From the Sidelines

The Pirates sailed into Port Townsend last night and returned home with a 2-1 shoot out victory over the Redskins in an epic battle. The shoot out finish was only appropriate after the back and forth soccer game.

Vashon struck first when Teal Sigler took a feed from Cat Amick and found the back of the net in the seventh minute. Port Townsend did not even it up until the 77th minute when Khloe Frank converted a penalty kick.

Pirate goalkeeper Sophie Nespor was an overwhelming choice for player of the match with an amazing display of leaping and diving saves to shut down the relentless Redskin attack.

Regular time ended in a 1-1 tie. After two scoreless five-minute overtime periods the game went to the shoot out. Five players for each team alternate taking kicks from the penalty kick mark. If the teams are still tied the shoot out continues until one team misses and the other scores.

Vashon won 6-5 after each team took seven shots.

Vashon defender Katie Chale left the game with an injured arm in the 14th minute but returned early in the second half and eventually made the deciding kick in the shoot out.

Vashon went first. Port Townsend keeper Caroline Dowdle saved Brooke Pringle’s shot. Frank converted for the Redskins. Sigler made it for Vashon, Jennifer Grausberger for PT. Lena deGuzman hit for Vashon then Nespor saved Redskin Irina Lyons’ shot to even the count.

Amick, Carlyle Scott and Kaija Reinelt converted for Vashon and Brynne Gambill, Elena Akina and Dowdle made it for the Redskins.

Chale’s seventh-round shot hit the top bar and bounced to the ground and the assistant referee signaled that the entire ball had crossed the entire line for the goal. When PT’s Audrey McHugh shot just over the bar Vashon had the win.

The Pirates advance to the West Central District tourney with a 2 p.m. game Saturday at Orting Stadium. Vashon, the number four seed, plays Charles Wright, number three seed, for third and fourth seeds to regionals. Seattle Christian and Orting play at 4 p.m. for the first and second seeds to regionals.

While the boys and girls of the Pirate cross country teams prepare for the Westside Classic Meet (the state qualifier) at American Lake on Saturday, coach Laura Johnson sent some photos from the last two weeks.

Vashon's Ramsey Walker plays violin in the impromptu anthem band at the Nisqually League Championships.

Ramsey Walker played the violin in the impromptu band that played the Star Spangled Banner to open the Nisqually League Cross Country Meet at Spanaway Lake Oct. 22.

“He did not have his trombone, but offered to play the violin, as the Steilacoom coach’s wife (baritone player in picture) had a spare in her car. It was a wonderful touch, and Howard from Fife (AD there) said that next year he wants to try and get one player from each of the attending schools to be in the anthem band. Great idea!!” wrote Johnson.

Maddi Groen, Vashon’s only middle school runner, placed fourth of 29 girls in the annual middle school championships at Lincoln Park in West Seattle. Groen posted a time of 9:53.58 on the 1.5 mile course, a 6:36/mile pace.

Maddi Groen at the start of the middle school championship race.

Four of the high school girls went along to support Maddi and have fun with the five-mile relay hosted by Foster High School. American Studies homework kept the rest of the Pirate girls back on the VHS campus.

On Saturday the girls run at 11 a.m., the boys at 12:30 p.m. Vashon should have a few individual state qualifiers and both boys and girls teams could qualify with maximum effort and a little bit of luck.

We finally got the volleyball picture in focus. The Pirates play at Cascade Christian at 5:15 p.m. today, a makeup for the game that was postponed two weeks ago when the lights went out at the Puyallup school.

If  the Pirates beat the Cougars they then play Orting at 7 p.m., at Cascade, to decide who goes to Port Townsend tomorrow for the pigtail into sub-districts.

Good luck to the Pirates.

Pirate seniors, from left, Anna Jones, Kaija Reinelt,Teal Sigler, Sophie Nespor, Alissa Kimbrough, Katie Chale, coach Paul Beytebiere, Adria Englehard, Micaela Beytebiere, Chloe O'Neill, Brooke Pringle and Bailey Protzellor. Inset, Kiki Means, injured but there on the sidelines.

Victory is always sweet. Victory in the final home game of your senior season is sweeter. Victory over Charles Wright is as good as it gets.

