South Whidbey gears up for spring sports

By NATHAN WHALEN

Special to the News-Times

Athletes at South Whidbey High School spent the past two weeks preparing for the upcoming sports season as track meets, baseball and softball games, golf and tennis matches get underway. Coaches for South Whidbey shared some thoughts about their teams and the season.

Baseball

South Whidbey’s baseball field is fielding an older team for 2025 with five seniors returning as starters.

“This is a pretty serious group of kids and they’re working hard. It has kind of a different feel this year,” baseball coach Tom Fallon said.

Starting seniors for the Falcons are Grady Davis, Sage Northrup, Malachi Pearson, Dylan Paine and Connor Bartel.

“We knew going into this year, these guys have a ton of experience. They know how to play the game,” Fallon said, adding the team has a lot of utility players and around six players will pitch.

Fallon said the Falcons competed well against the top teams of the state last season and he hopes they can make a run for the league championship.

“If you get out of our league, you have a legit chance to win state,” Fallon said.

In last year’s 1A state baseball tournament, two Emerald Sound Conference teams placed. Overlake-Bear Creek placed first and Cedar Park Christian placed fourth. In addition, Meridian, who plays in District 1, placed second.

Fallon added players are taking a one-game-at-a-time approach and focusing on the little things. They want to be playing their best baseball of the season going into districts.

South Whidbey’s baseball season got underway with a jamboree Thursday at Mount Vernon Christian. Their first game of the season takes place Saturday when the Falcons travel to Orcas Island. The game took place after the South Whidbey Recordwent to press.

Softball

The Falcons have 12 returning players on the girls softball team and five of those athletes are freshman who played on the team as eighth graders. Three eighth graders are joining the team for the current season.

“Our little league programs are really dialed in to get these girls ready to play at a high school level,” softball coach Keasha Campbell said, adding seven girls on the team play on select teams.

South Whidbey’s softball has three seniors leading the team – Kyla Rogers, Jocelyn Nichols, and Savanah Filla – all of whom have been on the team since they were eighth graders. “Hopefully we can go out big for them,” Campbell said.

Freshmen Sophia Jennings and Gretta Jones are competitive and have experience playing on national select teams, Campbell added.

With only three schools in the Emerald Sound Conference playing softball (South Whidbey, Granite Falls, and Cedar Park Christian), South Whidbey will be playing teams a little farther south and west throughout the season, Campbell said.

“It’s kind of exciting to see a little different competition,” Campbell said. The softball team was on the road Friday when they traveled to Tukwila to play Foster and then on Saturday when they traveled to Orcas Island. The games took place after the Record went to press.

They also have games scheduled against Tyee, Vashon Island and Auburn.

Campbell said the team has a focus on mental health and teaching players how to recover from mistakes.

“Our goal is to really stay positive,” Campbell said.

Boys golf

South Whidbey’s boys golf team started the season on a strong note with a five-stroke victory against Cascade Tuesday.

Coach Steve Jones said the team started a little shaky but the veterans on the team started hitting good shots. Five freshmen on the team got experience playing against competition and playing on a new golf course.

“I have one senior returning and a lot of underclassmen, so we’re a young team,” Jones said. “They’re super-excited for the season.”

Magnus Christensen is the sole senior on the team. Junior Cash Metcalf qualified for the state tournament in 2024.

Jones said the sophomores and juniors on the team are improving. “The future is looking bright for the Falcons.”

Jones said the goal is to keep things fun and to teach skills.

“My goal is for each player to get better and the rest will take care of itself,” Jones said.

He also appreciated the help of Useless Bay and Holmes Harbor golf courses provided throughout the season. The golf team practices at Holmes Harbor Golf Club and plays matches at Useless Bay Golf and Country Club.

South Whidbey travels to Oak Harbor Monday and to Everett on Thursday. The Falcons’ first varsity match of the season takes place April 10 against King’s.

Girls golf

Even though South Whidbey’s girls golf team is comprised of four seniors, one was on the team in 2024.

“It’s an all-senior squad,” coach Eddie Mulcahy said. “They’re a good group of girls. The newbies are getting better every day.”

Senior Kennedy Mulcahy qualified for the district tournament in 2024 and she is attempting to qualify for the state tournament, Eddie Mulcahy said.

