Swimmers upset Marysville, 94-92

Individual results aren't available yet, but the Everett Herald reported a final score of 94-92 in favor of the Wildcats in their home water.

Boys tennis gets big win - 9-30

The Wildcat boys tennis team got their second win of the year in a 5-2 thumping of Lake Stevens Wednesday afternoon at OHHS.

Senior Derek Thomas was on his game, destroying his opponent 6-0,6-0. Second singles won 6-4, 6-2, and Ben Cardinal won 6-2, 6-0 at 3rd singles.

Both first and second doubles won as well, with Brandon Vagt and David DeGuzman teaming up for a 6-3,7-5 win, and Geoff Worley and Chase Edwards were the other winners, going 3 sets.

Friday's varsity football game

IF you can't be there, you can get live Twitter updates by going to https://twitter.com/OHSportsReport and signing up for the updates.

JV Football 9-28

Disclaimer: There is no separate JV roster, so numbers were taken from the varsity roster. If you are misidentified, send and email and it will be corrected right away.

In a hard-fought, penalty flag-filled game Monday night, the OHHS JV football team picked up the win in their first home game of the season against Mt. Vernon. The game started with a cold wind blowing and ended with some driving rain.

Oak Harbor kicked off to start the game and the defense forced an early turnover with Peter Franssen intercepting the ball at the OH 11. On the very next play he took the ball around the right side for an apparent 89-yard TD run. However, the Wildcats were flagged for an illegal block so the ball was spotted at the MV 33 yard line. The Wildcat drive ended at the MV 26 when the field goal kicked by Franssen went through the uprights. With 8:15 left in the 1st quarter it was Oak Harbor 3, MV 0.

The Wildcat kickoff went into the end zone so the Bulldogs started from the 20 yard line. After a 12 yard run, Zack Wallace and Cody Hernkind teamed up for an 8-yard sack, eventually forcing a Bulldog punt from the 24.

The ‘Cats then used 10 plays to drive the 50 yards to the goal line, where Ian Sinchak caught a Gabe Dye pass for a touchdown from 6 yards out. The key play of the drive was another Sinchak reception for 23 yards. With 3:54 left in the first quarter the score was Wildcats 10, Bulldogs 0.

For the remainder of the first quarter the two teams traded 3-and-outs, but as the clock ran out Mt. Vernon was driving, with the ball on the OH 26. That drive ended on the 2nd play of the 2nd quarter with a big 4th down sack by Wallace.

Oak Harbor’s next drive, starting at their own 30 yard line, was not pretty. Out of a total of 8 plays there were 2 flags, two fumbles and a sack before the Wildcats punted from the 23. The kick was partially blocked and recovered by MV on the Wildcat 10. Three plays later the Bulldogs scored with a 5-yard pass. The 2-point pass attempt was tipped by an Oak Harbor player but caught by a Bulldog in the end zone. With 6:59 left in the half it was OH 10, MV 8.

The next OH drive started at the Wildcat 28 and a run by Josiah Miller made it 2nd and 4 at the 35. One of many MV offsides penalties then gave Oak Harbor a first down at the 40. On 4th and 6 at the 44, Oak Harbor threw an interception, turning the ball over at the MV 37. The defense held, forcing a MV punt after 3 plays, but the punt rolled to the Oak Harbor 1 yard line.

The first Wildcat play was a Dye pass to Franssen, bringing the ball out to the 18, then a Zack Ayer reception moved it to the 33. A short run and 2 incomplete passes later, with a hard rain starting to fall, Oak Harbor punted from their own 36.

Mt. Vernon got the ball at their own 49 but an illegal block flag backed them up to the 34. The Bulldogs broke loose on the next play, moving the ball down to the OH 36, even after another illegal block penalty. With less than a minute to go in the half, Mt. Vernon was looking at a 4th and 1 at the OH 27, but the Wildcat defense stuffed the run to get the ball back.

For their final series of the half the Wildcats first tried a reverse, but the ball carrier was tripped up on the wet turf, and the ‘Cats let the clock run out to end the half with a 10-8 lead.

The Bulldogs kicked off to start the second half, but the snap was fumbled on the 2nd play and MV recovered at the OH 21. Again the defense held, and on a 4th and 7 play at the OH 18, Kyle Frank got in for an 8-yard sack, giving OH the ball at the 29.

There were problems in this series as well, as a backwards pass from the 46 yard line was not completed, the whistle didn’t blow, and the ball was batted around before being recovered by Oak Harbor back at the 25 yard line, forcing an OH punt.

With the rain coming down steadily, Oak Harbor was not the only ones having slippery hands. Mt. Vernon fumbled a 1st down snap and the Wildcats recovered at the 43. The new drive lasted only 1 play before the ball was fumbled back to MV at the end of a long run.

With the ball at their own 23 yard line, Mount Vernon ran 3 plays before lining up to punt. In what had to be the strangest play of the night, the punt snap was low and fumbled by the kicker. He got the ball and started to run around the left side and kicked the ball on the run at the MV 20 and wound up in the arms of Justin Everett at the 32, who ran untouched to the end zone for another Oak Harbor touchdown. The kick failed, but with 6:17 still to go in the 3rd, it was now Oak Harbor 16, MV 8.

The two teams traded possessions for most of the remainder of the 3rd quarter, until a bad snap by Oak Harbor on a punt at the OH 17 led to a Mount Vernon 1st down at the Oak Harbor 1 yard line. The Bulldogs scored with 5 seconds left in the 3rd, but the pass conversion failed, leaving Oak Harbor with a 2-point lead, 16-14.

The JV boys could only get the ball out to their own 31 on the next possession, during which the 3rd quarter ended, but a long punt to the MV 35 was lengthened by a late flag against the Bulldogs, putting the ball on the MV 20.

Mount Vernon lost a yard during their next 3 plays and punted back to OH. The two teams traded a pair of possessions each without really moving the ball much. With just over five and a half minutes left in the game, Oak Harbor was lined up to punt on the OH 45 and the punt was blocked, giving MV the ball at the OH 35. The Bulldog joy only lasted one play, as the 2nd down MV pass attempt was intercepted by Ian Sinchak at the Oak Harbor 17 yard line.

The first play of this possession was a Dye run to the 20, followed by another run to the 21. Then, Gabe heaved a long pass that was caught by Corey Houck at the OH 45 and carried to the end zone for the TD. The kick was good for a 23-14 Oak Harbor lead with only 3:47 left in the game.

On their final drive, MV moved the ball from the 33 out to the 48, then 3 straight sacks by the Wildcats led to a MV punt and Oak Harbor ran the clock out for a 23-14 win.

5 video clips from the game are posted HERE.

34 photos, mostly of the pregame warmup, are posted HERE.

Middle School Cross Country, 9-24 @ Anacortes

The Wildcat United middle school cross country team was in action for their first meet of the season and did well. Full results weren't available as of Monday, but the photos have been posted.


You can find 88 photos HERE.

OHHS Cross Country

The Wildcat Cross Country team traveled to Seaside, Oregon for a big invitational cross country meet. There were over 2,500 runners from 95 schools entered in six different races.

The boys and girls each had 3 races to choose from. A 5000 meter 'easy' race, the 6000m 'moderate' race and the 7ooom 'difficult' course.

Of the six races, Oak Harbor runners won two. Coupeville's Tyler King, who runs XC for Oak Harbor won the boys difficult race and Adrianna Royal won the girls moderate race. Both were close wins. Royal beat her opponent by 7 seconds, recording a time of 24:33, and King had only a two second lead, clocking 22:12. What's even more impressive is that both runners are juniors and will be back with the team next year.

Senior Jessica Denmon placed 17th on the easy course, junior Allison Duvenez 10th in the difficult and Sophomore Emily Bain 37th in the easy to earn 2nd place team honors for the Wildcat women.