Last night the Vashon High School girls soccer team defeated Charles Wright 4-0. Coach Paul Beytebiere played an all-senior lineup the entire first half and the final 10 minutes. And the 11 seniors got the job done.

Teal Sigler got the first goal unassisted in the 14th minute and the score stayed 1-0 for the first half.

Beytebiere inserted some underclassmen to start the second half, but it was the seniors who got the second goal in the 48th minute. Reversing the usual pattern, Carlyle Scott put the ball in the net with Sigler getting the assist.

Sophomore Cat Amick and Freshman Lena deGuzman teamed up for goals in the 55th and 69th minutes. Amick got both goals and deGuzman the assists.

Pirate seniors, in white, Anna Jones, left, and Adria Englehard, 18, along with a Tarrier defender and the goalkeeper, watch an incoming corner kick.

Goalkeeper Sophie Nespor and the Pirate defense completely shut down the Tarrier attack for the third shutout of the season.

The win made up for an overtime loss at Charles Wright Oct. 3.

To be fair, it must be noted that the Tarriers were playing without their all-star goalkeeper, a premier league teammate of Pirate Teal Sigler. Charles Wright coaches reported that 25 percent of their student body was absent with flu symptoms and the JV game was canceled, ended the season prematurely for Vashon’s JV, several of whom stayed to cheer their varsity teammates.

Vashon enters the playoffs tomorrow, Oct. 29, with a pigtail game at Port Townsend. The winner of that game continues with a game Saturday, the loser is done for the season.

Tomorrow’s game is at 5 p.m. at Jefferson County Memorial Stadium in downtown Port Townsend. Note the correct time is 5 p.m. Earlier schedules had showed an earlier kickoff.

The Pirates celebrate victory at home, the last time for the 12 seniors on the team.

Football: After last Friday’s 34-14 win, Steve Edele wonders when was the last time Vashon beat Orting on the football field. I’m not sure if it was the last time, but Vashon won at Orting in 1994.

Caleb Smith was a senior and my son, Andrew, was a junior.

At the time there was a low hanging electrical cable over the old Orting field about the 30-yard line. Smith punted the ball some time in the second half and it hit the cable and bounced back toward the Vashon line. One official was going to allow the play, treating it like a blocked kick and giving Orting excellent field position. Fortunately for the Pirates, another official called a penalty against the Cardinals, giving the ball back to the Pirates.

Vashon went on to win a a wild game.

It was a dark and stormy night at Mt. Rainier High School for the Vashon girls JV soccer team. The Pirates suffered their first loss of the season 6-0 to the Rams JV.

The rain poured down for most of the game, leaving one large corner of the field under water. With both teams ready, the referee wisely whistled the kickoff 20 minutes early. If he hadn’t the game would have finished in the dark.

The 10 Vashon girls who came to the game were no match for the fired-up Rams, with a full team and substitutes. It was the first win of the season for the 3A Mt. Rainier JV.

The day was not all bad, at least for me. I may not have paid full attention to the game at all times as I waited for bulletins on the birth of my first grandson.

Kellen Murphy Forschmiedt was born at 6:36 p.m. MDT in Salida, CO, weighing in at 9 pounds, 9.4 ounces, 21 inches long. Parents are Andrew Forschmiedt and Amy Bright.

The Pirate girls, varsity and JV, close the regular season with tonight’s Senior game at home. The 12 graduating Pirate seniors will be introduced and honored during the varsity game.

Charles Wright is the opponent. While the outcome will not affect standings or playoff seeding, the Pirates want to win this one for the seniors and for bragging rights in the intense rivalry between Pirates and Tarriers.

JV kicks off at 4 p.m., varsity at 6 p.m.

Varsity starts playoffs Thursday at Port Townsend. The game is a play-in to sub-district; winner advances, loser is out.

Other than the obvious for the Vashon v Cedar Park Christian football game this coming weekend, who to root for presents a dilema.

Do I want Orting or Cascade Christian to win? If Orting wins, and assuming Vashon wins, Orting, Cascade and Vashon will be 5-1 going into the final week. The winner of the Vashon-Cascade game would end up tied for first at 6-1 and the loser would be 5-2 and tied with Port Townsend for third place if PT takes care of Chimacum this week.

