“The Bainbridge fastpitch team dug itself a three-run hole against North Kitsap Friday, en route to a 4-0 defeat in their first action in nearly a week and a half.The first inning was bad, said coach Steve Nelson. Then we settled down and played good ball.Nelson is familiar with most of the Viking players because of their mutual affiliation with the Kitsap Angels, an elite fastpitch team that also includes several Spartans. So he knew his team would have to play a solid game to compete and was heartened by their defense after that inning.Pitcher Brooke Hilton struck out six and Bainbridge recorded four 1-2-3 innings. Right fielder Chelsea Magraw and catcher Amanda Perna combined for the defensive play of the game in the fifth inning when the Vikings loaded the bases with none out. “
“The Spartan soccer team took a page from Shakespeare in their 3-2 win at Port Townsend on Thursday – taking Macbeth’s So fair and foul a day I have not seen literally.Fair was Bobby Lee deliberately missing a penalty kick because he felt that the linesman’s call awarding him the wide-open opportunity was in error.Foul came with 20 minutes left in the game, when a Spartan mistook a baseball foul line for the soccer out-of-bounds line, stopped in his tracks to turn the ball over to the Redskins, and loudly uttered a well-known expletive that resulted in a red card and his immediate ejection. “
“It may not be obvious to late afternoon ferry commuters who glance at the fleet of tiny sailboats tacking back and forth in Eagle Harbor. But the Bainbridge sailing team is actually practicing tactical maneuvers that make even the most complicated NFL scheme look like kids drawing plays in the dirt with their fingertips.That’s because one of the two types of races they enter – team racing – isn’t necessarily to the swift or the strong but to the clever. Both of the two schools enter three boats, each with a skipper and crew member. The winning boat in each race scores one point, second place two, and so forth. “
“The depth that tennis coach Mike Anderson spoke of before the season was evident on Thursday, as he split his team and still easily defeated both Central Kitsap (6-1) and Port Townsend (5-2).Elliot Beam, undefeated last year in singles play until the state championships, lost his opener to CK’s Scott Durday, himself a ranked player, 7-6, 6-3.Elliot’s not used to playing outside on slower courts, Anderson said. But this is a good one to build on. And he’ll play Durday again later. This is still early in the year. “
” An experienced core of state meet veterans forms the nucleus of one of the largest-ever turnouts for track, giving rise to optimism that this year’s team will win many of its dual meets.New head coach Andy Grimm replaces Richard Christopher.Grimm is quick to emphasize the contributions of his two paid assistants, Jim West and Dean Tarbill, plus four volunteers: Pat Logan, Sarah Dunstan, Steph Miller and Charlie Hamilton.The staff is working with more than 80 athletes.Team-wise, the girls are very strong, says Grimm. We’ll score in every event.Because the unaccustomed depth is primarily comprised of freshmen, sophomores and juniors, prospects for future years are appealing as well. “
“Steve Nelson may be new to the BHS fastpitch program, but he’s hardly a stranger to many of its players.A 10-year coaching veteran, he’s worked with several elite area youth teams which have included current players – in particular, senior Brooke Hilton.When he discusses this year’s team and says that its strength is pitching, he’s referring primarily to Hilton, who joined the team last year as a transfer from Utah.She’s also a member of the Kitsap Angels, the 18-under Gold Level team that Nelson helps to coach.She’s one of the best pitchers in the Northwest and unquestionably the best thrower that Bainbridge has ever had, he says. She already has several scholarship offers, and more are on the way.While Hilton could pitch virtually every game – Nelson says that the pitching motion in fastpitch is natural and therefore places little strain on the arm – he’s not going to rely on her totally.I want to build a program, not a one-year wonder, he says. “
“More players with more ability. And the timing couldn’t be better for tennis coach Mike Anderson. When Bainbridge moves to Metro next year, his team will play 11 matches each time rather than the current seven in the Olympic League. This year we’re already looking ahead, he says. We have a deeper team, so more kids will get some varsity success and we’ll be a step ahead when we get to Metro. “
