Vikings continue strong fall

by Declan O’Malley

Sounder contributor

The Orcas Island High School Vikings had an impressive week across multiple sports to kick off October, highlighted by big wins in boys’ soccer and volleyball, and solid efforts in cross-country competition.

Boys’ soccer

To start the week of games on Oct. 1, the Vikings boys’ soccer team traveled to Friday Harbor and secured a 2-1 victory in a hard-fought match that saw a late push from Friday Harbor after their second-half goal.

“After the first goal, we were a little upset, but we’re a good team. We kept our composure, and our team and seniors helped lead us to victory,” said junior Tim Malo after the match.

Senior Anthony Conejo Mendia scored one of the go-ahead goals for the Vikings and reflected on the win.

“I’m very happy about my goal, and I’m glad that it put our team ahead again. I feel like that goal gave us more energy and hope, and I’m just glad we won and beat our rivals,” he said.

Taking momentum from that victory, the Vikings hosted Coupeville on Saturday, Oct. 4 in a homecoming game, and cruised to an 8-0 win, improving to 7-0-1 and maintaining their undefeated record.

“A great hometown crowd showed up for our homecoming game on Saturday against Coupeville. This would be our second game against this ‘mid-table’ squad, and our first real conference game. Coupeville was coming off a good win against Providence Classical Christian, and fielded 4 or 5 stronger players than in our first matchup. Nonetheless, the Orcas team dominated possession from the start of the game, which led to numerous scoring opportunities throughout the game,” said Head Coach Terry Turner.

Volleyball, girls’ soccer

by Cienna Richardson

On Tuesday, Sept. 30, the Vikings girls volleyball team hosted La Conner in an exciting five-set battle. With each team winning two sets, the decisive fifth set had the crowd on the edge of their seats. The Lady Vikings fought hard but fell short by two points, with La Conner taking the final set 15-13 and the match 3-2.

Coach Mallory Balcomb praised senior co-captain Sofia Mahony-Jauregui for her leadership and consistent play.

“Sofia brings steady leadership and sets the tone with her work ethic. Her athleticism and consistency make her our go-to offensive player, and she thrives in big moments when her team needs her most. She has been a cornerstone of the program and will leave a lasting mark through both her play and her example,” Balcomb said.

On Thursday, Oct. 2, the Vikings traveled off-island to face Coupeville, winning in four sets with scores of 17-25, 25-19, 27-25, 25-19, taking the match 3-1.

La Conner defeated the girls’ soccer team on Oct. 2 during a home game. The final score was 8-0.

“The Orcas Island High School Girls Soccer team is off to an exciting start in their inaugural season. With only a few experienced players, Coach Chama Anderson is emphasizing growth, skill development and learning the strategies of the game. The team’s focus on steady improvement and teamwork is helping build a strong foundation for the future of the program,” said Athletic Director Paul Steimel.

Cross Country

The NW 1B/2B League Meet took place on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, at Fort Casey State Park in Coupeville. In the boys varsity division, Evangel Classical finished first with a team score of 39, followed by Coupeville (59), Mount Vernon Christian (61), Friday Harbor (78), Orcas Island (96), and Shoreline Christian (163).

For Orcas Island, Kai Park led the Vikings with a 7th-place finish and a time of 18:53.74. Kai Gilliam took 19th (20:16.69), Tomasi Malo finished 21st (20:21.84), and Gabriel Chapman was 22nd (20:28.96). Drew Nunez placed 27th (21:22.02), followed by Hugh Kirk (49th, 25:07.75) and Max Peterson (56th, 40:16.23).

Cienna Richardson contributed quotes to this story.