I think I will root for Cascade over Orting and Chimacum over PT. That way Vashon can tie with Cascade for first with a win in the final league game. Orting would have two losses and PT would be out of the way with three losses.

Of course if Cedar Park, Charles Wright or Life Christian pull off an upset or two everything changes.

Since I do not have the wisdom of a national magazine that predicts the winner of the Super Bowl before a single play has been run in the NFL season, and my crystal ball is all fogged up from the rain at homecoming, I guess I’ll just have to do it the old fashioned way: wait until the games are actually played.

Vashon 34, Orting 14 !!!!!

Cascade Christian 34, Chimacum 6.

Next week: Cedar Park Christian @ Vashon, Cascade Christian v Orting.

Thursday, Nov. 5: Vashon @ Cascade Christian. At the very least, the Pirates should tie for first place if they beat the Cougars.

I didn’t get to the game, just saw the result on Ch. 13’s game of the week. They showed Nathan Betz running for two TDs and Nick Fox-Edele running back an interception for another.

Lena deGuzman gives her all.

The Pirate girls cranked out another win yesterday, 5-2 over an improved Cascade Christian team.

Cat Amick and Teal Sigler worked their usual magic, accounting for all the Vashon scores. Amick scored in the sixth, ninth, and 25th minutes, all on assists from Sigler. Sigler had an unassisted goal in the 27th minute.

Jensen Berry snuck in an unassisted goal for the visiting Cougars in the 35th minute to make it 4-1 at the half.

The second half clock had barely started when Amick took a cross from Carlyle Scott for the Pirates fifth goal.

Melissa Short got another goal for the Cougars in the 56th minute. Blaykne Pederson got the assist.

Once again, Coach Paul Beytebiere rested most of the starters and every girl who dressed for the game got significant playing time.

Alex Wall beats two Cougars late in the game.

The JV Pirates set the standard with a 7-0 win in the first game last night.

Sammy Clements opened the scoring with an assist from Taylor Knowles in the 15th minute. Marielee Storms scored on a play that started with a corner kick from Taylor Hernandez in the 18th minute. Hernandez banked the ball off a defender for a 38th-minute score.

Clements converted another Hernandez corner kick in the 42nd minute. Anna Osborne followed less than a minute later with Paige Allison getting the assist. Katelyn Carter, in the 45th minute, and Osborne, in the 65th minute, scored unassisted.

Goal keepers Larissa Kuhns, first half, and Knowles, second half, with a lot of support from the Vashon defense, earned the shutout.

Defenders often don’t get mentioned because they don’t score, but the best keepers can’t do the job without them. Ella McConnell, Kiely Bernheisel, Emmie Kehoe, Allison and Kuhns were solid for the Pirates JV yesterday.

Charles Wright beat Life Christian yesterday, stopping Vashon’s chance to move up to third place, but the Pirates will still be up for Tuesday’s game against the Tarriers. It is Senior Night, honoring Vashon’s 12 graduating seniors. Vashon is looking to avenge their earlier overtime loss to the Tarriers. And any victory over any Charles Wright team is especially sweet.

Vashon starts the playoffs next Thursday, Oct. 29, with a play-in game at Port Townsend. Kick-off is 1 p.m.

Todd Gateman, far left, controls the flames as he and the rest of the crew prepare the popular after-game barbeque.

CROSS COUNTRY: Congratulations to the Vashon XC runners. The boys team took third at the Nisqually League combined 1A and 2A meet yesterday, beating all the 2A teams. Tylor Heit took fifth overall and Aidan Cyra flew to another PR for 14th. The rest of the Pirate boys were Colin Andrus 20, Cole Grabow 24, Ramsey Walker 26, Kense Parker 52 and Max Johnson 54.

In the girls’ race Savannah Krug was second in 1A, fourth overall. Kate Straube was sixth in 1A and Peri Roberts was 10th. I haven’t heard why the Pirates didn’t have a full team.

Now the Pirates have eight days to get ready for the Tri-District meet Oct. 31 at American Lake Golf Course, the State qualifier.

VOLLEYBALL: I just heard that Vashon’s volleyball win over Orting on Wednesday put the Pirates in the playoffs. If this is right it is a well-deserved honor for this team that has been steadily improving and has had some incredible bad luck recently in close matches.