this year that they wanted to focus on other roles at South.

Sigurdson said he has hired three coaches to replace them and still is looking for another one. Cory Dame, the son of veteran assistant, Joey, and 2007 South graduate, will guide the running backs and safeties. He attended Spokane Falls Community College.

Kyle Pease, who started at quarterback for the Wolves in 2004-05, returns to his alma mater to coach running backs and cornerbacks. He attended Washington State University, and Sigurdson said Pease wants to become a firefighter.

Cory Vartanian, who kicked from 2002-05 at North Dakota State, also joined Sigurdson’s staff and will coach special teams. Vartanian previously coached at Rochester in Thurston County.

Williams, a 2007 South Kitsap graduate, was joined by two teammates — junior running back Taiwan Jones and senior linebacker J.C. Sherritt — both of whom were selected to the first team. Eastern was picked to finish second in the Big Sky to perennial national power Montana.

Bloomquist, 32, is batting just .247, but has hits in 14 of his last 37 at-bats. This Kansas City Star story links Bloomquist, a utility player who will be a free agent after this season, to contenders such as Boston and Philadelphia. The non-waiver trade deadline in baseball is July 31.

The Royals begin a three-game series Monday at Seattle, where Bloomquist played from 2002-08.

Cunningham returned to San Diego after outfielder Will Venable was placed on the disabled list. After being traded by Oakland during the offseason, Cunningham spent most of the season at Triple-A Portland, where he hit .247.

The Wolves play at 11:45 a.m. against Kentwood, which defeated Bellarmine Prep 7-1 in a loser-out game Monday. If South, which should be favored considering the Conquerors have an 11-14 record, wins that contest it will face the winner of the Emerald Ridge vs. Tahoma game at 3:15. That likely will be the Bears, who have a 21-5 record. The winner of that game earns the WCD’s No. 4 seed entering Friday’s state tournament at Tacoma’s South End Recreation Area.

South Kitsap plays twice Saturday, beginning at noon against Todd Beamer. If the Wolves win, they play again at 3:30 p.m. against either Rogers or Spanaway Lake. They play at 5:15 p.m. if they lose.

Unless South loses twice Saturday, it will play at least once on Monday to either qualify for state or determine seeding at the tournament.

Senior Chloe Helms and freshman Kailyn Skjonsby lost Friday morning and then faced a loser-out match at 12:15 p.m. But the pair injury defaulted and saw their season come to an end.

That leaves only the school’s fastpitch and track and field teams and golfer Michael Lacey left competing in the playoffs.

But athletic director Ed Santos said Thursday that the athletes were suspended for the May 6 meet against Central Kitsap and Wednesday and Friday’s Narrows League Championships.

That distinction becomes moot if the quartet cannot compete in next week’s West Central District meet, though. Because they are ineligible to participate in leagues, none of them can advance to districts in an individual events. But Santos said there is a technicality — a coach can add two alternates in each relay — that could allow athletes who do not compete at leagues to advance to districts.

Of course, that means that those relay teams have to advance to districts first and without Davis, La Deaux and Perez, coach Joanne Warren had to know that advancing a boys team beyond this week would be nearly impossible, which effectively ends their seasons. The Wolves’ 400 relay team qualified for districts, which could enable Nelson to compete.

But Santos said that is at Warren’s discretion. And Warren declined to discuss the status of the athletes beyond saying that “it’s a great learning opportunity for the kids who are going to here next year.”

One possible indication about the prospect of the suspended athletes returning came from a source who said none of the four would receive an athletic letter this spring. Santos again said that is Warren’s call.

South’s extracurricular athletics and activities code states that students “shall be subject to corrective action which may include permanent exclusion from participation in school district extracurricular activities. Such consequences may be in addition to corrective actions imposed by school administrators for violations of general student conduct rules.”

Santos said he prefers to suspend athletes for their first violation rather than remove them from a team, but added that it depends on the severity of the offense. He said an athlete also can be suspended for multiple sports season depending on the infraction.

South’s baseball team, which won its first game Saturday at Bainbridge, also had its game against Shelton postponed. The Wolves (1-5 overall, 0-2 league) play at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Shelton (1-4, 0-3). They then will host the Highclimbers at 4 p.m. Thursday.

Now comes another challenge as the weather forecast looks less than perfect for the next week. The teams were supposed to play today, but that has been called off, which means they will try again at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday. Even if the weather is better than expected, the Wolves now have four games in five days beginning Saturday when they host Bainbridge at 1 p.m.

It will be the first meeting between the schools since 1948. Wolves coach D.J. Sigurdson provided a breakdown of how the game came about in the story, but we also had an opportunity to discuss nonleague games in general.

Because of the reconfiguration of the Narrows League — it now will have separate Class 4A and 3A divisions — Sigurdson said he had to wait longer than he preferred to finish his schedule.

He already had an arrangement to play Tahoma, but there was a problem: both teams only had three home games. Sigurdson said he and Bears coach Tony Davis discussed a coin flip to settle the matter, but it was resolved when VC, a private high school in British Columbia, had an opening. In 2011, the Wolves will travel to VC and host Tahoma.