On the boys side, Senior Matt Bolte finished the easy course in 18:20 for a 44th place finish and Matt Reith was 10th on the moderate course with a time of 21:39.

Other runners participating, but not finishing in the top 50 wer Wayatt Homola who ran the easy course, Mitchell Jackson on the moderate, and John Kaltenback and Colton Elliot on the dificult.

For the girls, other runners were Nadija Beronilla was on the easy course, Taylor Von Grey just missing the top 50 in 52nd on the moderate course and Christina Wichers and Ariel McCarter on the hard course.

Youth soccer 9-26

It was another full day of kids soccer at the lower Ft. Nugent fields on a beautiful, sunny fall morning.

There are photos from 4 games from last weekend available.

The first game was Krieg Construction's Green Bullets against the Black Tigers, sponsored by the Oak Harbor Lions. It was a Boys U-6 game so you know there was a lot of action.

72 photos are HERE.

Next up was the Black Bombs, sponsored by AAA Mini Storage and Beck Carpet Cleaning's Yellow Jackets. This GU-6 game also active, as at this age the girls are just as aggressive as the boys.

46 images are posted HERE.

Third was a Girls U-8 game featureing the Blue Gorillas, sponsored by Midway Florist and the Yellow Killer Bees, sponsored by Olson Pediatric Dentist. At this level you start to see more skilled playing and is a lot of fun to watch.

There are 78 pictures from this matchup posted HERE.

Finally, we went to a BU-10 game. We didn't get the team names, but the Blue team, sponsored by Best Friends Veterinary Clinic took on the Green team, sponsored by Henry Vasquez, Dentist. By this age, the boys are showing a lot of skills, and the better and more experienced players start to break out and take control of the game. It's very aggressive soccer.

30 images from the BU-10 game can be found by clicking HERE.

Remember, there is no charge to come watch the hundreds of kids running around enjoying the outside. Also, remember to patronize your sponsors!

Youth Football 9-26

There were 4 youth football games played at the Ft. Nugent fields Saturday with lots of excitement, especially in the first game.

That first game featured the Junior Pumas versus Sedro Woolley White. The Pumas were in charge early, leading 15-0 at the end of the first quarter and 15-7 at the half. Sedro scored twice in the third to take a 21-15 lead. With time running out, The Pumas drove towards the Sedro end zone, and with only 10 seconds left ran it in for a touchdown. The point after was no good and regulation time ended in a 21-21 tie. In overtime, each team gets the ball at the 10 yards line with 4 chances to score. The Pumas needed only one, completing a pass into the end zone, then converted to make the score 28-17. Sedro responded with a score of their own, but Oak Harbor stuffed the PAT attempt to win 28-27.

49 photos, including a sequence of the overtime TD catch, are posted HERE. Cheer photos are part of that total.

The next game was between the Jaguars and Lakewood. Since it was a non-league game, the coaches started a lot of substitute players, and everyone got a lot of play time. The first quarter score was 13-12 in favor of Lakewood, but the Jags tied it up at halftime, 19-19. In the 2nd half, the team went to their normal lineup and it showed in the scoring. Oak Harbor blanked Lakewood in the 2nd half while scoring 27 of their own. The final was 46-19 in favor of the Jaguars.

57 photos from this game are posted HERE, including some of the cheer squad.

The Lynx played starting at 3pm, and had a hard time with Sedro-Woolley. The score was tied 6-6 at the end of the first quarter, but Sedro took a 13-6 halftime lead and scored once more in each of the final two quarters while holding Oak Harbor scoreless. The final in this game was 25-6.

There are 61 images, including some of the cheer squad, posted HERE.

In the nightcap, it was the Cougars versus Lynden. The Coug "D" was tough on Saturday, keeping Lynden in check and off the scoreboard. Oak Harbor took a 7-0 1st quarter lead then scored on a pass play with just 7 seconds left in the half to lead 13-0. The team scored once more to win 19-0.

25 pics can be found HERE.

In away games, it wasn't a good day for OH teams. The Senior Wildcats traveled to Arlington White to lose 40-6. The Bobcats scored first, but were on the short end of a 39-12 score against Arlington Gold. The Panthers were in Mt. Vernon and lost 32-6.

There are only 3 games in Oak Harbor this weekend. The midget Panthers take on Arlington Blue at 9am, the Peewee Lynx take on Arlington Blue at 11, and the Wildcats go against Friday Harbor at 1pm.

All games are free and the concession stand will be open.

Varsity football 9-25 at Mt. Vernon

Turnovers were the name of the game Friday night in Mt. Vernon as the Wildcats took on the Bulldogs.

The defense held MV to a 3-and-out their first possession, but Oak Harbor fumbled the ball on their 2nd play from scrimmage at the Bulldog 39. Again, the defense held, forcing another punt, but the ball was touched by a Wildcat player and recovered by Mt. Vernon, resulting in a first down at the Wildcat 20. Five plays later the Bulldog QB ran in for the score. The conversion failed so the score was 6-0 at the 6:28 mark in the first quarter.

Oak Harbor’s next possession resulted in a punt, and Mt. Vernon started on their own 37. They drove the ball down to the OH 27, where a 4th and 1 pass attempt fell incomplete. The Wildcats moved the ball out to the 47, but 3 straight incomplete passes forced a Wildcat punt. Mt. Vernon ran three plays, losing 4 yards, before the 1st quarter ended with Mt. Vernon leading 6-0.

Mount Vernon punted on the first play of the second quarter and the Wildcats took over on their own 25 yard line. Three plays brought the ball to the OH 48, where Donovan Hunt burst free up the middle and down to the Bulldog 3 yard line. On the next play QB Clarence LaMont danced in for the Wildcat score. Ryan Fakkema’s kick was good to give OH a 7-6 lead with 10:36 left until halftime.

The OH kickoff was returned to the 36 yard line, but on the 2nd play, Javon Payne put a hard hit on the ball carrier, knocking the ball loose, and Payne was on the spot to make the recovery. First down for Oak Harbor on the Mt. Vernon 37. Two runs by Hunt set up another LaMont TD run from 3 yards out. Fakkema’s kick was good again and the ‘Cats took a 14-6 lead with 8:26 left.

The Bulldogs went 3-and-out after the kickoff, but then an Oak Harbor pitch was fumbled and recovered by MV at the Wildcat 17. Mt. Vernon scored on a run TD, but the pass conversion was batted down, leaving Oak Harbor with a 14-12 lead and 7:20 left

With lots of time still in the first half, Oak Harbor mounted another long drive. Starting at their own 31 yard line, the ‘Cats used 13 plays to get to the MV 21, but on a 4th and 1 play, LaMont could not get that extra yard and the ball went over to the Bulldogs with 1:20 left. Mt. Vernon couldn’t get the ball moved and the half ended with Oak Harbor still leading 14-12.

The 2nd half kickoff went deep, was picked up by Oak Harbor, but the return man touched the sideline with his foot, killing any return. The Wildcats punted after 3 plays to the OH 42 yard line. Mt. Vernon completed a long pass play, but our bend-but-don’t-break defense forced the Bulldogs to try a field goal with the ball at the 10 yard line. The kick was good with 8:34 left in the 3rd quarter putting Mt. Vernon back in the lead, 15-14.

On their next possession, the turnover bug bit the Wildcats again as a LaMont pass was intercepted at the OH 45, and the Bulldogs used only three plays to score again and increase their lead to 22-14 with 5:05 left in the 3rd.

The Mount Vernon kickoff went out of bounds, so Oak Harbor started their next possession at the OH 35. A holding penalty back the boys up to their own 20, but a 3rd and 11 pass reception by Mike Washington, Jr. gave OH a first down at midfield. The drive continued to the MV 10 yard line but stalled, and Fakkema kicked a 28-yard field goal to close the gap to 22-17 with 1:31 to go in the 3rd.

