Orcas Island shines at state with golf title, track qualifiers and baseball postseason run

Published 1:30 am Saturday, May 30, 2026

By Declan O’Malley

Sounder contributor

Golf

Orcas Island High School golf is once again atop Washington’s Class 2B landscape after Joe Anderson captured a state championship and the boys team finished runner-up to Mount Vernon Christian.

Anderson, a sophomore, shot rounds of 70 and 72 for a 142 total to win the title and set a WIAA record.

“I knew my game was in a good place, but winning by 13 shots is still hard to believe. A lot of it came from preparation and trusting the work we put in all season. The biggest difference this year was consistency, staying patient, and being mentally tough. Once I settled in, I just focused on one shot at a time,” Anderson said.

Josh Spinner shot 77 and 78 for a 155 total to place second. Katie Spinogatti finished 16th with rounds of 93 and 100 for a 193 total, earning a top-25 finish.

“Joe Anderson played a solid round. He stayed calm and confident on a tough course playing unusually long as a par 70 from the back tees. Josh placed second and ended a hard-fought back nine on day two with a key birdie to secure his place. Katie played a super-solid round off the tees and ended both days with birdies on 18. They all have a lot to be proud of, and I’m extremely proud of the way they hung tough, dealt with adversity, showed sportsmanship, and represented their team, their school, and their island community,” coach Kennedy said.

Track and field

The Orcas Island track and field team is in Yakima, representing Orcas Island High School at the state meet, with nine athletes competing this weekend.

Sophia Mahony-Jauregui and Tom Malo are competing in the javelin. Drew Nunez is running the 300-meter hurdles. Julez Mahone Arias is entered in the 110-meter hurdles. Chase Connell is competing in the discus. Gabe Chapman is running the 800 meters.

Orcas Island is also competing in the 4×400 relay with Chapman, Elijah Griffith, Orland Ljubic and Joaquin Shanks-Morales making up the squad.

Baseball

Orcas opened district play with a 5-3 win over Friday Harbor before falling to Mount Vernon Christian 13-2.

Despite the loss, Orcas Island advanced out of districts and earned a berth in the state playoffs. As the No. 16 seed, Orcas traveled to the Tri-Cities to face No. 1 seed Tri-Cities Prep in a Class 2B matchup, where their postseason run came to an end.