The South Whidbey High School spring sports teams weren’t perfect but they were pretty darn close during the opening rounds of postseason action.
The soccer team won the district championship, the girls golf team took league tournament honors and the baseball squad won one of two games in the first weekend of bi-district play.
Soccer
When South Whidbey High School defeated King’s 1-0 for the District 1 soccer title Saturday at Sultan, it earned more benefits than just new hardware for the Falcons’ trophy case.
South Whidbey will jump directly to the bi-district championship game, facing District 2’s top team, Overlake, at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 12, at Sammamish High School. Both teams, win or lose, will advance to the state tournament.
The win over King’s avenged two close losses to the Knights during the regular season. King’s slipped by South Whidbey 2-1 in overtime and 1-0 earlier this season during Cascade Conference play.
The Falcons scored the match’s only goal late in the first half when Reilly McVay was fouled in the 18-yard box. Andrew Curtis calmly blasted in the penalty kick for what would turn out to be the game winner.
Robbins called the match a “hard fought game from beginning to end.”
The teams found few opportunities to score. The Knights out-shot the Falcons 4-2 in the first half; South Whidbey reversed the numbers in the second.
Falcon goalkeeper Julian Inches “knocked a few dangerous high balls out on King’s many set pieces (corner kicks and long throw-ins), but otherwise was not overly tested,” Robbins said. “Our entire back line stifled attack after attack, not allowing King’s excellent passing to penetrate our defense.”
Graham Colar, Curtis and O’Brien controlled the center third, Robbins said, and Thomas Simms “stripped the ball many times from and/or otherwise controlled one of the league’s most lethal attackers, Roma Billings, throughout the game.”
Robbins also praised the work of Lake Smith, Ari Rohan and Joey Lane.
Michael Lux, who leads South Whidbey in scoring this year with 20 goals, played despite a severe quad bruise that limits his mobility.
“Michael gutted it out and played through the pain the entire game,” Robbins said.
Baseball
After losing 4-2 to University Prep, the South Whidbey High School baseball team bounced back to defeat King’s 11-8 to stay alive in the district tournament Saturday at Bellingham’s Sehome High School.
The Falcons (10-12), coached by Tom Fallon, play Lynden Christian (13-9) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 12, at Sehome in a loser-out match.
If South Whidbey wins, it will meet the winner of Meridian/Nooksack Valley at 2:30 p.m. Saturday for third place and the final berth into the state tournament.
University Prep 4, SW 2
Trailing 1-0, U-Prep scored all of its runs over the final three innings to pull out the opening-round win. The Pumas went on to defeat Meridian 6-4 and will face Cedar Park Christian-Bothell for the district title Saturday.
A walk to Ethan Petty and a single by Taylor Brown helped the Falcons score in the third inning.
University Prep tied the game in the fifth on an error and scored twice in the sixth to take the lead. It added its final run in the top of the seventh.
Singles by Dax Jokinen and Brown and walks to Kody Newman and Petty led to a run in the bottom of the sixth for the Falcons, who left the bases loaded in the inning.
SW 11, King’s 8
The Knights took an early lead with three runs in the first inning and another in the second, but the Falcons plated eight in the second to take the lead for good.
South Whidbey went up 11-4 before King’s rallied for four runs in the sixth.
Brent Batchelor rapped three base hits to lead the Falcon offense; Drew Fry singled twice.
Brown, Newman, Jokinen and Cameron Middlebrook all added base hits.
Girls Golf
The Falcons, coached by Garth Heggenes, won the Cascade Conference Medalist Tournament title and came away with a fistful of awards Monday at the Snohomish Golf Club.
Kolby Heggenes earned medalist honors with an 80 and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player.
Emma Leggett placed third in the individual standings with a 91 and earned all-league, first-team honors.
Alyssa Ludtke took seventh and landed a spot on the all-league second team.
Olivia Varga shot 114 and Tori Schuller had a 119.
South Whidbey now heads to the district tournament Thursday, May 10, at the North Bellingham Golf Course.