The Bulldogs mounted another quick drive, going from their own 45 down to the Oak Harbor 3 yard line, when time expired in the 3rd quarter.

The first play of the final period was a MV touchdown run, boosting the Bulldog lead to 29-17. The MV kickoff again went OOB, giving OH the ball on the 35 yard line.

The Wildcats again got the ball moving. Josh Higbee got it to the 46 and LaMont ran it (with some help from a late hit penalty on the Bulldogs) to the MV 34. Runs by Hunt and LaMont moved the ball to the 27, then, facing a 4th and 9 at the MV 29, Hunt had a big catch and run down to the 7 yard line. A false start penalty on OH made it 1st and goal at the 12. The first down pass attempt fell incomplete in the end zone and the second pass attempt was intercepted in the corner of the end zone.

Wildcat defenders held MV to just a 6-yard gain before forcing a punt. Oak Harbor took over on their own 24 and 6:15 left in the game and drove out to the Mt. Vernon 40 where again, the pass was intercepted at the Bulldog 17 and returned to the 44. From there, Mt. Vernon was able to run the clock out to end the game with a 29-17 win.

A few video clips from the game are posted HERE.

Volleyball 9-24 vs Meadowdale - revised

If you weren’t in the OHHS gym Thursday evening for the volleyball match against Meadowdale, you missed out, as there was active, exciting volleyball.

The Wildcats started out with a big block by Devin Tanner and Amanda Blau to earn the first point of the night. A later service ace by libero Kelsey Terrazas-Cooley made it 5-2 for the ‘Cats. Meadowdale was able to grab a 9-8 lead, but only until a kill by Katelyn Bristow tied it back up. A Marisa Sutherland kill and block gave OH a 14-12 lead, but a couple of OH hitting errors contributed to 5-point swing, leaving Meadowdale with a 17-14 late lead. The Maverick lead didn’t last long, as some great digs by Kelsey kept the ball in play, then three straight blocks involving 6-1 junior Amanda Blau tied game one at 19. A Bristow ace and Blau kill made it 22-21, forcing a Meadowdale timeout. After the TO, Blau added another kill to her total, but Meadowdale fought back to tie the game at 24. Tanner sealed the deal with a big kill for game point, then won it with a service ace.

Game 2 started with an Oak Harbor 3-0 lead which the Wildcats held for only a short while. Meadowdale tied the game at 4 and didn’t trail again for the rest of the game. Oak Harbor scored 3 service aces during the game, the last by setter Melany Cone, bringing OH to within one point. In the end, Meadowdale was able to hold on for a 25-23 win.

Game 3 had the Wildcats trailing early, but finally caught up and tied the game at 17 on a couple of Sutherland points. A Maverick hitting error gave Oak Harbor the lead, 18-17 and the Meadowdale coach called a time out. The next point also went to Oak Harbor on a big Sutherland kill. After Meadowdale scored a point, OH got three straight on a Roshel Muzzall kill, a Sutherland block, and a double block by Cone and Blau. Meadowdale closed to within 2 points forcing coach Molitor to call a timeout. Whatever she said worked, as Muzzall spiked another kill for game point, and Cone served up an ace to finish game to 25-21 in favor of Oak Harbor.

Oak Harbor also trailed through most of game 4, down by 6 at one point. Melany Cone tied the game at 14 with a service ace, and the game was tied 3 other times until Meadowdale put it away 25-22 to force game 5.

Janessa Ramos lit up the net early in game 5 scoring 3 kills, but a series of Oak Harbor errors let the Mavs take a 12-7 lead. Another Cone ace and a Blau kill weren’t enough as Meadowdale won game 5 15-9 and the match 3-2.

The JV team played 3 close games. The first went to Meadowdale 23-25, but the Wildcat girls won game 2 and 3 by identical 25-21 scores.

Since the field house is still not ready for play, the freshman team was over the middle school again. They got thumped in game one 9-25, won game two 25-22, and lost game three 25-18.

The teams have only one match this week, a Thursday contest at Monroe, and will be home both Tuesday and Thursday of next week.

76 photos from the game are posted HERE.

A few video clips are posted HERE.

Varsity football 9-25 at Mt. Vernon

The Wildcats fell 29-17 to the Mount Vernon Bulldogs after leading 14-12 at the half.

Turnovers played a big role in the reversal.

More details to follow later this weekend.

Letter jackets

Even though Pro Graphics and King Sports are both gone, you don't need to leave the island to get your letter jacket.

Intrepid Sports is locally owned and operated by Tre’ Everett. Tre’ purchased the former King Sports in order to keep the tradition going of selling Letterman Jackets on the Island. Intrepid Sports is the only merchant on the Island specializing in Letterman Jackets.

The company can embroider any logo or image you need on any type of article. They will work with your stock or custom design, or their designers will develop one for you. The materials used in their embroidery are the same we use in our other products—only the best.

All of their Jackets are custom designed to meet your needs and made from the finest quality, 100% Virgin Wool, and 24 ounce Melton, and is fully lined with the finest quality nylon lining material (quilted nylon lining also available). All jackets have leather edged slash pockets and matching color snap fasteners.

Intrepid Sports provides the highest quality Letterman Style jackets and Sweaters around, at an affordable price. Call now to design and order for your Athlete, Scholar, Club, or Business.

You can contact Intrepid Sports at 360-720-3547 M-Fri or via email at: al@intrepidmedia360.com. They also have a booth at all Wildcat home football games.

Boys tennis 9-18 vs Marysville and Cascade 9-23

The JV boys got their first team win of the season September 18th at Marysville, winning 4-3.

The Wildcats won all 4 singles matches, went to a tiebreaker in 2nd doubles, and won almost all of the exhibition matches. Overall the 'Cats went 11-4 on the day.

On September 23rd, things didn't go as well, as Cascade won 5-2 in scoring matches and 8-2 overall. Winners were Cameron Bester and Sean Kelley at 2nd doubles and Marvyn Sionson and Marshall Lewis at 3rd doubles.

Although the score was 5-2, Coach Brown said each match was hotly contested, and the final score could have gone the other way with a few breaks.

While the JV team was at Marysville, the varsity boys were at home.

Senior Derek Thomas recently returned to the lineup after missing the first few matches, and he dispatched his opponent 6-1,6-0, and Josh Evans, now at 2nd singles, won 6-3, 6-2. Unfortunately, that was all the scoring for the 'Cats as M-P won 5-2. OH did take two exhibition matches, with David DeGuzman & Chris Holbrook and Nicholas Merrick & Matthew Takaoka each winning.

On the 23rd, Oak Harbor came very close to beating Cascade. Derek Thomas and Josh Evans both won in straight sets, as did 1st doubles David DeGuzman and Geoff Worley. The difference was in 3rd singles, won by Cascade 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 and 2nd doubles, also won by Cascade 67-(5), 7-6(4). Either of those two matches going the other way would have given Oak Harbor the win. Coach Mells said that Josh Evans playes his best tennis of the season, and DeGuzman and Worley, although playing together for the first time this season, communicated well on the court.

Freshman football 9-23 vs Everett

Defense carried the day at the Freshman football game Wednesday evening against the Everett Seagulls.

At halftime the Wildcats were up 14-0 on two touchdowns, both the results of Everett turnovers. The second TD was a direct result of a Ruben Dye interception at the OH 30. Three plays later Isaiah Trower ran around the right side of the line and 72 yard to the end zone. Dye also had a second INT shortly before the end of the half.

In the 2^nd half, Everett was able to drive their first possession across the goal line, using over 5 minutes of game time and 9 plays to cover 59 yards. The PAT run failed, leaving the score at 14-6 in Oak Harbor’s favor with 2:36 left in the 3^rd.

