Middle School Cross Country Championships 10-22

The middle school Northwest League held their cross country championship races Thursday afternoon at the old Northern State Hospital outside Sedro-Woolley. Although it was dry, the course was challenging.

The day started off with the 7th grade girls race. The combined Oak Harbor/North Whidbey team, known as Wildcat United, had its biggest presence in this race - 8 runners. The top 7th grade girl was Jonalynn Horn, who finished in 8th place with a time of 10:29. She was followed by Lauryn Plush in 11th at 10:53, then Hayley Lundstrom in 14th and Aubrey Lock in 19th. Alyssa Eden came in 10th, Katie Ducken 26th, Sydney Erickson 34th and Elise Still 38th.

The 7th grade boys race was the opposite of the girls race for Oak Harbor - there was only a single boy running, Hunter Adams. He ran the course in 10:53, good enough for a 20th place finish.

In the 8th grade girls race, Wildcat United showed their power. Olivia Meyer spent half the race in a dead heat with a Burlington girl, but about halfway through, Olivia took change and won the race with room to spare. Her winning time was 9:47. Not far behind her, Alex Laiblin finished in 3rd place with a time of 10:11. Also finishing in the 8th grade girls race were Kayleigh Harper 23rd, Jasmyn Maier 26th, Kennedy Trisler 27th and Yzabella Sampson 28th.

Finally, in the 8th grade boys race, Nathaniel Stanford ran a time of 9:42 for a 6th place finish, and Colton Johnson clocked a 10:01 for 10th place. Brendan Bristow finished 26th, Nathan Wagner 28th and Harrison Miller rounded out the OH/NW field in 35th.

It was a good day for running and the runners can all be proud of their efforts.


144 images covering all 4 races are posted HERE.

Girls swim 10-21-209

The Wildcat swim team pulled it off Wednesday night at the John Vanderzicht Memorial Pool. They finished the regular season undefeated, including very satisfying wins over Snohomish and Marysville, traditional WESCO powerhouses.

Wednesday's meet was a dual against the Cascade Bruins, and the Wildcats got off to an early start, finishing the first event with a 1-2-3 finish.

The girls went on to win all but one event.

After the diving event, there was a short break while the seniors were recognized for their leadership over the years.

The girls have nearly two weeks to prepare for the upcoming 4A prelims on November 4th at Marysville.

83 images from the meet, many of the diving competition, are posted HERE.

Boys Tennis 10-21 - WESCO North tournament

Due to rain and wet courts in Stanwood, Wednesday's matches were moved inside

Oak Harbor had 4 entries starting the first day of the tournament.

Derek Thomas was seeded #2 and Josh Evans #8 in singles, and in doubles it was the teams of David DeGuzman & Chase Edwards, and Ben Cardinal & Max O'Dell. Cardinal and O'Dell were seeded 8th.

Thomas beat his man, Joye Zingarelli of Stanwood easily, 6-1, 6-0. Josh also had no problem putting away Tucker DeGraffenreid of Arlington 6-2, 6-2.

DeGuzman and Edwards lost to the #2 seed, from Marysville 6-3, 6-3 and were eliminated. Cardinal and O'Dell won their match 6-4, 6-4 to advance to Thursday's competition.

Play resumes today (Thursday) at 1pm.

JV Football 10-19-09 vs Arlington

Wow. Another close game at Wildcat Memorial Stadium, and more proof of how important the kicking game is.

The JV Wildcat football team faced the Arlington Eagles Monday evening, with the Wildcats coming away 27-26 winners.

Arlington got the ball first, but recorded negative yardage, partially due to a combined sack by Connor Meyer and Kevawn Brooks. An interception by Justin Everett at the Arlington 32 ended the drive.

Now with the ball at the 3, it was easy for Zack Ayer to bull his way through the line and into the end zone. With just over 2 minutes used in the game, it was OH 7, Arlington 0.

The Eagles responded by driving to the OH 26 when the QB found a receiver open for a touchdown. Arlington attempted a fake kick, a direct snap to the kicker who was brought down by Peter Franssen at the 3 yard line. 5:19 to go in the 1^st, OH with the 1-point lead, 7-6.

The Wildcats answered with a long drive of their own, covering 80 yards in 9 plays, capped by another Ayer run. Franssen’s kick was again good, Oak Harbor 14, Arlington 6 with 2:21 left in the 1^st quarter.

The first quarter ended with Arlington facing a 4^th and 2 at the OH 4 yard line. Most of the yards of the drive were taken up with a long run from the Arlington 36 down to the OH 23. Arlington attempted a pass to get the TD, but it fell incomplete.

Unable to move the ball, the ‘Cats were forced to punt from their own 8 yard line, but got a nice roll across midfield to the Arlington 48.

