Falcon Wrestling
The smallest wrestler on the team, 103-pound Phil Schorr led the Falcons to the state meet in February. Riding six tournament championships, Schorr was the one Falcon who could not be beaten. One week after he claimed the North Cascades district title in his weight class, Schorr won the championship bout by pinning his opponent in the second round.
South Whidbey’s placing at the Region 1 meet was an improvement over last year’s 10th-place finish.
Three Falcon werestles placed at state, giving South Whidbey its best finish ever at the state meet, 15th overall.
Boys basketball
The Boys basketball team got a rocky start in 2003 when five of its senior starters were benched for three weeks for violating the school’s drug and alcohol athletic code during a Christmas vacation trip to New York.
Boys soccer
The South Whidbey boys soccer team finished the season with a 13-7 overall record in May.
Four Falcons were named to the 2003 North Cascades All-Conference team. Graduating seniors Joe Gunn and Adam Jaffe were named to the first team, and sophomore Kevin Dunigan was named to the second team, Ben Walker received an honorable mention.
Girls golf
The Falcon girls golf team won the Northwest District 2A championship in the spring but were not as strong at state taking fourth place in May.
Juniors Jennifer Pan and Hailie Mansfield were two of the best 2A girl golfers in the state after placing in the 2002 state tournament in Pasco. The team placed second with a team composed entirely of underclassmen.
It was with the weight of this expectation that two Falcon girls traveled to Pasco’s Sun Willows Golf Course for the spring state 2A golf tournament.
Having taken four girls to state in 2002, the Falcons were legitimate contenders. This year, with just three — juniors Hailie Mansfield and Jennifer Pan and senior Adrienne Hawley — the possibility of a title was more remote. As it turned out, they took fourth place behind champion Othello.
Boys golf
Finishing up the first part of their spring schedule in April, the Boys Golf remained undefeated in the NCC with the wins. After spring break, the team remained at the top defeating a number of other state teams.
Girls soccer
Although the Falcon girls soccer team was shot out in state in November, they compiled a 21-0 record since the beginning of the fall season.
For the final state game, the South Whidbey High School girls soccer team had their perfection spoiled in an all-defense battle with a team from Connell High School. The Falcons lost the 2A Washington state championship game 1-0 in a shootout after being the top team for the entire season.
The Falcons ended the season with the best record of any 2A team in the state and the best scoring year by any South Whidbey girls team with 71 goals against all opponents and 15 allowed. Allyson Riggs ended the season with 12 shutouts to her credit and a 1.6 goals per game average against a total of 99 shots.
Cross country
South Whidbey boys and girls cross country teams won their district championships in Chehalis, earning trips to state. The boys also won the North Cascades Conference. The girls — with leading sophomore Mary Bakeman — took second place in the conference.
Whidbey Triathlon
Athletes from all over the Northwest tested their speed and endurance on South Whidbey in August. Nearly 300 men and women took up the challenge of the seventh annual Whidbey Island Race the Rock Triathlon, swimming, biking and running a challenging 23.8-mile course. Swimmers exited and switched to bicycles for a 19.5-mile ride on Lone Lake Road to Saratoga Road, then through Langley to South Whidbey Community Park.
The final leg was a 3.8-mile run which began on dirt trails inside the park to Langley and Maxwelton roads.The finish line was in the center of the park’s soccer field.
South Whidbey’s triathlete Peter Oakley won the event for the fourth consecutive year, beating his time last year by one minute to come in at 1:29.17. He was also winner of the men’s age 40-44 division.
Female athlete Marti Riemer-Reiss was the overall women’s winner and winner in the 30-to-34 division. Her time was 1:33.41, seven minutes faster than the second place winner. Nate Reiss won the men’s age 35-39 division in 1:35.24.
Athletic director
South Whidbey High School started a new school year this September with a new athletic director, Mark Hodson. He replaced John Patton who headed the school’s sports program for three years. Hodson was the fourth AD in six years. Patton resigned from that position to become a full-time physical education and health teacher. He left the position just as the fall sports season began.
Other winners
The Girls Volleyball team placed 6th in state and 4th in the North Cascades Conference in November. This is the first trip to state for the girls in seven years. They finished their season with a 12-5 record.
