Weekly La Conner High Sports capsule, Nov. 24, 2010

Boys Soccer takes third in state

By M. Sharon Baker

For the second straight year, the La Conner Braves Boys’ Varsity Soccer Team placed third in the state championships, this time beating Riverside Christian 1-0 on Nov. 20 in the consolation game held in Sumner.

The win was bittersweet as it came on the heels of a heartbreaking semifinal 2-0 loss to Providence Classical Christian in a game many thought should have been the championship matchup.

“I am proud that the boys were able to come back from the heartbreaker game,” on Friday, said La Conner coach Steve De Leon. “They are not used to not having an early goal scored on them, and I am glad they were able to stick with it.”

The 1-0 win was a nice finish to the 18-3 season, especially for state leading goal scorer David Carr who contributed the winning goal – his 36^th of the season - very late in the second half.

“DJ is Mr. Clutch,” said senior captain Kyle McKnight after the Riverside game. “I can’t tell you how I felt when he hit the back of the net.” Added Carr, “Today we had a little bit of luck. We controlled the ball the ball the whole game and were finally able to capitalize.”

The consolation match with Riverside was very physical, dominated early by La Conner. Both teams were unable to put the ball in the net during the first half thanks to excellent goal keeping by La Conner’s Taylor Fay and Riverside’s Michael Stein. The teams traded numerous fouls as the action moved from end to end for most of the first and second halves.

With less than three minutes left, Carr capitalized on a mistake by Riverside’s goalie for the win.  A Riverside defender decided to let a ball pass by him through the box to Stein, who wasn’t prepared for the ball. Stein dove for the ball but tipped it forward - right to Carr who spun around and drove the ball straight into the open net.

It was a bittersweet ending to the season for seniors Carr, McKnight, and Sten Mejlaender, a trio of players that have dominated the 2B league for the past two seasons, and for Trenton Swigert, all playing their last games for La Conner. Senior Steven Bell, who was injured earlier in the season, watched from the sideline.

La Conner went into the Saturday consolation round after Friday’s game, when Providence’s Caleb Moisant scored in the sixth minute of the game off a rebound shot by his brother Eric to give Providence the early lead.

About 18 minutes later, Providence added a second goal when the ball was tipped by a La Conner defender past goalie Taylor Fay and into the net.

The Braves weren’t able to achieve numbers up with their two-man offense, nor were they able to control the midfield like they typically do, partly because McKnight was playing sweeper for most of the game.

“Providence is our biggest rival, this year and last, and we knew they were going to be the team to beat,” said McKnight. “It was a tough loss. Our team played very hard and I’m proud of how we held ourselves together and bounced back.”

“They played our game better than we did,” added Mejlaender.

Providence coach Nathan Morris, who went on to win the state championship, said La Conner had some tough luck in the beginning of the hard fought game. “We did a great job in the middle with good defense and that’s what kept us in the game,” Morris said. “La Conner is a great team; I think this was the championship game, and we enjoyed playing them.”

“Yesterday was a tough day,” said McKnight on Saturday. “To us, the Providence game was the championship. They are a great team. I love that we regained our focus against Riverside, but it wasn’t the place I really wanted to be in.”

Braves Raves

By Amylynn Richards

COACHES OF THE YEAR

The Braves soccer teams rocked the All-League teams this year: Boys’ coach Steve DeLeon and girls’ coach Amy Freeto were both elected Coach of the Year by their peers in the Northwest 1A/2B league. 

PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

La Conner high not only has the best coaches, but the best athletes in the league.

The Most Valuable Player for boys and girls soccer are La Conner Braves’ Kyle McKnight, who was elected Co-Player of the year; he shares the title with Shoreline Christian’s Travis Hudson; and Sydney Hartwick was chosen as the league’s Player of the Year.

ALL-LEAGUE TEAMS

“La Conner had more girls on the First Team than any other team in the league, and more than any other season,” Coach Amy Freeto said, “we all did very well.”

The boys’ team also had more representatives to the First Team than any other school in the league.

The 2010 Boys’ First Team Braves are: Sten Mejlaender, defender; Tanner Cyr, defender; Todd Hoagland, midfield; Kory Duran, forward; David Carr, forward; and Kyle McKnight forward.

Second Team All League honors went to goalie Tanner Fay and midfielder Bobby Poulton.

Making the girl’s First Team All League was: Sammie Messman, defender; Sydney Hartwick, midfielder; Ashlyn Reinstra, midfielder; Kelsey Crawford, forward; and Nikki Finley, forward.

Second Team All League honors went to midfielder Maddie Cavanaugh.

Honorable mentions were awarded to defenders Bailey Cunningham and Tess Bruland.

BOYS’ SOCCER

The Braves ended the season as third in the State. The Braves, who are the 2B league champions, traveled to Sumner to take on the 1A league champs, Providence Classical Christian high school on Saturday, Nov. 20 in Sumner.

Providence won the game 2-0, and then went on to become the 2010 1A/2B State Champs.