Arlington’s drive lasted only 2 plays. The first a run down to the that the JV defense stuck for a 2-yard loss, and on the 2^nd play the Arlington QB couldn’t handle the snap at the 40 He was able to pick it up at the 38, but Zack Wallace was there to knock it back out of his hands. Brent Ryan was on top of it, picked up the ball, and was able to get a few yards in the other direction to the Arlington 25.

The drive didn’t start well for Oak Harbor, as Arlington sniffed out the run play for a 6-yard loss, then a pass was deflected by a defensive lineman, and another run was stopped, setting up a 4^th and 18 at the Arlington 33. Gabe Dye then found Sean Warner open at the 25, and needing 10 more for the first down, got 11. A catch by Meyer put the ball on the 2 yard line where Miller ran it in. The PAT kick missed, but it was still OH in the lead, 20-6.

Arlington took the OH kickoff at the 20 and returned it out to the 34 yard line, and 7 plays later it was first and goal for Arlington on the OH 6 yard line. Two runs later it was 3^rd and goal at the 3. The QB ran to his left, but Warner saw what he was trying and caught up with him at the 10 yard line. On 4^th down Arlington tried a pass play that was ruled complete, but at the 1 yard line, giving Oak Harbor the ball.

Gabe Dyes’ 1^st down pass was well thrown, but just a tad short and was picked off by Arlington, and this time they were able to score on a pass play to close the gap to 20-13 with 2:47 left in the first half. That score would stand until halftime.

To open the 2^nd half, the Arlington kickoff went inside the OH 10 yard line, where it was caught Josiah Miller, who returned the ball across the 50 and down to the Arlington 48. Then it was all Ayer. He ran the ball up the middle for 5 straight plays, giving OH a 1^st and goal at the 8 yard line. He was all set to run again, but the snap went high, and before Dye could get it down and handed off, Ayer was already past. The ball was knocked out of Dye’s hands and Arlington was able to recover.

The Eagles needed only 3 plays to reach the end zone. The QB found some holes and simply outran the Wildcat secondary for a 73-yard TD run. The kick was good to tie the game at 20 with 8:35 left in the 3^rd.

Oak Harbor drove down to the Eagle 8 on their next possession, but a 4^th down field goal attempt was no good with 5:08 left.

Arlington used the rest of the 3^rd quarter to drive down into Oak Harbor territory, the quarter ending with the score still 20-20 and Arlington with the ball, 3^rd and 5 on the OH 41.

The first play of the final period was a QB run to the OH 25, then, under a load of pressure by the Wildcat defense, found a receiver open for the go ahead score. Again, Arlington’s kick PAT attempt failed, leaving the score at 26-20 in favor of Arlington.

Most of the 4^th quarter was back and forth, with two punts by Arlington and a punt and fumble by Oak Harbor.

With just 3:29 left in the game and down by 6 points, Oak Harbor had the ball on their own 18 yard line with a first down. The first two plays were incomplete passes, then Ayer pulled in a throw for an OH first down at the 31. The next 3 passes were also incomplete, but on 4^th down Dye found Justin Everett open at the OH 44. A short run by Ayer put the ball on the OH 47, then a long run by Miller brought it to the Arlington 35 with 1:55 left. Dye again found Miller on a pass play to the end zone with 1:48 left. Franssen’s kick was good to put OH ahead by one point, 27-26.

Arlington was not about to give up. After the kickoff, the Eagles had 1:42 on the clock and 74 yards to the OH goal line. The first play was an incomplete pass, then a sack made it 3^rd and 21 at the Arlington 15, but the Eagles were able to get the first down at the 46, then a long pass was good down to the OH 17 yard line. A flag was thrown on the play but waved off. With just 54 seconds to go in the game, Arlington had a first down at the Oak Harbor 17. The first play was a run for no gain, then a pass that was deflected, then another pass that was incomplete in the end zone. Still at the 17, Arlington lined up for a field goal, the snap and place were good, but it appears a Wildcat got his hand up and on the ball. The kick ended up landing 3 yards deep in the end zone and rolling out.

Oak Harbor took a knee to run out the final 16 seconds of the game, leaving with a well-earned 27-26 victory.

5 video clips from the game are posted HERE.

Flag football 10-17

While the boys were playing tackle football, a small group of dedicated (and very soggy) girls were playing flag football at Ft. Nugent Park.

This is a brand new program to Oak Harbor put on with NAS Whidbey Youth Activities and Oak Harbor Youth Football League.  This is part of the Oak Harbor Youth Football League just for girls ages 9-14.  This program gives girls the opportunity to learn about football, gain skills, and compete in this exciting sport.  Cost is $60.00 per player and includes all equipment and jerseys.  This program is also a Youth NFL program and the jerseys are authentic NFL Youth Flag Football jerseys.  So far the girls have learned a lot and vastly improved their skill level.

To find out more information or to register:
Visit the Oak Harbor Youth football League website at www.eteamz.com/oakharborfootball
Call or stop by the NAS Youth Center at 54 Wake Ave. building # 2874 Phone: 257-3150
Oak Harbor Youth Football League phone: 360-632-8416 

115 photos from the girls game are posted HERE.

