Spring All Peninsula 2011 - Peninsula Daily News

Special sports section of the Peninsula Daily News ■ Friday, June 17, 2011 

S P R I N G 

Clallam County 

All-Peninsula 2011 

Girls Track and Field MVP: 

Audrey Lichten, Sequim 

Boys Soccer 

MVP: 

Anthony 

Brandon, 

Port Angeles 

Tennis MVP: 

Mallory Maloney, Sequim 

Boys Track and 

Field MVP: 

Frank Catelli, 

Sequim 

Athlete 

of the 

Year 

Lea 

Hopson, 

Sequim

2 Friday, June 17, 2011 

All-Peninsula 

Boys Top Marks ’11 

100 Meters 

1. Taylor Bonneau (Sequim), 11.26; 2. 

Rickie Porter (PA), 11.42; 3. Shane 

WhiteEagle (Forks), 11.50. 

200 Meters 

1. Taylor Bonneau (Sequim), 22.81; 1. 

Rickie Porter (PA), 22.81; 3. Derek Toepper 

(Chim.), 23.02. 

400 Meters 

1. Jayson Brocklesby (Sequim), 51.03; 2. 

Parley Scott (PA), 51.93; 3. Brendan Dennis 

(PA), 52.74. 

800 Meters 

1. Habtamu Rubio (PT), 2:00.24; 2. Brendan 

Dennis (PA), 2:01.75; 3. Joel Williams 

(Crescent), 2:03.82. 

1600 Meters 

1. Habtamu Rubio (PT), 4:24.88; 2. Bereket 

Piatt (PT), 4:25.20; 3. Alex Jenkins 

(Sequim), 4:32.55. 

3200 Meters 

1. Bereket Piatt (PT), 9:29.47; 2. Habtamu 

Rubio (PT), 9:40.83; 3. Tavish Taylor (PA), 

9:47.23. 

110m Hurdles 

1. Parley Scott (PA), 15.72; 2. Stephan 

Stilts (Sequim), 16.36; 3. Chris Falkey 

(Sequim), 16.75. 

300m Hurdles 

1. Emanuel Herrera (Sequim), 40.49; 2. 

Stephan Stilts (Sequim), 41.12; 3. Matthew 

Waldrip (Crescent), 43.69. 

4-by-100 Relay 

1. Sequim, 43.82; 2. Port Angeles, 44.75; 

3. Crescent, 46.01. 


1. Sequim, 3:31.51; 2. Port Angeles, 

3:36.41; 3. Chimacum, 3:38.03. 

Shot Put 

1. Frank Catelli (Sequim), 58-1.50; 2. Troy 

Martin (PA), 53-5.00; 3. Justin Boland 

(PT), 50-2.00. 

Discus 

1. Troy Martin (PA), 175-8.00; 2. Frank 

Catelli (Sequim), 155-10.00; 3. Justin 

Boland (PT), 149-6.00. 

Javelin 

1. Sebastian Ramos (Forks), 166-2.00; 2. 

Cameron Braithwaite (PA), 165-2.00; 3. 

Frank Catelli (Sequim), 162-4.00. 

High Jump 

1. Ian Ward (PA), 6-4.00; 2. Jayson 

Brocklesby (Sequim), 6-2.00; 2. Cameron 

Braithwaite (PA), 6-2.00. 

Pole Vault 

1. Mack Grinnell (Sequim), 13-0.00; 2. 

Will Stevenson III (PA), 11-0.00; 3. Hamish 

Peers (Sequim), 10-6.00. 

Long Jump 

1. Derek Toepper (Chim.), 22-4.50; 2. 


Titus Pascua (NB), 20-9.00. 

Triple Jump 

1. Derek Toepper (Chim.),42-10.50; 2. 


Parley Scott (PA), 40-8.75. 

All-Peninsula Spring 2011 

Peninsula Daily News 

All-Peninsula Boys Track and Field 

Frank Catelli 

Sequim (Junior) 

Throws — MVP 

Reached 2A state 

in all three throwing 

events, winning the 

shot put crown. 

Jayson 

Brocklesby 

Sequim (Sophomore) 

Sprints/Jumping events 

Area’s top 400 

runner also reached 

2A state in high jump. 

Joel Williams 

Crescent (Junior) 

Distance running/Javelin 

Took second at 

1B state in 800 and 

was part of two 

runner-up relays. 

Taylor Bonneau 


Sprints 

The Peninsula’s 

top sprinter in the 

100 and 200 reached 

2A state in the latter. 

Parley Scott 

Port Angeles (Senior) 


PA’s all-around 

athlete finished 

12th out of 31 in 

the state decathlon. 

Stephan Stilts 

Sequim (Senior) 

Hurdles 


in 300 hurdles and 

was part of seventhplace 

relay team. 

Rickie Porter 


Sprints 

Closed out his 

prep career by 

reaching 2A state in 

200. 

Cameron 

Braithwaite 


Javelin/Jumping events 

Made 2A state in 

area-best four events, 

placing 8th in javelin. 

Troy Martin 


Throwing events 

Will compete for 

WSU after topping PA 

discus record and taking 

2nd at 2A state. 

Titus Pascua 

Neah Bay (Junior) 

Sprints/Long jump 

Finished second 

in two events — 100 

and long jump — at 

1B state. 

Bereket Piatt 

Port Townsend (Senior) 

Distance running 

Closed out prep 

career with top-five 

finishes in 1,600 and 

3,200 at 1A state. 

Sebastian 

Ramos 

Forks (Senior) 

Javelin 

Shattered Forks 

record in javelin and 

reached 1A state. 

Derek Toepper 

Chimacum (Senior) 



in three events, placing 

4th in long jump 

and 5th in triple. 

Habtamu Rubio 



Tops in 800 and 

1,600 in the area, PT 

star had two top-four 

marks at 1A state. 

Mack Grinnell 


Pole vault 

The Peninsula’s 

top pole vaulter 

eventually reached 

2A state. 

Athletes were selected by the Peninsula Daily News sports staff based on their marks and state placements this season.

Peninsula Daily News All-Peninsula Spring 2011 Friday, June 17, 2011 3 

Sequim junior Frank Catelli threw himself into an elite class in the shot put this spring after altering his throwing style. 

