Underclassmen, but not under the radar by a long stretch.
Freshman quarterback Riley Cowan and sophomore do-it-all Gavin Velarde were among the five Sequim Wolves picked for the all-Olympic League football first team, announced last week by league coaches.
Velarde was a dual pick, earning selections for wide receiver and kick returner. He caught 41 passes for 690 yards and six scores, and added a pair of touchdowns on kick returns.
Cowan, the lone freshman all-league selection, was 78-of-143 passing for 1,160 yards and 11 scores and eight interceptions.
SHS seniors Zach Hebert, Kane Stoddard and Chris Whitaker also were named to the all-league first team. Hebert helped the Wolves rack up 2,671 total yards — about 335 yards per game — including 1,279 through the ground game. Stoddard and Whitaker helped anchor a defense that held five opponents to 10 points or less this fall.
Sequim senior wide receiver Noah Christiansen and offensive lineman Jack Ellison were named to the all-league second team. Christiansen had 16 receptions for 237 yards and two touchdowns.
Led by head coach Erik Wiker, Sequim’s coaches earned the Coaching Staff award for the season, helping Sequim to a 5-3 overall record and coming within one win of a postseason berth.
With 10 rushing touchdowns, Olympic High senior running back Geordyn Shinard was named Olympic League MVP while teammate Matt Becker, the quarterback who helped lead the Trojans to a 6-0 league record and Olympic League title, was named Offensive MVP. North Kitsap linebacker Bob Evans was picked the league’s Defensive MVP.
North Mason and Kingston shared the Sportsmanship Award.
North Kitsap led the league with eight all-Olympic League first team selections, followed by Olympic (seven), Sequim (six) and Kingston (six).
Port Angeles had six all-league selections, all on the second team.
Volleyball honors
Sequim High senior Megan Breckenridge was named to the all-Olympic League volleyball first team. The outside hitter led Sequim with 9.4 kills and 16.3 digs per game in the regular season, helping the Wolves earn a class 2A state tournament berth.
“I thought the season went great; I was really proud of the team for making it to state this year,” Breckenridge said. “I wasn’t worried about placing.”
Breckenridge, a senior, also had team-highs of 26 kills, 75 digs and 71-of-72 serving in four district games.
A relay runner for SHS’s track team, Breckenridge said she hopes to earn a track scholarship to a college or university and try out for that school’s volleyball team as well.
“(This season), every day was a highlight,” Breckenridge said. “Coming to practice every day, every game was fun, (and) the bus rides, the tournaments … I miss it all already.”
SHS juniors Sydney Balkan and Ella Christiansen was selected to the all-league second team. Balkan, a setter, led Sequim with 175 assists in 14 regular season matches, or 12.5 per game. Christiansen, a middle hitter, led the Wolves with 101 kills and 23 blocks during the regular season and had a team-high 10 aces at districts.
SHS libero McKenzie Bentz, a senior, was named an all-league honorable mention. She paced Sequim with 198 digs in 14 regular season matches.
Clay Blackwood of Bremerton was named the league’s Coach of the Year after leading the Knights to a second place finish, while Port Angeles took home the Team Sportsmanship Award.
North Kitsap outside hitter Bri Duchemin was named the Olympic League MVP while Viking teammate Molly Lemon, a libero, was named the league’s Defensive MVP. Along with first team setter Autumn Johnson, NK led the league with three first-team selections.
Port Angeles had three all-league honorable mentions: Genna Orr, Kiana Robideau and Emily Johnson.
Girls soccer
Sequim High sophomore Claire Henninger was named to the all-Olympic League girls soccer first team last week.
The lone underclassmen on the first team, Henninger posted three shutouts and gave up two goals or less in 12 of the Wolves’ 15 games this fall.
SHS senior defender Mattie Clark was named to the league’s second team.
North Kitsap senior midfielder Mary Cait Moriarty was named the league’s MVP, scoring three game-winning goals in as many contests and leading the Vikings to a league title and state playoff berth.
North Mason’s Mitchell James was named Coach of the Year while Kingston and Port Angeles were picked to share the Team Sportsmanship Award.
NK’s Vikings led the league with four first-team selections while Olympic and North Mason had two apiece.
Port Angeles midfielder Maddie Boe was a first team selection and fellow Roughrider Taylar Clark, also a midfielder, was named to the second team.
