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.

Part of this is the result of winter sports featuring the fewest number of teams. During the spring, fastpitch, golf, tennis and track all are competing for females, while baseball, golf, soccer and track are vying for males.

During the winter, both the boys and girls have basketball and wrestling in addition to swimming for males. But perhaps just as important is the success these programs have experienced. It is pretty simple — more people want to be involved with successful programs. Boys basketball, swimming and wrestling all have experienced sustained runs of success.

But the girls basketball team is experiencing a resurgence after advancing to state last spring for the first time in nine years. The level of interest in the program not only brought depth to the junior varsity and C-team levels, but has added an infusion of talent to the roster. While the Wolves do not feature the height of last year’s team, no one would argue that this squad is the most athletic one the school has seen in several years.

The emergence of that program coupled with the others should result in another exciting season for South’s athletic programs.

I do not want to regurgitate the many elements that already were covered in the newspaper, but there were some interesting new revelations at the meeting. The first assignment for the approximately 20 people in attendance was to generate a list of athletic facilities improvements that could be made throughout the district. The attendees were split into two groups to cut the list of 30 items into 10 to 15 priorities. Santos said this is not a final list, and the public again is welcomed to attend the next meeting at 6 p.m. Dec. 7 in the South Kitsap High School library.

The lists were compiled without regard to financial burden. I could have requested a state-of-the-art press box at Joe Knowles Field and it would have made the list even though it would not have survived the cut. But football coach D.J. Sigurdson’s vision might encompass that and much more. Sigurdson eventually would like to see an off-campus facility similar to Puyallup’s Sparks Stadium built. The suggestion comes with the idea that SKSD eventually will have a second high school and a new facility would work better than Joe Knowles.

Even with the addition of an artificial surface at Joe Knowles, there are some inherent issues with the facility that were mentioned during the meeting. The footprint provides limited room to make renovations that would be necessary to make it a facility that could house state championships and other events. Specifically, there needs to be covered seating, which cannot be added on the side that faces the high school without blocking visibility to the stadium during the game. SKSD facilities and operations director Tom O’Brien said that means the other side of the facility would need to be renovated and would become the “home side” of the field.

And the new stadium was not regarded as a distant dream. One of the two groups — the other did not have a final list to present — considered it the No. 1 athletic facility need in the district. It will be interesting to see if this becomes part of a future bond issue presented to voters along with a second high school.

But as Kathleen Simpson from the Field Today, Fit Tomorrow Task Team, which was developed to add first-class turf and other amenities to communities in the Kitsap Peninsula during the next two years, said “we know that a levy or bond isn’t going to pass right now.”

Despite that, Ness said he is ready to move forward.

“We cannot sit here and afford to put off this issue any longer,” he said. “We’re going to have to take the bull by the horns ourselves.”

Through the taskforce, Simpson has worked with several agencies to create a long-term plan — she said it typically takes five years — to install turf on fields. The group is working on a few projects now, including one at Silverdale’s Gordon Field.

Simpson said the first step is starting a non-profit foundation. As far as fund raising mechanisms are concerned, Santos also seemed intrigued by the prospect of corporate sponsorship at the stadium. Sumner Stadium was renamed Sunset Chev Stadium a few years ago after the local car dealership, which Santos said writes that district a monthly check. He said they are using some of the proceeds to replace the turf at the facility.

“I don’t think we’re limiting ourselves,” he said.

Santos said adding turf would generate new revenue in other ways for the district. He said the Harbor Soccer Club, a select team, paid the Peninsula School District $118,000 last year to use three different turf fields in the district. In addition to that, Santos said maintenance at Joe Knowles would be significantly reduced with turf. He said the district spent $23,000 on the field last year. Some projections have that cost sinking to $5,000 with an artificial surface.

Santos said the game is Saturday because the date must be mutually agreed upon by both teams. Heritage (4-5) won a tiebreaker with Kelso (6-3) to finish second in the Class 4A Greater Saint Helens League based on a 30-29 win Oct. 16 against the Highlanders.

Here are the rankings:
1. Skyline (Sammamish) (8) 5-1 89
2. Bothell (1) 6-0 81
3. Auburn 6-0 72
4. Jackson (Mill Creek) 6-0 63
5. Ferris (Spokane) 5-1 41
6. Gonzaga Prep (Spokane) 5-1 37
7. Wenatchee 6-0 33
8. Curtis (University Place) 6-0 29
9. South Kitsap (Port Orchard) 6-0 26
10. Central Valley (Spokane Valley) 5-1 7

The Web site ranked the Wolves seventh in its Class 4A poll. South was sixth in the previous rankings. Skyline is No. 1, followed by Mead, Issaquah, Emerald Ridge, Eastlake, Jackson, South, Kentwood, Bellarmine Prep and Tahoma.

