BOYS GOLF
A trio of Spartans could find themselves atop the leader board this season.
Heading the Sumner High squad are seniors Alec LaBarge and Drew Engstrom, along with junior Ian Engstrom. The first two were first team picks on the all-South Puget Sound League 4A squad a year ago, while Ian Engstrom was a second team selection.
LaBarge advanced to the Class 4A state tournament.
With their Spartan teammates, they opened the fall season Aug. 30 by taking on South Kitsap at Trophy Lakes in Port Orchard, then hosting Olympia yesterday, Tuesday, at Linden Golf Course. The team’s next action comes tomorrow, Thursday, with a match against Puyallup High at the High Cedars course in Orting.
Girls golf
The Spartan girls opened the fall season Aug. 30 by hosting South Kitsap at Linden Golf Course, then traveled to Olympia yesterday, Tuesday, to face the host Bears at Indian Summer Golf and Country Club. The team’s next action comes tomorrow, Thursday, with a match against Puyallup High again at Linden.
The challenge for coach Jay Johnston is to replace last year’s No. 1 player Abby Burns. Also gone is Anna Seaton, both lost to graduation.
BOYS TENNIS
The Spartans will kick off the 2018 season Saturday, Sept. 8, in an entertaining way. The Sumner High alumni match begins at 9 a.m. on the high school courts.
Things take a more serious turn Sept. 10 when the crew gets its first taste of real action. The Spartans and coach Michael Hochstatter will travel to Auburn Riverside High School and square off against the Ravens.
GIRLS SOCCER
The Spartans head into another season on the pitch, looking to build upon the successes of last year’s squad.
That team placed second in the South Puget Sound League, then won a pair of district games to advance to the 16-team, Class 4A state tournament.
Robi Turley, the SPSL’s reigning coach of the year, has a handful of talented Spartans at her disposal. Heading the list is senior Jaylin Borden, coming off a season in which she was the league’s defensive MVP.
Other returnees of note include senior Luxee Cardin and juniors Jaycee Phillips and Mia Mahaffey. Phillips and Mahaffey earned second team all-league honors last season while Cardin received honorable mention.
This year’s team got rolling Sept. 1 with a home game against Union High, then challenged Thomas Jefferson Tuesday, Sept. 4. The next test comes tomorrow, Thursday, when the Spartans host the Tahoma Bears. Game time is 7 p.m. at Sunset Chev Stadium.
GIRLS SWIM & DIVE
The Sumner High swim and dive team, coming off a 2017 season that saw seven Spartans qualify for the state meet, splash into action Sept. 11.
Competing in their home pool, the Spartans will host South Kitsap at 3:30 p.m. Then, on Sept. 14, coach Dana Powers and her crew are off to the Autumn Relays at Rogers High.
The biggest task for Powers will be making up the points lost by the graduation of standout Mikaela Miele. At state, she took fourth-place honors in the 500-yard freestyle and was sixth in the 200 freestyle.
Other Spartans making the 2017 state meet were Marin Wilson, Emma Huynh, Olivia Castro, Haven Carroll, Payton Wojciechowicz and Miranda Wojciechowicz.
VOLLEYBALL
The Spartans will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing season that ended with a 5-11 record.
For coach Allison Wood, there are building blocks in the form of three players who were honorable mention selections when South Puget Sound League coaches selected their all-league teams. Making the grade were Natalie Spencer, Jayde Grams and Sadie Gusler. Grams and Gusler are nw seniors and Spencer is a junior.
The program received its first test of the season yesterday, Tuesday, hosting the nonleague Steilacoom Sentinels. Thursday, the Spartans host Thomas Jefferson.