On the last play of the 3^rd quarter, Ryan Gilman had a big sack at the Everett 28 and on 4^th and 23 with Everett in a punt formation, the snap sailed over the punter’s head and into the end zone. The punter was able to recover and get the ball just across the goal line to prevent the safety, but it was Oak Harbor ball, 1^st and goal, on the Everett 1 yard line. On the next play, Kiefer Hermann took the handoff and with an extra effort got across the goal line. The OH PAT failed, but the Wildcats increased their lead to 20-6.

Everett mounted another long drive, covering 80 yards in 11 plays and running almost 6 minutes off the clock. The run attempt again failed, leaving the score at Oak Harbor 20, Everett 12.

The Wildcat defense stepped up once more, and with Everett facing a 4^th and 15 from their own 29 yard line, forced another big sack. This one was a combination of Jack Richter, Jack Frantz and Ryan Gilman.

With the ball now on the Everett 13 yard line and less than a minute to go, Jon Langingham took the handoff, found a hole, and ran for the final score of the day.

The final was Oak Harbor 26, Everett 12

3 video clips are posted HERE.

Volleyball 9/22

Jackson High School in Mill Creek was the setting for a matchup between the Oak Harbor Wildcat volleyball team and the #10 ranked Timberwolves.

Oak Harbor won the first match 25-22 but were overpowered 25-15, 25-22, 25-10 in the other 3 games to fall 3-1.

JV and freshman scores were not reported.

Girls Soccer 9-22

The Oak Harbor Girls soccer faced off the defending 3A state champions and current #1 Everett Seagulls at Wildcat Memorial Stadium Tuesday evening.

The JV team played well. About halfway through the first half Everett scored a goal to lead 1-0, but with just over 22 minutes to go, Rachel Buchanan got free and kicked the ball in for Oak Harbor's first goal of the year. Everett was able to score twice more in the first half, but the 2nd half was scoreless, with Everett winning 3-1.

The varsity squad was missing two experienced players, juniors Clarissa Abadesco and Lily Mosolino, due to injuries sustained in earlier games.

Everett expected to totally dominate the Wildcats, but at halftime were only up 1-0. Our girls played some tight defense and Maggie Gorman had numerous saves.

In the second half, Everett scored 4 goals, but according to several team members, two of the goals should have been disallowed, as Everett had a player in an offside position, and an apparent Oak Harbor goal was ruled a non-score.

The official final score was 5-0, but in the mind of Coach Laiblin it was 3-1.

100 photos of the JV and varsity games are posted HERE.

JV football 9-21

The OHHS JV Football team traveled to Everett for their 2nd game of the year Monday evening.

The Wildcats scored a touchdown in the 1st half when QB Gabe Dye kept the ball and ran in from inside the 10 yard line. Later in the half Peter Franssen kicked a field goal as the Wildcats took a 10-7 lead into the locker room.

The 2nd half was all Everett as they scored 13 unanswered points to win the game 20-10.

Girls swim 9-21

The girls swim team again showed both their depth and strength in beating Burlington and Sedro Woolley on Monday evening at the Oak Harbor Pool.

The girls started out by finishing 1-2-3 in the first 3 events, the 200 Medley Relay, 200 freestyle and 200 meter Individual Medley, and went on to finish first in every event.

Oak Harbor also swept the 100 meter butterfly, 100 meter freestyle, 400 freestyle and 100 breastroke.

There are two video clips posted. One is of the pre-meet chant, the other of the 200 medley relay team consisting of Lily Doyle, Tori Nickerson, Madi Shipley and Leanne Empinado. The clips are posted HERE.

There are also 17 images posted from the early portion of the meet posted HERE.

Player profile - Emily Meagher, Varsity Volleyball

Emily Lynn Meagher (it’s pronounced Marr) is a varsity OHHS volleyball player. The 5’2” defensive specialist was born in Iceland on December 12^th and has lived in Oak Harbor for 8 years. In addition to OH and Iceland, Emily also lived in California, Maryland and Michigan. She is the daughter of Shari, who manages the Dugualla Bay Farms and Jim, who works for A.T. Solutions. Emily has a 22 year old brother, Zach, and a 21 year old sister, Sarah.

Emily’s favorite classes are those that involve writing, and she loves being able to express herself through her pen (or keyboard). Her favorite teacher is Ms. Weikle, who not only teaches her favorite subject, but is also her softball coach.

When asked why volleyball and not another sport, Emily said it’s because she likes volleyball, and is “pretty decent” at it. She feels she brings a positive attitude to the team, and in her words, is a bit “quirky”. One thing she plans to work on is her ability to ‘shake off’ any of her mistakes. She hasn’t set any personal goals in volleyball, but wants to see the team get to Districts. Personally, she wants to achieve and maintain a minimum 3.5 GPA.

In addition to volleyball, Emily is a member of the varsity softball team. She enjoys playing racquetball and softball just for fun. On TV, her sport of choice is NCAA softball. She normally listens to 106.1 on her radio, but also enjoys a bit of country. One of her favorite movies is “A Walk to Remember” and she likes to watch “True Blood” on TV. On Friday nights in the fall you can find her at the football games wearing #45, Brad Farnum’s jersey.

While not committed yet, Emily thinks she might like a career in either genetics or psychology, and would like to do that work in western Washington.

Something you probably didn’t know about Emily: She likes to sing into her hair brush.

21 questions with Emily:

Xbox, Playstation, or Wii – Playstation

McDonald’s or Burger King – BK

Comedy or Horror – Comedy

OHMS or NWMS – NWMS

Seahawks or Mariner – Mariners

Shop class or Art class – Art

iPhone or Blackberry – iPhone

Coke or Pepsi – Coke

House or Lost – House

Army or Navy – Navy

Boating or Camping – Camping

Running or Swimming – Swimming

Ford, Honda, or VW – Ford

MAC or PC/Windows – Mac

Jumbo Buffet or Happy Dragon - Jumbo

Math or Science – Science

Walmart or Kmart – Walmart

Cats or Dogs – Dogs

Red or Blue – Red

NY or LA – NY

Purple or Gold - Purple

Girls Basketball Fall League, 9-20

The Oak Harbor girls basketball team kicked off their fall league in Skagit County with two doubleheaders at the Skagit Valley College gym.

First up was the JV team, consisting mostly of freshman girls. Their first game was against a good Burlington-Edison team, who won the low-scoring game 14-12. The coach said you could tell our girls were rusty, as most had not touched a basketball since the end of July.

Most of the kinks were worked out for the second game, which was against the Renegades from up in Canada. That game was all Wildcats, as they ran away for a 36-7 win.

The varsity team was also rusty and faced a very good and fresh Burlington team. The Tigers owned the first half, but the Wildcats got things sorted out in the 2nd half, but it was too little, too late, as the girls lost 48-30.

In the last game of the day, against Mt. Baker, Oak Harbor grabbed an early substantial lead, but fatigue started to affect their play in the 2nd half and Mt. Baker was able to crawl back and tie the game at 40 at the end of regulation play. In this league, in overtime, if one team gets 4 points ahead, the game is over. Halfway through the overtime period, Mt. Baker hit a 3-pointer. Later, with time running low, OH was forced to foul to stop the clock. The Mt. Baker girl went to the line to shoot a 1-and-1, and sank the ball to end the game with a final score of 44-40.

65 images from both the JV and varsity games are posted HERE.

One JV and two varsity video clips are HERE.

Varsity football - 9-19 - Everett

It was the first win of the season for the Oak Harbor varsity football team last Friday against the Everett Seagulls at Wildcat Memorial Stadium.

Oak Harbor received the opening kickoff but went 3-and-out after a bad snap on a 4^th-and-1 attempt.

