NEW — 12:44 p.m. Dec. 31, 2015
There was no shortage of success stories in the 2015 Hazen and Liberty sports seasons. Here are the Newcastle News’ top sports stories from the past 12 months:
Liberty wrestler Conner Small goes out on top
By Greg Farrar
Conner Small, Liberty High School senior, exults to his supporters in triumph as he wins the 170-lb. state 2A wrestling championship with a 7-3 win over Sedro Woolley senior Jacob Farrell Feb. 21 during Mat Classic XXVII at the Tacoma Dome.
Liberty senior Conner Small captured the Class 2A state crown at 170 pounds to close Mat Classic XXVII at the Tacoma Dome in February.
Small, who now wrestles at Arizona State, rolled through his final Mat Classic with convincing decisions in his first three matches.
The Patriots’ Romney Noel finished third, while Joanna Moreira finished fifth in the girls division.
Hazen wrestlers medal at Mat Classic
Hazen High School qualified five wrestlers for the Mat Classic, and two finished the weekend as medalists.
The Highlanders’ highest finisher was sophomore Raven Svenson, who finished fifth in the girls’ 155-pound division. Hazen junior Nik Vargas was the other medalist, placing eighth in the boys’ 3A 132-pound division.
Liberty swimmer Nick Klatt wins state title
Liberty senior Nick Klatt ended his high-school swimming career as a state champion, winning the 2A title in the 200-yard freestyle in February.
Klatt finished third in preliminaries the day before, but surged to the top spot in the finals with a time of 1 minute, 42.12 seconds. He also picked up a medal in the 500-yard freestyle (third, 4:41.60).
Hazen boys swim team wins trophy
The Hazen High School boys swim and dive team didn’t win a single event at the 2015 3A state swimming championship Feb. 20-21.
Yet, the Highlanders’ top-to-bottom depth ensured the team had a spot on the podium when the meet came to a close Feb. 21 at Federal Way’s King County Aquatic Center.
Hazen swimmers collected personal bests on the way to the squad’s fourth-place finish, edging out league-rival Kennedy by four points to win a team trophy.
Liberty baseball goes on surprising state run
The Liberty baseball team was back in the state semifinals for the first time since 2003, when the Patriots won the Class 3A title thanks to the arm of Tim Lincecum, who went on to become a star with the San Francisco Giants.
Despite a regular-season record below .500 and a seventh-place finish in the eight-team KingCo Conference, Liberty made noise in the playoffs, opening eyes across the state. The Patriots finished fourth at state.
Hazen basketball star signs with UW
Once Dominic Green secured his release from the scholarship he signed with Arizona State University, the record-breaking Hazen High School star knew he wanted to continue his basketball career close to home.
By Greg Farrar
Hazen senior Dominic Green goes for the score in the Highlanders win over Liberty. Green recently switched his pledge from ASU to UW.
After an informal visit to the University of Washington at the end of April, the 6-foot-7 small forward became intrigued about joining its stellar 2015 incoming freshman class that was ranked second in the Pac-12 and ninth nationally by Scout.com.
On April 26, Green committed to the Huskies over Washington State University and promised to help restore them to prominence.
Liberty boys tennis, golf finish second at state
The Liberty boys golf team earned a second-place team trophy at the 2A state tournament held at Liberty Lake Golf Course near Spokane in May.
Dexter Simonds was the Patriots’ top finisher, tying for sixth with an overall score of 143. Chase McIntosh finished right behind him at 145, followed by Ben Graham at 146.
That same weekend, Marek Pierepiekarz and Matthew Cao, Liberty’s doubles tennis team, finished second at the state tournament held in Seattle.
Patriots win two titles at state drill competition
The Liberty High School drill team left the Yakima Valley SunDome with two trophies in March. The Patriots took first place in the kick category with a “superior” rating of 271.7, while a score of 240.15 was enough to capture the 1A/2A military title.
Hazen tennis players medal at state
he Highlanders earned three medals at the 3A state tennis championships held May 29-30 at Kamiakin High School and Tri-City Court Club.
Bruno Hernandez-Sotres was Hazen’s top finisher, defeating teammate Gregg Furumasu (6-1, 7-5) in a boys singles medal match to earn fifth place.
Hernandez-Sotres and Furumasu each dropped their opening-round matches, but won the next two to set up the all-Hazen matchup. Furumasu would settle for eighth place.
Misa Takami also picked up a medal, finishing seventh on the 3A girls side.
Liberty has an autumn to remember
It was a marquee fall sports season for Liberty sports. Athletic Director Loren Krogstad’s teams won two state titles and excelled across the board.
Coach Kris Daughters led her girls swim and dive team to a second straight state title. Last year, the crown practically belonged to Liberty before the meet began, but 2015 was a different story. Nearly every Patriot swam a best time on the season’s final day, and that’s what clinched the championship.
The girls cross country team technically won two championships. Liberty got it done in the classroom and on the course, winning academic and athletic state titles. The boys didn’t do badly, either, capturing second at state.
Liberty’s girls soccer team settled for third, but gave defending state champion Squalicum a tough match.
The football team made its first state appearance since 2010; the volleyball team qualified for state for the second straight year; and the boys golf and tennis teams both impressed during the regular season, but have to wait until spring for state.
Hazen freshman makes cross-country podium
Hazen High School freshman Shannon Gifford sneaked her way onto the podium, earning 16th overall and setting a school record at the Class 3A state cross-country championship in November. Gifford finished the course in 19 minutes, 2.3 seconds — a Hazen girls’ best ever performance at state.
The Highlanders’ girls cross-country team also won its first Seamount League title since 2004.