The curtain will close on the 2024 spring sports calendar this weekend when athletes head off in a variety of directions for their championship events.
It’s a landmark moment on the Plateau as Enumclaw and White River high schools are making appearances for the final time in the state’s Class 2A division. Both schools have seen districtwide growth that has pushed each into the 3A ranks, beginning with the fall season.
The schools will be leaving the familiarity of the South Puget Sound League 2A for new adventures – and new opponents – in the 3A North Puget Sound League. The move will remain in place for the 2024-2028 enrollment cycle, as the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association reviews numbers every four years.
Here’s a look at Plateau teams and individuals competing in season-ending state meets and tournaments.
BASEBALL
Enumclaw
The Enumclaw squad launched their 2024 state tournament journey the morning of May 18, defeating Kingston High 5-3.
It was a loser-out pairing between the No. 1 ranked Hornets and the No. 16 Buccaneers, played on the neutral diamond at Auburn High.
Enumclaw’s total came courtesy of a four-run third inning and a lone tally in the fourth. Hornet pitchers kept Kingston off the scoreboard except for a three-run third inning. Enumclaw managed seven hits to the Bucs’ six; neither club shined defensively with EHS guilty of two errors and Kingston three.
That victory pushed EHS into the state quarterfinals and a contest against Tumwater High, the state’s two-time state champion. It was another tight game, but Enumclaw emerged with a 9-8 victory over the Thurston County crew.
The Hornets now sit firmly in the state’s Final Four, with a semifinal game Friday against Anacortes High. The other semifinal game has Lynden taking on Columbia River. The two winners will square off for the state 2A title at 4 p.m. Saturday, while Friday’s losers will play at 10 a.m. Saturday for third- and fourth-place honors.
Both the Friday and Saturday games will be played at Joe Martin Stadium in Bellingham.
Enumclaw 5, Kingston 3
Kingston: 0-0-3-0-0-0-0 – 3-6-3
Enumclaw: 0-0-4-1-0-0-x – 5-7-2
Enumclaw: Karson Holt 2-4, 3B, R, 2 RBI; Will Scharf 1-3, R, RBI; Eli Murphy 1-1, R, RBI; Landon Brauer 1-3, 2 R.
Enumclaw pitching: Alec Johnson IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K; Garrett Chavis 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K.
White River
The White River High Hornets saw their season come to a close the afternoon of May 18, the result of a 4-1 loss to the Columbia River Rapids.
The game, an opening-round, loser-out contest in the Class 2A state tournament, was played at Propstra Stadium in Vancouver.
White River finished the season with an overall record of 14-11.
TRACK & FIELD
When track and field athletes from all corners of Washington gather this week for the state championships, the Plateau will be well represented.
The season finale for Class 2A, 3A and 4A athletes will be staged May 23-25 at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.
Local athletes earned a berth at state during last week’s bi-district meet at North Mason High School. The top six finishers in each event – for boys and girls, individuals and relays – advanced to Mount Tahoma.
Final team scores from North Mason showed the White River girls claiming the championship while the boys placed 10th. For Enumclaw, the boys were third and the girls eighth. There were 22 boys teams at the bi-district meet and 21 on the girls side.
The following athletes advanced and will be competing at state:
White River girls
Charlee Sproed 400 meters; Emma Tomlinson 800 meters, 1,600 meters, 3,200 meters and high jump; Vivian Kingston 800 meters and 1,600 meters; Paeton Poelman 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters; Trista Turgeon 100-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles; 4×400 relay (Kingston, Turgeon, Sproed, Nativity Leddy).
White River boys
Michael Marlow 400 meters, 800 meters and 1,600 meters; Dainton Neff discus and shot put; 4×400 relay (Hunter Maris, Braden Eames, Cannon Ross, Marlow).
Enumclaw boys
McCoy Brooks 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters; Evan Cheney 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters; Amos Hall 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles; Cole Olson 200 meters; 4×100 relay (Michael Poleski, Clifford Cummings, Jack Heise, Olson); 4×400 relay (Poleski, Cummings, Heisi, Olson).
Enumclaw girls
Lillian Haas 1,600 meters; Ashli Gowin shot put; Ava Sawyer 3,200 meters; Isabella Pohlman 300-meter hurdles; 4×400 relay (Senna Burt, Avery Marecle, Natalie DeMarco, Mali Radamacher); DeMarco javelin; Burt high jump.
Photo by Kevin Hanson Enumclaw High’s Kaylie Plyler slides safely home, with Nadia Flaherty looking on, during the Hornets’ district victory over Washington High in Lacey.
FASTPITCH
Enumclaw
By winning three straight loser-out games during the District 2/3 fastpitch tournament, the Enumclaw High girls punched their ticket to the 16-team state tourney.
The Class 2A festivities will take place May 24-25 at Carlon Park in Selah.
Enumclaw will open state 2A tourney play Friday at 9 a.m., facing Aberdeen. The Hornets were seeded No. 14 into the tournament while Aberdeen was considered among the favorites, seeded No. 3.
Friday’s opening round winner will take on the winner of a tussle between No. 6 Tumwater and No. 11 Ephrata. The loser will face the Tumwater/Ephrata loser in an elimination game at 1:30 Friday afternoon. The survivor will play a third game on the day, another loser-out contest.
