Sports: Port Angeles High loses a coach, gains another one

PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles High School gained a new boys head coach while losing another one Wednesday.

Thirty-year-old Erik Lathen, the third generation of a long-line of successful head prep basketball coaches, accepted the vacant boys basketball position. The Houston educator and coach had two other offers but decided to come to Port Angeles because of the community and the opportunity to coach a winning program.

“I won’t go somewhere I can’t win,” Lathen said frankly by telephone from his Houston home Wednesday night.

Lathen has good memories of his visit to the North Olympic Peninsula.

“I was thoroughly impressed with the community,” he said. “It’s where I would want to raise my kids, and it’s where I’ll have the community support to have a successful program.”

Lathen and his wife, Ginger, are expecting their first child, a son, within the next two weeks.

“If it wasn’t for that, I would already be up there,” he said.

Losing soccer coach

At the same time Port Angeles is gaining an energetic basketball coach, it is losing its longtime and successful boys soccer coach. Scott Soule submitted his resignation to spend more time with his family.

Port Angeles School District Athletic Director Scott Brodhun said the search for a soccer coach would begin immediately.

Meanwhile, Lathen is ready to take over the basketball program from Lee Sinnes, another longtime and successful Roughrider coach.

This will be Lathen’s first head coaching position. For the past five years he was an assistant basketball and football coach at Class 5A Cypress Creek High School in Houston. Cypress Creek has 3,200 students.

Lathen, though, plans to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both coaching high school basketball teams to state championships.

More in Sports

The Klahhane Xcel Gold team from left, includes Lainey DePiro, Raynee Ciarlo, Lorelei Sanders and Emily Bair. Four out of the six Xcel Gold members got 9.0 or higher in the floor exercise at the Realm Classic meet in Everett this weekend. (Klahhane Gymnastics)
GYMNASTICS: Klahhane gymnasts shine at Realm Classic

The Klahhane Gymnastics Xcel Team competed at the Realm Classic… Continue reading

East Jefferson
PREP BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: East Jefferson girls win to lock up .500 season

Forks girls lose playoff opener; play again tonight

Sequim's Jericho Julmist drives to the basket against Bremerton in Sequim on Monday night. In on the play is Sequim's Zeke Schmadeke. Sequim won 66-61 to earn a share of the Olympic League title. (Emily Mathiessen/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
BOYS PREP BASKETBALL: Big night for Sequim and Port Angeles

Wolves earn share of league title; Riders punch postseason ticket with win

Sequim Wolves
PREP BASKETBALL: Sequim boys earn share of Olympic League title

The Sequim boys basketball team overcame a hot-shooting Bremerton squad… Continue reading

Ethan Melnick, Sequim basketball.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Ethan Melnick, Sequim basketball

Sequim has been getting big contributions all year from Solomon Sheppard and… Continue reading

Sequim’s Gracie Chartraw dribbles against North Kitsap on Friday in the Wolves’ final home game of the year. (Emily Mathiessen/Olympic Peninsula News Group)
PREP BASKETBALL RECAP: Sequim boys, PA girls victories set up huge games

Snow and icy roads disrupted the basketball schedules of… Continue reading

The Port Scandalous Roller Derby League begins Feb. 22 at the Sequim Boys & Girls Club.
AREA SPORTS BRIEFS: Roller derby season opener set for Feb. 22

The Port Scandalous Roller Derby League will begin with… Continue reading

The Forks boys wrestling team won its fifth straight District 4 championship this weekend. (Forks wrestling)
PREP WRESTLING: Forks boys, East Jefferson girls district champs

The Forks boys and East Jefferson girls both walked away… Continue reading

COLLEGE HOOPS: Pirates win wild one in double OT; women win 16th straight

The Peninsula College men’s basketball team won a double-overtime 101-99… Continue reading

Port Angeles Roughriders
STATE BOWLING CHAMPIONSHIPS: Port Angeles girls come in sixth in the state

In the Port Angeles girls bowling team’s first trip to… Continue reading