This is the third consecutive week that South (4-0 overall, 3-0 league — the only undefeated team left in the Narrows League — has been ranked. The Wolves host Central Kitsap (2-2, 2-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Joe Knowles Field.

Here are the rankings:
1, Skyline (8) 3-1 98
2, Bothell (2) 4-0 92
3, Auburn 4-0 78
4, Jackson 4-0 72
5, Wenatchee 4-0 40
6, South Kitsap 4-0 39
6, Ferris 3-1 39
8, Gonzaga Prep 3-1 35
9, Curtis 4-0 28
10, Central Valley 4-0 10

I heard some interesting commentary after South Kitsap’s 10-6 win Friday night against Olympia after driving back from Ingersoll Stadium. There was a reference about the Wolves missing Foss on the schedule this year with the implication that they are fortunate not to play the Falcons. That’s because Foss played South tough last year before succumbing 29-26 when Sean Allison broke a 68-yard touchdown run with 56 seconds left in the game.

There are a few significant issues with making comparisons between different years when it comes to high schools. The main problem is rosters often change dramatically every year. Look no further than Olympia, which graduated 38 players from its 2008 team, including its quarterback and top offensive playmakers. South sits at the opposite end of the spectrum. The Wolves returned their starting quarterback (Gordy Anderson) in addition to some of their most dynamic talents (Isaiah Davis and Leon La Deaux).

It would be ridiculous to suggest that Olympia is the same team that went 10-1 last year. And it might be even worse to think that South is the same as the ‘08 version that finished 6-4 and struggled to put away teams such as Foss and Lincoln.

Another primary issue is teams with heavy numbers of returners do not always perform the same. Sometimes that occurs when there is a coaching change. Injuries also can be a significant factor.

The first scenario is not the case at Foss, but the Falcons benefited from playing one of the lightest schedules in the Narrows League to open the season. They beat two Tacoma schools, which generally are not regarded as strong as the league’s other teams, and a rebuilding Shelton team in the first three weeks. Then injuries hit and Foss was upset by Stadium last week.

Viewing this objectively, the Wolves have been mentally tough enough to win road games against Gig Harbor and Olympia — two teams they have struggled against in recent years — and avoided a letdown against Shelton. That body of work is most relevant when it comes to assessing them.

While other media outlets have been slow to rank South Kitsap in both football and soccer, Newberry had the Wolves’ football team ranked before Friday’s 10-6 win at Olympia. He also had South’s soccer program in the top 10 before Tuesday’s 2-0 win at Bellarmine Prep.

Here are his Class 4A football rankings, which were released Monday:
1. Skyline (3-1)
2. Bothell (4-0)
3. Auburn (4-0)
4. Jackson (4-0)
5. Wenatchee (4-0)
6. South Kitsap (4-0)
7. Marysville-Pilchuck (4-0)
8. Central Valley (4-0)
9. Ferris (3-1)
10. Curtis (4-0)

Here are his Class 4A soccer rankings, which were released Tuesday:
1. Skyline (6-1-0)
2. Bellarmine (6-0-1)
3. Mead (5-0-0)
4. Issaquah (5-1-0)
5. Eastlake (3-3-1)
6. Emerald Ridge (5-0-0)
7. Jackson (5-1-0)
8. Richland (7-0-0)
9. Kentwood (3-1-1)
10. South Kitsap (5-0-0)

Santos said the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association will announce cutoff numbers for Class 4A, 3A and others Dec. 1. He said league members will meet next week to examine the Narrows’ configuration. According to Santos arrangements could be different for each sport. For example, the Narrows is split into the Bay and Bridge Division for basketball this year, while all 11 teams play in one football league.

The announcement does not deviate much from our April story with a few exceptions. Santos said River Ridge likely will remain in the 2A classification and stick in the Evergreen Conference. He also made no promises that there would be a 3A and 4A division, but added that not having separate divisions to separate the classifications would be problematic for sports such as track that allocate a certain number of individual berths out of league into districts.

If the league stays at 15 — Santos did not discount that another school such as River Ridge could be added later — it will be interesting to see how the divisions are divided. Santos said that Central Kitsap and South Kitsap essentially are the only locks to be in the 4A classification. Central Kitsap, Foss, Mount Tahoma, Olympia, Shelton, South Kitsap and Stadium all met the 1,281 4A-enrollment threshold last year. Bellarmine Prep and Gig Harbor traditionally have opted up to play in 4A, but might not do that with a 3A option. And how would the Tacoma schools feel about being split into separate divisions?

Here are the rankings:
1, Skyline (10 first-place votes) 2-1 record, 109 points
2, Bothell (1) 3-0, 100
3, Auburn 3-0, 85
4, Eastlake 3-0, 62
5, Southridge 3-0, 60
6, Jackson 3-0, 53
7, Olympia 3-0, 39
8, Ferris 2-1, 35
9, Gonzaga Prep 2-1, 30
10, South Kitsap 3-0, 14