As fall weather returns to the Pacific Northwest and students head back to school, high school sports kicks off a new season.
For the Kentwood Conquerors, Tahoma Bears and Kentlake Falcons the 2015 fall season has been underway for a week or so now.
As they prepare to take the field, The Reporter looks ahead to the upcoming season with the head coaches.
Football
Kentwood
For the first time in 11 years, the Conks will be led by a new face.
Kent-Meridian and Washington State University graduate Mike Bush will lead Kentwood this season.
Prior to taking over the ropes at Kentwood, he has been coaching for seven years.
Last season, the Conks finished the season in first place in the South Puget Sound League Northeast division.
This season, Bush “looks forward to the competition, watching kids grow and learn through sports,” he said.
Due to graduation, a couple key players the Conks lost were Josiah Bronson and Kaleb Swain, Bush said
He added that some players to watch this upcoming season are Chaves Kalua and Isaiah Williams.
He expects his team “to be competitive in every game,” he said.
The Conks season begins today, Friday, with a 7 p.m. game against Curtis at Viking Stadium in University Place.
Tahoma
Head coach for the Tahoma Bears, Tony Davis, returns for his 22nd year on the sidelines.
Last year the Bears finished 2-2 in division play and 6-4 overall.
Tahoma’s season ended with a loss to Camas in the district playoffs.
The Bears have six returning offensive players including senior quarterback Amandre Williams.
Joining Williams is senior running back Caleb Brown, senior offensive linemen Michael Clausen and Zach White and senior receivers Cole Peckham and Austin Brown.
Returning for the Bears on the defensive side of the field is Williams as defensive lineman, Clausen as defensive lineman, senior inside linebacker Macen Granlund, senior linebacker Alex Habenicht, junior defensive back Aiden Harmon and defensive back Austin Brown and Caleb Brown and Peckham as outside linebacker.
A newcomer to the Bears that Davis said to keep an eye on is sophomore receiver and defensive back Jerrel Chapman.
Davis added three sophomores starting on the offensive line are James Mathews, Noah Sturgil and Allister Mackinnon.
The Bears kick off the season with a 8 p.m. away game against Mount Rainier.
Kentlake
The Kentlake Falcons begin the 2015 season with a 7 p.m. home game against Graham Kapowsin.
Boys Golf
Kentwood
Kentwood coach Michael Landry returns for his fourth season.
Last year the Conks finished the season with an undefeated 10-0 record.
Landry said the Conks earned first place as a team during the medalist tournament at Gold Mountain.
The Conks earned sixth place overall at state.
This season, Landry “looks forward to my group of seniors achieving their goals of placing high at state.”
The Conks are only without one player due to graduation.
Kentwood lost Austin Holm.
Landry said “he was a multi-sport athlete that qualified for state last year.”
Five starters are returning for the 2015 season.
Landry said the key this season is the “battle for the sixth varsity spot.”
He said Kentwood has a number of young, talented golfers and “the competition will only make them better.”
The season begins with a home match for the Conks at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8 against Mount Rainier at the Meridian Valley Golf Course.
Tahoma
Mike Hanson has been coaching for 15 years and returns as head coach of the Bears for the 2015 season.
Last season Tahoma finished in second place during the regular season, second in the district tournament and eighth place overall in state.
The Bears did not have any seniors last year and did not lose any of its top golfers due to graduation.
“I am looking forward to continued competition out of our top eight guys,” Hanson said.
Two key golfers Hanson said to keep an eye on this season are Colt Sherrell and Parker Kneadler.
This season, Hanson said “we should compete for a top spot.”
The Bears first game is a league matchup against Kentridge at 3:15 p.m. at the Fairwood Golf and Country Club.
Kentlake
The Kentlake Falcons open the season with a league matchup against Kent-Meridian at 3:15 p.m. at Jade Greens Golf Course.
Girls Golf
Kentwood
Cheryl Havener returns for here ninth season of coaching at Kentwood.
Last season the Conks finished in second place in the SPSL North division.
