Correction: An earlier version of this article misreported the start time of the EHS football game on Friday — the game starts at 6 p.m., not 7 p.m. The article has been updated.
This part of November provides plenty of excitement for players, coaches and fans of the Plateau’s high school teams. Allocations for a handful of state tournaments have been set while another was just completed.
Here’s where things stand in the world of varsity athletics at both Enumclaw and White River high schools.
EHS FOOTBALL
The Enumclaw Hornets, one of the top-rated football teams in Washington, open the 2022 state playoffs with a Friday night clash against Olympic High.
By virtue of their higher seeding, the Hornets get to host the first-round contest. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Enumclaw Expo Center.
The Hornets enter the game with a perfect 10-0 record and are ranked No. 3 by the RPI system employed by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. Olympic, a Bremerton school carrying an 8-2 record, is No. 11.
The Ratings Percentage Index takes multiple factors into consideration. Aside from wins and losses, it counts things like a team’s strength of schedule (like how well their opponents ranked).
The Enumclaw-Olympic winner will play the following weekend (Nov. 18 or 19) against the winner of the opening-round contest between No. 5 Othello and No. 12 Washington. All playoff games are loser-out affairs.
Enumclaw has been dynamic on both sides of the ball this season, scoring 513 points across 10 games while allowing only 135. Those numbers equate to an average winning margin of 37 points per outing.
The Hornets joined the state 2A’s Sweet 16 with a total demolition of the Lindbergh Eagles during a District 2/3 pairing.
Playing on their home turf on a chilly and wet Nov. 4 evening, the Hornets rocketed to a 35-0 halftime advantage and then cruised to a 56-0 victory.
Lindbergh arrived at the Enumclaw Expo Center with an overall record of 5-3 but were never a match for the Hornets.
Enumclaw cracked the scoreboard midway through the first quarter when Emmit Otero found the end zone from a dozen yards out. He added another rushing touchdown shortly before the end of the opening period and, with the addition of two Noah Seabrands extra-point kicks, EHS was quickly up 14-0.
The second quarter saw the Hornets post three TDs in three and a half minutes. Otero added two more rushing touchdowns to a stellar first half and the EHS lead reached 35 points when quarterback Gunnar Trachte connected with Austin Paulson from 19 yards out.
VOLLEYBALL
Sixteen teams will take to the court Friday in the District 2/3 volleyball tournament, all with hopes of earning one of the six available berths into the Class 2A state tourney. Both White River and Enumclaw are in the field and both are among the favorites to advance to the Nov. 18-19 state festivities in the Yakima Valley SunDome.
The district tournament opens Friday at Franklin Pierce High School and concludes Saturday on the courts at Sammamish High. It’s a double-elimination format.
White River enters as the Nov. 4 seed, sporting a season record of 15-2, and will open against the Sequim Wolves (12-5) of the Olympic League. A loss would bring White River another Friday contest, paired against the loser of a first-round match between No. 12 Orting and No. 13 North Mason. A first-round victory would push White River into Saturday play against either No. 1 North Kitsap or No. 8 Fife.
Enumclaw is seeded No. 6 and takes its 14-3 record into Friday’s opening round against Sammamish (No. 3 seed, 14-3). A win would send EHS into Saturday play against No. 2 Washington or No. 7 Foster; a first-round loss would bring a Friday tussle with No. 11 Lindbergh or No. 14 Kingston.
The two Plateau schools advanced to district play following the regular South Puget Sound League 2A season that saw White River finish second and Enumclaw third.
SOCCER
Just 16 high school soccer teams entered the week with a shot at winning the state’s Class 2A title and both Enumclaw and White River found themselves among that elite group.
Both advanced out of the District 2/3 tournament to earn their shot at state glory.
White River is seeded No. 10 into the state tourney and opens play at 7 tonight (Wednesday) against the No. 7 squad from Lynden. Game time is 4 p.m. at Bellingham’s Civic Stadium. The winner will play either Friday or Saturday against the winner of a first-round game between No. 2 Tumwater and No. 15 Sammamish. The opening-round losers are finished for the season.