The Braves won the consolation round against Riverside Christian 1-0. Coach DeLeon said, “It shows a lot about our conviction to be able to come back from a heart breaking loss and grind out a win.”

The game was a cliff-hanger; neither team had scored, until about two minutes before the clock stopped, David Carr scored the winning goal off of Fortino Partida.

NEW COACHES

Teacher Laura Baker-Skelton is the new girls’ wrestling coach; and Amanda Voorhees is the new assistant girls’ basketball coach.  

La Conner's turkey round-up

Turkeys on national radio

     La Conner's turkeys, and some of their human neighbors can be heard today on National Public Radio. Reporter Amelia Templeton came to town a few days ago and talked to turkey friends and foes for a program that airs nationwide today.

Listen here

Braves Boys' Soccer at State

Boys Soccer falls to Providence;

Saturday game determines third in state

By M. Sharon Baker

 The La Conner Braves Boys’ Varsity Soccer Team lost 2-0 to Providence Classical Christian on Friday night in the State Championship Semifinal held in Sumner.

They will play Riverside Christian at noon today to determine the state’s third and fourth place finishers.

Providence’s Caleb Moisant scored in the sixth minute of the game off a rebound shot by his brother Eric to give Providence the early lead.

About 18 minutes later, Providence added a second goal when the ball was tipped by a La Conner defender past goalie Taylor Fay and into the net.

Fay and Eric Moisant were honored for their sportsmanship.

In the November 17, 2010 issue

Austin Swanson with Jim Smith

Austin Swanson was born in La Conner 99 years ago and has lived on his farm at the edge of town all his life. Read Austin's story, as only writer Jim Smith can tell it, in this week's paper. Swanson drove to town in a  pickup the other day to meet with Smith at the newspaper office. He's on the left in the photo above leafing through 1928 high school yearbook.

 Photo by Bill Stokes

Still La Conner residents

The trap-wise turkeys have not been captured yet. The town is getting ready to deploy a new contraption to round them up so they can be delivered to their new digs at Farmer Brown's Christmas tree Farm in Arlington. 

Rotary seeking littlest readers

The Rotary Club of La Conner is preparing to launch a program that will give every baby and toddler living in the La Conner School district a new hard-cover age appropriate book every month until the child turns 5 years old. The club has scheduled sign-up parties next month for parents to enroll their little ones in the program. 

From the Police Blotter:

9:31 p.m. -- A woman wanted help from a deputy because her angry boyfriend was knocking on her door and wouldn't leave and she was afraid he would break in because he was mad because she wouldn't hold hands with him at the mall. ...We can't make this stuff up!

The paper is in news stands all over town. Don't miss a single issue -- subscribe for $30 per year in Skagit County or $35 to have it mailed to any U.S. address outside the county. Call us at 360-466-3315 today!

Weekly La Conner High Sports capsule, Nov. 17, 2010

Boys’ Soccer to face familiar foe in semifinals

By M. Sharon Baker

After beating Tacoma Baptist 2-0 in the quarterfinals, the Conner Braves Boys Soccer team will face a familiar foe in the State Championship semifinals in Sumner on Friday, Nov. 19: Providence Classical Christian.

Providence knocked out rival Bear Creek School 2-0 in the other quarterfinal match in their bracket while the Braves took on the Tacoma Baptist Crusaders last Friday.

La Conner, now 17-2-0, has faced Providence three times this season, losing once and winning twice. Those two wins were Providence’s only two losses, and were arguably the Braves’ toughest games this season. Providence, which is 15-2-0, is the team that Braves’ coach Steve DeLeon had hoped La Conner would face.

“PCC has an axe to grind and knows us better,” he said. “But they are going to have to deal with our multiple threats. We will make them play our game, at our talent level and conditioning, which causes problems for other teams.”

During the Braves’ last, very physical matchup with Providence, a 2-1 Braves win, senior forward D.J. Carr’s collision with a Providence player resulted in five stitches to the back of Carr’s head.

In order to beat Providence, the Braves will have to contend with the dangerous Moisant brothers: twin junior midfielders, Andrew and Eric, and their brother sophomore forward, Caleb. The Moisants slice diagonally through even the toughest defenses, and together they racked up 58 goals and 31 assists this season.

If they make it past Providence on Friday, the Braves could face another known league opponent, Shoreline Christian, or Eastern Washington’s Riverside Christian in the championship.

In a stunning upset, Shoreline knocked out Waitsburg-Prescott, the state’s only undefeated team moving through the other quarterfinal bracket. Waitsburg-Prescott, with its 18 wins, had been the team league watchers thought would reach the final game.

Braves coach DeLeon knows what his team needs to do. “We have to play at our top level,” he said. “We can’t make any mistakes. I’m expecting my captains to lead by example, and I’m sure the younger boys will step up.”

Senior Captains Kyle McKnight, DJ Carr and Sten Mejlaender, and Junior captain Todd Hoagland did just that during the Braves’ 2-0 win over Tacoma Baptist.

