JANUARY-MARCH
Skyline overcomes deficit
The Skyline Spartans boys basketball team overcame a 63-54 deficit against the Issaquah Eagles in the fourth quarter, earning a 76-73 win on Jan. 9 in a battle between rivals. Robert Biegaj, who scored a team-high 26 points for Skyline, played a pivotal role in his team’s comeback in the fourth stanza. Biegaj hit two three-pointers in Skyline’s signature 12-0 run in the fourth quarter. Biegaj buried a three-pointer as the shot clock expired with 3:22 left in regulation, giving Skyline a 66-63 lead.
Eastlake defeats Mount Si
Proficient free throw shooting down the stretch propelled the Eastlake Wolves to a thrilling victory against the Mount Si Wildcats. Eastlake (6-8 overall), who hit 10 free throws in the fourth quarter, captured a 78-73 win against Mount Si (3-10 overall) in a Class 4A KingCo boys basketball matchup on Jan. 16 in Sammamish. Eastlake head coach Steve Kramer said it wasn’t his team’s best showing of the 2014-15 season, but he would take the win nonetheless. “It wasn’t real pretty,” Kramer said. “We obviously made our free throws in the fourth quarter so that was really the difference.”
Spartans defeat Eagles
Skyline Spartans junior forward Taylor McKerlich turned in her most dominant performance of the 2014-15 season against the Issaquah Eagles girls basketball team. McKerlich scored a game-high 24 points and freshman Jade Loville added 17 points in the Spartans’ 66-39 victory on senior night in the regular season finale against the Eagles on Feb. 5 at Skyline High School in Sammamish. Skyline improved its overall record to 12-5 with the win. Issaquah dropped to 8-10 with the loss.
Iwicki captures state title
A levelheaded demeanor served Eastside Catholic Crusaders senior Matt Iwicki well throughout his high school wrestling career. The even-keeled Iwicki attained his ultimate goal, registering a convincing 5-1 victory against Bonney Lake’s Avery Meyer in the Class 3A 145-pound title match at the Mat Classic 3A state tournament on Feb. 21.
Crusaders capture third place at state
Eastside Catholic cruised to a 68-56 victory against the Seattle Prep Panthers in the third place/fifth place game at the Class 3A state hoops tournament at the Tacoma Dome on March 7.
APRIL-JUNE
Eastside Catholic defeats Stanwood
Expectations never wavered for the Eastside Catholic Crusaders boys lacrosse team. The Crusaders bolted out to an 8-1 lead after the first quarter and cruised to a 19-5 win against the Stanwood Spartans on April 16 at Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish.
Issaquah track team wins team title at state meet
The Issaquah Eagles girls track team shined under the bright sunshine tallying 59 team points, capturing the Class 4A girls team title on May 30 in Tacoma. Eagles’ sophomore Nikki Stephens competed in four events consisting of the 100-meter dash, 400-meter dash, 800-meter relay and 1600-meter relay at the Class 4A state meet. Stephens captured second place in the 400 with a time of 55.56 and fifth place in the 100 with a 12.33. Stephens anchored a first-place 1600 relay team with teammates Bella Foos, Sami Corman, and Elise Burdette which set a Class 4A state track meet record, clocking a 3:48.95. She also ran the anchor leg of the 800 relay squad that captured second place, compiling a time of 1:40.99. The 800 relay team consisted of Alia Sugarman, Foos, Burdette and Stephens.
Former Spartan signs with Seahawks
Skyline 2011 graduate Kasen Williams, who played for the University of Washington Huskies from 2011 through 2014, was signed by the Seattle Seahawks to the 90-man roster on June 12.
JULY-SEPTEMBER
Gunners capture Northwest title
Issaquah and Tacoma battled to a 1-1 tie on July 10 at Issaquah High School in Issaquah. The Gunners clinched the Women’s Premier Soccer League Northwest Division championship with the tie.
Community rallies together for Brown
The line outside of Mod Pizza stretched out the door and down the sidewalk for one of the biggest events of the summer for the Eastlake High School community on Aug. 4. Many people attended a fundraiser for Eastlake 2013 graduate Riley Brown, who was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in early 2015. Brown, who is currently attending the University of Arizona, visited Mod Pizza with family members and friends for the occasion. Mod Pizza donated 20 percent of all sales of the entire day to the Eastlake Booster Club, which in turn donated those funds to the Brown family.
Crane hits game-winning field goal
Skyline Spartans field goal kicker Jack Crane had been their before. Crane, who missed a key field goal attempt in last year’s playoff contest against the Skyview Storm, lined up for a 44-yard field goal try in overtime with the game tied at 28-28 against the arch-rival Issaquah Eagles. Crane’s kick split the uprights and the Spartans celebrated a comeback 31-28 win against Issaquah on Sept. 4.
OCTOBER-DECEMBER
Eastside Catholic crushes O’Dea
The Crusaders, who led the O’Dea Fighting Irish 21-14 with just 34 seconds left in the first half of play, took the wind out of O’Dea’s sails on the final drive of the second quarter. Eastside Catholic senior quarterback Harley Kirsch connected with wide receiver Matt Laris on a Hail Mary 40-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the first half, giving the Crusaders a 28-14 lead. The Crusaders added two more touchdowns in the third quarter en route to a 42-14 victory against the Fighting Irish on Oct. 17 in Sammamish.
Eagles win title
In the final minute of regulation in the Class 4A state soccer championship game, Issaquah sophomore Claudia Longo lined for a corner-kick in a 1-1 tie against the West Valley Rams. Longo’s pass on the corner-kick couldn’t had been more perfect. Eagles’ senior Madison Phan rose above the defense on a header shot which found the back of the net, clinching the Eagles 2-1 win against the Rams in the state title game on Nov. 21.
Crusaders capture second straight football state title
The old adage “a comeback for the ages” would be an understatement in regard to what the Eastside Catholic Crusaders achieved in the Class 3A state championship game against the Bellevue Wolverines. Bellevue led Eastside Catholic 35-14 at halftime and extended their lead to 42-14 on a Christoph Hirota 12-yard touchdown run with 6:10 left in the third quarter. Eastside Catholic looked defeated. It looked like it was over. The reality was it wasn’t over by any stretch of the imagination. Eastside Catholic outscored Bellevue 34-0 down the stretch, earning an improbable 48-42 overtime victory on Dec. 4 at the Tacoma Dome.