The play gave Everett a short field with the ball at the Wildcat 25, but after 5 plays the Seagulls only gained 2 yards and attempted a 40-yard field goal that was good with 8:18 left in the first quarter.

The next offensive possession was better than the first, but resulted in a punt. The first play was a 6-yard run by Pat Higbee, and then an offsides penalty on Everett gave OH a first down on their own 31. A Josh Higbee run brought the ball out to the 38, but that was it. The punt was downed at the Everett 40.

Everett got down to the Oak Harbor 27, but a tackle for an 8 yard loss by Jason Curles got the ball back to the OH 35, and gave Everett a 3^rd down with 22 yards to go. The Everett QB scrambled to the 29, but it was still 4^th down, and Everett settled for another field goal to increase their lead to 6-0 with 1:44 left in the first quarter.

Oak Harbor’s 3^rd possession stalled after only 9 yards, and a 4^th and 1 attempt (the first play of the 2^nd quarter) failed to convert.

Everett now had the ball at the Oak Harbor 39, and things were not looking good for the ‘Cats. Everett drove down and had a first down at the OH 14. As they have before, the defense stiffened, and on a 4^th and 1 at the OH 5, Everett elected to go for it rather than kick a field goal, and after a measurement, the ball was awarded to Oak Harbor with 8:39 left in the half.

Clarence Lamont was now the QB, as reports say that Luke Felkner sustained a concussion earlier in the game and was not allowed to play. On the first play from scrimmage, Clarence rolled to his right and found Josh Sayre open. Sayre caught the ball and ran it into Everett territory at the 48 yard line. A short run coupled with a face mask penalty brought the ball down to the Everett 35, and a Mike Washington, Jr. reception got it to the 27. Facing a 4^th and 6 at the Everett 31, Lamont found Washington again for an Oak Harbor touchdown. Ryan Fakkema kicked the PAT to put OH in the lead 7-6 with 6:36 left in the half.

On the kickoff, Fakkema kicked it deep, but the returner was able to slip through the coverage and broke into the open around the Everett 40. Fakkema was there and made an unassisted, open field, touchdown-saving tackle at the OH 33.

Everett could only get down to the OH 32, and facing a 4^th and 9, again elected to forego a field goal and tried for the first down. Alec Castillo wasn’t fooled by the play and pulled the QB down short of the first down, giving OH the ball at their own 28.

A nice run by Donovan Hunt and a reception by Brad Farnum took the team across midfield, but a 3^rd and 8 pass attempt was intercepted and returned to the Everett 24 with 3:56 to go in the half. Everett drove down to the OH 32 where they faced a 4^th down and 7 yards to go with just 34 seconds on the clock. Everett again elected to go for it and the pass attempt was incomplete at the 5 yard line.

A pass reception by Josh Higbee at the Everett 48 with 16 seconds left gave Oak Harbor a first down, but the next pass was intercepted at the Everett 15 and returned to the Oak Harbor 38. With just 3 seconds left, Everett attempted a pass that fell incomplete, ending the half with Oak Harbor leading 7-6.

To open the 2^nd half, Fakkema kicked the ball to the 5 yard line, and the coverage was there, tacking the return man at the 18. Everett mounted an 11-play drive but the Wildcat defense held, forcing a punt from the OH 42. Oak Harbor started at their own 13 yard line and ran 12 plays, taking the ball to the Everett 28 before time ran out on the 3^rd quarter with OH hanging on to a 7-6 lead.

The first play of the 4^th quarter was a pass to Sayre down to the 11, then two plays later Hunt caught a pass for Oak Harbor’s 2^nd touchdown of the game. The PAT was partially blocked, so the score was 13-6 with 11:11 to go in the game.

Everett’s next drive was long, using up nearly 6 minutes, but resulted in a punt from the OH 32 yard line that was downed at the OH 15.

Oak Harbor punted after a 5 play series, giving Everett the ball at their own 36 with 3:04 left.

With a first down at the Everett 47, the Seagulls attempted a halfback pass play, but the throw was intercepted by Josh Higbee at the OH 33 with 1:41 remaining.

For a while it looked like the ‘Cats might score again, as two consecutive personal foul penalties against Everett gave OH a first down at the Everett 19 with 1:09 remaining. A Sam Wolfe run went one yard, and a second Wolfe run was stopped at the 7 as time expired, giving Oak Harbor their first win of the season, 13-6.

6 video clips from the game are posted HERE.

Next Friday the Wildcats are at Mt. Vernon.

Youth soccer 9-19

There was a full slate of games at Ft. Nugent Saturday morning as the fall youth soccer league continues with their second week. All the games were full of action and it was great to see so many kids out on the fields having so much fun.

We were able to get to 5 of the soccer games, interspersed with the football games on the upper fields.

First up was a BU-6 game with the Blue Tigers, sponsored by Martin's Auto Electric going up against the Krieg Construction's Green Bullets. 37 photos from the game are posted HERE.

Next was Alaska USA Mortgage's Red Volcanoes versus the Blue Girl Power, sponsored by David Walker, Attorney-at-Law, both GU-6 teams. There are 45 images from that game and they are posted HERE.

The 3rd game we went to was a BU-8 game with the Black Hornets, sponsored by P&L General Contractors, a perennial sponsor, going head-to-head with the Green Tigersharks, sponsored by another reliable sponsor, the Oak Harbor Elks Club. The game featured a very active goalie who did a great job keeping a lot of kicks from going into the net. Those photos, all 51 of them, can be found HERE.

After a short break to take photos of football, we were back to shoot the Blue Bandits, sponsored by the North Whidbey Inn against the Black Bombs, sponsored by AAA Mini Storage. It was a GU-6 game, and the girls were very aggressive. There wasn't a lot of scoring, but the ball moved up and down the field often and the girls got in a lot of running. Click HERE to look at the 37 photos from this game.

The final game featured the BU-8 Red Fire Scorpions, sponsored by Koetje Insurance battling Papa Murphy's Pizza's Yellow Lightning Bolts. This game also featured a lot of action and was fun to watch. 53 images were captured and they are all HERE.

Next Saturday will have a total of 28 soccer games starting at 9am. See you there!

Oak Harbor Youth Football

It was a fair day for Oak Harbor Football, with all 7 teams in action and 4 wins to show for it.

No score was reported from the Cougars/Burlington Gold midget game, but the Cougars did win.

The senior Wildcat team was in Anacortes, and fell one point short after a flurry of scoring late in the game. The final score was 32-31.

The Panthers were manhandles by the Burlington Blue team, losing 38-6.

The other loss was the Lynx, who played a very flat game at the Ft. Nugent field and just couldn't get things going on offense or defense. They lost to Arlington Gold 26-2. The safety came when the Arlington QB was tackled while rolling out in the end zone.

57 images from the Lynx game are posted HERE, including postgame photos with the Lynxmobile.

Also playing at Ft. Nugent were the Jaguars, who played a close game with Burlington Gold. And the end of the first quarter it was tied at 6, and tied again at halftime at 20. There was no scoring in the 3rd quarter, but the Jags scored two unanswered touchdowns in the 4th for the 34-20 win.

Just 22 decent photos were taken at this game, and they are posted HERE.

The Pumas jumped out to a 13-0 first quarter lead on LaConner and never looked back. The Pumas added another TD in the 2nd to lead 21-6 at the half, and really opened it up in the 2nd half to walk away with a 42-12 win.

Again, just a few photos came out decently from this game, and all 15 are posted HERE.

Finally, the Bobcats played against Darrington. Darrington had a very small team, and is also small in numbers, as there were only 11 boys suited up for the game. The Bobcats led 13-0 at the end of the first quarter and 27-6 at the half. Coach Maggio did a good job in playing his subs, and there was no scoring in the 3rd period. In the 4th, a Bobcat runner broke through the line and scored the final touchdown of the day as the Bobcats won 34-6.

