After earning a co-league champion banner and a state berth in their inaugural season, Sequim’s girls flag football team has set a high bar for seasons to come.

The Wolves finished 13-5 with a season ending 28-0 loss to Squalicum in Ferndale on Feb. 7.

They earned a 1A/2A state semifinal berth the previous weekend needing just one win (a 14-7 win over Washington High School) at the district tournament.

“We came a long way from starting with only having one girl ever playing flag football, and that was only a short season during COVID, very few girls knowing football rules, and no one knowing routes to competing in a state playoff game,” said head coach Kathleen Rose. “The girls had a lot of fun this season.”

Girls flag football was approved in August by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) and Sequim School Board approved the team just weeks before the season was set to begin.

Girls bowling was the last sanctioned sport introduced at Sequim High School in the 2001-2002 school year.

Three seniors Raimey Brewer, Sidney Thomas-Harris, and Kiley Winter helped anchor key positions for the Wolves’ first flag team. Before the season started, players admitted to having little to no knowledge about football but wanting to give it a shot.

Winter said that one of the fun parts was learning and growing together.

“We’re all getting to experience that at the same time,” she said.

Ian Henley, Sequim High School’s athletic director, said he couldn’t be prouder of the players and coaches.

“Being part of the inaugural season of girls flag football in Washington was special, and the way our players embraced the opportunity made it even better,” he said. “They showed up every day ready to work, support each other, and represent Sequim the right way.”

He said their season and finish shows a lot about their character and commitment.

“This team set the standard for what Sequim flag football should look like,” he said.

“More than the wins, I’m proud of how they carried themselves in the classroom, in the community, and on the field. They represented our school and our town with pride, and they gave us something special to cheer for all season. With so many talented players in this group, it’s exciting to think about what’s ahead. This is just the beginning, and the future is really bright for these young women and this program.”

For the remainder of the 1A/2A state championships, Squalicum moves on to play co-Olympic League champion Klahowya on Feb. 13 in Federal Way. Port Angeles, who finished third in league, will play No. 1 seed Lynden. The Roughriders eked out a 15-14 win over Kingston in the state semi-finals.

Wolves set for Mat Classic

Eleven Wolves will be going to the Tacoma Dome on Feb. 19-21 for the 2A State Mat Classic after strong showings at the district tournament.

The top four boy wrestlers per weight class from the Olympic League regional tournament will compete in 32-wrestler brackets at state and the top two girls will compete at state as well. Fifth place finishers for boys and third place for girls will serve as alternates.

Ryan Spelker, 24-11 on the season, won his 132 pound weight class with an 11-1 major decision over Colby Wolfe of Olympic. He won his two other matches by pin in 3:19 and an 18-2 tech fall.

Five Wolves earned second place in their weight classes.

At 106 pounds, Brandon Bair made two pins in 1:14 and 3:44 to advance to the finals where he lost to Jacob Ringlbauer of Olympic by a 13-1 major decision

Finn Jones (126 pounds) recorded a pin in 5:16 to open the tournament followed by a 6-0 decision before sustaining a medical forfeit.

For the 138-pound bracket, Johnny Vilona earned a pin in 2:46 and a 10-2 major decision before losing narrowly in a 10-8 decision to Kaiden Sorensen of Bremerton.

Two girls placed second with Story Snow (125) recording a pin in 30 seconds and going late in the finals against Hannah Weaver of Kingston to be pinned in 5:10.

Harper Campbell (130) recorded a pin in 4:54 to open her tournament, and was also pinned in 5:38 by Sydnnie Imlay of North Mason.

Also going to state for Sequim is Riley Downs (144) who placed third at districts with a 13-12 win, pin in 4:06, and 14-4 major decision; Levi Breithaupt (132) who was fourth by earning pins in 5:18, 4:35, and 4:06; and Max Sivilli (215) with a pin in 1:11.

The Wolves’ alternates include Andre Linson (157) and Cash Hiner (215). Linson earned three wins, including a 17-2 tech fall win, 19-11 major decision win, and a tiebreaker 5-4 win. Hiner won with a pin in 3:32.

Other Wolves earning wins included Carson Mead (120) with an 11-4 decision and pin in 5:43, Roland Brilhart (138) with a pin in 22 seconds, and Aiden Glenn (175) with a pin in 48 seconds.

Photo by Emily Matthiessen Sequim’s Kaiya Robinson goes up for a 3-pointer against Bremerton last week. She had 15 points and five 3-pointers in the 59-37 win on Feb. 5 in Sequim.

Basketball readies for playoffs

Both boys and girls basketball teams are set to host district playoff games sometime this weekend.

Schedules were to be made on Feb. 10 after the Gazette’s print press deadline.

To finish the season, the boys split their last games of the regular season with a 75-62 win over North Kitsap at home on Feb. 3, and a 64-47 loss in Bremerton on Feb. 5.

The girls defeated North Kitsap 64-34 on Feb. 3 in Poulsbo and Bremerton 59-37 on Feb. 5 in Sequim before losing in Neah Bay 80-36 on Feb. 6.

For the Neah Bay game, head coach Joclin Julmist noted that guard Gracie Chartraw notched her 1,000 career point in the game. She had 21 points.