Middle School Girls Basketball 2013-02-19

The Oak Harbor Middle Panthers and North Whidbey Middle School Cougars opened their 2012-2013 basketball season playing each other - but with a twist.

Instead of playing the game in either of the middle schools, arrangements were made to play the game at Oak Harbor High School.  They went full-scale, getting HS announcer Jay Long to introduce the starters and call both the 7th and 8th grade games, opened the concession stand and had the bleachers pulled out so there was room for everyone to sit and watch the game.

The 7th grade game looked to be a blowout early on.  OHMS grabbed an 8-4 first quarter lead and built it to 14-6 by halftime.  Still leading 18-10 at the end of the 3rd, the game appeared over, but NWMS found their offenses and started chipping away at the Panther lead.  Late in the came the Cougars' lead was cut to just 1 points, 18-17, but a not uncommon middle school mistake sealed the win for OHMS.  On a throw in from the end line by OHMS, the ball sailed over the head of the intended Panther.  The ball was grabbed by a NWMS player to promptly raced to the basket for an uncontested layin.  The problem is that it was the wrong basket, giving 2 points to OHMS, making the final score 20-17.

For the Panthers, Trinity Olivera, Alisha Wilson and Hailee Blau each scored 4 points, while Lydia Dorsey, Andrea Ruben and Kaylee Kruger had 2 points each.

The Cougars were led by Briana Garcia and Alyssa McCauley with 6 points each.  Roselia Loera and Emma Kirk scored 2 each and Paige Jackson scored one free throw.

In the 8th grade game, there was also a wrong-basket score, again by NWMS, but it would not have made a difference as NWMS was all over OHMS from the start, winning 43-14.

OHMS scorers: Virginia Black 4, Ajunae Frye 3, Lydia Peplinski and Taylor Edwards 2 each.  For the Cougars it was Bryn Langrock and Rahsanna Graham with 13 each, Michaela Pasch with 6, Elisabeth Adams and Mia Gehrmann with 4 each and Guadalupe Loera with 1.

The two teams are scheduled to play each other again on March 7th at North Whidbey Middle School.  7th grade at 3:30, 8th grade 10 minutes after the 7th grade ends.  Admission is free so come watch the future of Oak Harbor girls basketball.

7th grade video highlights are HERE

8th grade video is HERE.

Click HERE for photos of the 7th grade teams in action, including post-game group photos.

Click HERE for 8th grade photos.  There is only NWMS group photos as OHMS was missing a player.  We'll get photos of that team at a later date.


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Wrestling 2013-02-16 - State Championships

For the first time in a long time, the Oak Harbor Wildcat wrestling team finished in the top 10 at the annual Mat Classic last weekend at the Tacoma Dome.

OH started the tournament with 11 wrestlers - 9 boys and 2 girls.  At the start of the second day of the tournament, only 4 were left, 2 in the winner's bracket.

Cody Fakkema finished in 7th place in state, defeating teammate Jahleel Vester 4-1 in the 7th/8th place match.  It was the 3rd time in the post season the two had met on the mat.

CJ Shavers lost his first match Saturday but came back with a win to wrestle for 3rd place.  His match didn't go well, but for a wrestler who was unranked and essentially unknown at the beginning of the season, it was a spectacular finish!

Josh Crebbin won his opening match by pin, setting up a championship match against Meadowdale's Smith.  The two had met twice previously this season, with Smith winning both.  In this championship match, Smith got the upper hand and held the lead 4-2 with time running low.  The two wrestlers were both on their feet, and Smith was able to hold off Crebbin's takedown attempts until time expired.

Video highlights are HERE


Saturday's photos are posted HERE.


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Wrestling 2013-02-09 - Regional tournament @ Pilchuck

The Oak Harbor Wildcats took 9 to the boys regional tournament at Marysville Pilchuck and 2 to the girls tournament at Sedro-Woolley, and all 11 are moving on to state.

Regional champions for 2012-2013 are Cody Fakkema (132 lbs) and CJ Shavers (170 lbs).

Finishing in 2nd were Zaiha Sams (118), Christian Bertram (106), Jeremy Vester (126), Jahleel Vester (132 - lost to Fakkema), Josh Crebbin (160) and Jackson Constant (285).

In third were Aimee Oliver (155) and Jacob Fitzgerald (138).  In fourth was Mark Johnston (138 - lost to Fitzgerald).

No team standings are available from the girls tournament.  For the boys, OH moved up from 3rd in the district tournament to 2nd in the regional tournament.  The Wildcats scored 176.5 points, while Stanwood was first with 184.5 and Ferndale 3rd with 157.

Before wrestling action started, OH head coach Mike Crebbin was voted Coach of the Year by his peers.  He also won the District award.  This is his 2nd year in a row winning the COY award.

Video highlights of Saturday's wrestling action are posted HERE.

Photos are HERE.