46 photos from the Bobcats game are posted HERE.

All 7 teams are in action again next Saturday, with 4 games at the Ft. Nugent fields.

The fun starts at 9am with the Pumas vs Sedro-Woolley white, then at 11 it's the Jags vs Lakewood. South Whidbey comes to OH to play a game against Lakewood at 1pm, then at 3pm it's the Lynx vs Sedro Woolley, and the finale at 5pm features the Cougars vs Lynden White.

Playing away next week are the Panthers at Mt. Vernon (9am), the Wildcats at Arlington White (11am), and the Bobcats at Arlington Gold (3pm).

Jim Waller named new Sports Editor

Former OHHS English teacher and varsity baseball coach Jim Waller has been named the new Sports Editor at the Whidbey News-Times.

Contratulations Jim!

Wildcats win!

Oak Harbor beats Everett 13-6 for their first win of the season. The Wildcat defense again bent, but didn't break, allowing only 2 field goals for the Seagulls.

More details to follow.

Freshman football 9-16 vs Monroe

The Oak Harbor freshman football team had their first home game Wednesday night at Wildcat Memorial Stadium against the Monroe Bearcats, and it wasn't what you'd call a good game.

The Wildcat defense looked good in the first quarter, which ended with both teams scoreless.

Monroe got on the board first with a touchdown with 9:o1 left in the 2nd quarter, and that's the score that stood at halftime.

The Bearcats took advantage of numerous Wildcat turnovers to score 3 touchdowns in the 2nd half to win the game 27-0.

Just 5 photos from the game are posted HERE

3 video clips, of a nice pass reception, a leaping interception, and long kickoff return are posted HERE.

Boys tennis 09-06 - Everett

It was not a good day for the boys on the tennis court Wednesday afternoon as both teams fell 7-0 to their opponents in scoring play.

On the varsity squad, Ben Cardinal took his opponent to 3 sets, but that's as close as it got.

3rd singles Michael Serna on JV also went to 3 sets, as did 3rd doubles Victor Stricklin and Maric Sobreo.

The JV team got two wins in exhibition play, with Ben Pralle and Matt Murdock teaming up for an 8-1 win, while Cameron Bester and Sean Kelley won 8-0.

Volleyball 09-15 vs Shorewood

The Wildcat volleyball team was in action again Tuesday night against Shorewood after spending the weekend in Yakima, playing in a large tournament there.

Since the field house is not yet open, the freshman team had to play at one of the middle schools. The 3 games were close, but the frosh team pulled out a 2-1 victory. Individual game scores were 21-25, 25-22 and 25-23.

The Shorewood JV team played very good volleyball on a night where the Oak Harbor JV team was having an off night. There were numerous communication errors that gave the Thunderbirds unearned points.

The first two JV games were all Shorewood. In game 1 the Thunderbirds raced to a 10-4 lead and never looked back, winning 25-13, and in the 2^nd game won 25-16.

The JV ‘Cats made things exciting in game 3. Starting off down 8-2, our girls fought back, until a service ace by Rayan Russell brought Oak Harbor to within 2 points, 7-9, and a Shorewood hitting error made it 8-9. Shorewood regrouped and went on to win 25-15.

Early in game 1 of the varsity match, the Wildcat women found themselves down 7-1, but a nice block by Amanda Blau and another block and kill by Marisa Sutherland made the score 8-9. Shorewood pulled back ahead by 4 points, 14-10, and kept a similar lead until late, when a hitting error by Shorewood gave OH the tying point, 20-20. Sutherland notched another kill, and a pair of errors by Shorewood gave Oak Harbor a 3-point advantage, 23-20. A lift call on OH and a Shorewood block helped tie the game again at 23. After a short rally, Sutherland put a nice touch on the ball which landed just inside the end line, giving game point to Oak Harbor. With the point, Marisa also won the serve, and her serve was mishandled by Shorewood and the Wildcats won game 1, 25-23.

Game two also saw Shorewood get ahead early, at one point holding a 10-5 lead, but a flurry of Oak Harbor scores, including 3 straight kills, two by 5-3 junior Janessa Ramos made the score 17-13 in favor of Oak Harbor. The Oak Harbor scoring continued until OH had their own 5-point lead. Shorewood closed to within a single point, 22-21, but a kill and two consecutive hitting errors by Shorewood gave game two to the Wildcats, 25-21.

In game 3, Shorewood didn’t give up their early lead, and held the ‘Cats off for a 25-20 win. Oak Harbor made it close late on a kill and subsequent service ace by Kristine Bouchard, recently returned from an injury.

Game 4 was very close early, with only 2-3 point differentials, and the lead changed hands 7 times and the score was tied 7 times. Late in the game Oak Harbor built a 24-19 lead and were looking to finish the match off, but Shorewood wasn’t ready to go home yet. A pair of Wildcat hitting errors and a Shorewood block helped tie the game at 24, but a nice dump by setter Melany Cone and a Katelyn Bristow kill ended the game in favor of Oak Harbor, 26-24, and end the match 3-1. Libero Kelsey Terrrazas-Cooley was injured in a collision with another player with the score tied at 24 and had to be helped off the court, and everyone hopes she will be ready to play in the next match.

62 photos of both JV and varsity are posted HERE.

6 Video clips from the matches can be found by clicking HERE.

Girls soccer 9-15

The girls soccer teams were in action against the Arlington Eagles at Wildcat Memorial Stadium Tuesday night, and although they did not get the win, there was success on the field.

The JV team fell 3-0, a great improvement from last week's 10-0 loss. As the defense improves, the goals will come.

The varsity score was the same, and could easily have been closer, as the Wildcats missed a penalty kick and another shot went off the support pole for the goal.

Catching up with JV Tennis

The JV tennis season kicked off with a match against Monroe on Sept 8th. Monroe was short the #2 and #3 doubles teams due to lack of turnout, so OH won both those matches by forfeit. The remaining doubles team, Matt Murdock and Cameron Stevens played a tough match, falling in 3 sets, 7-5, 4-6, (8-10)

In singles, the only OH winner was Ben Pralle, who dispatched his opponent 6-4, 6-2.

Coach Brown had great things to say about #2 singles player Eric Berner. Berner lost his match 0-6, 4-6, but Coach said that the freshman has "considerable potential", and was impressed with the way he recovered after the first set and played the 2nd tough.

The 2nd match was against Lake Stevens on Sept 10th, with the Vikings winning all the scoring matches except 3rd singles, won by Michael Serna 6-4, 4-6, (11-9). In exhibition play, the doubles team of Matt Murdock and Cameron Stevens won 8-4.

Next up was Arlington on Sept 11th. The Wildcats picked up a win with an Eagle forfeit at 4th singles, and 3rd doubles team Marvyn Sionson and Marshall Lewis won 6-1, 6-3, but that was it. Coach said that Sionson and Lewis had an "excellent performance"

Finally, the JV boys traveled to Stanwood, who gave them a lesson in tennis. The Spartans won all 7 scoring matches, and all 13 matches overall. According to Coach Brown, none of the matches were even close, but lessons were learned and hopefully the players will be better for the experience.

Girls Swim 9-14

Oak Harbor had their first home meet Monday afternoon at the Vanderzicht Pool. The Wildcat women cruised to the win, taking first place in every single event.

