The new pool can’t be ready soon enough for the water polo team.
With Curtis scoring a goal with four seconds remaining to tie Monday’s game at 7-7, several members slapped the water in frustration. The pool had to be turned over to the next users so there was no time to play overtime and determine a winner.
Though as coach Mead Trick said, “That’s not a bad way to end it.”
The Spartan girls’ cross country team hit No. 5 in the state coaches’ poll this week, believed to be the highest ranking a Bainbridge squad has ever achieved.
While conceding his own excitement, coach Richard Christopher cautioned the team against excessive exuberance.
“You still have to go out and run,” Christopher told them. “You have to do the best you can every time, and the other stuff will take place.”
Taking his words to heart, the team won its fourth meet of the season Thursday, defeating Lakeside and Seattle Prep on Battle Point Park’s three-mile course to remain unbeaten on the season.
The girls finished 2-3-4-5-6 to score 20 points to far outdistance Lakeside (52) and Seattle Prep (65).
Soccer co-captain Fab Rezayat termed visiting Nathan Hale “the nicest team we’ve faced this year – they said ‘Thank you’ and ‘Welcome to Metro.’”
Hale even played the entire game without committing a foul – a sharp contrast to the rough ‘n tumble, push ‘n shove tactics common to nearly all the Spartans’ previous opponents.
Courtesy and class, though, didn’t prevent the Spartans from dealing their guests a 6-0 thumping Friday, to snap a five-game losing streak.
Bainbridge scored in the second minute, as Emily Haber sent a perfect pass down the center to a streaking Rezayat.
As Friday’s game against Fife wound down and running back Andy Aversano’s energy level stayed up, a spectator turned to his mother Diane and asked loudly, “What did you feed Andy this week?”
“Apple strudel and pizza” was the Spartan junior’s response as he stood at midfield later, accepting congratulations for a 114-rushing-yard, three-touchdown game that also included an interception, eight tackles and a pair of two-point conversions.
Aversano was dominant in the Spartans’ 34-21 home victory. But though his evening included the team’s longest run from scrimmage – a 50-yarder for a touchdown early in the third quarter – his shortest run might have been even more vital.
Team Ray, the Bainbridge boys’ water polo team, won four games in eight days to improve their season mark to 5-0, including wins over three squads – Newport, Kentridge and Wilson – that finished ahead of them in last year’s state tournament.
After Thursday’s 16-0 dismantling of Peninsula, first-year head coach Mead Trick said he was surprised to be undefeated at this point in the season.
“But we practiced hard all summer and it shows,” he said. “They’re all great students of the game, listen really well and get along well together. Their ball-handling skills are well-developed and they’re all pretty versatile.”
Bainbridge cut the ribbon at Rainier Beach’s new sports complex on Friday by scoring the facility’s first-ever touchdown.
But the Vikings did most of the celebrating as they rolled up nearly 500 yards of total offense to hand the Spartans their first defeat of the season, 40-21.
Though the switch to the Metro League that made golf a fall sport cost coach Marnie Snyder two of her players who switched to soccer, she isn’t complaining. In fact, Snyder – who had accepted a position to coach the girls’ JV soccer team midway through last season and planned to step down from her golfing job – was so pleased with the way that things played out that she rescinded her original decision.We went from not even having a girls’ golf team to sixth place in the state in two years, she says. So I’m happy with my decision to stay with golf. It’s kind of my passion.
Though the switch to the Metro League that made golf a fall sport cost coach Marnie Snyder two of her players who switched to soccer, she isn’t complaining.
In fact, Snyder – who had accepted a position to coach the girls’ JV soccer team midway through last season and planned to step down from her golfing job – was so pleased with the way that things played out that she rescinded her original decision.
“We went from not even having a girls’ golf team to sixth place in the state in two years,” she says. “So I’m happy with my decision to stay with golf. It’s kind of my passion.”
“The girls swim team put business before pleasure at Saturday’s Spartan Relays. Their business was to win the 16th annual event, which they did by winning six of the 10 varsity events and amassing 60 points to defeat Gig Harbor (47), Sehome (40) and Port Angeles (38).That done, they turned their attention to the pleasure of the innertube relay, six girls each paddling a length of the Ray Williamson Pool. As each one neared the wall, lying on her back in the tube and paddling furiously, two teammates would grasp the wrists of the next swimmer and suspend her over the edge. As the tube hit the wall, the current paddler would jackknife down through the tube and out from under it as her successor was dropped in. Showing that they’d spent some time practicing, the Spartans handily won the event as meet announcer John DeMeyer announced a new world record time of 2:08.78 for the team of Helen Silver, Joy Miller, Tara McNulty, Julia Sullivan, Elizabeth Wiggs and Emily Silver. “
“Last year at this time, Chris Tucker was preparing for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ upcoming NBA season as the team’s head trainer.Now, he’s helping Spartan athletic teams preparing for their respective seasons in what might be seen as an unusual career move.But as Tucker explains it, the motive is simple: After five years of travel, it was time to leave and give my wife some time, he said. I needed a change of lifestyle. So he happily took a job with the Human Performance Center, with the understanding that part of the job would involve working with high school athletics.As he followed the Spartan gridders onto the field at Nathan Hale High School yesterday, Tucker was in a sense returning to his roots of two decades ago when he was a prep all-state linebacker in Salt Lake City. His gridiron prowess resulted in the offer of a full ride scholarship to play football at the University of Southern Utah. “
Last year at this time, Chris Tucker was preparing for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ upcoming NBA season as the team’s head trainer.Now, he’s helping Spartan athletic teams preparing for their respective seasons in what might be seen as an unusual career move.But as Tucker explains it, the motive is simple: After five years of travel, it was time to leave and give my wife some time, he said. I needed a change of lifestyle. So he happily took a job with the Human Performance Center, with the understanding that part of the job would involve working with high school athletics.As he followed the Spartan gridders onto the field at Nathan Hale High School yesterday, Tucker was in a sense returning to his roots of two decades ago when he was a prep all-state linebacker in Salt Lake City. His gridiron prowess resulted in the offer of a full ride scholarship to play football at the University of Southern Utah.
“Lakeside’s 3-1 victory over the Bainbridge girls’ soccer team on Wednesday had at least two positive results for the Spartans.We know we can play with them, said coach Mark Grindrod of the defending 3A state champions. And we discovered a new defender, Crisma Biggs, my player of the game.Normally a forward, Biggs was pressed into service in defense due to the illness of Veronica Ivey, and had only a single practice at her new position. “
“The BHS volleyball team rebounded from Monday’s disappointing loss to Blanchet by winning three of four games Wednesday at South Kitsap.The Spartans won the first two games, 16-14 and 15-11, before dropping the third 15-13. But they came back with a 15-8 fourth game win to take the match.We played much better than on Monday, said coach Julie Miller. We moved a couple of people around and had much better passing. After the tight first game – which ended with kills from Michelle Miller and Kristina Purdom – Miller felt that her team dominated the second game after falling behind 10-4. The Spartans battled back to an 11-11 tie, then Miller and Laura Bartunek each had two kills to put the game away. “