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BBB playoffs

After beating Shorewood in the first round of the playoffs, the Oak Harbor boys team traveled to Jackson HS Saturday evening to take on the 21-2 Mountlake Terrace Hawks in a semi-final game.

The game did not go well for the Wildcats.  Terrace was very aggressive on both offense and defense coming out, and quickly jumped to a 26-7 first-quarter lead and didn't let up for the rest of the half, leading 46-11 at halftime.  Things quieted down in the 3rd quarter with OH scoring 6 and MT 8, but it was still all Hawks, 54-17, going in to the fourth.  In the final quarter, the Wildcat offense found some life, scoring 15 points, but it wasn't enough as Terrace went on to win 64-32.  With the loss, the Wildcats were dropped into the losers bracket to play Shorecrest, who lost their first-round game but won the second.  Terrace moves on to play Stanwood for the District 1 title.

Dayne Herron and Chris Hailer scored 9 each in the loss, Jojo Webster 6, Drew Washington 4 and Dyllan Harris and Gabe Groenig 2 each.

One good thing about the loss to MLT was that the 'Cats would have one more home game.  The stands were packed and loud, and the fans made a difference as Oak Harbor beat Shorecrest 47-46 to stay alive.

After sprinting to an early 13-2 lead, the 'Cats let the Scots back in the game, but held on to a 15-10 lead at the first buzzer and 28-23 at halftime.  In the second half, neither team shot well, but Shorecrest continued to close the gap and grabbed small leads on several occasions.  In the end, it was a pair of free throws by Dayne Herron with less than 15 seconds on the clock that put the Wildcats up by 4, and a key defensive rebound by Chris Hailer that put the game away.  A last second shot by Shorecrest, while good, wasn't enough as Oak Harbor won 47-46.  Drew Washington, Jojo Webster and Chris Hailer each scored 10 points, Herron scored 9 and Dyllan Harris and Gabe Groenig 4 each.

With the win, the Wildcats travel to Jackson HS again for a loser out, winner to regionals game against Glacier Peak.  The game is Saturday evening at 6pm, followed by the MLT/Stanwood championship game.

MLT video clips are HERE

MLT photos are HERE

Click HERE for videos from the Shorecrest game

Click HERE for photos from the Shorecrest game.


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Boys youth basketball update

Here's an update on how the Oak Harbor youth boys basketball teams are doing in the Skagit Parks and Rec SWISH league.

Just over halfway through the season, most of the teams are doing well.

The 4/5th grade team is sporting a 4-1 division record and is currently in 2nd place, winning their Feb 2nd game 43-9.

The 6th grade team has struggled this season,   They are 1-6 overall, 0-6 in their division after losing a heartbreaking 38-37 game last weekend.

At the 7th grade level, both OH teams are doing well.  The Gold team is undefeated after beating Stanwood 44-31 last weekend.  The Purple team rebounded after losing a game early and is now 6-0 after winning a doubleheader last weekend.  They beat Lakewood 35-31 and Sedro White 28-25.

Also undefeated in division play is the 8th grade team.  They are 5-0 in their division and 5-1 overall, and beat Friday Harbor 40-27 last weekend.

There are 3 weeks left to the season, with game on Feb 9th, 16th and 23rd.

Full schedules are available HERE and complete standings are HERE.  If you're in the Mt. Vernon area, stop in and cheer for an Oak Harbor team.  Admission to all games is free.

BBB 2013-02-06 vs Shorewood - playoff

The Wildcat boys are moving on, and are just one game from going to the Regional tournament.

Hosting the Shorewood Thunderbirds in the OHHS gym, few outside of Oak Harbor gave the 'Cats much of a chance to win.

Spreading out the scoring (3 players were in double figures, 2 more had 9 each), and shooting a nearly perfect 9 of 10 from the line in the 4th quarter, Oak Harbor defeated Shorewood 54-49. 

The win earns the 'Cats at trip to Jackson high school Saturday evening to take on WESCO South champ Mountlake Terrace.  Should OH win that game, they would take on the winner of the Stanwood/Glacier Peak game for the WESCO 3A title.

If the 'Cats should lose, the move to the consolation bracket to play the winner of the Shorecrest/Ferndale game.

Jojo Webster led the team with 12 with Gabe Groenig and Chris Hailer scoring 11 each.  Drew Washington and Dyllan Harris scored 9 each, with all of Harris' points coming in the final period, and Dayne Herron finished with 2 points.


Photos are posted HERE

Video highlights are HERE.



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Wrestling 2013-02-01 and 02-02 - District Tournament at Stanwood

The 2012-2013 WESCO 3A boys district tournament was held last weekend at Stanwood HS.  Oak Harbor started the tournament with 23 wrestlers and finished with 15 placers.  As deep as the team was, they finished 3rd in the team standings behind Stanwood and Ferndale.  Part of that was due to a lack of any wrestlers in the 113 and 120 lb weight classes.  The top 3 finishers go on to the Region 1 meet with 4th place going as an alternate.