No. 9 Enumclaw is paired against the No. 8 team from R.A. Long in a loser-out contest. Details of the game (date and time) had not been announced by press deadlines Monday morning. If Enumclaw prevails in its opener, the Hornets will play again Friday or Saturday against No. 1 Fife or No. 16 Hockinson.
The Class 2A tournament will conclude Nov. 19 with two games at Shoreline Stadium, a championship bout and a game for third/fourth place.
Both Enumclaw and White River had assured themselves of a state berth with opening night victories during the District 2/3 tournament. With White River’s win against Port Angeles and Enumclaw’s victory over Sammamish, both were state-bound. Each split their next two district games, Enumclaw claiming second place and White River grabbing third.
CROSS COUNTRY
The Plateau was well represented Saturday when cross country runners from all corners of the state gathered at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.
In the 2A classification, it was the White River girls team that fared the best among local squads. Dameon Marlow’s group placed eighth in the field of 16 full teams running in Pasco. Leading the way was Emma Tomlinson who placed 17th among 159 runners, clocking a time of 20 minutes, 15 seconds at Sun Willows.
Rounding out the placings for the WRHS girls were Vivian Kingston, 26th place, 20:37; Soleil Bianchi, 41st, 21:36; Evelyn Holmes, 65th, 22:30; Paityn Kaydus, 70th, 22:43; Lily Rodarte, 83rd, 23:22; and Nativity Leddy, 100th, 25:13.
The White River boys team did not qualify as a team for the state meet, but three runners advanced individually. Michael Marlow placed 39th with a time of 17:18, Christian Chaussee was 90th, 18:10, and Drew Sprouse wound up 102nd, 18:20.
Enumclaw High runners placed 10th in the 2A boys competition and 14th in the girls race.
The EHS boys were headed by McCoy Brooks who finished ninth overall with a time of 16:34. Adding to the team total were Evan Cheney, 28th, 16:59; Henry Tripp, 83rd, 18:07; Liam Lenard, 124th, 18:53; Kane Thorson, 125th, also at 18:53; Jeremy Dumler, 145th, 19:39; and Michael Poleski, 155th, 20:20.
Among the Enumclaw High girls, Ava Sawyer was 56th overall with a time of 21:26. The rest of the squad included Lillian Haas, 75th, 21:51; Jasmine Dumontet, 81st, 21:57; Lindsay Essex, 129th, 23:35; Ahna Lemeshko, 149th, 25:19; Brynne Stafford, 152nd, 25:40; and Lily Pederson, 156th, 26:45.
SWIM & DIVE
Ten swimmers and divers from the Plateau will compete this week against the best Washington has to offer.
Athletes from throughout the state will gather Nov. 10-12 at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. In the elite field will be six competitors from Enumclaw High and four from White River.
Making a state swimming appearance will be the following from Enumclaw.
• 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay (Tori Massey, Kate Perlot, Alexandra Levesh and Ella Hoyne in each).
• Perlot in both the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle.
• Levesh in the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard butterfly.
• Massey in the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard backstroke.
• Hoyne in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard breaststroke.
Making a state swimming appearance will be the following from White River High School.
• Haley Weisheyer in the 50-yard freestyle.
• Cheyenne Fessler in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle.
• 200-yard freestyle relay (Fessler, Sam Sapp, Trista Turgeon and Weisheyer).
Also successful were three local divers who competed at the district level and advanced to the state meet.
Enumclaw’s Naomi Prince placed first in the one-meter event, teammate Ashley Dickerson finished third and White River’s Turgeon landed in fifth.
Enumclaw High dominated in all phases of the game Friday night, whipping the visiting Lindbergh Eagles 56-0 in a district football game. In this photo, Emmit Otero scoots for one of his first-half touchdowns. Photo by Kevin Hanson
