by Declan O’Malley
Sounder contributor
Orcas Island High School baseball wrapped up its regular season this week with two tough matchups against Class 1A opponents (OIHS competes in Class 2B). On May 8, the Vikings hosted South Whidbey High School, where the Falcons handed them a 19–5 loss.
On May 10, the Vikings traveled to Whatcom County to take on Class 1A Mount Baker High School, falling 14–4.
“Being that we are gearing up for the postseason, I’m using these last few non-league games to really stretch out our arms and challenge our bench to get reps and see how all their hard work has paid off this year,” said head coach Eli Sanders.
The Vikings will compete in the district tournament in Mount Vernon at Skagit Valley College’s Dream Field on May 15.
Vikings softball also closed out its regular season with two games against larger schools. On May 8, they faced Class 1A South Whidbey, where the Falcons surged late to beat Orcas 28–25 in a high-scoring affair.
“I am really proud of the way our team fought back. We were down 13 runs and the girls really got their bats going,” said head coach Lilly Rodgers.
On May 10, the Vikings took on Class 2A Anacortes and came out with a 12–7 win.
“Each week the team continues to build, and I am excited to see it all come together for the playoffs,” Rodgers said.
Viking golf competed at the district tournament last week and performed well.
“Both the boys’ and girls’ teams won their respective district tournaments at Loomis Trail. This was a massive achievement by both teams that truly came down to every single player, no matter where they placed, because the team scores were so close,” said head coach Ryan Kennedy.
According to Kennedy, Lili Malo took first place overall — besting her closest competitor by 10 strokes — while Joe Anderson tied for first in his 18-hole round and finished second overall after a playoff. Josh Spinner took third behind Anderson, and both Tim Malo and Knox Key secured spots in next week’s Bi-District Tournament.
“All of our girls will be moving on as well. Katie Spinogatti took fourth place, and Vera Sasan placed sixth—both had a great run on a tough course. We’re looking forward to Bi-Districts next week, which is the last qualifying tournament before state,” Kennedy said.
At the May 2 Friday Harbor Invitational, Anderson scored an 8-under-par, 64. He beat the field by 13 shots and was only one shot off the course record for San Juan Golf Club. In the previous ten years of the Friday Harbor Invitational, the lowest score recorded was a 75. Malo came in first with a score of 91.
Orcas track and field competed at the NW 2B/1B District Championships in La Conner, with several top finishes in both track and field events.
Juelz Mahone Arias took first in the 110-meter hurdles, while Chase Connell won both the 12-pound shot put and the discus.
For the girls, Sofia Mahony-Jauregui claimed first place in the javelin, and Margo Winter-Lamphere finished second in the 200-meter dash.