Chris Tucker/Peninsula Daily News 

Making the perfect adjustment 

Catelli transforming into 

elite thrower for Sequim 

By Matt Schubert 


SEQUIM — One adjustment 

can go a long way in 

track and field. Just look at 

Frank Catelli. 

The Sequim junior once 

best known for his cannon 

right arm as a backup quarterback 

became even more 

notable for his shot put 

throws this spring, thanks in 

part to a midseason alteration 

of his throwing style. 

In the course of four 

weeks, he went from routinely 

throwing in the high 

40s to breaking a 24-year-old 

school record with a toss of 

58 feet, 1½ inches, and eventually 

winning the Class 2A 

state title. 

Think what he could do 

with another 12 months. 

“Frank has a lot of potential, 

even if you consider how 

far he grew just from his 

sophomore to his junior year, 

increasing almost 16 feet in 

the shot put,” Sequim coach 

Brad Moore said. 

“Clearly, he took great 

strides to get the technique 

down, but he could still be 

even better.” 

Yes, even after qualifying 

for state in all three throwing 

events and winning one 

of them, Catelli may have 

only scratched the surface of 

his abilities. 

An all-league defensive 

end, starting tight end and 

backup QB in football — he’ll 

likely start under center next 

fall — he has an uncommon 

blend of strength and quickness 

at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds. 

Given more time to perfect 

his technique, he could 

learn to harness those physical 

tools to produce true toplevel 

marks. 

Moore himself envisions 

Catelli possibly going past 

60 feet in the shot put and 

eventually challenging 200 

feet in the discus if he puts 

his mind to it. 

“All he has to do is master 

the technique of it, and that 

just takes a lot of throws,” 

Moore said. 

“It takes a long time to 

really get [the discus] down 

to where you are really good 

at it. A kid like him, who’s 

been throwing for a year and 

a half, the potential is going 

to be there.” 

By his own admission, 

Catelli didn’t give track and 

field his full attention until 

almost midway through this 

season. 

He missed several practices 

during the first few 

weeks because of a spring 

break trip and commitments 

to the Sequim talent show. 

“Once I actually started 

practicing things, I just 

started going,” he said. 

Indeed, Catelli began 

popping off big throws in the 

shot put as the season hit 

the stretch run in May. 

It wasn’t just a renewed 

focus, however, that brought 

about the dramatic increase 

in distance. With the help of 

Sequim throws coach B.J. 

Schade, Catelli also changed 

his throwing style from a 

high-risk, high-reward rotational 

delivery to a more 

straight-forward glide. 

Boys Track MVP 

Soon thereafter, he took 

down Shawn Kendal’s school 

record (56-2¾), then followed 

that with a dominant state 

performance in which he had 

the four longest throws of the 

2A championship. Now colleges 

are taking notice. 

“Even right now, throwing 

58 feet, he’s already garnered 

some attention. We got 

a thing from Stanford for 

him [after the season],” 

Moore said. “He has potential 

to do it. 

“He’s one of those kids 

you can show him how to do 

stuff, and he takes off very 

quick. It’s fun to see.”



Girls Top Marks ’11 

100 Meters 

1. Jolene Millsap (PA), 13.25; 2. Kathryn 

Moseley (PA), 13.59; 3. Jewel Johnson 

(PT), 13.71. 

200 Meters 

1. Jewel Johnson (PT), 27.70; 2. Kathryn 

Moseley (PA), 27.73; 3. Mandi England 

(Sequim), 28.16. 

400 Meters 

1. Kathryn Moseley (PA), 60.54; 2. Jewel 

Johnson (PT), 63.26; 3. Haleigh Harrison 

(Sequim), 63.95. 

800 Meters 

1. Audrey Lichten (Sequim), 2:17.88; 2. 

Brittany Grant (PT), 2:29.62; 3. Alison 

Maxwell (PA), 2:34.80. 

1600 Meters 


Alison Maxwell (PA), 5:18.44; 3. Brittany 

Grant (PT), 5:29.29. 

3200 Meters 


Alison Maxwell (PA), 11:38.93; 3. Brittany 

Grant (PT), 12:04.63. 

100m Hurdles 

1. Sarah Hutchison (Sequim), 17.54; 2. 

Anne Grover (Crescent), 18.11; 2. Courtney 

Winck (NB), 18.11. 

300m Hurdles 

1. Haleigh Harrison (Sequim), 48.61; 2. 

Sarah Hutchison (Sequim), 49.28; 3. Anne 

Grover (Crescent), 52.33. 


1. Sequim, 51.94; 2. Port Townsend, 

53.67; 3. Chimacum, 53.70. 


1. Port Townsend, 1:50.62; 2. Sequim, 

1:50.84; 3. Port Angeles 1:55.09. 


1. Sequim, 4:12.77; 2. Port Townsend, 

4:13.48; 3. Port Angeles, 4:24.90. 

Shot Put 

1. Sydney Christenson (Forks), 37-4.00; 

2. Kirstin Erickson (CB), 30-9.50; 3. 

Rashaya Donnell (Crescent), 30-4.50. 

Discus 

1. Sydney Christenson (Forks), 96-8.00; 

2. Kirstin Erickson (CB), 93-3.00; 3. Theresa 

Soha (Forks), 90-0.00. 

Javelin 

1. Katelyn Noard (PA), 108-1.00; 2. 

Rashaya Donnell (Crescent), 90-7.00; 3. 

Christine Unrue (PT), 86-4.00. 

High Jump 

1. Haleigh Harrison (Sequim), 5-5.00; 2. 

Patricia Reeves (PT), 4-8.00; 3. Tarah Erickson 

(PA), 4-6.00; 3. Melissa Willis (CB), 

4-6.00; 3. Megan Gambill (PT), 4-6.00; 3. 

Jennifer Morelos (Sequim), 4-6.00. 

Long Jump 

1. Haleigh Harrison (Sequim), 16-0.00; 2. 

Courtney Winck (NB), 15-6.00; 2. Jasmine 

McMullin (Sequim), 15-6.00. 

Triple Jump 

1. Haleigh Harrison (Sequim), 34-10.00; 

2. Jasmine McMullin (Sequim), 32-7.00; 3. 

Tarah Erickson (PA), 31-0.50. 

Pole Vault 

1. Tarah Erickson (PA), 10-3.00; 2. Alison 

Maxwell (PA), 8-0.00; 3. Lauren Corn (PA), 

7-6.00. 