Full results aren't available at this time, but here are the individual event winners and times:

200 medley relay—Akasha Trisler, Rachel Weinstein, Laura Rosen, Karina Concepcion 2:14.80

200 freestyle—Rachel Weinstein 2:23.74

200 individual medley—Laura Rosen 2:30.95

50 freestyle—Tori Nickerson 30.18

100 butterfly—Ciara Hu 1:10.62

100 freestyle—Karina Concepcion 1:06.90

400m freestyle—Laura Rosen 4:45.99

200 freestyle relay—Therese Desquitado, Tori Nickerson, Akasha Trisler, Cassie Stanford 2:04.67

100 backstroke—Akasha Trisler 1:14.25

100 breaststroke—Rachel Weinstein 1:22.67

400 freestyle relay—Laura Rosen, Karina Concepcion, Therese Desquitado, Rachel Weinstein 4:29.21

164 images from the meet are posted HERE.

JV football 9-14

No details are available yet, but Coach Nurvic reported that the JV football team won their first game, traveling to Monroe to take on the Bearcats.

The final was 21-20 in favor of the Wildcats.

Boys Tennis 09-15

The boys tennis team faced off against Stanwood at OHHS on Monday afternoon and although there were some hard-fought matches, Stanwood won the meet 5-2.

Winners for the Wildcats were Ben Cardinal who beat Jacob Hamiter 6-4, 7-5, and David DeGuzman took 3 sets to win over Sean Dolan 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.

In an exhibition match, the doubles team of Matthew Takaoka and Nicholas Merrick won 8-5 over Bescansen and Britain.

#1 singles Josh Evans won his first set against opponent Teague Nelson 6-4, but lost the next two 6-3, 6-2, and #1 doubles also went 3 sets, 1-6, 6-2, 1-6.

It should be noted that there are no seniors currently on the varsity roster. All 4 singles players are juniors and the #3 doubles team consists of a sophomore and a freshman. With another year of playing experience, the team should be a force in WESCO.

Photos from the match are posted HERE.

Varsity football details and video clips from the Monroe game.

The Oak Harbor varsity football team faced off against the Monroe Bearcats in a league game at Wildcat Memorial Stadium on September 11^th, and if you weren’t there, you missed an exciting game, especially the 2^nd half.

Monroe received the opening kickoff and returned the ball to their own 23. They mounted a nice drive and were facing a 4^th and 6 at the OH 10 when the Monroe pass was intercepted by Clarence LaMont at the OH 1 yard line and returned to the Monroe 47. Oak Harbor ran 3 plays and punted. Monroe started on their own 20, drove to the OH 43, then completed a long pass to the Oak Harbor 2 yard line. The Wildcat defense dug in and stopped Monroe on 4 straight plays.

With the ball on the OH 1 yard line, the offense had a ways to go. The first play was a short pass to Donovan Hunt, who barely got out of the end zone. Mike Washington, Jr., who was to play a large role in the 4^th quarter, caught a pass at the OH 10 for a little breathing room, then another pass, this one to Rashaad Smith brought the ball out to the OH 22. The next plays gained little, and the 1^st quarter ended with the score 0-0. On the 2^nd play of the 2^nd quarter, Oak Harbor was looking at 4^th down on the OH 32 with less than a yard to go. QB Clarence LaMont kept the ball and snuck through for a first down to the OH 36. The drive stalled, and the Wildcats punted from their own 41 yard line. Monroe muffed the punt but was able to recover at their own 31.

The defense again stepped up and held Monroe to a 3-and-out series, including an acrobatic deflected pass attempt by Derrick Clarit.

Oak Harbor also went 3-and-out, but on the punt, the snap was a bit low, and the punter put his knee down to get the ball and was ruled down at the Wildcat 28 yard line.

Monroe then drove into the end zone, but Oak Harbor blocked the kick attempt, making the score 6-0 with 5:22 left in the first half.

Oak Harbor started their next possession on the 16 yard line, and punted on 4^th down after gaining only one yard. Monroe started at their own 47, but three plays later the Bearcats scored on a 40-yard pass play. The defense stopped the two point conversion and the score was 12-0 with 3:14 left.

On their next possession, Oak Harbor fumbled the ball on their own 40. With the ball at the 50 yard line, Monroe completed a long pass down to the OH 16, with a certain touchdown stopped by a great open field tackle by Clarit. Clarit also figured in the last play of the half, deflecting a 4^th and 10 pass attempt with just 4 seconds left.

At the half, the score stood at 12-0 in favor of Monroe.

The Wildcats got the 2^nd half kickoff, but a LaMont pass was tipped, intercepted at the OH 45 and returned to the OH 17. Monroe lost 14 yards over the next 5 plays, and a pass attempt from the OH 31 on 4^th and 24 fell incomplete.

On their next possession, the Oak Harbor coaching staff put Luke Felkner in as quarterback. The first play, from the OH 31, was a pass to Josh Higbee, who took it all the way to the Monroe 25 yard line, but that was it as a 4^th down pass attempt was incomplete.

Monroe got the ball at the OH 26 and used up 4 minutes of game time in a 10-play drive for a touchdown to increase their lead to 19-0 with 4:02 left in the 3^rd.

At this point the Oak Harbor offense came alive. After returning the kickoff to the OH 25, three straight passes in the direction of 6-3 sophomore Michael Washington, Jr. got the ball out to the OH 45. Another long pass to Aaron Boesch at the OH 47 was ruled a completion after some discussion among the officials, giving the Wildcats a first down. The drive later stalled, but the ‘Cats ran a total of 14 plays and got across midfield. The 3^rd period ran out during the drive with the score still 19-0.

The Oak Harbor punt went to the Monroe 16, and the defense only let the Bearcats get to midfield before forcing a punt.

With 9:01 left in the game, trailing 19-0 and a first down on the 20 yard line, Felkner handed the ball off to Pat Higbee for a gain to the OH 37, the two plays later, from the OH 39 yard line, launched a bomb to Washington for the Wildcat’s first touchdown of the season. The drive took less than a minute and the score was now Monroe 19, OH 7.

An onside kick was attempted went out of bounds at the Monroe 35. The defense held Monroe to just 2 yards forcing a punt which Hunt returned to nearly midfield. Josh Higbee ran the ball into Monroe territory, then another Felkner pass found its way to Washington for another Oak Harbor touchdown. Now with 5:52 left in the game it was Monroe 19, OH 14.

Monroe could only get to their own 24 yard line, but knocked over two minutes off the clock. Oak Harbor got the ball on the Monroe 38 after another nice return by Hunt and with 3:34 on the clock. The first play was an incomplete pass, then Felkner scrambled down to the 16. A pass to Washington made it first and goal at the 4 for OH, then Felkner tossed a fade to the far corner where it was pulled in by Washington for his 3^rd TD of the night. The drive put Oak Harbor in the lead, 21-19, but used only 42 seconds, leaving 2:56 for Monroe to use.

The Bearcats fielded the kickoff deep in their own territory, but returned it all the way to the Oak Harbor 29 yard line. The first play was a 2 yard run, stopped by Nick Rouser who got through the Monroe line, then a pass that was incomplete at the 2. On 3^rd down Monroe jumped early, backing them up to the 32. The 3^rd and 13 pass play was almost intercepted by OH, but dropped at the 3. Instead of attempting a field goal, Monroe went for it on 4^th and 13. The pass sailed high over the receiver’s head, but an official pulled out his yellow flag and called Oak Harbor for defensive pass interference. Now with a new set of downs at the Oak Harbor 11 yard line, Monroe was able to punch it in and regain the lead 26-21 with 1:01 left in the game.

Oak Harbor started their final drive on the 34 after the kickoff return and 56 seconds to score. A short pass put the ball in the OH 42 with 46 seconds left then Boesch pulled in a long pass and got out of bounds at the Monroe 42 with 35 seconds left. Felkner’s next pass was just little short, and went into the hands of a Monroe defender at the Monroe 31. The Bearcats took a knee to end the game, winning 26-21.

6 video clips from the game are posted HERE. Feel free to embed on your Facebook page.

Athlete Spotlight

Here is the first of our (hopefully) weekly athlete spotlights.

