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There are ugly wins, but few pretty losses. A rare example of the latter, though, might have been La Conner’s 77-55 non-league home hoop setback to 1A power Mount Baker on Saturday. The double-digit defeat looked much better in hindsight, at least from the perspective and through the lens of Braves’ head coach Scott Novak and his staff. “The Mount Baker game,” Novak said Sunday, upon reflection, “looks like we got blown out, but other than one stretch in the first quarter when we went from bein...
They have height. They have length. Now the La Conner High Lady Braves are building depth. And that depth was on display in a big way when La Conner swept back-to-back games at Landy James Gym last weekend. Joanie Benson and Kayla Hagen each made important contributions off the bench as the Lady Braves routed Concrete 61-37 on Friday and romped past Sultan 56-29 Saturday night. Benson scored a game-high 19 points, shooting five-of-nine from behind the three-point arc, while Hagen led the victors with four steals to go along with two points in...
They didn’t start the season on a roll, but the Lady Braves weren’t bowled over, either. La Conner salvaged a split of a two-game home set with larger non-league foes Lakewood and Granite Falls that tipped off the 2016-17 hoop campaign. The season opener on Wednesday was truly a pins-and-needles affair, with La Conner falling 61-58 in overtime to Lakewood after having bolted to an early double-digit lead. The loss came despite a brilliant 32-point effort by senior guard Nakiya Edwards, and a s...
Over time, the names change. But expectations remain the same. Lofty expectations, at that. Despite loss to the collegiate ranks of premier point guard Kamea Pino, who will reunite with former La Conner High teammate Anna Cook at Highline Community College this winter, the Lady Braves again appear poised to make a deep post-season run. “You can never underestimate the value of an outstanding point guard, someone who can get you into your offense,” La Conner head coach Scott Novak said last wee...
Ashley Watkins delivered countless big hits for the La Conner High volleyball team that placed third in State Tournament play at Yakima this month. Because of that, Watkins herself is a big hit with the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, which oversees athletics and fine arts programs in the state’s schools. Watkins, a 5’-7” hitter was named WIAA 2B Athlete of the Week for her stellar performance at the recent Yakima tourney. The La Conner High senior placed 97 percent of her serves and was nearly as efficient on serves recei...
Nobody hates losing more than La Conner High head football coach Peter Voorhees. Not that the first-year Braves mentor and NW2B Coach of the Year has had much experience tasting defeat. His team, which scored 50 or more points seven times this fall, lost only twice in 2016. Turns out, that pair of setbacks was to the two top small school grid programs in Washington state this year. La Conner was edged by No. 1-ranked Napavine during the regular season. The second Braves loss came on Saturday,...
In a battle of the birds and B’s, it was the Raymond Gulls who ended up getting swarmed. It was hardly sexy, perhaps even ugly at times, but La Conner High — led by Killer B’s Budda Luna and Brady Nelson — overcame seven fumbles and five turnovers to best Raymond 33-10 in first round State 2B football playoff action in Sedro-Woolley on Saturday. A swarming La Conner defense, with Michael Page recording a sack and interception, likewise made its mark as the Braves advanced to this week’s State quarterfinal game opposite Toled...
Another Yakima trip, another State volleyball trophy to display. The La Conner High Lady Braves, coming off a dramatic State runner-up finish a year ago, placed third in arguably an even tougher 2B tourney field at the Sun Dome last weekend. La Conner, in fact, had to show its mettle to win this latest State medal. The Lady Braves, 20-2, survived a marathon opening day with twin five-set triumphs over Toutle Lake and Dayton before finishing strong in the bronze medal match opposite Napavine — in another tense clash that went the distance...
Two down, one to go. The La Conner High volleyball team won two post-season tournaments in convincing fashion last week, and now the Lady Braves have their sights set on a familiar target: another State championship. La Conner came ever so close to its fourth State crown in program history a year ago, settling for second place after falling in a marathon five-set match to Colfax at the Yakima Sun Dome. The Lady Braves return to Yakima — La Conner head coach Suzanne Marble has been there so often she needs neither GPS nor a map — to...
La Conner High head football coach Peter Voorhees knew going in that beating an improved Concrete team a second time in five weeks would be no trip down Easy Street. That even though the Braves had flattened Concrete 60-0 on the road in September. Sure enough, the spirited Lions blocked La Conner’s path to another NW2B grid title with a few speed bumps for a while. But not so many that the Braves weren’t able to ultimately take the checkered flag before a loud and supportive Senior Night cro...
There was no test anxiety for the La Conner High volleyball team on Saturday. The Lady Braves continued to stay out in front of the learning curve by making the grade at a big 2A-4A invitational tournament in Wenatchee. La Conner, the tourney’s sole 2B entrant, placed second in the Silver bracket and was 10th overall after playing on better than even terms with programs such as Grandview, Eastmont, Chelan, and host Wenatchee. “This was a true test for us,” Lady Braves head coach Suzanne Marbl...
In life, there’s often a choice between style and substance. In soccer, it can be both. The La Conner High Lady Braves, unbeaten in nine conference starts going into their Senior Night home match with Orcas at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow, are a case in point. The team has embraced a new style under first-year La Conner head coach Christian Warman while maintaining the winning tradition fostered by longtime former Lady Braves mentor Amy Freeto, who stepped down earlier this year after having molded the program into a regular State title contender. ...
Homecoming is typically the time to rekindle favorite memories. That being the case, the La Conner High football team treated alumni and fans to a win on Friday that won’t soon be forgotten. La Conner remained unbeaten with a near perfect 54-0 NW2B triumph over Friday Harbor — thus sweeping their two-game season series — before a large and supportive Homecoming crowd gathered at Whittaker Field. With its fifth straight lopsided victory, La Conner has now outscored foes 274-20 g...