All-Peninsula Girls Track and Field 

Audrey Lichten 



The area leader 

in all three distance 

events, Lichten was 

2nd in 2A in 1,600. 

Courtney Winck 

Neah Bay (Junior) 

Jumping events 

The Red Devils’ 

lone female 1B state 

rep took fifth in the 

long jump. 

Sydney 

Christenson 

Forks (Freshman) 


Put up area’s top 

marks in discus and 

shot put as freshman. 

Jewel Johnson 

Port Townsend (Fr.) 

Sprints 

Was among the 

Peninsula’s best in 

all three sprints as a 

freshman. 

Brittany Grant 

Port Townsend (Soph.) 


Finished one spot 

short of reaching 1A 

state in 3,200 and 

was two shy in 1,600. 

Rashaya 

Donnell 

Crescent (Senior) 


Finished seventh 

at 1B state in javelin. 

Kathryn 

Moseley 

Port Angeles (Junior) 

Sprints 

Area’s best in 

400 also reached 2A 

state in the event. 

Alison Maxwell 



Top three in area 

in four events and 

was one spot shy of 

2A state in 3,200. 

Kirstin Erickson 

Clallam Bay (Senior) 


Reached 1B state 

in two events — shot 

put and discus — 

and took 7th in both. 

Haleigh 

Harrison 



Broke own school 

record in high jump 

and took 4th in 2A. 

Sarah 

Hutchison 

Sequim (Freshman) 

Hurdles 


in 300 hurdles as a 

freshman. 

Katelyn Noard 


Javelin 

Was the Peninsula’s 

leader in the 

javelin by nearly 16 

feet. 

Jasmine 

McMullin 



Reached 2A 

bi-district in triple 

jump. 

Anne Grover 

Crescent (Senior) 

Hurdles 

Took fourth at 1B 

state in 100 hurdles 

and was part of 2ndplace 

relay team. 

Tarah Erickson 


Pole vault 

The area leader in 

the pole vault, Erickson 

finished fifth at 

2A state. 

Athletes were selected by the Peninsula Daily News sports staff based on their marks and state placements this season.



Sequim senior Audrey Lichten received a little extra coaching at home from her father, Wolves distance running coach Don Lichten. 

Sequim’s Lichten gets extra push 

Wolves distance runner 

excels at the family trade 



SEQUIM — Audrey Lichten 

never really had the 

option of slacking off. 

With Sequim distance 

running coach Don Lichten 

sharing the same roof as the 

cross country and track star, 

there was no place to hide 

during the off-season. 

“Having my coach at 

home all the time, he always 

knew if I was running or 

not,” Audrey said. “It wasn’t 

ever that he forced me to do 

anything, but it was that little 

extra push.” 

Not that Audrey needed 

all that much coaxing. 

Much like all of the great 

Sequim distance runners 

who came before her — state 

champions like Stephanie 

Marcy and Allison Cutting 

— Audrey always possessed 

the drive needed to excel, 

according to Wolves coach 

Brad Moore. 

“They are all kind of the 

same type of kid,” Moore said 

of Lichten, Marcy and Cutting. 

“They are very focused. 

“You look at [Audrey’s] 

stats going through the 

years, and every year it’s 

improved. That’s because 

she runs 12 months out of 

the year. As a distance runner, 

that’s really the key. 

“You have to train all year 

long if you’re going to be a 

state level distance runner.” 

A four-time All-Peninsula 

cross country and track runner, 

Lichten was most definitely 

that at Sequim. 

After spending much of 

the past winter honing her 

closing kick, she also came 

about as close as one can to 

winning a state track title. 

Competing in the final 

race of her prep career, Lichten 

went stride for stride 

with Kingston’s Marina Roberts 

throughout the Class 2A 

girls 1,600-meter final. 

Coming down the closing 

stretch, Lichten put it all on 

the line in a furious finish 

only to place second to Roberts 

by 0.15 seconds. 

Combined with a sixthplace 

mark in the 800, it 

wasn’t the perfect ending, 

but it was good enough. 

“I guess one of my goals 

was to win, but even just getting 

second and putting 

everything out on the track 

in that 1,600 still fulfilled my 

goals,” she said. 

“Knowing that I put it all 

out there and gave it my best 

and got top-two, that was 

satisfying.” 

Much like her father, who 

ran at UC Davis, Audrey 

plans to compete in college 

as well. 

In fact, she will join former 

Sequim track star Anna 

LaBeaume at Linfield College 

in McMinnville, Ore. 

Lichten said she’ll likely 

study art and pursue her 

Girls Track MVP 

interest in photography at 

the Division III school. 

Moore has little doubt 

she’ll also work hard to compete 

on the track, too. 

Even if dad isn’t around 

to push her. 

“If she decided that she 

wants to continue and work 

hard to improve, I guarantee 

she will get better and she 

will do very well running for 

Linfield,” he said. 

“I guarantee you will see 

her running at the national 

championships.”




All-Peninsula Baseball 

Players were selected by area baseball coaches and the sports staff of the Peninsula Daily News. 

Landon Cray 

Chimacum (Junior) 

Pitcher/OF — MVP 

The three-time 

Nisqually League MVP 

led Chimacum to a 1A 

title, bashing a schoolrecord 

9 homers and 

amassing a 1.16 ERA 

with 107 strikeouts. 

Isaac Yamamoto 


Infield 

Named a first-team 

All-Olympic League 

player for the third 

straight year after hitting 

a team-best .456 

with 27 runs scored 

and 21 RBIs. 

Quinn Eldridge 


Infield/Pitcher 

A first-team All- 

Nisqually League hurler 

two years in a row, 

Eldridge also hit .346 

with 11 doubles, 2 

homers, 28 RBIs and 

19 runs this spring. 

Easton 

Napiontek 


Infield 

PA’s wiry 1B/SS 

hit .393 with 20 RBIs 

and a home run as an 

honorable mention 


selection. 

Dylan 

Brown-Bishop 


Infield 


Nisqually League first 

baseman, Brown hit 

.345 with 14 runs, 19 

RBIs and four doubles 

for the 1A champs. 

Austin 

McConnell 


Catcher/Pitcher 


All-Nisqually League 

catcher for the second 

time with a .354 

average, seven extra 

base hits and 21 RBIs. 