Youth Soccer 10-117

We were able to get to only two games last Saturday, both BU-10 games. It was pouring rain for most of both games, but that didn't stop the boys from giving their all, and didn't stop the parents from cheering madly for their kids!

The first was the Red Gladiators, sponsored by Advanced Construction and Maintenance, Inc., and the Blue "Red Bulls", sponsored by NWSA.

39 photos from the game are posted HERE.

The other game was the medium blue Dragons, sponsored by Van Cleve Opticians against the dark blue Mean Machine, sponsored by Best Friends Veterinary Clinic.

Those photos (40 of them) are posted HERE.

Youth football 10-17

There is only info from the two Pee Wee games, the Lynx and Bobcats.

The Bobcats all thought they had a 3pm game, but the schedule had been changed and the game was now scheduled to start at 1pm. The game finally started at 1:40pm with only 10 players available for the Bobcats. They decided to play, and went the entire quarter with only the 10 players and found themselves down 13-0. By halftime the team had their full roster and had tied the game. In the end, the Bobcats were able to pull out a 20-19, well-earned victory.

The Lynx played tough against Mt. Vernon at MVHS. The first time the Lynx touched the ball, the play went all the way to the end zone for a score. Each team scored two more touchdowns, and all the PAT attempts failed, except for one, and that one PAT decided the game. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs got the point and won the game 19-18.

Photos from the Lynx game are posted HERE.

There are also a few photos from the Panther game vs Friday Harbor in Oak Harbor HERE.

Football 10-16 @ Arlington

It wasn’t cold, it wasn’t windy, but it sure was wet as the Oak Harbor Wildcat varsity football team traveled to Arlington to play the Eagles. The game was at Larsen Stadium, but it looked like Larsen Lake as there were several areas of standing water on the playing surface as the rain came down for the entire game. It was Arlington’s homecoming - the 3^rd homecoming opponent for the ‘Cats this year. The Wildcat were missing several key players for a variety of reasons, and lost more as the game progressed.

Oak Harbor received the opening kickoff, but punted 3 plays later. Arlington started on their own 40 yard line. Their first play was a long pass complete down to the OH 27 on a halfback pass and eventually wound up with a first and goal at the OH 4 yard line. Oak Harbor didn’t give up easily, making Arlington take 4 plays before finally punching it in with 7:00 to go in the first quarter. Arlington 7, OH 0.

After a false start penalty on Oak Harbor’s first play of their second series, the Wildcats found themselves backed up deep, the ball on the OH 7 yard line. The first play was a pass to Brad Farnum, then Brent Ryan pounded it up the middle for the Oak Harbor first down at the OH 28. On the 2^nd and 6 play from the OH 32, QB Luke Felkner found a hole and wasn’t downed until he got across midfield and down to the Arlington 43. On 2^nd and 4 at the 37, Felkner found Josh Higbee open for a first down at the 26, but the refs added another 15 yards after a late, out of bound, helmet first hit by an Arlington defender. The penalty placed the ball just inside the Arlington 13 yard line, and 3 plays later Ryan took it up the middle again to tie the game with 3:14 left in the first. That score would stand through the end of the first quarter.

On their first possession of the 2^nd quarter, Arlington was able to march down the field, finally scoring on an 8-yard pass play with 5:29 left in the half. Arlington 14, OH 7.

Higbee got the ball on the kickoff at the 3 yard line, but slipped and went down at the 13. He was hit by an Arlington player while down, but the refs chose not to flag that contact. Oak Harbor was forced to punt, with Arlington signaling for a fair catch at the OH 40. Arlington tried the halfback pass again, but this time the Wildcat defense was ready, and Derrick Clarit snagged the pass at the OH 22. The Wildcat celebration was short-lived, as a bad snap on the Wildcat’s first play took the ball back to the OH 10, and again Oak Harbor punted away.

The Wildcat defense held the Eagles, and the Arlington punt was picked up by Higbee at the OH 4 and returned to the 19 yard line. A nice run made it 2^nd and 4, but on the next play the ball carrier was hit hard and the ball jarred loose. It was recovered by Arlington at the OH 23 with only 1:20 left on the clock.

Arlington’s QB scrambled around on the first play and appeared to fumble the ball at the OH 9 yard line, but the officials ruled him down and gave Arlington a first down at the OH 13. Two plays later and with only 29 seconds left in the half, Arlington took a 21-7 lead.

After bringing the kickoff out to the 30, the Wildcats opted to take a knee to end the first half, down 21-7.

To open the 2^nd half, Oak Harbor tried an onside kick. The ball skidded across the large puddles and through the hands of the first Arlington player, but a 2^nd Arlington man fell on the ball to retain possession for the Eagles.