The Crusaders held the Braves scoreless for the first half and well into the second. The Braves gained momentum when McKnight moved from sweeper to midfield.

Receiving a goal kick from goalie Taylor Fay, McKnight trapped the ball, carried it through the midfield, and delivered a perfect through ball to Carr, beating the last two Tacoma Baptist defenders. Carr then drove the ball by the goalie. Hoagland added the second goal with less than three minutes to play.

“The boys from La Conner can play with any of these teams,” said DeLeon. “We are so pleased to be able to go to Sumner and bring back some hardware.”

La Conner will play Providence Friday Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. at Sunset Chevrolet Stadium in Sumner. The consolidation and championship games will be held Saturday, Nov. 20 at noon and 4 p.m. respectively.

By Amylynn Richards

VOLLEYBALL

The girls are second in State; congratulations to the Lady Braves! The Girls’ Varsity Volleyball Team competed in State level competition for the fifteenth year running. The girls spent the weekend in Yakima, competing on Friday and Saturday at the Sun Dome. Last year, the 2009 team earned fourth place in State.

There were some familiar advisories in this year’s competition, but Reardan High of Spokane, which did not make it past the first round in 2009, ended La Conner’s bid for State Champ.

On Friday, Nov. 12, La Conner beat last year’s State second place team Northwest Christian in a five set battle: 26-24; 17-25; 16-25; 25-20; and 25-7. 

Later that same day, La Conner destroyed its traditional State nemesis Toutle Lake in three for the quarterfinal win in five: 25-13; 25-14; and 25-9.

The girls got a rest before taking on Colfax high on Saturday, Nov. 12 for the semi-final match.  La Conner beat the 2009 State Champions, Colfax, in five: 25-22; 28-26; 25-21; 25-27; and 15-9. “This is the first time in 8 years that Colfax has lost at State. They were on a twenty-six match winning streak at the state tournament,” says Coach Suzanne Marble, “The last time Colfax didn't win state was back in 2002 when La Conner knocked them off in the semi finals and then we went on to win our first ever state tournament!”

Reardan won the championship game in five sets. Reardan won the first two sets, but the Braves forced a fifth set with a remarkable comeback with the win in the third and fourth sets. The State Championship came down to a very close fifth set: 25-18; 25-21; 19-25; 11-25; 15-11.                     

“Being down two set to none and fighting back to go five was truly remarkable,” Marble said, “These young ladies fought for two days and played outstanding volleyball; I am so proud of each and every one of them!”

State Championship team highlights: Candice Pedroza had 134 assists and 74 digs. “She did a nice job of leading our team this weekend,” Marble added; Lauren McClung had 55 kills 15 blocks and 93 digs; Emily Anderson had 52 kills and 21 blocks; Priscilla Ponce-Venegas had 53 kills, 22 aces and 72 digs, “she was outstanding serving and did a great job offensively for us,” Marble said; Kelley McClung “played really consistent,” and was 80 for 83 serving with 7 aces and 25 assists; Katie McKnight “went in as a freshman in the match against Rearden and was a real spark for us,” Marble said. McKnight had 7 kills and 3 aces.

Coach Marble made a point to thank all of the fans who make the trek to Yakima to cheer on the team, and her “amazing group of young ladies for yet another fantastic year.” 

BOYS’ SOCCER

The boys move on to the state semi-finals, thanks to a 2-0 quarter-final win over Tacoma Baptist on Friday, Nov. 12 on Mount Vernon high school turf.  “We are so happy to be going to Sumner,” says Coach Steve DeLeon.

The score was 0-0 at halftime. DJ Carr scored for the Braves in the seventieth minute, and Todd Hoagland scored in the seventy-seventh. Taylor Fay provided the shutout for La Conner. “He had some great saves and survived being slide-tackled late in the game,” noted DeLeon.

The boys will compete for the State Semifinals against Providence Classical Christian at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 19 at the Sunset Chevrolet Stadium in Sumner.

Providence Christian is the 1B Northwest Champion, La Conner is the 2B champ. La Conner has scored more wins and more goals over the regular season, but that does not mean that it will be an easy win for the Braves.  

The winner will play either Shoreline Christian or Riverside Christian for the State Championship. DeLeon said the team likes that the Braves have beaten Shoreline Christian and Providence Christian this season; “We know that the stakes are higher now, we will not take anyone lightly, but we have a lot of confidence in our ability to contend with anyone in the final four.”

GIRLS’ SOCCER

The girls ended their bit for state after a 0-1defeat to Evergreen Lutheran on Friday, Nov. 12 at Mount Vernon high school. “It was a very hard loss for the team to take,” Coach Amy Freeto said. “We really controlled most of the game. We have had awful luck this season in defending corner kicks and missing lots of chances to score, so it is really no surprise that the game ended as it did. It was a heart-breaker.”

Freeto says the team mood post-tournament is “relatively good. The girls are very proud of the stellar season that they had; they know that they did many great things. They won many big games, and came together in a way that no team has before. Assistant Coach Tom Jenson and I are both so very proud of the girls and all that they accomplished this year.”