Cody Sullivan 


Outfield/Pitcher 

A vacuum in CF, the 

All-Olympic Leaguer 

was also a big-game 

pitcher (2.15 ERA, 

60 Ks) and explosive 

bat (.391 BA, 22 runs, 

10 extra base hits). 

Drew Rickerson 


Outfield 

Selected a secondteam 

All-Olympic 

League OF, Rickerson 

hit .375 this season 

with 12 extra base 

hits, 21 RBIs and 14 

stolen bases. 

Devin Manix 


Utility 

Played all over the 

diamond (C, OF and 

SS) and hit .403 with 

four homers, 25 RBIs, 

34 runs and 22 stolen 

bases as a first-team 

All-Nisqually Leaguer. 

A.J. Konopaski 


Pitcher/Infield 

One of PA’s two 

aces on the mound, 

Konopaski had a 

3.09 ERA this year 

with 46 Ks to earn a 

first-team All-Olympic 

League selection. 

Brandon 

Bancroft 

Quilcene (Senior) 

Pitcher 

The senior southpaw 

was named the 

Sea-Tac League MVP 

and finished as Quilcene’s 

career strikeout 

leader with 348. 

Jim Dunn 

Chimacum 

Coach of the Year 

Dunn took over a 

powerhouse program 

and didn’t miss a beat 

as his Cowboys won 

Nisqually League and 

1A state titles in his 

1st year as head coach. 

Honorable Mention: Kyle Kelly (Port Townsend); Preston McFarlen (Sequim); Egan Cornachione (Chimacum); Kyler Morgan (Port Angeles); Cameron Leons 

(Forks); Derek Crain (Port Angeles); Weston Royall (Sequim).


Matt Schubert/Peninsula Daily News 

Chimacum junior Landon Cray — PDN baseball MVP for the third straight year — has done just about everything there is to do for a high school player. 

Complete package for Cowboys 

Chimacum standout 

running out of goals 



CHIMACUM — Landon 

Cray looked admiringly 

upon his Chimacum Cowboys 

baseball uniform as he 

stood on an empty diamond. 

“I’m going to miss wearing 

this,” Cray said. 

Incredulous, his friend 

couldn’t help but point out the 

obvious: “You’re only a junior. 

You’ve got one more year.” 

Forgive Cray for looking 

ahead. But after three years 

as the centerpiece of Chimacum’s 

wildly successful baseball 

program, he’s already 

accomplished just about 

everything he could in his 

high school career. 

Nisqually League championship? 

He’s won three. 

League MVP? Ditto. 

All-State nod? He’s 

already got one and will 

likely receive another when 

the 2011 team is announced. 

And after two straight 

seasons of coming up just 

short in the Class 1A semifinals, 

Cray and the Cowboys 

finally got their hands 

on that elusive state title 

this spring. 

At this point, the longtime 

Tri-Area resident is running 

out of dragons to slay with 

one year to go in his high 

school career at Chimacum. 

“It’s kind of like a lot of 

pressure came off us after 

we got this one,” said Cray, 

leadoff hitter, center fielder 

and No. 1 pitcher for the 

2011 1A champs. “Winning 

that title was kind of the end 

of the line for the high school 

season. It felt so good. 

“I enjoyed getting that 

one more than all the other 

individual awards . . . just 

because I got to share the 

moment with everyone.” 

Of course, it’s hard to 

imagine that moment happening 

without Cray. 

A powerful spark plug at 

the top of Chimacum’s order 

and the unquestioned ace of 

a deep pitching staff, he was 

the most important piece to 

the team’s success. 

“We kind of went as he 

went,” Cowboys head coach 

Jim Dunn said. 

Coming off back-to-back 

MVP seasons, Cray was 

even better as a junior. 

His numbers at the plate 

were positively gaudy — 

.575 average, 11 doubles, 

four triples, nine homers and 

53 runs in 26 games. 

He was just as brilliant 

on the mound — 1.16 ERA 

with 107 strikeouts and 18 

walks in 54 1/3 innings — 

where the lefty once registered 

a no-hitter by striking 

out 20 of 21 batters. 

“Obviously, his power 

numbers improved [from 

Cray’s first two years],” 

Dunn said, “but I thought as 

a player he improved more 

along the lines of pitching. 

“This year he was 

remarkable on the mound. 

His arm was just unreal.” 

Much of that improvement 

can be attributed to his 

work ethic. A member of the 

Washington Brewers club 

team in Burien, Cray refines 

his skills year round. 

The finished product is a 

seemingly effortless lefthanded 

swing and uncanny 

command of the strike zone 

Baseball MVP 

on the hill with an 80-plus 

mile-per-hour fastball and 

array of off-speed pitches. 

Now he’s got suitors from 

across the region — including 

Washington, Washington 

State, Oregon State and 

Gonzaga — recruiting him 

as a center field prospect. 

“I would think he could 

[play at that level] with some 

effort getting stronger and 

getting faster,” Dunn said. 

“He just has what it takes. 

“I don’t think he needs to 

bulk up by no means, just 

put on a little strength and 

weight. His baseball tools? 

There’s not a lot to tinker 

with there.”




Competitive to the end 

Sequim’s Hopson never 

failed to give everything 



SEQUIM — Some might define 

Lea Hopson’s athletic career at 

Sequim High School by what she 

did on the softball diamond. 

It would certainly be hard not 

to. 

As a two-time 

Olympic League MVP 

with a pair of league 

titles, one Class 2A 

state crown and possible 

school-record 35 

career home runs to 

her name, she leaves 

an indelible impression on the 

diamond. 

Dig a little deeper, however, in 

another venue, and you’ll find 

what truly distinguishes Hopson. 

For it was on the Sequim basketball 

court where she suffered 

through double-digit defeats night 

after night — and refused to give in. 

Where she began her varsity 

career with 43 straight losses, but 

kept coming back. 

Where she saw classmate after 

classmate walk away from the 

program in frustration until she 

was the only one left. 

“They’d be behind 30 points, 

and she’d be diving for balls,” said 

Steve Rosales, the girls basketball 

announcer at Wolves home games. 

“She never quit.” 

Indeed, that is the essence of 

what Lea Hopson was all about for 

Sequim. 