That also fits Sigurdson preference of scheduling home-and-home games with opponents. He said it is the fairest way to lineup games. There always are exceptions — South has played multiple teams just once — including the Emerald City Kickoff Classic games at Qwest Field. But for the most part, Sigurdson has scheduled two-game series against schools such as Cascade, Clover Park, Kentwood, Rogers and Snohomish.

Most of those schools also fit into Sigurdson’s criteria of seeking quality nonleague competition. Unlike some coaches who load up on lightweights to guarantee wins, Sigurdson prefers to face playoff contenders early. He believes that prepares the Wolves better for competition within the Narrows.

La Deaux announced his commitment to play football at Central Washington University last week. Boddie said she planned to play soccer at Idaho during the fall and will follow through with that. De la Cruz will continue to play soccer at Seattle University.

Cunningham, 23, was drafted in the sixth round by the Chicago White Sox in 2005 out of Everett Community College. He was traded in 2007 to Arizona for infielder Danny Richar and then dealt later that year, along with five other players, to the A’s for all-star pitcher Dan Haren and reliever Connor Robertson.

Cunningham hit just .151 in 53 at-bats with Oakland last season, but said he told the Independent some of that was the result of a separated right shoulder he suffered during a home-plate collision in April with Jeff Clement.

Boys basketball:
Friday at Stadium, 7 p.m.

Girls basketball:
Friday vs. Stadium, 7 p.m.

Boys swim and dive:
Tuesday vs. Olympia, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday vs. Gig Harbor, 3:30 p.m.

Wrestling:
Thursday vs. Shelton, 7 p.m.

Player of the Year: Jake Heaps, sr., Skyline.
First team
Quarterback: Jake Heaps, sr., Skyline.
Running back: Anthony Meray, sr., Bethel; Jacob Sealby, Wenatchee; Austin Denton, sr., Marysville-Pilchuck.
Wide receiver: Kasen Williams, jr., Skyline; Jason Bates, sr., Ferris; Rahmel Dockery, jr., Curtis.
Tight end: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, jr., Gig Harbor.
Offensive line: Chris Edison, sr., Curtis; Danny Shelton, jr., Auburn; Colin Porter, sr., Bothell; Abel Soto, jr., Eisenhower; Maxx Forde, sr., Woodinville.
All-purpose: Trenton Pinson, sr., Federal Way.
Defensive line: Scott Crichton, sr., Foss; Ryan Watson, sr., Eisenhower; Austin Graves, sr., Southridge; Mychael Tuiasosopo, sr., Mariner.
Linebackers: Anthony DeMatteo, sr., Skyline; Seth Kline, sr., Eisenhower; Sam Gauksheim, sr., Olympia; Drew Powell, sr., Southridge.
Defensive backs: Jamal Byrd, sr., Foss; Evan Zeger, jr., Skyline; Bo Tully, sr., Mead; David Trimble, so., Davis.
Kicker: Jake Miller, sr., Central Valley.
Punter: Sean Tollan, sr., Rogers (Puyallup).

Honorable Mention
Quarterback: Connor Halliday, sr., Ferris.
Running back: Bishop Sankey, jr., Gonzaga Prep.
Wide receivers: Leon La Deaux, sr., South Kitsap; Tim White, jr., Kamiakin.
Tight end: Michael Hartvigson, sr., Bothell.
Offensive line: Trevor Poole, sr., Ferris; Drew Schultz, sr., Olympia.
All-purpose: Elils Henderson, jr., Skyview.
Defensive line: Kjelby Oiland, sr., Ferris; Happy Iona, sr., Bethel; Evan Hudson, sr., Bothell; Jeff Waldner, sr., Olympia; Dallin Shirley, sr., Skyview.
Linebackers: Dylan Zylstra, sr., Kentridge; Jason Walker, sr., Curtis.
Defensive backs: Chris Young, sr., Auburn.
Kicker: Brandon Bailey, sr., Bethel.
Punter: Thomas Fossedal, jr., Kamiak.

Class 4A
1. Auburn Riverside 6-0
2. Lewis and Clark 3-1
3. Kentwood 5-1
4. Federal Way 4-2
5. Bellarmine 3-1
6. Edmonds-Woodway 4-0
7. Woodinville 3-0
8. Issaquah 3-0
9. Chiawana 3-0
10. South Kitsap 4-0

During one of several stagnant offensive possessions, a South cheerleader used a pom-pom to cover her mouth and yawn. It was that kind of game.

As we chronicled in our game story, coach John Callaghan acknowledges that his team has “dug ourselves a hole.” Callaghan emphasized that it still is early in the season, but this team already has played 30 percent of its regular season.

With the exception of a 90-59 win Nov. 30 at Tyee — a team that suited up several junior-varsity players because of academic issues — the Wolves have struggled offensively throughout the year. It difficult to envision that changing.

There simply is not one go-to player on the offensive end. Even Callaghan’s mediocre squads the last two seasons had players who could create (Tionne Curry, Mike Longmire) and shoot (Nick Johnson) on the offensive side. South does not have a player of that caliber this season.

Because of that, it is difficult to see South’s situation improving. A few more shots might fall in the future — the Wolves converted just 23.5 percent of their field goals — but they also will face stiffer competition. Which means it might get worse for South before the situation improves.