All-state, all-NCC selections named
Published 11:00 am Saturday, January 17, 2004
No state championships came back to South Whidbey last fall, but in coming close to being the best, several Falcon teams won all-state honors for individual players and athletes.
Though they may not have won the state championship they hoped for all season, the Falcon girls soccer team still arguably went away from November’s state tournament as the best team in the state.
All-state player rankings, which were generated by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association in late December, gave South Whidbey more places on state first and second teams than any other 2A Washington team.
Selected for the first team were senior forward Claudia Gil-Osorio, sophomore midfielder Katy Watson, senior defender Willa Purser and freshman midfielder Kelsey Kimmel. Selected for the second team was forward Jenna Wild.
The Falcons ended the season with the best record of any 2A team in the state, going 25-1, and the best scoring year by any South Whidbey girls team with 71 goals against all opponents and 15 allowed. Gil-Osorio was the team’s top scorer with 33 goals on the season.
Tallying nearly as many all-state selections was the South Whidbey High School volleyball team. Though the Falcons did not make it to the championship game and ended up sixth in the 2A Division, they caught the attention of the all-state selectors. Making the all-state first team was senior outside hitter Katy McGillen and junior libaro Amy Brown. Selected for the all-state second team was senior Brianna Hussey, who made 107 assists during the Falcons’ state tournament run.
One team that would have, under different rules, had all-state performers was the boys cross country team. At November’s state 2A meet, senior James Sundquist placed fourth overall, while his sophomore teammate, JD Peters, was ninth. However, the WIAA gives all-state honors only to the 50 fastest runners for all school categories combined. Only one 2A runner made the cut this season.
The highest individual honors earned by members of South Whidbey’s cross country teams were all-conference selections. Sundquist, Peters and junior Holton Schmitt were named first-team all-conference for the boys cross country team, while senior Callie Supsinkas and sophomore Mary Bakeman were selected off the girls team.