No matter the score, no matter 

the number of people in the stands 

and no matter the stakes, Hopson 

always gave the same all-out effort. 

“She was the only one from her 

class that stuck it out for four 

years of that struggle,” Sequim 

girls basketball coach Stephanie 

Lewis said. “[Her classmates] all 

quit because they couldn’t handle 

the losing. She was in it to finish 

something she started.” 

Of course, Hopson did exactly 

that. 

Not only was she on the court 

when the Wolves snapped a losing 

streak that spanned two-plus seasons, 

she was also there when they 

played in their first playoff game in 

three years following a 9-11 regular 

season. 

All of this despite suffering a 

back injury midway through the 

season that limited 

her minutes and still 

Athlete of 

the Year 

lingers to this day. 

“Just because 

you’re losing doesn’t 

mean you should quit,” 

Hopson said. “That 

should just give you more reasons 

to work harder. 

“I couldn’t let those girls down 

after all that work they put in. 

That’s just my nature.” 

That dedication helped inspire 

Rosales to create a $250 scholarship 

— aptly named the “0-43 

scholarship” — to be awarded 

annually to every graduating 

Sequim girls basketball player. 

Since Hopson was the only one 

to stick out both 0-20 seasons and 

play a full senior year — even after 

injuring her back in January — 

Rosales decided to give her a $500 

scholarship. 

“Lea and this team, they just 

epitomized what it is to compete,” 

Rosales said. “It definitely wasn’t 

about winning.” 

By contrast, winning was what 

Hopson’s senior softball season 

was all about. 

Featuring a lineup that was 

loaded from top to bottom, the 

Wolves didn’t lose a single game on 

their way to a 28-0 record and 2A 

state championship. And in the 

middle of it all was Hopson, starting 

at shortstop and hitting in the 

third spot of the order with the 

same pedal-to-the-metal style she 

displayed on the basketball court. 

Except in that realm she was 

also locking up league titles and 

MVP awards. 

Turn to Hopson/9 


Sequim’s Lea Hopson was named the Peninsula Daily News prep athlete of the year for 

2010-11 school year for her work on the softball diamond and the basketball court.


Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News 

Sequim’s Lea Hopson front, drives past Port 

Townsend’s Irina Lyons during a game this 

winter in Sequim. 

Hopson: All out 

Continued from 8 

“You could tell that she’s 

played for a long time and 

she knows the game,” firstyear 

Sequim softball coach 

Joel Lewis said. 

“Everything she does is 

so quick and she practices 

hard. 

“She’s just one of those 

fearless players.” 

The roots of Hopson’s 

aggressive play can be 

traced all the way back to 

her original home in Santa 

Rosa, Calif. 

Forced to play baseball 

in the Rancho Cotati Little 

League during her grade 

school years — there was no 

softball program — Hopson 

developed a style that mirrored 

what she saw from 

the boys. 

“I was the only girl on 

every team I played for [in 

baseball],” Hopson said. 

“My work ethic developed 

from that because I 

had to work so much harder 

to prove myself to them.” 

After she moved to 

Sequim in sixth grade, she 

continued to play baseball 

for one more year before 

taking up softball and eventually 

playing for elite 

travel teams. 

Now, Hopson lays out for 

balls in the field with regularity, 

dares opposing pitchers 

to throw inside by 

crowding the plate and 

refuses to shy away from 

contact no matter the situation. 

No doubt she’ll be doing 

the same for College of 

Southern Idaho, a junior 

college in Twin Falls, next 

spring. She plans to work 

toward a degree there in 

construction management. 

Whether that leads to a 

softball scholarship to a 

four-year school doesn’t 

seem to concern Hopson. 

She already turned 

down offers from schools 

east of the Rocky Mountains 

because she wanted to 

stay closer to home. 

“I don’t really have that 

need [to play for a Division 

I school] anyway,” Hopson 

said. 

“Pretty much whatever 

happens, I’m just kind of 

going with the flow.” 


Sequim’s Lea Hopson takes a cut at the plate during a home game against North Mason in 

Sequim last season. 

Hopson by the numbers 

LEA HOPSON 

MADE her bones on 

the diamond as a twotime 

Olympic League 

MVP, but she was certainly 

no slouch on the 

basketball court. 

Twice she was given 

All-Olympic League honors 

as a 5-foot-5 guard, 

including a first-team 

selection as a senior 

when Sequim ended a 

two-year playoff drought. 

Here’s a glance at 

her senior year: 

Sport 

Basketball: 

Softball: 

The story 

The leader of the Wolves’ return to respectability this season, Hopson 

averaged a team-high 12.2 points and 3.5 steals per game as 

the team’s “Spark Award” winner. She also dished out 1.8 assists and 

grabbed 4.3 rebounds while playing nearly half the season with a 

back injury that limited her minutes toward the end of the year.* 

Sequim’s lineup was loaded with dangerous hitters, but none scared 

opponents quite like Hopson. That was with good reason, given her 

prolific offensive statistics: .625 average, 13 doubles, seven triples, 

12 home runs and 54 RBIs. Once she got on, she was also a terror 

on the base path with 33 stolen bases and 80 runs scored. 

* Regular season stats only.




All-Peninsula Boys Golf 

Mason Moug 

Chimacum 

Senior — MVP 

After leading the 

Cowboys to a 

Nisqually League title, 

Moug took fourth in 

his third visit to the 

1A state tourney. 

Ryan O’Mera 

Sequim 

Junior 

Match medalist in 

six Olympic League 

matches, O’Mera averaged 

37.9 strokes per 

nine holes and took 

eighth at 2A state. 

Cody Piper 

Port Townsend 

Sophomore 

PT’s top scorer 

— 37.9-stroke 

average for 9 holes — 

reached 1A state for 

the second year in a 

row, finishing ninth. 

Sean Anderson 

Port Townsend 

Senior 

The Redskins’ No. 2 

would have been tops 

on many teams with a 

38.9-stroke 9-hole 

average; made the 1A 

state cut for 2nd time. 

Jordan Negus 

Port Angeles 

Junior 

The Rider junior 

was match medalist 4 

times in league play 

and reached the state 

tournament for the 

second straight year. 

Gabriel Tonan 

Port Townsend 


Guided PT to an 

Olympic League title 

with three golfers 

reaching 1A state and 

one (Piper) placing in 

the top 10. 