She said the No. 1 returning player for Kentwood this season is Katelann Soth.
Havener said she hopes the team can place higher this year.
“We need to see what kind of talent is brought in by the new freshmen,” she said.
The Conks begin the season with an away matchup against Mount Rainier at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8 at Riverbend Golf Complex.
• The Tahoma Bears’ season begins Tuesday, Sept. 8 with a league match against Kentridge at 3:15 p.m. at Druids Glen Golf Course.
• The Falcons season also begins with a league matchup against Kent-Meridian at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday Sept. 8 at Jade Greens Golf Course.
Girls Soccer
Kentwood
Aaron Radford has been coaching for 16 years and returns for his 12th season as varsity coach at Kentwood.
Last season the Conks finished with a 6-8-1 record and took third in the SPSL Northeast.
The Conks graduated 10 seniors from last senior and Radford said he looks forward to “training with new varsity players.”
Some of those key players Kentwood graduated were Jen Oak, Lauren Connelly, Sarah Elzinga, Bailey Griglio, Jessica Gibb and Chelsea Hartnett.
This season, Radford said sophomore midfielder Lexi Maslowski, junior midfielder Hannah Bloomquist and junior forward McKenna Strong are players to keep an eye on this season.
Radford said he is “extremely excited and optimistic about this year’s team.”
The Conks’ season gets underway with a 2 p.m. game Saturday, Sept. 5 against Union at Kentwood High School.
Tahoma
For the first time, Alyssa Hurt will be head coach of the Tahoma Bears.
Prior to this season, she has been coaching soccer for seven seasons now.
The Bears made its way into the state tournament last season but fell short.
Tahoma lost in the first round to Skyline.
Hurt said she is looking forward to seeing the hard work that the players put in during the offseason pay off.
The Bears will be missing Cara Scammon, Taylor Clarin and Renee Hancock this season.
But two key players Hurt said to keep an eye on this year are Mia Corbin and Nicole Edwards.
“Our goal is to compete for a league title and make a run in state,” Hurt said.
The Bears opens with a 7:30 p.m. matchup Saturday, Sept. 5 against Graham Kapowsin at Tahoma High School.
Kentlake
Kentlake head coach Angy Mathena has been coaching in the community for the past 17 years and enters the sixth season with the Falcons.
Mathena said the best part of coaching is seeing which players step up and watching the players decide what kind of team they want to be.
This year, former team captain from 2013 Brittany Lydon returns as keeper and assistant coach.
Catey Whitlock is also an assistant coach for the Falcons.
Former team captain from 2010 Taija Bjorgo returns to Kentlake as the junior varsity coach.
The Falcons host the first game of the season with a 7:30 p.m. game Tuesday, Sept. 8 against Bethel.
Cross Country
Tahoma
Jeff Brady has been coaching cross country at Tahoma for the past 20 years and is entering his second season as head coach.
Last season, he said, the boys and girls teams both finished third in the state championship tournament.
He said the boys seven varsity members are all returning this season.
Four key athletes the Bears lost from last year, Brady said, are Delaney Tiernan, Amanda Kiefer, Katie Sherick and Alice Jensen.
Brady said there are a number of athletes to watch this season.
On the boys side, he said to keep an eye out for Graeme Schroeder, Keegan Fitzpatrick, Tristan Houser, Devon Walters, Dawson Besst, Nicholas Gennarelli and Colton Egberg.
For the girls, Brady said to watch Peyton Shinnick, Phoenix Aguilar, Chole Hobson, Kayla Contreras, Abby Oosterhout, Katrina Zosel and Breanna Glover.
He said he is hoping the boys win state and the girls finish in the top five.
The Bears start the season hosting the Tahoma Relays at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12 at Lake Wilderness Park.
Kentlake
The Kentlake Falcons will be competing in the Tahoma Relays.
The Kentwood Conks begin their season with an away league matchup against Tahoma at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16.
**Editor’s Note: In the Sept. 11 edition of The Reporter Sarah Brenden will preview girls swim and dive, volleyball and boys tennis.