Ashley Elizabeth Everett is a freshman at OHHS and a starter on the varsity girls soccer team. The 5’2” defenseman was born in Los Angeles, CA on October 28^th and has lived in Oak Harbor since she was 4. In addition to OH and LA, Ashley also lived in Texas. She is the daughter of Tre’, a real estate agent and letterman jacket vendor and Martha, who Ashley lost to breast cancer just a few years ago. Ashley recently gained a new mom when her father married Cassandra. When he did that, she became step-sister to Princeton and Dejsha. She also has a half-sister, Trinity, who lives in California. Ashley has one full brother, sophomore Justin Everett, star of football field, wrestling mat and track.

Ashley’s favorite classes have been those involving social studies and/or history. She credits this to Mr. Janello at NWMS who inspired in her a love for the past.

When asked why soccer and not volleyball or cross country, Ashley said it’s because she loves soccer and has been playing since she was 6 years old. She says one of her strengths is her ‘never quit’ attitude, but also acknowledges that she needs to work on her shooting skills. Her goal this soccer season was to make the varsity team, which she’s already achieved. She’s been and A-B student through middle school, but plans to challenge herself and obtain a 4.0 GPA for her freshman year.

In addition to soccer, Ashley plans to join the track team in the spring, and is considering trying out for basketball. She also enjoys playing volleyball. On TV, she prefers to watch soccer, as she said that watching skilled players helps her improve her own skills. She normally listens to Christian music, but enjoys most any kind of music. Ashley is a self-confessed crime show junkie. It could be CSI, Law & Order, or something else. She finds herself drawn to such shows. One of her favorite movies is “A Walk to Remember”. You can often find her in the company of Tyler Young.

Her current post high school plans are to get involved in criminal justice system. She’s not sure yet in what capacity, but she feels pulled towards that career field. If she did land her dream job, she would prefer to go to Southern California to live.

Something you probably didn’t know about Ashley: She sings in the shower!

21 questions with Ashley:

Xbox, Playstation, or Wii – Xbox

McDonald’s or Burger King – BK

Comedy or Horror – Horror

OHMS or NWMS – NWMS

Seahawks or Mariner – Seahawks

Shop class or Art class – Art

iPhone or Blackberry –iPhone

Coke or Pepsi – Coke

House or Lost – House

Army or Navy – Navy

Boating or Camping – Boating

Running or Swimming – Running

Ford, Honda, or VW – VW

MAC or PC/Windows – MAC

Jumbo Buffet or Happy Dragon - Jumbo

Math or Science – Math

Walmart or Kmart – Walmart

Cats or Dogs – Dogs

Red or Blue – Blue

NY or LA – LA

Purple or Gold - Gold

Fall Sports schedule changes and added details

OHHS has released the following schedule changes:

Girls Soccer -
The game on 9/29, both JV and varsity, will be played at Everett Stadium
The 10/10 game at Arlington will have a JV start time of 5pm and varsity at 7pm
Lincoln field will now be the site for the 10/15 game against Everett.

Girls Swim -
The Burlington meet from last week was changed to 9/21 for 6pm at Vanderzicht Pool
10/8 will be at Mill Creek Pool at 2:45pm
10/20 will be at 3:15pm at Arne Hanna Pool in Bellingham.

Cross Country -
9/19 - The South Whidbey Invite will start at 10:30am
9/24 - Meet will be at Lyndale Park
10/8 - at Jackson High School
10/31 - District meet starts times are 12:50 for girls, 2:30 for boys

Boys Tennis
9/18 and 10/9 matches will be at Totem MS in Marysville.

JV Football -
10/26 @ Lake Stevens - new time of 5pm.

Freshman football -
10/8 game will be at Snohomish HS at 5:30pm
10/28 game vs Lake Stevens/Cavalero MH is now at OHHS at 5:30pm

Varsity football - No changes.

Volleyball - no changes.

Oak Harbor Youth Football results for Sept 12th.

6 of the 7 OHYFL teams were in action on September 12th.

The Senior team, the Wildcats, were at LaConner, and no score was provided.

The PeeWee Bobcats were in Mt. Vernon and beat the Bulldogs 33-0

The other 4 OH teams, the Cougars, Panthers, Jaguars and Pumas were all in Arlington starting at 9am.

First up was the Cougars playing the Arlington Blue team. It was all Cougars from the start as they built a 26-0 halftime lead, scoring with 4:20 and 1:35 left in the 1st period and then with 8:44 and 5:04 remaining in the 2nd quarter. There was only 1 OH score in the 3rd, at the 1:17 mark to increase the lead to 32-0. It was a very long first half, as there was a lot of penalty flags thrown and complaining by the Arlington coaches about the Cougar style of play.

Arlington finally scored with just over 2 minutes left in the game against the OH 2nd and 3rd string players, and failed to convert, making the final 32-6.

93 photos from the game are posted HERE.

As a result of the long first game, the 2nd game, featuring the Pumas against Arlington Gold started nearly a half-hour after the scheduled 11am kickoff time.

This game was closer, but still dominated by Oak Harbor. The Pumas got on the board first by sniffing out an Arlington reverse and tackling the runner in the end zone for a safety at 3:09 in the first quarter. The Pumas scored on offense with 8:16 remaining to increase their lead to 9-0, and scored once more in the 3rd quarter to make it 15-0. The team could have scored again, but let time run out with just a yard short of another touchdown.

Photos from this game, 63 total, are posted HERE.

Scheduled to start at 1pm, but not getting going until after 1:30, the Jaguars took on Arlington White. This game was a high-powered offensive show, with a total of 87 points scored between the two teams.

There was only 1 score in the first quarter, a Jaguar touchdown with just 21 seconds on the clock. This touchdown was a 99-yard run after the Jags recovered an Arlington fumble on the OH 1 yard line. The second Jag TD was also a 1-play drive after another fumble recovery, this score just 1:15 into the 2nd quarter. The Jag scored twice more in the 2nd while allowing a single Arlington TD to make the score 27-6 at halftime.

The 3rd quarter saw a total of 5 touchdowns, 3 by the Jaguars, the final one with just 9 seconds left, leaving the score to start the 4th 46-20. In the 4th, the Jag allowed to Arlington scores, but scored once themselves to end the game with a 52-35 win.

The heat and sun were starting to take their toll. Not on the players, but on the referees. The game started with 4 officials, who were to call all 4 games. In the 3rd quarter of the Jaguar game, one of the refs went down with severe legs cramps and was out for the rest of the day.

57 Jaguar photos are posted HERE.

Finally, starting almost an hour behind schedule, the Panthers took the field against Arlington's Gold midget team.

Arlington drew first blood, scoring with just under 2 minutes left in the 1st quarter and adding another at the 5:12 mark in the 2nd. Oak Harbor fought back, scoring a TD with 4:50 left at half, and the 12-6 Arlington lead held until halftime.

Another ref was lost after halftime due to heat exhaustion, so the remainder of the game was played with only 2 officials.

The Panthers tied the game about halfway through the 3rd quarter on a punt return for a TD, but just 30 seconds later the Eagles scored and kicked a 2-point PAT to put them ahead 20-12. Arlington scored once more, in the 4th, to win the game 28-12.

54 pictures of the Panther game are posted HERE.

Next Saturday, 9/19, there will be 4 OHYFL games at the Ft. Nugent complex. First up at 9am is the Jaguars vs Burlington Gold, followed by the Pumas vs LaConner at 11am, the Bobcats vs Darrington at 1pm, and finally the Lynx vs Arlington Gold at 3pm. The Wildcats will play at Anacortes starting at 9am, while the two midget teams will be in Burlington. The Panthers play Burlington Blue at 9am and the Cougars go against Burlington Gold at 5pm.