Golfers were selected by area boys golf coaches and the sports staff of the Peninsula Daily News. 

Not par for the course 

Matt Schubert/Peninsula Daily News 

Chimacum’s Mason Moug, a three-sport star for 

the Cowboys, turned to golf for a change of pace 

and eventually became one of the better sticks 

in the state. 

Moug rare multi-sport 

star in world of golf 

By Brad LaBrie 


CHIMACUM — Mason 

Moug isn’t your typical statelevel 

high school golfer. 

The Chimacum senior is 

a three-sport athlete who 

was the quarterback and 

team leader on the football 

team in fall, a shooting guard 

on the basketball squad in 

winter and the No. 1 player 

on the golf team in spring. 

Most star prep golfers are 

one-sport specialists who 

spend a lot of time in the offseason 

honing their skills. 

At the Class 1A state 

tournament May 24-25 at 

The Home Course in DuPont, 

Moug asked his fellow state 

golfers how many sports 

they participated in. 

“They all said that they 

play only golf,” Moug said. 

Despite having a disadvantage 

in experience, Moug 

tied for fourth place at state 

with a two-day score of 148 

on 36 holes, the highest state 

finish of any North Olympic 

Peninsula golfer. 

At state, Moug was going 

against golfers who compete 

in tournaments during the 

weekends in Arizona, Cowboys 

coach Mitch Black said. 

“That speaks to the way 

Mason competes,” Black 

added. 

The multitalented Moug, 

who says he could have been 

a starter on Chimacum’s 

state-championship baseball 

team, went out for golf his 

freshman year for a change 

of scenery from baseball. 

“I played baseball every 

year till the eighth grade,” 

Moug said. “I was burned out 

from playing all-star baseball 

every summer.” 

Since he played golf usually 

just once a year with his 

dad for fun, Moug was far 

from burned out in that 

sport. The talented athlete 

caught on to golf quickly, 

Black said. 

Moug missed the state 

cut by two strokes as a freshman 

and made the trip to 

state the past three years. 

He claimed 22nd place as 

a junior and jumped all the 

way up to fourth this year. 

“I knew I could finish at 

the top because I was in seventh 

place after the first day 

last year,” Moug said. “Then 

I blew up on the second day.” 

This season Moug was 

tied for second with a 1-over 

73 after the first day and 

hung in there with a 75 the 

second day to finish in the 

top four. 

Boys Golf MVP 

“You could not find a better 

guy,” Black said. “In four 

years I have had nothing but 

positive experiences with 

him.” 

The 6-foot-4 Moug, who 

had a growth spurt from 5-9 

at the end of his sophomore 

year, has a powerful swing. 

“He hit 16 greens at 

state,” Black said. “He can 

just blast it.” 

Next up for Moug is a 

communications degree 

from San Diego Mesa College. 

He hopes to walk on and 

play golf at the community 

college while in San Diego. 

“I don’t know if I will 

have time to play golf, 

though, because I have to 

balance a job to pay for 

school,” Moug said. 

If he does find a team to 

play for, there’s no doubt that 

Moug will be competitive.


All-Peninsula Girls Golf 

Jennifer 

Grauberger 

Port Townsend 

Senior — MVP 

Won medalist 

honors in all 8 Olympic 

League matches 

and took fifth in final 

1A state trip. 

Kim Duce 

Sequim 

Senior 

The Olympic 

League’s second-bestscoring 

golfer — 47.3 

strokes per 9 holes — 

ended up taking 33rd 

at 2A state tourney. 

Hailey Estes 

Sequim 

Junior 

Sequim’s No. 2 

scorer had the team’s 

best finish at the 2A 

state tourney (27th 

place) in her second 

straight trip. 

Dana Fox 

Port Angeles 

Freshman 


tournament in first 

year after averaging a 

team-best 54.5 strokes 

per 9 holes in 

Olympic League play. 

Elisa Sallee 

Sequim 

Sophomore 

The last of three 

Wolves to qualify for 

state, Sallee also was 

part of the winning 

Duke Streeter pairing 

with Kim Duce. 

Beth Krause 

Port Angeles 


Guided a young 

and inexperienced 

Rider team to a 7-1 

league record, with 

two of her golfers 

reaching state. 

Golfers were selected by area girls golf coaches and the sports staff of the Peninsula Daily News. 

Singular performance 

Grauberger shines as 

PT’s lone girls golfer 

By Michael Carman 


PORT TOWNSEND — 

Golf is all about the individual; 

a game where the 

outcome of every action 

depends on the player 

swinging the club. 

There are some subtle 

changes in high school golf, 

where in most instances 

players still compete as 

individuals but team 

together for a collective 

score. 

Unless you’re Port 

Townsend senior Jenny 

Grauberger, aka the entire 

Redskins girls golf team. 

The lone female member 

of the team embraced the 

chance to practice daily 

with the Redskins boys 

team this season, winning 

match medalist honors in 

every Olympic League 

match, claiming league 

MVP honors with a scoring 

average six strokes better 

than her closest competitor 

and finishing fifth at the 

Class 1A state tournament 

in late May. 

“The harder competition 

[against the boys team in 

practice] made me play up, 

made me play more from 

the men’s tees, play a longer 

game and I think it really 

helped me,” Grauberger 

said. 

Port Townsend golf coach 

and Port Townsend Golf 

Club Assistant Pro Gabriel 

Tonan agrees. 

“Playing with the varsity 

boys in practice helped her 

stay in her game and stay 

steady out on the course,” 

Tonan said. 

“She learned not to try 

and keep up with them off 

the tee but to stick with her 

game and score low.” 

Although her golf career 

has lasted a short three 

years, the improvement 

shown by Grauberger has 

been dramatic. 

After turning out for 

track and field as a freshman, 

her father and older 

brother encouraged her to 

try her hand at golf her 

sophomore year. 

She made a 20-stroke 

improvement from her 

sophomore debut at state, 

lowering her score from a 

miss-the-cut 101 to rounds 

of 81 and 82 at this year’s 

final tournament. 

Grauberger was also 

the school’s first female 

Olympic League golf MVP, 

Girls Golf MVP 

averaging a nine-hole score 

of 41.6 during her senior 

year. 