Arlington moved the ball down to the OH 30, and it looked like the defense would hold, as Arlington was looking at a 4^th and 5. However, during the pass, the Wildcat defender was well blocked, then slipped when he turned towards the receiver, and Arlington was able to score again, taking a 28-7 lead with 10:02 left in the 3^rd.

Now looking at 3^rd and almost 10 from their own 35 yard line, Felkner tossed a pass high towards Peter Franssen. The Arlington defender slipped and fell, but was able to put a hand out and snag Franssen’s foot just after he caught the ball, preventing a sure OH touchdown. Two nice runs by Ryan later, Oak Harbor had the ball with a first down on the Arlington 18 yard line and two plays after that it was Felkner to Franssen again to close the score to 28-14 with 6:57 left in the 3rd.

Arlington’s next drive got down to the Wildcat 32, where the defense had put the Eagles into a 4^th and 13 situation. Arlington threw deep, and had a receiver open at the OH 3, but Andy Haag came seemingly from nowhere, and made a smart play by batting the ball away rather than attempting an interception, so instead of a first down at the OH 3, it was first down Wildcats at the OH 32.

The third quarter ended with the Wildcats trailing 28-14, but with the ball and driving, looking at a 3^rd and 3 on the Arlington 45. The 3^rd down run was stopped, but the 4^th down pass was complete to Franssen for a first down at the Arlington 38. However, after a tackle for a loss on a run attempt by Felkner and a sack, the Wildcats punted from the Arlington 47. The Eagles were able to return the ball into Oak Harbor territory, at the 45 yard line. Felkner made the tackle on the Eagle return man, but injured himself and he didn’t return for the remainder of the game.

The Wildcats were able to stop Arlington in 3, but the Eagle punt splashed down at the OH 1 yard line. The first play of this drive was an incomplete pass by new QB Gabe Dye, the 2^nd a short run setting up 3^rd and 8 from the 3. There, Dye found Mike Washington, Jr. open for a 34 yard gain to the 37 yard line. Ryan plowed across midfield to give OH a first down at the Arlington 47. Dye then ran the ball himself up the middle, used an official as a screen, and made it down to the Eagle 32. The next play was nearly disastrous for the ‘Cats, as the Dye pass to Farnum was a little short and looked like a sure interception, but two Eagle defenders both went for the ball and it bounced off both, falling incomplete. On 3^rd and 8, Dye found Ryan open at the Eagle 20 with forward progress to the 17. Franssen caught a pass at the 5, then a pass intended for Washington was nearly intercepted again, but was ruled incomplete. 2^nd down was incomplete, in and out of the hands of Washington at the goal line. On 3^rd down, Dye was sacked at the 17 yard line. Now with a 4^th and goal to go, Dye tossed the ball to Sayre, who caught it at the 1 yard line, fell across the goal line and into the end zone to close the gap to just a single TD, 28-21, with 4:44 left in the game.

Again the Wildcats attempted the onside kick, and again the Eagles were able to cover, this time at the Eagle 45. Their 2^nd play was a handoff around the left side that went down to the Oak Harbor 3 yard line before Higbee could make the tackle. On the next play Arlington ran through the middle to give themselves a two-TD lead again, 35-21, with 3:33 left.

Josiah Miller returned the kickoff to the OH 39, but sacks on both 3^rd and 4^th downs ended the Wildcat drive and gave Arlington the ball at the OH 25 yard line. The second Eagle play of the series was an end around that went into the end zone. The Wildcats blocked the PAT kick, but it was still 41-21 with only 2:07 left in the game.

The Wildcats couldn’t do anything with their final possession and punted the ball away, then Arlington took a couple of knees to end the game, winning their homecoming 41-21.

5 video highlight clips are posted HERE.

Volleyball practice 10-15-09

There was an opportunity to visit with the varsity volleyball girls before practice on Thursday, and the below video clip and photos were the result.

Those are come crazy girls!

Photos link is HERE.

Video clip link HERE.

Freshman football 10-14 vs Stanwood

If you weren’t at the freshman football game against Stanwood last Wednesday at Wildcat Memorial Stadium, you missed a good game!

Oak Harbor didn’t waste any time getting on the board, taking the opening kickoff from their own 37 to the goal line in just 7 plays, capped by a Trower run from 35 yards out. Less than 3 minutes into the game it was OH 6, Stanwood 0.

Stanwood responded quickly, needing only 2 plays and 47 seconds to score. The kick failed, leaving the score at 6-6.

Still 6-6 at the start of the 2^nd quarter, Stanwood continued a long drive, punching it into the end zone from one yard out to take a 13-6 lead with 7:54 to go until halftime.

The Wildcats started from the 30 yard line, and moved the ball quickly into Spartan territory. Trower took the handoff on the first play out to the 42, and later Richter carried the ball 55 yards down to the Stanwood 5. Langingham took it in on the next play. The kick failed, leaving Stanwood with a 13-12 lead.