He said the other members of the girls golf team are athletes in other sports. Clara Jurriaans and Alyssa Staats played volleyball and Addi Hatch played softball.

Mulcahy said the goals for the season are simple – provide the skills that will make golf a lifetime sport and for the new players to compete in the league tournament. He said the girls are having fun and laughing. “That’s when you play your best golf.”

South Whidbey competes in the Emerald Sound Conference, which is a 1A league that has a lot of smaller, private schools. The league has perennial state-bound teams such as Overlake, Forest Ridge and Bear Creek.

“Whenever you can play against competition that’s better, it raises your level of play,” Mulcahy said.

Boys soccer

The Falcon’s boys soccer team is hoping to build off the previous season that saw South Whidbey win a game in the Emerald Sound Conference tournament, coach Ryan D’Jay said.

South Whidbey is fielding a team with one senior and a strong class of sophomores and juniors, D’Jay said.

The team will be led by Liam Adadow, who is the only senior on the team.

“He’s just a good leader,” D’Jay said, adding Adadow is a kind-hearted and competitive athlete who controls the field and “sees the game as a whole.”

Two juniors are co-captains for the Falcons – Abram Durham and Walden Mckell. Abram started playing for the high school program when he was an eighth grader and Mckell joined as a freshman.

“We’re a young team. South Whidbey usually is,” D’Jay said. South Whidbey graduated three captains from last year’s team. Two freshman on the team got experience as eighth graders.

D’Jay said the goal for South Whidbey is to qualify for the postseason and win several playoff games.

“We got something special brewing. The kids love the game,” D’Jay said.

South Whidbey’s season started March 14 when the Falcons hosted Granite Falls. The results took place after the South Whidbey Record went to press.

Boys and girls track

South Whidbey’s boys and girls track teams are seeing a big group of freshmen turn out this season. Seventy-six athletes, 45 boys and 31 girls signed up this year, coach Mark Eager said in an email.

South Whidbey will build from last season that saw the boys place fifth and the girls place third in the Emerald Sound Conference. Cody Redford was conference champion in the high jump, Rowan Jung placed eighth in state in the 3,200 meters, Bryson Taylor placed sixth at state in the long jump and Sierra Muller placed sixth in the pole vault.

Eager said Redford is the team leader for the Falcons.

“He’s a very hard-working athlete, the type of kid that you have to restrain because he’ll do too much out of sheer desire,” Eager said in an email. “He sets the tone and leads by example.”

Key returners for the Falcons are Redford (high jump, sprints), Jung (distance), River Kline (distance), Caden Hobbs (distance), Kasen Parsell (javelin), Carter Penny (sprints), Taylor (long jump, sprints), Robbie Sullivan (pole vault, triple jump, sprints), Kyle Anderson (pole vault),Sophia Michalopoulos (sprints), Muller (pole vault, sprints), Lyla Hutson (distance), and Megan Olson (Javelin, Sprints).

Eager said the Emerald Sound Conference is one of the most competitive leagues in the state. King’s won the girls state title and Bear Creek placed fourth in 2024. Cedar Park Christian won the boys title while Seattle Academy placed second.

“Our goal as always is to improve throughout the season, score as many points as possible at the conference championships and qualify as many athletes to state as we can,” Eager said. “It’s also important for us to keep it fun.”

Girls Tennis

South Whidbey’s girls tennis team saw 38 players sign up to play for the season and half of those are first-time players, coach Levi Buck said.

“Our team is young in general,” Buck said. “The returners are taking a leadership role. I think it’s going to be a good season.”

The Falcons have seven seniors on the team, three of whom played varsity in 2024 – Bailie Kuschnereit, Carlie Kuschnereit, and Natalie Olson. Other seniors on the team are Alex Einstein, Nicole Parker, Lauren Warton, and Thea Williams.

South Whidbey had a team in 2024 that saw Pearl Buck and Mikaela Nelson place second in the 1A state doubles tournament. Both Buck and Nelson graduated in 2024.

“There’s a spot for the returners and newcomers to step up and fill,” Buck said.

South Whidbey competes in a competitive Emerald Sound Conference, which is a league that saw three singles players and three doubles teams place first, second and third at the state tournament in 2024, Buck said.

“I really value the team building and community building that comes from being on a tennis team,” Buck said, adding older players help develop younger players and show them how to represent the community.

He hopes to see players continue to play tennis through high school and beyond.