“The boys’ soccer team opened the season with a pair of wins, defeating Sequim 4-1 in Thursday’s home opener after dominating Klahowya 4-0 on Tuesday.The Sequim game began with Mitka von Reis Crooks slamming home a pass from Brian Oldenkamp 40 seconds after the opening whistle. “
“The Spartan boys soccer team has made the state playoffs the past four years, and coach Alex von Reis Crooks doesn’t see that changing.What will change, of course, is the move to Metro League next year.We’ll miss all the old rivalries, von Reis Crooks says. Many of those rivalries are heightened by the somewhat parallel universe of select soccer teams, in which island players associate frequently with fellow Olympic League players as teammates and opponents.For the Spartans’ last year in the Olympic League, von Reis Crooks sees a good-looking group. “
“One might expect a rookie coach to feel butterflies about taking over a program that’s won seven consecutive state titles. Especially when graduation took more than half the team’s goals with it.But new boys’ lacrosse coach Ryan Painter doesn’t seem at all apprehensive.There are over 100 kids in Bainbridge who play lacrosse, and I can name every one, he says.He’s coached lacrosse at Woodward for three years – a job he still holds – and I have the respect of the kids, so it’s easy to fit in. “
“Speed. Defense. Pitching.This year’s Mariner mantra also applies to the Spartan baseball team, which coach Mike Reese describes as a group of very talented baseball players with a lot of good young arms.Last year’s team was 15-3 in the Olympic League, 17-4 overall. Lost to graduation were pitchers Jamie Hawkins and Thomas Henshaw, along with several big bats.This is one of the fastest teams I’ve seen in seven years of coaching, Reese says. Now we have to get on base and use our speed to our advantage. They’ll need all the advantages they can get, as they open with three tough games right out of the gate: A visit to South Kitsap today. Perennial power North Kitsap in the home opener Tuesday. An away game with Port Angeles a week from Tuesday.This is a young team, Reese says. They need to understand what it takes to win. So we’re going to go up against good teams, because that’s the kind of team we’ll meet in the playoffs. “
“New girls’ water polo coach Jeff Clark hopes to work the same magic on this year’s varsity as he did with last year’s JV squad, which won the state championship.Nine girls from that JV squad, which finished 13-2, join five returning varsity players for what should be a very competitive season.The varsity finished second in the state tournament to a strong Mercer Island squad, losing the championship game to conclude a 17-4 season.Clark, who replaces long-time coach Steve Killpack, is himself a former Spartan player.He’s working with a turnout of 42 girls, which provides three teams: two at the varsity level – blue and gold – and JVs. “
“No band. A handful of students. The dance team set to perform at halftime. And the scoreboard showing a 25-4 first quarter edge. Sounds a lot like a Tuesday night game with Klahowya. Unfortunately, the scene was the Tacoma Dome, not the Spartan gym, and it was Bainbridge on the short end of the score. Blanchet scored seven points in the first minute and romped to a 61-40 thumping on Thursday in the 3A girls basketball tournament. The Spartans opened the tournament with a tense 50-42 win over Rainier Beach the previous day.Even Thursday’s most positive accomplishment was lessened, as the official scorer somehow missed one of freshman Alice Russell’s six blocked shots and credited her with five.Yesterday afternoon, the team met defending champion Meadowdale in a loser-out game. If the Spartans won, they play today at 1:30 for fourth place.In retrospect, Bainbridge might have been better off losing last Friday’s classic come-from-behind game to White River for the district championship. The Spartans No. 1 seed coming out gave them the privilege of joining three of the state’s four top-ranked teams – Blanchet, Bellevue, Meadowdale – in the tournament’s upper bracket, and the Spartans’ first-round opponent was a physical Rainier Beach team that not only extended them to the limit but also wound up hobbling leading scorer Emily Pierce. “