She’s going to continue 

to work on the consistency 

of her game this summer 

with Gold Mountain teaching 

pro Ted Naff before 

heading down to study prelaw 

and play golf for Division 

III Willamette University 

in Salem, Ore. 

She will join a squad 

coached by Noah Horstman, 

an assistant pro at 

Illahe Hills Golf Course, 

Willamette’s home course. 

Now she’ll have someone 

else to compete against 

other than the boys. 

“He’s bringing in a lot of 

talented freshmen players 

for next year,” Grauberger 

said. 

“I’m really excited about 

having teammates again.” 

Philip Watness/for Peninsula Daily News 

Port Townsend senior Jennifer Grauberger 

started playing for the Redskins her sophomore 

year. By the time she was done, she was the 

fifth-best golfer in Class 1A.




All-Peninsula Boys Soccer 

Players were selected by area boys soccer coaches and the sports staff of the Peninsula Daily News. 

Anthony 

Brandon 


Forward — MVP 

The two-time 


forward was a force 

up front with 11 

goals and nine assists 

for the Riders. 

Nick Camporini 


Forward 

Sequim’s “grinder” 

had a knack for finding 

the back of the net, 

scoring an area-best 12 

goals and dishing out 

5 assists as a first-team 

All-Olympic Leaguer. 

Chris Pieper 

Chimacum (Soph.) 

Forward 

The Cowboys 

forward was given 

All-Nisqually League 

honorable mention 

after scoring a teamhigh 

three goals as a 

sophomore. 

Wilson 

Avila-Luna 


Midfielder 


All-SWL midfielder 

after scoring three 

goals and dishing out 

two assists while playing 

through injury. 

Kyle Bingham 


Midfielder 

PA’s pint-sized 

man in the middle 

played big with six 

goals and one assist 

as an honorable 

mention All-Olympic 

League player. 

Jerry Azanza 


Midfielder 

The second-team 


player had three 

goals and three 

assists while guiding 

the Wolves attack 

from the midfield. 

Chris Shively 

Juan Beltran 

Renns Bresser 

Seiji Thielk 

Jack Doryland 

Chris Saari 


Midfielder 

The senior 

captain’s play in the 

middle garnered him 

a first-team All-Olympic 

League selection. 


Forward/Defender 

The Spartans’ 

leading scorer — 7 

goals and 3 assists — 

also put in time at 

sweeper, eventually 

earning first-team All- 

SWL recognition. 


Defender 

A newbie to the 

Chimacum program, 

Bresser was named 

the Nisqually League 

defensive player of 

the year for his work 

on the back line. 


Defender 

PT’s lanky senior 

provided solid support 

on defense as 

an honorable 

mention All-Olympic 

League player. 

Port Angeles (Soph.) 

Goalkeeper 

The Rider keeper 

had four shutouts and 

came up with a critical 

penalty kick save 

in a victory against 

archrival Sequim. 

Port Angeles 


Saari’s Riders 

snapped a nine-year 

postseason drought, 

submitting their first 

10-win season in 10 

years before falling 

one win shy of state. 

Honorable Mention: Max Gunn (Port Townsend); Max Bukovnik (Port Angeles); Byron Boots (Sequim); Irons Ring (Sequim); Gabriel Camarena (Forks); 

Ali El-Maallam (Port Angeles); Kobi Albright (Chimacum).


Aiming high 

on the pitch 

PA’s Brandon becomes 

dangerous scoring threat 

By Brad LaBrie 


PORT ANGELES — 

Anthony Brandon isn’t one to 

sit on his laurels. 

The junior forward/midfielder 

for the Port Angeles 

boys soccer team plans to 

repeat as an Olympic League 

first-teamer and repeat as the 

North Olympic Peninsula MVP 

next year, then play college soccer 

on his way to the professional 

ranks. 

If anything, you 

can’t accuse Brandon 

of not having 

lofty goals. 

He has already 

shown how quickly 

he can improve, 

going from four goals and four 

assists as a sophomore to team 

captain and a team-leading 11 

goals and nine assists a year 

later, amassing 31 points to 

claim third for scoring points 

in league. 

“Anthony has been easy to 

coach,” Port Angeles coach 

Chris Saari said. “He’s selfmotivated, 

he’s always hustling 

and he has a great attitude.” 

A varsity starter as a freshman, 

Brandon showed right off 

the bat that he had promise, 

receiving the Coaches’ Award 

for hard work, dedication and 

a positive attitude. 

“He’s a really good kid,” 

Saari said. 

Brandon also gives back to 

the community, refereeing 

youth soccer in his free time. 

Athletically, Brandon has a 

lot of speed, a fluid shot and 

strong ball-handling skills. 

Brandon has improved 

every year, according to his 

coach. 

“His confidence level has 

gone up, his finishing shot is 

Soccer 

MVP 

better and his teammates 

around him have gotten better 

and have been a help,” 

Saari said. 

Brandon’s personal 

improvement has mirrored 

that of the Roughriders’ team 

improvement. 

“We had a really good team 

this year,” Brandon said. 

The Riders, who made the 

playoffs for the first time in 

nine years, came within a win 

of the state tournament. 

“We had a good 

season. I give thanks 

to my teammates 

and my coaches for 

the season I had,” 

Brandon said. “My 

coaches taught me 

well.” 

The offensive player of the 

year for Port Angeles is looking 

forward to his senior season. 

“We should have a great 

year,” he said. 

Sixteen players are returning, 

and most of them will be 

seniors. The Riders are losing 

just two seniors from this 

year’s team and five foreign 

exchange students. 

Brandon has lofty goals. 

“I hope to be the top scorer 

on the Peninsula, I hope to 

make first-team all-league, be 

MVP of the Peninsula again 

and have a great year,” he said. 

And then on to college. 

Brandon’s dream school is 

Colorado, one of two new additions 

to the Pac-12, but he has 

other schools in mind if his 

Division I dream doesn’t come 

true. 

“Seattle Pacific is a possibility, 

and if I stay in town, then I 

will play for Peninsula College,” 

he said. 

Port Angeles High School, 

though, gets Brandon for one 

more year. 


Port Angeles junior Anthony Brandon was the Roughriders’ top scorer this year, netting 11 

goals and dishing out nine assists.




All-Peninsula Softball 

Players were selected by area softball coaches and the sports staff of the Peninsula Daily News. 

