The 2022-23 high school sports season came to a close in May and a bunch of hardware returned to Kitsap County as many local teams excelled.
Since Kitsap high schools had such a historic sports year, it seemed only fitting for the five Kitsap News Group newspapers to find out which schools reigned supreme.
To find out who won the first honorary Kitsap Athletic Cup, we came up with a scoring system. Teams get 25 points for winning a state title, 20 for placing second, 19 for third at state and so on down to two points for placing 20th.
In addition, teams received three points for either winning the league or district title.
1. North Kitsap – 242 points
The Vikings may need a new trophy case after this season. The softball team headlined NK with a perfect 25-0 season, a district title and first state title in program history. The Vikings continued to inch closer in football, finishing second in state after falling one possession short to the Lynden Lions.
NK’s boys tennis squad and soccer team also returned with second-place finishes. After starting the season 0-1-1, the Vikings soccer team did not lose until the title game. The volleyball team claimed another trophy with a loaded senior class, including MVP Sophia Baugh.
Softball: 1st place in state, league title, district title – 31 points
Football: 2nd place, league title, district title – 26 points
Boys soccer: 2nd place, league title, district title – 26 points
Boys tennis: 2nd place – 20 points
Boys basketball: 6th place, league title- 19 points
Boys swim: 4th place- 18 points
Boys wrestling: 7th place – 15 points
Gymnastics: 7th place – 15 points
Girls swim: 8th place – 14 points
Volleyball: 8th place – 14 points
Girls tennis: tied for 8th – 13.5 points
Baseball: Lost first-round districts- 9.5 points
Girls Soccer: Lost first round – 9.5 points
Girls cross country: 13th place – 9 points
Girls track & field: tied for 19th – 2.5 points
2. Bainbridge – 148.5 points
Although Bainbridge did not win any state titles, the Spartans dominated in the aquatic sports. The boys water polo team shined the highest with a runner-up finish, losing to Curtis 11-9 in the finals. The girls water polo team and both swim teams finished third in state. The Spartans swim teams struggled to defeat Mercer Island while the girls water polo team fell behind Curtis and Kennedy Catholic.
The gymnastics team finished fifth after Jade Bereman and Avery Gray finished in the top 15 all-around. The girls golf team had one of its best seasons in program history, qualifying five girls to state and finishing sixth as a team.
Boys water polo: 2nd place in state, league title – 23 points
Girls swim: 3rd place, league title – 22 points
Boys swim: 3rd place, league title – 22 points
Girls water polo: 3rd place – 19 points
Gymnastics: 5th place – 17 points
Girls golf: tied for 6th place, league title – 18.5 points
Girls cross country: 8th place, league title – 17 points
Boys cross country: 18th place – 4 points
Girls soccer: league title – 3 points
Baseball: league title – 3 points
3. Klahowya- 111.5 points
Klahowya took home the most state titles out of any school in the county with two. Klahowya’s girls soccer team captured its third state title in school history, first since 2014-15. The Eagles were led by Tori Peters and Amira Lyons.
The Eagles baseball team captured its first state title in program history. Before this season, Klahowya never won a game at state. However, the Eagles ran through the competition and finished 22-2.
4. Central Kitsap – 94 points
The Central Kitsap’s girls cross country team was the final state champion in the county. The best part for the Cougars is their core of runners were underclassmen this season.
5. South Kitsap – 54.5 points
South Kitsap nearly captured the county’s fourth state title after finishing second in boys wrestling. Mitchell Neiner claimed his second title at 138 pounds while the other seven wrestlers placed seventh at state.
6. Bremerton – 52 points
Bremerton’s top squad was its boys wrestling team. The Knights sent three wrestlers and returned Lars and Thor Michaelson as state champions at 160 and 170 pounds.
7. Olympic 46.5 points
Olympic had a handful of teams representing the Trojans at the state playoffs. The softball team returned to state and finished 2-2, finishing tied for seventh.
The girls track team finished eighth at state. N’Dya Hudson and their sprinters flashed their speed at Mount Tahoma High during the three-day stretch. The football team was knocked out in the first round of state playoffs.
8. Kingston – 29 points
Kingston had a few teams compete at the district level. However, only the cross-country teams piled up points for the Buccaneers. The boys team led the pack with a fifth-place finish at state while the girls finished 16th.
Boys cross country: 5th place, league title, district title – 23 points
Girls cross country: 16th place – 6 points
