BOYS LACROSSE
All signs are positive for the White River High boys lacrosse team, which carries a preseason No. 4 ranking among the state’s Class 2A programs.
New coach Mark Funkhouser has taken the reins of a program that went 9-3 in Pierce County Division play last season, advanced to the state quarterfinals and lost only two players to graduation.
The experienced roster, Funkhouser said, “should be strong enough to make a deep run in the playoffs.”
Leading the way will be a trio of players who earned all-conference honors last season. Matt Funkhouser at attack and Carson McElroy at goalie are seniors and defenseman Koll St. Pierre is a junior.
Funkhouser averaged 6.4 points per game last season and has already committed to play collegiately for Colorado Mesa University.
The roster also includes seniors Danner Breault, Trevor Budinich, Ethan League, Dalis Llewellyn, Cody Morris, Luke Northam and Joel Seferian; juniors Cole Blevins, Cole Mitchell, Wilfred Pugh, Parker Setterfield and Keenan Williams; and sophomores Dakota Arledge, Kahlen McConnell and Riley McElroy.
The team’s season opener is slated for tonight, Wednesday. Stadium High of Tacoma will trek to the White River campus for the 7 p.m. contest.
BOYS SOCCER
A healthy mix of veteran players and newcomers greeted the White River High coaching staff to kick off the spring season.
Second-year coach TJ Suek has assembled a varsity roster headed by Adrian Fernandez, a senior and returning team captain; Chris Dominguez, a junior midfielder who earned all-league honorable mention a season ago; and returning seniors Colt Kammerzell, Riley Carter, Gabe Cambra and Justin Smith.
Adding some balance, Suek said, are a trio of freshmen – Christian Senestroiri, Mason Persons and Riley West – who have performed particularly well in preseason practice.
“There has been a lot of leadership and positivity put out by the upperclassmen through the preseason,” Suek said. As an added benefit, “underclassmen have pushed the tempo at practice and made it hard to for coaches to determine varsity and JV.”
The rest of the varsity roster includes senior Cole Lang; junior Thomas Rogers; sophomores Austen Mitchell, Isaac Morris and Tanner Penrose; and freshman Bryce Servis.
The Hornets kicked off their 2018 season with a Saturday jamboree in Orting, played their first home game Tuesday night against Eatonville and will take the pitch again March 20 with a trip to face Lindbergh High at 7 p.m. at Renton Memorial Stadium.
TRACK AND FIELD
Runners, jumpers and throwers have been turning out under the watchful eyes of coach Dameon Marlow and his staff. The season doesn’t get rolling until March 22, but things will start in a big way. The Hornets will travel to Washington High for a four-team meet against the host Patriots, Evergreen and Tyee.
On the girls side of the squad, a group of state meet veterans return. Those include seniors Hannah McGinnes and Chloe Mitchell, along with sophomores Chloe Anastasi and Emma Robbins. Mitchell, Anastasi and Robbins were part of a 4×400 relay squad that established a school record last season. But those aren’t the only familiar names dotting the roster. Among the other returnees who have provided team points are distance runners Camryn Berryhill and Hannah Swettenam; Claire Lowe in jumps; hurdler Sam Fiedler; and throwers Taylee Goethals and Paidon Froemke.
For the White River boys, familiar faces include Joel Slominski, Grant Swettenam and TJ Stroschein in the distance events; Christopher Farrer in the discus and sprinter Braeden Clay,
GIRLS TENNIS
The Hornet program has a new addition in coach Lee Wright and suffered some key departures due to graduation. The most notable loss was the solid doubles team of Heather Kryzsko and Kecia Howard.
But a handful of players return that were in the starting lineup a season ago. Veteran players include seniors Emily Plaster and Briana Burns, plus juniors Karen Wright and Paige Proctor.
Wright has plenty of options to choose from, working with an initial roster of 25 girls.
The team opened the season yesterday, Tuesday, with a nonleague match at Graham-Kapowsin.
