Now that 2024 has rolled into 2025 and various teams around the Olympic Peninsula are getting into the meat of league play, let’s see which area teams have set themselves apart early this season.
First of all, the Sequim boys basketball team was expected to be much improved this year, but I’m not sure anyone expected this team to be 8-0 so far. (Or 9-0 if you count a scrimmage victory).
The Wolves aren’t just winning, they’re crushing everyone they play, averaging 71 points a game and giving up just 43.4 points per game. They’ve yet to allow more than 55 points in a game.
That’s an average margin of victory of 26.6 points a game. Sequim has only had two games this year in which their opponents kept the score within 20.
The Wolves have a big test tonight in Port Angeles against an always well-coached Roughriders team that has had some heartbreaking close losses this year, but has played giant-killer once already, crushing a good Olympic team (8-2) in The Stable. Expect the Riders to be especially fired up for this game.
The Wolves are led by Jericho Julmist and Solomon Sheppard, but in their past few wins, they’ve also shown great balance, with Ethan Melnick, Charlie Grider and Mason Rapelje all making big contributions.
The Neah Bay girls are likewise unbeaten at 9-0. The Red Devils are two-time defending state champions and they’re dead serious about winning three straight, which would be an amazing achievement. I honestly expected Neah Bay to be down slightly this year just because they’ve graduated so many kids off their past two championship squads. But Cerise Moss and Angel Halttunnen, big contributors last year, have taken up the leadership mantle and they’re also getting some big games from Qwaapeys Greene, who scored 35 this weekend in a win over Mount Vernon Christian.
It’s really hard to tell how good some of the small teams actually are in central and eastern Washington, but there’s no reason to believe that Neah Bay can’t make a third straight serious run at a title.
Another team standing out is the Forks Spartans boys, who are 9-1. This is a team with a lot of size in Titus Rowley and Brody Lausche, an experienced point in Kyle Lohrengel and contributions from Landen Olson. Among their wins are a couple impressive victories against their old Evergreen 1A foes Montesano and Hoquiam.
That one loss for Forks? Against the Neah Bay boys, who have started the season 6-1. These two teams play again Thursday.
Speaking of Neah Bay, it’s always hard to tell just how good the Neah Bay boys are, because they always get a late start to their season due to the football team making deep runs into the state playoffs. But, that win over a 9-1 2B Forks team really stands out. This is a deep team that gets eight or nine kids in the scorebook every game. I expect the Red Devils to definitely make the state tournament. We’ll find out how deep they can go.
Another team I’d like to mention are the Forks wrestling girls. They have been an absolute powerhouse so far this season, winning the Battle of the Axe, were fourth at the Grizzly Stocking Stuffer and 16th out of 42 girls’ teams at the Hammerhead Invite, despite being a 2B school. The Spartans team is not deep with only nine or 10 girls, but they are talented. They are led by Kinley Rondeau, Flora Horejsi, Lillianna Galeana, Peyton Johnson and Riley Tjepkema.
It’s going to be a fun next couple of months watching how things shake out for these teams, beginning with what I expect to be a raucous atmosphere in the Port Angeles gym tonight.