Lea Hopson 


Infield — MVP 

The two-time 

Olympic League MVP 

put up gaudy stats 

again this spring with 

a .625 average, 32 extra 

base hits, 54 RBIs 

and 80 runs scored. 

Kelsey Hinsdale 


Infield 


All-Olympic Leaguer 

for the third straight 

year, Hinsdale hit .500 

with 5 home runs, 6 

doubles, 30 RBIs and 

20 runs scored. 

Cindy Miller 


Infield 

The Wolves’ second 

baseman set the table 

near the top of the 

order — .414 average, 

51 runs, 10 stolen 

bases — as a first-team 


Kaylie Castillo 


Infield 


Nisqually League 

selection for the 

second year in a row, 

Castillo hit a teambest 

.452 with 17 

RBIs and 3 doubles. 

Maddy 

Zbaraschuk 


Catcher 

The first-team All- 

Olympic Leaguer will 

play for UM-St. Louis 

after hitting a teambest 

.682 with 9 

homers and 63 RBIs. 

Hannah Wahto 


Catcher 

PA’s backstop was 

named a first-team 


player after hitting 

.556 with four 

homers, 36 RBIs and 

34 runs scored. 

Rylleigh 

Zbaraschuk 


Outfield 

Sequim’s leadoff 

hitter hit .600 with 

62 runs, 33 RBIs, 17 

stolen bases and 6 

homers as a first-team 


Sheri Adams 


Outfield 

Seeing limited 

action because of 

injuries, Adams hit 

.457 with 8 RBIs and 

6 doubles and earned 

2nd-team All-Olympic 

League honors. 

Sarah Bacchus 

Quilcene (Senior) 

Catcher/Pitcher 

The Ranger captain 

was named co-Sea- 

Tac League MVP after 

hitting .553 with four 

homers and racking 

up 46 Ks with a 7-2 

record pitching. 

Demiree Briones 


Pitcher 

The first-team 


hurler was 24-0 this 

spring with a 1.98 

ERA and 115 Ks. She 

also hit .522 with 40 

RBIs and 4 homers. 

Stacy Webb 


Pitcher 

PA’s three-time 


pitcher had a 2.84 

ERA in her final 

season with a 15-5 

record and 131 Ks in 

123 innings pitched. 

Joel Lewis 

Sequim 


Lewis’ first year as 

head coach turned 

out to be one for 

the ages as Sequim 

went a perfect 28-0 

on the way to its 

first state title. 

Honorable Mention: Meleny Fors (Port Angeles); Cydney Nelson (Chimacum); Columbia Haupt (Sequim); Sammy Rae (Quilcene); Alyssa Feldewert (Forks); 

Natassja Savidge (Chimacum); Cailey Snyder (Chimacum); Emily Drake (Port Angeles); Alexas Besand (Sequim); Courtnie Paul (Forks); Bridget Galle (Chimacum); 

Kaitlyn Cadero (Chimacum); Mariah Frazier (Port Angeles); Bailey Rhodefer (Sequim).



Boys Tennis 


Girls Tennis 

Mallory 

Maloney 


Singles — MVP 

Reached 2A 

state for the fourth 

straight year, 

placing seventh. 

Micah Roos 


Singles 

Qualified for 

2A state tourney 

in final season and 

came one win shy 

of placing. 


Sequim senior Mallory Maloney ended his prep tennis 

career having placed at state three years in a row. 

Stacy Hanson 


Doubles 

Reached 2A 

state for the 

second straight 

year with Chan in 

doubles. 

Katerina 

Chan 


Doubles 

Made second 

straight 2A state 

appearance with 

Hanson. 

Stately status 

Byron Boots 


Doubles 

Part of 

Sequim’s 2A state 

doubles team that 

came within one 

win of placing. 

Hayden 

McCartney 


Doubles 

Half of the PA 

doubles tandem 

that reached 2A 

state. 

Michael Lee 


Doubles 

The other half 

of Sequim’s 2A 

state doubles 

tandem that went 

1-2 in Seattle. 

A.J. Konopaski 


Doubles 

Started a state 

baseball game 

and qualified for 

state doubles play 

in same weekend. 

Maloney’s run 

at Sequim ends 

where it began 


SEQUIM — An era ended at 

Sequim when the tennis season 

ended last month. Mallory Maloney, 

who has been one of the top 

players on the boys tennis team for 

four years, graduated. 

Maloney has been at or near 

the top of the ladder all four years, 

with each season culminating 

with a trip to the Class 2A state 

tournament. He placed at state 

three times, twice in doubles with 

partner Reed Gunstone, and this 

year in singles. 

A career doubles player, Maloney 

had to move to singles when 

Gunstone graduated in 2010. But 

Maloney, who also golfs, never 

completely left doubles behind. 

“Doubles is more net play 

while singles is more stroke play,” 

Maloney said. “Net play was my 

strength in singles.” 

Tennis MVP 

Tennis is Maloney’s first love 

even though he said he enjoys 

playing golf, too. Last year, he just 

missed the first-day cut at state 

but was hoping for another shot at 

Day 2 this year. 

He never got it, however, 

because the district golf tournament 

was scheduled on the same 

day as its tennis counterpart. 

He said opting for tennis, a 

sport he knew he’d make state in, 

was a no-brainer. 

“It was frustrating, though,” 

Maloney said. 

His next step is Pepperdine 

University in Malibu, Calif., where 

he plans to focus on his studies. 

Maloney said it would be fruitless 

to compete for a spot against 

the school’s top-tier players, some 

from Romania and Russia. 

“They have a really good club 

tennis team I will join,” he said. 

“They play other school club teams 

that are competitive.” 

No matter what Maloney does 

in college, the Sequim boys tennis 

program will never be the same. 

Alexis Corn 


Doubles 

PA’s top singles 

player part of the 

year, Corn teamed 

up with Boyd and 

nearly made state. 

Shayla 

Bohman 

Port Angeles (Fr.) 

Singles 

Finished sixth 

in the Olympic 

League singles 

tournament. 

Laney Boyd 


Doubles 

One half of 

the Riders’ top 

doubles tandem, 

she came within 

a win of 2A state. 

Mark Textor 

Sequim 


Guided Sequim 

boys to second 

straight league title 

and had 5 players 

reach 2A state.



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