Give the coaches “a good pop,” said athletic director Neal White, summarizing Bainbridge’s first year in the Metro League.

“They had to make a lot of adjustments, playing teams they’d never seen before, scouting across the water. It takes a lot more time,” White said. “But our coaches care about their kids. They’re in it for all the right reasons – emphasizing discipline, a positive work ethic, motivation.

“They’re a very dedicated group.”

The results of their efforts became evident earlier this week when Bainbridge boys and girls both finished fourth among 13 teams in competition for the Metro All-Sports Trophies.

“Overall, I thought our teams fared well,” White said. “To compete, we had to raise the level of our programs. Night in and night out, we had to play our butts off to be competitive.

“But we were right there with those folks, and if we could fight our way out of the league, we did well in the post-season.”

Looking ahead

White does have several concerns about future seasons in the league. At issue are:

• The amount of out-of-school time. Metro uses Seattle park district fields and has to end competition by 5:00 or 5:30.

• Higher travel costs because of ferry fares and increased driver time, coupled with opposite varsity/JV sites for many sports which double the number of trips.

• The lack of JV/C/frosh programs, especially among the public schools.

At the same time, he sees a number of positives to Metro:

• The quality of facilities at four sites – Sealth, Beach, Hale and Ingraham, which have been significantly upgraded. When lights are added, scheduling flexibility will increase.

• The opportunity to compete with well-publicized athletes.

• A higher press profile.

• Increased racial diversity.

Looking ahead to next year, White noted that with Ballard’s move to 4A, Metro will have two six-team divisions: privates plus Bainbridge, and publics. Bainbridge will compete in the Mountain Division with Blanchet, Eastside Catholic, Lakeside, O’Dea and Seattle Prep. The Sound Division consists of Chief Sealth, Cleveland, Ingraham, Nathan Hale, Rainier Beach and West Seattle.

“The publics wanted to find an avenue to get to post-season competition in specific sports, such as volleyball, fastpitch and soccer,” White said. “If we weren’t willing to work with them, they might have pulled out, formed their own league and taken their state allocations with them.

“Everything will be through district play, so the privates and Bainbridge will have a chance to go on – with one exception.”

That’s football, where Ballard’s departure changes the delicate calculus that the WIAA employs in determining state allotments. Metro’s previous three berths will alternate annually between two and three, with the division champions the only ones to advance in seasons such as the upcoming one when Metro has two.

White favors crossover playoffs – matching one division’s No. 1 with the opposite division’s No. 2 and the winners advancing – but so far has been outvoted.

Fall colors

The volleyball team went 10-0 in Metro “B” Division, fourth in Metro tournament, and was eliminated in district competition

Girls soccer was 7-9-1 overall, and was eliminated in Metro League tournament

Girls cross country took third in Metro and fifth in district. One runner qualified for state.

The boys cross country team was sixth in Metro and 10th in the district; they also sent one runner to state.

The girls swim team won the District 2 championship. They set three school records at state, coming in second by five points to Bellevue.

The varsity football team went 7-3 overall, and took second place in the Sound Division. After qualifying for the state playoffs with win over West Seattle, they lost in first round.

Boys water polo was 16-7-1 overall and ranked seventh in the state tournament.

Boys golf was sixth in the Metro tournament. James Toepel qualified for the state tournament.

Girls golf went third in the Metro tournament, with golfer Katja Trygg placing 14th at the state tournament.

Winter wonders

Boys basketball was 7-13 overall, and tied for fifth in Sound Division.

Girls basketball went 13-11 overall. Fourth in Sound Division, they were eliminated at district.

The wrestling team had three individual titlists at the Metro tournament, taing second overall. They finished ninth at regionals and qualified three wrestlers for state.

The gymnastics team vaulted to 7-0 in the regular season and set new school record for total points in a meet. After winning the Metro tournament, they came in third at regionals; five individuals qualified for state, two state finalists

The boys swim team finished ninth in Metro, 10th at district and 19th at state.

Spring zing

The baseball team went 14-7 overall, and took second in Sound Division before being eliminated in the Metro tournament.

The fastpitch team finished at 20-10 overall and tied for first in Sound Division. The team qualified for the state fastpitch tournament for first time ever by winning four straight games at the district tournament after losing opener; they advanced, but lost two games at state.

Girls lacrosse was 9-1-2 overall. They won the regular season championship and defeated Overlake 11-10 to win the state championship.

Boys lacrosse had a 16-0 record for year, winning the regular season championship, scoring the most goals and giving up the fewest goals in the league. They defeated Mercer Island 14-6 to win the state title.

The sailing team finished third in both Northwest District Double-Handed Championships and Northwest District Team Racing Championships.

Boys soccer went 11-5-3 overall. Third in Metro’s regular season, they were eliminated in the Metro tournament.

The tennis team was 7-1 in a rain-shortened regular season and undefeated in Metro “B” division. 17 players qualified for Metro tournament, five qualified for district, and three advanced to state.

The track team, both boys and girls, finished fourth in the Metro League meet, and together won three events at district. 12 athletes qualified for state, where the team set four new school records.

The girls water polo team was 10-13 overall and placed eighth at the state tournament.