Winter sports underway for Panthers, Spartans | Winter Previews

The Bonney Lake boys swim and dive finished last season in the middle of the pack. The team finished with a 5-4 record in the South Puget Sound 3A.

Boys Swim

Bonney Lake

The Bonney Lake boys swim and dive finished last season in the middle of the pack. The team finished with a 5-4 record in the South Puget Sound 3A.

Coach Jay Paulson said “I expect this season to be about the same as last season,” Paulson said. “We graduated some seniors last year, but still have a good core of young kids who keep getting better and better.”

Returning this year are seniors Jakson Baus, Skylar Livingston, Dawson Swanback and JJ Jamison. Livingston and Swanbeck are both recovering from shoulder injuries this year  and Jamison is the only returning diver this year. Paulson said the team will be looking to Jamison for leadership in the dive tank.

Juniors Ryan Engledow and William Sidwell are also returning this year. Paulson mentioned both Engledow and Sidwell are year-round athletes, and both are expected to do very well this year.

Finally, sophomores Garrett Feroy, Taylor MacDonald and Cody Miller will be returning to the pool as well. Last year, Miller was a backstroker on the state relay as a freshman.

New to the team are senior Gui Amarante, junior Cole Bonnet and sophomores Allen Fletcher and Holden Swanback.

“The team is working very hard and improvement is shown every day,” Paulson said. “New assistant coach Bill Haugen and I are very excited to see where these guys will improve to by the end of the season.”

The boys lost their first meet 134-48 to Enumclaw on Dec. 4.

The next meet is at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday at Peninsula High School.

Sumner

The Sumner Spartans started the 2014 season by beating Auburn 127-42 Thursday.

Taking over as head coach this season Maari Olsen is her in 10th season as a coach.

For the past two years Olsen has been an assistant coach for the Spartans.

The Spartans have a new coach and our in a new league.

She said with Sumner moving from the South Puget Sound League 2A league to the 3A, “we have our work cut out for us.”

In Olsen’s opinion “everything (this year) has changed.”

This season, the Spartans have a total of 27 swimmers and divers and nine of those are new to the team.

Olsen added, many of the swimmers are even new to the sport.

After last year, six swimmers graduated.

Olsen said two were top divers for Sumner and the other four were top swimmers.

To make up for anything lost by those graduating swimmers, Olsen said “our returning swimmers have grown and matured and are filling the varsity openings very well.”

Swimmers and divers to key an eye on this season include the A team medley relay, Olsen said.

The relay team is made up of Stephen Bone, James Lee, Austin McKay and Cameron Retzlaff.

Olsen said the first race together this season, the team qualified for districts.

Bone missed qualifying for district by one second in the 100 fly.

And Olsen said the A team 200 free relay made up of Erik Jones, Chase Lawrence, Retzlaff and Max Walker also missed qualifying for districts by one second in their first meet of the season.

“I expect to see them all at the district meet in February,” Olsen said.

Sumner hosted the Kentridge Chargers Tuesday.

Results from that meet can be found online, blscourierherald.com, when they become available.

Sumner’s next meet is at 3:30 p.m. at home when the Spartans face off against the Auburn Riverside Ravens.

Gymnastics

Bonney Lake

Bonney Lake gymnastics will have their first meet at 7 p.m. tonight at the Auburn Gymnastic Center.

“There is much talent and potential for a strong season, especially watching these ladies working together helping each other with their routines,” said Helen Balabanis, the new head gymnastics coach for Bonney Lake.

Balabanis said there is strong leadership in the team captains, senior Dakotah Anseth, junior Lauren Waters, and sophomore Hailey Taylor.

Also on the team is junior Aleah Newborn, sophomores Jaiden Anderson, Meghan Gordon, Miyaeva Irish, and Nicole Otto.

Freshmen Emily Daines, Brady Hagen, and Samantha Mitchell will be on the team as well.

“This mixture of strong teamwork, work ethic, and skills can lead to a successful season,” Balabanis said.

Sumner

The Spartans will participate in its first meet of the season tonight.