The Spartan’s next possession was a disaster for them. The kickoff went to the 12 yard line and was returned to the 39, but an illegal block call moved it back to the Stanwood 13. Stanwood’s center snapped the ball over the head of the QB on the next play and he was able to recover it at his own 2 yard line. The Wildcat defense put pressure on him on the next play, tackling him 5 yards deep in the end zone for the safety. OH was back in the lead 14-13 with just over 5 minutes until halftime.

That score would stand until halftime.

Oak Harbor tried an onside kick to open the 2^nd half, and nearly recovered the ball at the Stanwood 44. The Spartans then used 10 plays to score, re-taking the lead 21-14 at the 5:53 mark.

OH also scored, with 3 runs by Langingham and two by Kolste, including a 2-yard run for the TD. The drive covered 56 yards and burned nearly 3 minutes off the clock. A 2-point conversion attempt failed and Stanwood held on to a 21-20 lead with 2:44 left in the 3^rd.

Stanwood had problems on their next series, losing yards due to two penalties and a sack, and the drive was stopped by an OH interception at the Stanwood 49 yard line. 3 plays later the 3^rd quarter ended, with Oak Harbor looking at a 3^rd and 11 at the 50, and behind by 1 point, 21-20. The 4^th down snap went over the QB’s head and he was tackled at the OH 36.

The defense held, with a 4^th and 12 Stanwood pass attempt falling incomplete. With 8:52 left in the game.

With the ball at their own 38 yard line, Trower took the ball out to the Stanwood 46, then Langingham caught a swing pass and raced 44 yards to pay dirt. The 2-point run attempt failed, but Oak Harbor was back in the lead 26-21, but with over 7 minutes left on the clock.

Stanwood’s second play was a run up the gut, and the runner broke free and was racing for the Oak Harbor end zone, but 3 Wildcats caught up to him. Trower knocked the ball free and James Engen recovered it at the OH 23.

Oak Harbor was only able to get the ball out to the 43, but burned over 4 minutes off the clock before punting with 2:17 left in the game.

Stanwood, with only 1:58 left in the game and at the OH 46, threw a pass complete to the OH 42, then an incomplete, then a deep pass was picked off by Trower, and he returned it back to the OH 45. 3 knees later time ran out and Oak Harbor was the 26-21 winner.

Jordan Oliver had a great game. He threw for 148 yards and 2 tds, both to Langingham

67 photos, mostly of warmups, are posted HERE.

5 video clips are posted HERE.

Girls Soccer 10-13 vs Stanwood

A badly depleted OHHS girls soccer team took on the Stanwood Spartans Tuesday afternoon at Wildcat Memorial Stadium. So many girls were ill that the JV game was canceled, and 5 of the 17 varsity players were missing due to illness and/or injury. Several healthy JV

Since it was a varsity-only match, the game started at 5:30 instead of the usual 7:30.

The girls played hard as usual, but just couldn't seem to find the goal as Stanwood won 5-0.

55 photos from the game are HERE.

Volleyball 10-12 at Stanwood

The OHHS Volleyball teams traveled to Stanwood for a rare Monday match and didn't fare well overall.

The freshman team played 3 very close games, but Stanwood was able to capture the win in all of them.

The JV team also played close in game on, falling 21-25, but regrouped to win game two 25-17. In the deciding game 3, the JV girls hot hot, zipping to a 13-3 lead before pounding the Spartans 25-10. The match was decided by a great double block by Breanna Jones and Janine DeGuzman. Nikita Ford was a force in the match, smacking down several balls for Wildcat points.

The varsity team led 11-7 in game one before letting Stanwood back in to tie the game at 16. At that point things seemed to fall apart for Oak Harbor as Stanwood won game one 25-19. Game 2 was similar, with the Wildcats right in it until about the halfway point, but Stanwood put the second game away as well, 25-16.

It was deja vu all over again in game 3. The Wildcats were down by only 3 points, 12-15, but could muster only 3 more points in the game before losing 25-15 as Stanwood swept the 'Cats.

There were bright spots, as libero Kelsey Terrazas-Cooley and outside hitter Katelyn Bristow had 17 digs each and junior Janessa tallied 5 kills.

6 video clips, 3 each from varsity and JV, are posted HERE.

99 photos from the JV and varsity match, plus a few from freshman action, can be found HERE.

Youth Football 10-10

All 7 teams were in action last Saturday, but were scattered over 4 different sites.

The Cougars and Jaguars were in Sedro Woolley, the Panthers at La Conner, Lynx and Pumas at South Whidbey and the Bobcats and Wildcats at home at Ft. Nugent fields.

The Panthers, Jaguars and Pumas were the only winners, but there were several close games.

The Panthers won 8-6 over LaConner, the Jaguars beat Sedro Blue 21-7 and the Pumas demolished South Whidbey 46-0.

