WRHS flag football takes third in state
Published 12:00 pm Monday, February 16, 2026
State wrestling, state swimming and district basketball are the hot tickets this week, as the winter season’s sporting options begin to dwindle. Last week saw girls flag football complete its maiden voyage and bowling wrapped up a week earlier.
GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL
The state’s first official season of girls flag football came to a close Saturday and the White River Hornets were one of just four teams left standing in the Class 3A ranks.
While some schools fielded teams the past year or two, this marked the debut of the sport as a fully-sanctioned offering by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.
At White River, coaches and players took their first steps in November and, by the afternoon of February 14, were hoisting a third-place trophy from the 3A state tournament.
Along the way, the program went 11-3 during the regular season, won the North Puget Sound League 3A title with a 7-1 mark and fashioned a 5-2 record in postseason play.
The season wrapped up on a crisp and mostly-clear Saturday at Federal Way Memorial Stadium. In a battle for third- and fourth-place honors, White River topped Liberty of Issaquah 42-28.
The tournament, which opened with 16 teams and saw the Hornets seeded No. 5, began with White River victories over Lakeside and Inglemoor, both loser-out contests. In the February 13 semifinals the Hornets squared off against No. 1 Lincoln and gave the Abes all they could handle; the eventual state champs from Tacoma escaped with a 21-14 victory over the Buckley squad.
Against Lincoln, White River jumped on top 14-0 thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from freshman quarterback Danika Scott, first to Charlee Sproed and later in the first half to Jordyn Daigle.
Lincoln scored late in the first half and early in the second to tie the contest, then put the winning TD on the scoreboard in the game’s final minutes. The Hornets had one final opportunity when Giuliana Fioretti intercepted a Lincoln pass but White River couldn’t take advantage and turned the ball over with just 38 seconds remaining on the game clock.
The following day brought smiles to the Hornet faithful with the awarding of the Class 3A third-place trophy.
The game opened as something of a track meet, with the Hornets and Liberty each scoring three touchdowns in the first half, walking off the field tied at 21. For White River, scores came on a 25-yard run by Jayna Vain and TD tosses from Scott to Sproed and Fioretti.
In the second half, two Hornet touchdowns were delivered by the offense – Scott completions to Daigle and Sproed – giving White River a 35-21 lead. Liberty answered with a score of its own to cut the lead to just seven points and soon regained possession, but the Hornets responded in a big way. A game-clinching TD came from the White River defense when Riley Soule intercepted a Liberty pass and returned it 24 yards to the end zone.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Both the Enumclaw High and White River girls were in action earlier this week as part of the 12-team district tournament that will send six squads to the Class 3A state championships.
Enumclaw, the No. 2 overall seed into district play, opened with a Monday home game against the Lakes Lancers. White River, at No. 4, also played Monday, hosting Bellarmine.
Each had received a first-round bye, meaning a Monday win guaranteed a berth at state. A Monday loss would bring a February 18 game at Foss High with the winner headed to state and the loser finished for the season.
Teams winning on both February 16 and 18 will meet February 21 at Mount Tahoma High for the district title.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Enumclaw High’s boys basketball team took the court Tuesday night, the first step on a journey they hope leads to the Class 3A state tournament.
The EHS squad hosted the Lakes Lancers in the district tournament, which will eventually send six teams to state.
If the Hornets were victorious Tuesday, they would secure a state tourney berth and would play again February 19 at Mount Tahoma High in Tacoma. A victory on the 19th would send EHS to the district championship game, set for February 21 at Mount Tahoma.
White River: Things didn’t go smoothly for the White River High boys, who dropped their opening-round district game and were eliminated.
As the district’s No. 7 seed the Hornets hosted No. 10 Lakes High on February 14 and fell 76-74 in the loser-out contest.
BOYS WRESTLING
Two dozen Plateau wrestlers will be in the Tacoma Dome Thursday as the Class 3A state championships begin their two-day run.
The group of 15 from White River and nine from Enumclaw High School earned their spots at Mat Classic XXXVII during the North Puget Sound League 3A tournament.
Here’s a look at who will be seeking individual honors and piling up team points in the Tacoma Dome.
White River: Josh Hanson, 157 pounds; Joshua Wilson, 126 pounds; Laedyn Mills, 106; Brayden Thacker, 138; Rohnon Cummings, 150; Gaige Cartwright, 106; Morgan Presley, 126; Brendan Fonda, 190; Hudson Hoalst, 132; Henry Schweickert, 144; Colten Kennedy, 157; Owen Slaughter, 165; Tyson Lynch, 175; Anderson Fonda, 165; and Cooper Clark, 285.
Enumclaw: Easton Bylin, 138 pounds; Bo Bruhn, 150; Cole Schumacher, 165; Romeo Gwerder, 132; Eddie Cormier-Higgins, 144; Baron Peterson, 215; Solomon Morales, 150; Gaven Gemmell, 106; and Niko Gross, 175.
BOYS SWIM
Enumclaw’s Liam Bellah has successfully swam past the competition and locked in a berth at this weekend’s state swim and dive championships.
Bellah, a Hornet freshman, will make the trip to the season finale, set for February 20-21 at the King County Aquatic Center. Swimmers and divers from all classifications will gather in Federal Way, where Bellah will join his fellow Class 3A competitors.
Bellah qualified for state in two events, the 100-yard backstroke and the 500-yard freestyle.