At 7 p.m., Sumner along with Kentwood and Mount Rainier will travel to Bonney Lake to compete in a tri-meet.

For results from the meet, scores will be posted online when they become available.

Wrestling

Bonney Lake

While last year’s Bonney Lake boys wrestling team was predominately seniors in the South Puget Sound 3A league, this year the team consists of younger students, said new head coach Daniel Pitch.

This year Panther seniors include Carson Corbaley, David Smith, Adrian Burnside, and Nick Graham.

Juniors returning to the team include Jordan Cozzi, Doug Nichols, Avery Meyer, Jared Meister, Casey Todd, Kyle Ashby, Tate Holmes, and Bailey Brigham. Sophomores Ryan Schaffer, Zach Koeller, Keegan Dorsey, Caleb Davis, Kevan Hogan, Kyle Huish, Kaesen Ludwig, David Nava, Elijah Portillo and Josh Roundtree  will be returning as well.

Freshmen Brandon Kaylor, Evan Tracy, Mason Sabin, Cameron Cozzi, Austin deCeault, Tyler Morgan, Caleb Pitkin Perry and Samuel Peterson will be joining the team this year.

The boys wrestling team lost 40-24 to Enumclaw during their first match of the season on Dec. 3.

It’s next match is at 7 p.m. tonight at Peninsula High School.

The girls wrestling team this year consists of junior Alicia Dickson, sophomore Katlyn Daniels and freshmen Nia Lawes and Adanesne Campos.

Sumner

The Spartans wrestling team started the season off with win against the Auburn Trojans.

Sumner won 42-25 Thursday.

Coach Matt Harshman has been coaching for nine years and has spent five of those at Sumner.

He said the Spartans “had a solid year” last season taking 11th place in the state tournament.

Looking ahead to this season, Harshman expects to have another “solid year.”

But he added, “It will be hard to tell how we will do being in the new division but we should hold our own.”

However, when it comes to preparing for new opponents, Harshman said the Spartans preparation does not change.

“We wrestle all levels every year,” he said. “So, we have seen all the 3A schools and we know how to prepare for them.”

Graduating last year were two state placers but Harshman said this years senior class along with “young, talented freshman” will help the Spartans to fill the gap.

When asked who to keep an eye on this season, Harshman listed eight wrestlers.

Those eight to watch for are senior Tanner Petcovic who finished sixth in state last season, sophomore Nathan James who also finished in sixth last year, senior Wyatt Hames who placed fourth in state, senior Liam Hagerty, senior Hunter Eberhart, senior Tanner Sjoden, junior Tucker Wooding who participated in the state tournament last season and junior Josiah Schliesman.

Sumner also has one girl wrestler this season.

Nicole Clark is a first year wrestler and will travel with the team.

Harshman said Clark will wrestle when the opposing team has a girl wrestler in the same weight class as her.

Harshman also mentioned the Spartans have a Twitter, @sumnerwrestling, where match updates can be found.

Sumner hosted the Sumner Dual Tournament Saturday.

The Spartans next match is at 7 p.m. tonight when Sumner hosts the Auburn Mountainview Lions.

Scoring from Thursday’s win can be found below:

106: Kalel Salcedo (S) wins by Forfeit

113: Double Forfeit

120: Drew Aplin (A) TF Quentin Hert (S) 15-0

126: Balteer Rana (A) TF Tanner Petcovic (S) 17-1

132: Nathan James (S) D Jamison Glenn (A) 10-8

138: Tucker Wooding (S) P Henry Garcia (A) 1:01

145: Hunter Eberhart (S) P Michael Yadon (A) 1:36

152: Liam Hagerty (S) P  Jarett Bishop (A) 5:23

160: Wyatt James (S) P K. Pedebone (A) 2:29

170: C. Washburn (A) D J. Schliesman 10-5

182: Jaron Scarbrough (S) D Alex Murray (A) 11-9

195: Kyle Guthrie (A) P Tristan Futa (S) 1:43

220: Lucas Leonhard (S) P Luke Walker (A) 1:13

285: Jacob Apodaca (A) P Jake Harmon (S) 3:00