Also playing against S. Whidbey, the Lynx played most of the game in a 0-0 tie, but S. Whidbey was able to break one play open and scored late in the game to win 6-0. The Bobcats lost by only a single pint, 25-24 to Sedro Wooley and the Cougars by 2, 14-12 to Sedro Woolley White. Rounding out the games, the Wildcats fell to Bellingham 32-12.

Next Saturday's schedule: (records are as of the week of 10/3)

3-1 Bobcats at 3-1 Lakewood - 1pm
0-4 Lynx at 1-4 Mt. Vernon - 4:30pm
1-3 Wildcats at 4-1 Arlington Gold - 11am
4-0 Cougars at home vs 4-1 Arlington White - 9am
0-5 Panthers at home vs 1-3 Friday Harbor - 11am
4-0 Jaguars at home vs 4-0 Friday Harbor - 1pm
4-1 Pumas at home vs 5-0 Bellingham - 3pm

3 video clips from the Lynx game vs South Whidbey are posted HERE.

Pictures from the Pumas-S. Whidbey game are posted HERE.

Varsity football 10-9 vs Stanwood

The Wildcats lit up the scoreboard last Friday night, throwing up 39 points, 29 of them in the 2^nd half, but in the end Stanwood was able to score more, and held off a last-second drive by Oak Harbor to win the game 47-39.

Stanwood got the ball first and on the very first play from scrimmage, Judd Ford snagged the runner for a 2-yard loss. Stanwood went on to lose another 3 yards and punted after 3 plays.

Oak Harbor’s first play was a pass to Josh Sayre, good for 7 yards, the second play was an incomplete pass, and the 3^rd and 3 play was a short toss to Mike Washington, Jr., who found room and went up the middle and 71 yards later was in the end zone. Ryan Fakkema added the kick and less than 3 minutes into the game it was OH 7, Stanwood 0.

Stanwood was again held to a 3-and-out, but Oak Harbor’s next possession ended on the 2^nd play with an interception at the 40 and return to the OH 14. It took 5 plays, but Stanwood found the end zone with 5:01 left in the first to tie the game at 7.

The two teams then traded punts, but Stanwood’s punt was returned to the Stanwood 47, and a leaping Josh Higbee reception brought the ball down to the 9 yard line. Washington caught a pass down to the 4 yard line where the first quarter ended.

Starting the 2^nd quarter with 2^nd and goal at the 4, the Wildcats were not able to punch it in and called in Fakkema to put 3 more on the board. His kick was good with 10:33 remaining in the half, giving the lead back to Oak Harbor 10-7.

The first Spartan possession of the 2^nd quarter ended in a touchdown when a pass play from the OH 27 was tipped and caught by a Stanwood receiver who made it into the end zone, giving the lead back to Stanwood with 8:51 remaining, 14-10.

The Wildcats punted on their next three possessions while Stanwood scored on their next two, running the ball right at the Wildcat defensive line. When the clock ran out on the first half the score stood at Stanwood 28, Oak Harbor 10.

Whatever Coach Turner said to the guys in the locker room at halftime seemed to work, as the ‘Cats took the 2^nd half kickoff and marched 65 yards in 10 plays, with Donovan Hunt scoring on a 7-yard pass reception.

The Wildcats held Stanwood on their next series, with Nick Rouser and Jon Witalis teaming up for a 5-yard sack on a Spartan 3^rd down play, forcing the punt.

This time it only took 6 plays for the Wildcats to score, driving 77 yards. Donovan Hunt scored on a 2-yard run with 4:53 left and Josh Higbee caught a 2-point conversion pass, leaving OH down by only 3 points, 28-25.

Both teams punted their next possessions, and the 3^rd quarter ended with Stanwood holding on to a 28-25 lead and a first down at their own 45 yard line.

The first play of the final quarter was an incomplete pass, and the next, a run, saw Nick Rouser getting his hand on the ball carrier’s arm and strip the ball away, recovered by Oak Harbor. The refs added insult to injury by tacking on a 15-yard personal foul penalty against Stanwood, giving the Wildcats the ball at the Spartan 29. Oak Harbor scored on a 30 yard Hunt reception on 4^th and 11. Donovan had to stretch to get the ball across the goal line before being tackled, but the refs said he made it. Oak Harbor was now back in the lead, 32-28, with 10:04 left in the game.

Oak Harbor’s celebration didn’t last long, as Stanwood needed only 2 plays to cover 68 yards, using only 30 seconds.

Stung, but not giving up, OH drove the ball down to the Stanwood 21. On 3^rd and 10 from the 21, quarterback Luke Felkner was forced to scramble and went out of bounds at the 19, but was hit hard by a Stanwood defender. Flags flew and it was first and goal for the ‘Cats at the Stanwood 8 yard line. Two runs by Hunt moved the ball to the 1 yard line, where Washington caught a pass for his second score of the game. Oak Harbor led again, 39-35 with 6:11 remaining.

Stanwood went back to their successful ‘run it up the middle’ strategy, and it worked as the Spartans re-took the lead, 41-39 with 2:50 left.