To earn a state trip the EHS crew first had to face an uphill battle during last week’s district tournament, needing to win three games on a single Friday. That’s exactly what the Hornets pulled off, defeating Washington High 13-2 before beating Highline 12-1. That set up a winner-to-state, loser-out pairing against the Fife Trojans. EHS downed the South Puget Sound League 2A foe 5-3 to earn a trip east of the mountains.
The victory over Fife provided some sweet revenge for Enumclaw. During the regular SPSL 2A season, the Trojans were victorious in both meetings between the two.
The district tourney was played at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey.
Photo by Kevin Hanson White River’s Ally Green crushes a pitch in the early stages of her team’s 32-10 victory during the district fastpitch tournament. The ball was deposited over the outfield fence, one the of many Hornet highlights.
White River
The season came to a quick and dramatic close for the White River squad, which carried a 7-6 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning against Kingston High.
One home run and a couple of errors later, it was the Kingston crew celebrating an 8-7 victory while the Hornets saw their 2024 campaign skid to an end.
The scene was the District 2/3 fastpitch tournament at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey. Sixteen teams took part and the top six earned a berth at the Class 2A state tourney, set for May 24-25 at Selah’s Carlon Park.
The Hornets were in loser-out territory from the beginning, entering district play as the No. 10 seed.
Friday’s district opener saw the Hornets explode for 15 runs in the first inning – taking advantage of multiple Lindbergh errors – and eventually post a whopping 32-10 victory over the Eagles.
For the White River offense, which scored 20 or more runs four times this spring, Friday morning’s output was a season high.
Courtesy photo The White River girls track team, despite its small size, took first at districts this year. Pictured is the 4 x 400 team, Vivian King, Charee Sproed, Trista Turgeon, and Nativity Laddy.
LACROSSE
The Enumclaw High lacrosse team is looking to duplicate last season’s Class 2A/1A state championship and made a convincing argument Saturday that a repeat performance might be in the cards.
In a semifinal contest against Sedro-Woolley the Enumclaw group built a big lead early and parlayed that into a 24-3 demolition of the visitors. The state semifinal contest was staged at the Enumclaw Expo Center.
Now comes the 2A/1A championship tilt, which pits Enumclaw against Bellingham. The season finale is set for 1:30 p.m. this Saturday, May 25, at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila.
Enumclaw 24, Sedro-Woolley 3
May 18 at Enumclaw Expo Center
Enumclaw: 9-6-2-7 – 24
Sedro-Woolley: 1-2-0-0 – 3
Enumclaw: Jack Popke 4 goals, 5 assists, 7 ground balls; Kobe Kahne 4 goals, 4 assists, 8 ground balls; Kole Carnino 4 goals, 3 assists, 4 ground balls; Wyatt Neu 4 goals, 6 ground balls; Aidan Voorhees 3 goals, 1 assists, 6 ground balls; Kolby Richardson 2 goals, 13 ground balls; Gunnar Trachte 2 goals, 4 ground balls; Wylie Craighead 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 ground balls.
TENNIS
The best Class 2A tennis players in the state will be in Seattle this week, squaring off at the Nordstrom Tennis Center.
The 2A championships for both singles and doubles are set for Friday and Saturday, May 24-25. On hand will be girls who recently completed their district tournaments, along with boys who qualified for state during their fall season.
Enumclaw High will be represented on the girls side by the doubles team of Bella Firnkoess and Josie Schampera. In boys play, EHS has the duo of Noah Nuttle and Caden Zuydhoek in the field.
From White River, top player Cydnee Chapin will compete in singles.
The tourney is a double-elimination format for both singles and doubles, boys and girls.
GOLF
Thirteen Plateau golfers teed off Tuesday during the opening round of the Class 2A state golf tournament. Top performers will be playing another 18 holes today (Wednesday) and looking to climb the leader board.
The 2A tournament is being played on courses in Spokane Valley, close to the Idaho state line. The boys are playing Liberty Lake Golf Course and the girls are competing at nearby MeadowWood.
Golf in these parts is a two-season affair. The regular season is played in the fall, along with a medalist tournament that sends top finishers directly to the spring state tourney. A spring qualifier gives select golfers a second chance at earning a state berth.
The spring qualifier was staged May 14 at Auburn Golf Course and added five golfers to the roster of Plateau representatives at the Class 2A tourney just east of Spokane.
Here’s a rundown of those making the state trip.
White River girls
Lexie Mahler, Alle Klemkow and Sophie Ross earned their slot at state last fall; Abby Rose secured her berth by placing second at the spring qualifier, shooting a round of 91.
White River boys
Kaden Ausen qualified for state during the fall medalist tourney, dominating the field on the way to a 19-stroke margin over the second-place finisher. At the May 14 qualifier, teammates Jonah Wright and Gavin Webber earned a state berth; Wright tied for second with a round of 82 and Webber tied for fifth at 85.
Enumclaw High boys
During the fall medalist tournament, Wyatt Webb and Tanner Nichols guaranteed their state berths. Travis Leonard (82, tie for second) and Parker Cook (85, tie for fifth) added their names to the state list during the recent qualifying tourney.
Enumclaw girls
None had qualified during the fall, but Emily Alicea and Kate Hartman earned a state trip thanks to the spring qualifier. Alicea fired a round of 87 to win the tourney in Auburn while Hartman placed fifth after shooting 99.
Photo by Kevin Hanson Enumclaw senior Gunnar Trachte (#20) prepares to launch a shot on goal during the first half of Saturday’s state semifinal victory over visiting Sedro-Woolley.
