Inside the Huddle

It’s hard to believe, really, but the fall sports season is more than halfway over and nearing the home stretch. So what better time than now to reflect on what we’ve seen — surprises and setbacks — and look ahead to what the end of the season may hold?

It’s worth noting, first, that three of the six fall sports teams at Bremerton High School featured new head coaches coming into the 2009 season. That includes boys tennis (Casey Lindberg), girls soccer (Colette Lyons) and volleyball (Beth Donnelly).

The boys tennis team is gearing for the Olympic League Tournament, which is Friday and Saturday at North Kitsap High School. I checked in with Lindberg yesterday, but he said the brackets had yet to be released. An Ho, a senior from Vietnam, is the Knights’ No. 1 singles player. He’ll have a tough road in trying to advance to districts — the top two finishers advance — because the 3A teams competing in the tournament each have solid No. 1 players. Olympic’s Cory Smith is the odds-on favorite to win the title, at least in my opinion. The Knights’ best shot may be on the doubles side with duo James Hill and Justin Wells, both of whom have seen action at singles. They are experienced, and from what Lindberg says, are the team’s strongest duo.

Lyons’ soccer team is making a late push for the playoffs after having struggled for much of the season. The team has averaged six goals per game over the past three to climb within striking distance of Port Angeles for the third and final playoff spot. BHS and PA sqaure off at Memorial Stadium at 6:45 p.m. today.

Following the volleyball team has been one of the bigger joys of this fall sports season. The first-year coach Donnelly truly has instilled a new attitude, top to bottom. The team defeated North Mason for the first time in a long, long time (couldn’t even find the last time on the WIAA Web site) at home Tuesday in convincing fashion. The playoffs are still a possibility, although it’s going to take a few upsets during the last two weeks of the season. Regardless, the word “playoffs” certainly hasn’t been used in the same sentence as “Bremerton volleyball” for quite some time. Kudos to Donnelly and Co.!

A few familiar faces — Nate Gillam, football; Justin Adrian, girls swim; and Teresa Seim, cross country — have found mixed results with their respective teams.

The gridders look to snap a five-game losing streak at home Friday against North Kitsap in what should be an interesting matchup. Not going to make any predictions, but NK isn’t the team it was last year when it advanced to state.

Adrian has a young team, comprised of up-and-coming swimmers. I look forward to tracking their postseason run as that time nears.

And lastly, cross country. I made it out to BHS’ meet with Olympic and Kingston yesterday and was thrilled to chat with Seim, whose been the coach for 14 seasons. Seim said the team is inexperienced, but she’s been pleased with its progress over the course of the season. Freshman Rebecca Frei is a promising runner who should be in the mix for postseason accolades in the coming years.

That’s where we are now — in a nutshell — but there is plenty more to discuss. Which is why you’ll have to come back for more next time. See you on the sidelines.