After the Stanwood kickoff, Oak Harbor had the ball at their own 36 yard line. A bad snap ended with Felkner getting sacked at the 17, and on the next play Stanwood put extra pressure on Felkner, sending him back near the goal line. He tried to throw the ball away, but the toss was caught by a Stanwood player at the 5 for an easy touchdown. The kick failed, leaving Oak Harbor down by 8 points, 47-39 and 2:05 remaining in the game.

Starting at their own 48, Felkner completed a pass to Hunt at the 29, but on the next play Felkner tripped after getting the snap, then was intercepted at the 6 yard line and only 1:04 left.

Although some in the crowd started to leave, the game was not over, as Oak Harbor still had all 3 timeouts. They used them on defense, and the boys forced the Spartans to punt with 36 seconds left

After the punt, the ball was placed at the Stanwood 42 and 28 seconds were on the clock. The first play was a pass to Hunt, complete to the Stanwood 10 yard line. The clock was stopped with 17 seconds left to reset the chains, but Felkner was sacked and could not get the ball snapped and grounded before time expired.

It was a close one, but Stanwood held on to win 47-39.

Next for the varsity team is a trip to 2-4 Arlington on October 16^th. The Eagles score an average of over 37 points per game but give up over 31 points per game. Arlington has won only 1 league game so far, a 60-9 blowout of Monroe last Friday night.

61 photos from pregame warmups are posted HERE.

3 video clips from the game are posted HERE.

Volleyball 10-8 Arlington

Again using the NWMS gym as home court, this time due to parent conferences, the Wildcat volleyball team took on the Arlington Eagles Thursday evening.

The last time the Wildcats played at NWMS, against Cascade, it was a 5-game marathon, and this one was no different.

As they have done many times this year, the Wildcats played extremely well in game one, especially early. They stumbled a bit but held on to win 25-23.

Game two went to Arlington 25-21, and game 3 was all Arlington as the Eagles beat the Wildcats 25-18.

With their backs against the wall, the girls went back to work, dominating Arlington in game 4 by a score of 25-12.

Game 5 was close, but some nice play by the girls culminated in a 15-13 game 5 score and a 3-2 league win.

The JV team was able to win only 1 of their 3 games.

Over at OHMS, the Freshman team was playing some exciting volleyball. Although they didn't play badly in game one, some mental errors and breaks that went Arlington's way led to a lopsided score. Game 2 was closer, and the girls almost won game 3, 23-25.

3 clips from the freshman match and 3 from the varsity match are posted HERE.

98 photos from both varsity and freshman action are HERE.

Volleyball 10-6 vs Lake Stevens

It wasn't a good night for Oak Harbor volleyball overall, but there were some bright points.

First off, the freshman team got to play their first match at the high school. Due to the remodeling, all games to date had been played at either NWMS or OHMS. Missing some size in the middle due to an injured Kelsey Rankin, the Freshman 'Cats lost to the Viking 11-25, 19-25, 12-25.

The JV game played two close sets. Lake Stevens won the first 25-21, and the Wildcats were able to hold on to win the second 25-23. In the 3rd game, however, too many OH mistakes gave LS a 25-13 win and a 2-1 series win.

On the varsity floor, although the Vikings won 3-0, Marisa Sutherland led all players with 11 kills, and defensively the Wildcats had nearly 80 digs, 32 of them by libero Kelsey Terrazas-Cooley.

Photos from all 3 matches are posted HERE, along with some faces in the crowd pics.

Video clips will be posted later Wednesday night, and can be found HERE.

JV Football 10-5 vs Snohomish

It's 2-for-2 in football wins against Snohomish so far this year, as the JV team whipped the Panthers 33-10 Monday night.

The game started with both teams trading 3-and-outs. Snohomish's 2nd possession started at their own 39, and after 10 plays had only moved to the OH 41. A 4th-and-12 pass attempt was tipped away by Josiah Miller.

Oak Harbor's first play after the turnover went into Snoho territory on a Peter Franssen reception. The Wildcats continued to drive, with Zach VanPelt and Cody Sanders each with a reception and Miller with a run. Now at the Panther 27, quarterback Gabe Dye found Miller open, and after bobbling the ball a bit was able to put it away and get the score. With only 1:59 left in the first quarter it was OH 7, Snohomish 0.

After the kickoff, the Wildcats again held Snohomish to just 3 plays before the punt which was returned to the Snohomish 23 yard line.

Two plays later it was 1st and goal for Oak Harbor, and a Dye pass to the corner of the end zone was pulled in by Sean Warner for another OH score. The Wildcat drive took 3 plays and burned 22 seconds off the clock. OH 14, Sno 0, 11:38 2nd.

It was another 3-and-out for Snohomish, but this time ended with a big break for the 'Cats. Looking at a 4th and 18 from their own 27 yard line, the Panther snap went over the punter's head and was downed at the 8 yard line. Two plays later Dye ran it in. Franssen's kick was good again and still with 9:22 left until halftime it was OH 21, Snoho 0.