After the first day of wrestling (2 rounds), 20 OH wrestlers were still alive and at the end of the tournament, 9 Wildcats were wrestling for the district championship but only three ended up on top of the podium.

At 106 lbs, Christian Bertram was seeded 2nd and finished 2nd and moves on to next weekend's Region 1 tournament at Pilchuck.

Jeremy Vester was 126 lb champion after being seeded 2nd.

At 132 lbs, Cody Fakkema and Jahleel Vester were seeded 1 and 2 respectively, and that's the way they finished.  Cody and Jahleel were to wrestle each other for the championship, but the decision was made to have the underclassman forfeit to the senior to avoid any possibility of injury to either wrestler.  Instead of wrestling, they went out and did a fancy handshake.

The same thing happened at 138 lbs, with Mark Johnston seeded 1st and Jacob Fitzgerald seeded 2nd.  Mark defaulted to Jacob, making him District champion.

At 152 lbs, Kekai Tarrant lost his first match and worked his way through the consolation bracket to finish in 5th place.  Unfortunately he had to go against teammate Cayden Cosper and knocked him out of the tournament.

Josh Crebbin was seeded 2nd and finished 2nd to Pilchuck's Drew Hatch at 160 lbs.  Brody Dedobbelaere wrestled for 3rd place and a spot at regionals, but was pinned late in the 1st round and will go as an alternate.

At 170 lbs, CJ Shavers took on Cody Stone from Getchell for the championship.  Both wrestlers were seeded in the middle of the pack but worked their way to the final round.  CJ was looking good and was leading in points, but Stone took advantage of a mistake and wound up pinning CJ.

Jon Laningham started the day in the 182 lb winner's bracket, but ran into a couple of tough wrestlers and finished in 6th place.  Not bad at all for a first-year wrestler at that weight class.

Jacob Dugin lost his first match Friday but worked his way to 6th place at 195 lbs.

At 220 lbs, both Terry Joll and Ray Quinday were placers, with Ray Quinday finishing 6th and Joll 4th.

Finally, at 285 lbs, Jackson Constant went up against Diaz (for the 7th time in just two years) in the championship match but was pinned in the first round.

Video highlights are posted HERE.

Photos are posted HERE.


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BBB 2013-02-01 vs Getchell

February started with a bang as the OHHS boys teams played their final home game of the 2012-2013 regular season.  The games ended the Freshman and JV seasons, while the varsity squad will be moving on to the district tournament.  The Wildcats hosted Marysville Getchell.

The freshmen started a bit slow, but led 9-4 at the first break.  In the second period the boys went on a 10-4 run and followed it up with a 12-2 run in the 3rd to take a commanding 32-16 lead into the 4th quarter.  The big lead must have got to them mentally a bit, as the Wildcats scored only 6 points in the final 8 minutes while allowing Getchell to score 14.  While the Wildcats won 38-30, the game was much closer than it should have been.  Sean Erskine scored 13 to lead the team, Elijah Smith finished with 8, Tyler Snavely 6, Tanner Walker 4, Savion Passmore 3, and Diangelo McKinney and DeAndre Mitchell 2 each.

The JV boys did not falter.  Roaring to a 20-10 first quarter lead, the 'Cats scored in double digits in each period to win going away, 60-48.  Three Wildcats finished with double figures - Cortez Ridley with 15 and Connor Parmenter and Jacob Sturdevant with 10 each.  Ben Fikse scored 8, JJ Johnson 7, Isaiah Rennes 4 and Alex Warner and Gage Eccleston 2 each.

Before the varsity game, Coach Washington took time out to recognize and honor the 6 graduating seniors.  While the all may not have played as many minutes as they wanted, they were still valuable and important parts of the team.  Graduating this spring are: Dayne Herron, Jojo Webster, Chris Hailer, Forrest Brown, Anthony Stewart and Anfernee Angkaw.

The varsity team won the first game against the Chargers 76-59 and the boys were looking for a repeat.  Getchell, however, had other ideas.  After the first 8 minutes of play the two teams were tied at 12 each, and at halftime the Wildcats held a slim 24-20 lead.  Both teams played even in the 3rd, scoring 15 each, leaving OH with just a 4-point, 39-35 lead going into the final quarter.  While the 'Cats weren't stellar from the floor, they shone at the line, with Jojo Webster going 4-4 and Dyllan Harris 7-7, and those free throws proved the difference as OH held on to win 62-53.  Dayne Herron was a monster inside, scoring 21 points to lead the game.  Webster finished with 15 and Harris 13.  Drew Washington scored 6, Chris Hailer 4 (both crowd-pleasing dunks), Gabe Groening 2 and Anfernee Angkaw 1.

The Wildcats host a first-round game this coming Wednesday, Feb 6th against Stanwood in the OHHS gym.

Photos from the game are posted HERE.

Click HERE for video highlights from the varsity game.


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