A different team has won the North title in each of the last four years, which gives a good idea as to what to expect this spring. Jefferson certainly is capable of repeating as league champions, especially with all-league midfielders Chase Hanson and Casey Kim back in fold.
The future is bright for the Kentwood High boys soccer team.
Fifth-year coach Aaron Radford knows that all too well. But Radford also knows that this spring, the Conquerors will have to traverse its share of early season growing pains before fully realizing how good they can be.
Less than two weeks after guiding the Kentwood High boys basketball team to its first state championship since 2004, coach…
The faces have changed on the Kentwood High fastpitch diamond this spring.
Gone this season are most of the players who helped the Conquerors win their first South Puget Sound League North Division title last spring since 1994 and advance to their second state berth in four years.
There’s something to be said about possessing a winning tradition.
Few athletic programs in the state have as much of it as the Kentlake High fastpitch team. Since the school opened in 1997, the Falcons have advanced to the state tournament nine times and either won or challenged for the South Puget Sound League North Division title in nearly each of those seasons.
• Zach Wright
Pitcher – Kentlake – Senior
Notable: UW-bound ace has 88-90 mph. heat to go with deadly change-up.
It’s going to be a wire-to-wire, day-in, day-out battle. While Kentwood is the early favorite, Kentlake, Kentridge, Federal Way and Tahoma all could be on top come late April.
Tom Ingles isn’t coming to town.
With head football coaching vacancies at Kent-Meridian and Kentlake, rumors had been swirling for a while that Ingles, who led Kentwood to state titles in 2001 and 2002, would be returning to Kent. Ingles left Kentwood for Puyallup High in 2003 after using the Kent School District’s retire-rehire process in consecutive years. Teachers in the district are only allowed to use the retire-rehire process twice, which helps explain why Ingles exited for good in 2003 despite the fact that he openly stated on many occasions his preference to remain at Kentwood.
Sure, there are openings in the district, but …
“They’d have to change the board policy before I came back,” said Ingles, who stepped down from his post at Puyallup High in January after six seasons.
“I’ve been approached. When I left Kentwood, it was because of the retire-rehire policy and that hasn’t changed. It’s not that I am not interested in either (the Kent-Meridian or Kentlake) job, but things would have to change.”
Which still leaves us with openings. However, word was spreading late last week and early this week that the position at Kentlake had been filled, though athletic director Bruce Rick couldn’t confirm (nor deny) the hire.
They know the season rides on their shoulders.
As always, Kentlake High’s interchangeable pitching aces Zach Wright and Doug Christie remain unflappable, calm as ever with the road that lies ahead. The Falcon flamethrowers don’t have time these days for panic. Never have. Never will.
They graduated their No. 1 pitcher and No. 2 broke his leg in January and is out for the baseball season.
Strangely, things are still looking pretty good these days for the Kentwood High baseball team despite graduating Alexander Lee and losing Kent Hagen in January.
He made a vow to his teammates.
Then Kentwood High star Joshua Smith backed up his words Saturday night at the Tacoma Dome.
Smith, Kentwood’s 6-foot-9 UCLA-bound star, scored a game-high 22 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out five assists, leading the Conquerors past Jackson 67-58 for the Class 4A state boys basketball title.
They had the lead and the ball, but the Kentwood High girls basketball team couldn’t seal the deal Thursday night…
The Kentwood High boys basketball team is hitting its stride.
As much was evident late Thursday night in a Class 4A state quarterfinal game at the Tacoma Dome against Eastlake. Joshua Smith led a balanced Kentwood attack with 23 points as the Conquerors dispatched the Wolves with ease, 78-57.
Joshua Smith was given the green light on Wednesday night at the Tacoma Dome.
Liz Mills supplied a key spark for the Kentwood High girls basketball team on Wednesday afternoon.
State basketball: A look at the Class 4A boys, girls tournaments
The Kentwood High boys basketball team was finally able to exhale Friday night at Foss High.
Behind a lock-down defensive performance and clutch shooting throughout from guard Tre Tyler, the Conquerors knocked off Beamer 58-37 in a winner-to-state, loser-out West Central District III game.
Consider it payback.
Kentwood’s Josh Smith scored a team-high 22 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and blocked three shots, leading the Conquerors past Kentridge 74-54 on Tuesday night in a West Central District III loser-out boys basketball game.
Jesus Valdez savored this one.
Kent-Meridian’s standout 103-pound wrestler accomplished something on Saturday night at the Tacoma Dome that no other member of the school’s program has done during the past decade.
It was a bittersweet weekend for Kent-Meridian gymnast Nora Keith.
The sweet part came from the fact that Keith, one of the best gymnasts to come out of the school during the past 20 years, brought home a fourth straight medal from the Class 4A state meet at the