Snohomish then mounted their longest drive of the game. Starting at their own 26 with 9:18 on the clock, the Panthers used 8-1/2 minutes and 20 plays to get down to the OH 29. The final play of that drive came after a combination sack by Zack Ayer and Kyle Frank to make it 4th and 24. Snohomish threw the long ball, and Oak Harbor got hands on the ball, but intercepted it rather than bat it down. As a result, Oak Harbor got the ball at the 2 yard line rather than the 29, and on the next play the runner was tackled in the end zone for a safety. With just 32 seconds left in the half, Snohomish finally got on the board, but the 'Cats led 21-2.

Oak Harbor got the ball first in the 2nd half, but couldn't get out of their own territory and the ball was turned over on downs. Snohomish took advantage of the OH miscue and drove for a touchdown in 4 plays. The 2-point pass conversion was good, and now the score was Oak Harbor 21, Snohomish 10.

Again, the Wildcat drive ended with a failure to convert on 4th down, but the defense stopped the Panthers, a 4th down pass attempt from the OH 23 falling incomplete in the end zone. Oak Harbor got the ball at the Panther 23, but fumbled back to Snohomish on the first play.

With 1:43 left in the 3rd, Snohomish had the ball at the OH 23. They drove to the 10, but a holding call backed them up. Finally looking at a 4th down at the OH 18, Snohomish went for the fake field goal, but the pass was incomplete.

On the Wildcat's first play, Dye delayed his handoff, then gave it to Miller, who bounced off several defenders and ran 82 yards to pay dirt. The kick was blocked and it was 27-10 in favor of OH with 9:19 left in the game.

Snohomish ran 8 plays before the OH defense, on a 4th down play, tackled the Snohomish QB 2 yards short of a first down.

Oak Harbor was now letting a lot of the subs get some quality playing time, guys played hard, taking the ball from the OH 27 down to the Snohomish 30 before turning over the ball on downs.

Snohomish had another chance to score, with the ball on the Snohomish 30 and 5:04 left in the game. They moved the ball efficiently, getting it to the OH 7 yard line. Now with 1:20 left, Snohomish threw the ball to an open receiver in the end zone, but Josiah Miller stepped in front, snagging the ball 2-yards deep in the end zone, then returned it all the way for the final Oak Harbor score of the game.

The final score was 33-10 in favor of Oak Harbor.

6 video clips from the game are posted HERE.

Swimmers smoke Snohomish, remain undefeated

The girls also beat Glacier Peak and are 5-0 in league meets

Prep Roundup featuring OH Girls Swim Team in the Everett Herald.

Cross Country - 10-1-09

Both the boys and girls cross country teams were in action at the only home meet of the year. In previous years the meet was run at the Wirth Farm off Boon Rd, but the farm was unavailable this year so a course was set up at Oak Harbor's City Beach Park.

The boys nearly swept their portion of the meet, finishing 1-2-4-5, and capturing 8 of the top 10 spots. Junior Tyler King finished first, followed by Matt Reith. A Monroe runner finished 3rd, then Matt Bolte and John Kaltenbach were 4 and 5th to round out scoring finishes and capturing first place as a team. The other finishers were Colton Elliot, Wyatt Homola and Mitchell Jackson.

The girls team was seriously depleted by injuries and illness. Jessica Denmon was on a college visit, Abby Leete and Heather Dale are nursing injuries, and Emily Bain broke her nose at school that day, and Addy Royal and Allison Duvenez were not feeling well. Allison ran the race despite her illness and finished a respectable 2nd place.

Even though the girls were missing so many top runners, the JV girls stepped up and as a team finished just two points short of the win, finishing 2nd to Monroe 33-32 (low score wins).

After Duvenez, Oak Harbor runners finished 5-6-8, Christina Wickers, Taylor von Grey and Ariel McCarter, respectively.

Others running were Jessica Foster, Carlie Kenny, Bailey Martinez, Taylor Bates and Christina Houck.

151 photos, from the boys JV, boys varsity, and girls race are posted HERE.

Youth soccer, 10-3-09

There was lots of fun again at Ft. Nugent Field with hundreds of kids taking to the soccer fields.

We were able to get to only 2 games Saturday due to conflicts. Sorry.

The Blue Gorillas, sponsored by Midway Florist vs the Silver Super Soccer Stars, sponsored by Island Brokers Realty was one of the games. This was a U-8 girls game and had some very good play.

Photos from this game are posted HERE.

The other game was the Girls U-10 Spirit, in blue, sponsored by the Northwest Training Academy going up against the Yellow Stingers, sponsored by Harborside Village. The Stingers came out on fire, scoring a number goals before halftime while holding the Spirit offense in check. The Stingers continued their aggressive play in the second half to preserve the win.

95 photos from the game are posted HERE.