Darrington was sharp in the early going, but league leading La Conner proved a cut above the Lady Loggers during key NW2B net action last week. The Lady Braves, who remained unbeaten in conference play, edged Darrington 25-17, 25-9, 25-15, a straight-sets triumph that was tougher than the match score indicates, according to La Conner head coach Suzanne Marble. “We had a slow start,” she noted afterward, “and Darrington was playing the best I have seen this year. They didn’t let much drop in the first set.” The Lady Braves eventually pulled aw...
Win some, lose some. But even when they lose — which is quite rare these days — the La Conner High Lady Braves still end up winning. The La Conner volleyball team split two key matches last week, defeating NW2B rival Friday Harbor in straight-sets after having dropped a tough five-set verdict at 4A Woodinville earlier in the week. The Lady Braves fell behind early against Woodinville, losing 25-12 and 25-22 to open the match. La Conner stormed back to win the third and fourth sets by respective 25-17 and 25-18 margins before...
The fast and furious La Conner Braves finally met a stop unit able to make them step on the brakes. At least temporarily. It was unbeaten La Conner’s own defense, so no hard feel-ings. Just hard hitting. La Conner, which has outscored foes in four lopsided early season grid triumphs, held a Blue-White scrimmage Friday when a previously scheduled eight-man exhibition with NW2B rival Orcas fell through. Judging from the intensity at Whittaker Field, there was no letdown. Quite the opposite, actually. “The kids were pretty excited about it,” Brave...
Neither time nor tide waits for no one. Further proof came during a 60-0 La Conner High grid rout of Concrete on Friday when a Luna eclipse forced a rare running clock from the second period on. La Conner star Budda Luna ran for two touchdowns and passed for another pair of scores as the Braves posted a surprisingly easy triumph over their longtime NW2B rivals. Luna and the Braves bolted to a commanding 38-point lead before the break, causing game officials to waive time stoppages in order to keep the final score somewhat within reason. The...
When facing Mount Vernon Christian, it’s usually a case of La Conner High’s volleyball team having to weather the storm. But not this time around. La Conner swept the Lady Hurricanes in a blowout last Tuesday, then crushed Concrete in similar fashion two nights later to remain undefeated in conference play. The Lady Braves routed Mount Vernon Christian 25-4, 25-8, 25-8 behind a strong service game. Our serving was tough for them to handle,” La Conner head coach Suzanne Marble said of the Lady Hurricanes afterward. “Mount Vernon Christi...
La Conner High was more than a cut above the Darrington Loggers on Friday. The Braves were actually well past the tree line – in uncharted territory, so to speak – as they stumped many longtime sideliners as to whether La Conner’s 75-0 home drubbing of the rebuilding Loggers set new school football marks. The hosts, with Killer B’s Budda Luna and Brady Nelson leading the way, were credited with 503 yards rushing on the night’s initial stat sheet. That total could be a new La Conne...
Home sweet dome. That’s the atmosphere the La Conner High volleyball team has come to expect from its frequent visits to the Yakima Sun Dome. Last weekend was no exception. The Lady Braves returned from the site of many of the program’s biggest triumphs having won invaluable confidence going forward as result of placing in the Top 12 of a hyper-competitive early season tournament. The Yakima bracket featured teams from the 2A through 4A ranks in addition to La Conner, which placed second in the 2B State tourney at Yakima last November. “It...
The La Conner Braves are now truly a 50-50 team. In a good way, that is. La Conner topped the 50-point mark for the second time in as many games by drubbing non-conference foe Coupeville 53-6 in an impressive home debut at Whittaker Field on Friday. The Braves were coming off an equally convincing 56-14 victory at Friday Harbor the week before. The two non-contests followed a similar pattern. In each case, La Conner dominated play up front — able to impose its will in the run game while on...
It was smooth sailing to Friday Harbor last week for the La Conner High football team. Once there, things also went swimmingly well for the Braves. La Conner opened its 2016 grid season with a convincing 56-14 league triumph over the hosts, making a winner of new Braves head coach Peter Voorhees in his NW2B debut. “We played real physical,” Voorhees told “La Conner Weekly News” afterward. “We dominated the line of scrimmage, and our kids played with a lot of passion.” That passion, said Voorhees, surfaced at Friday Harbor, even on rare occasion...
The more things change, the more they stay the same. That’s the mantra of the silver medalist La Conner High volleyball team, which despite the loss to graduation of six seniors — Skagit Valley College newcomer Kamea Luna, among them — is again part of the State 2B title conversation. A big part, it turns out. The buzz this time around is about La Conner’s power game at the net, one the Lady Braves unveiled during a whirlwind summer camp and tournament schedule. “We have some big h...
The La Conner High football team will have its work cut out for it on Labor Day weekend. The Braves, under new head coach Peter Voorhees, open the 2016 grid campaign on the road against NW2B rival Friday Harbor. Kickoff for the much-anticipated Sept. 2 pairing is set for 6:30 p.m. Voorhees previously served as offensive coordinator under former La Conner mentor Johnny Lee, who stepped down last summer after having led the Braves to five straight post-season appearances. Lee compiled a 50-19 mark at La Conner. He left to accept a teaching post...
The games haven’t begun, but one La Conner High team has already made its point. And quite effectively, at that. The school’s cheer squad is ready — more than ready, actually — to work the sidelines this fall and winter. The key word here is work. This, after a busy, rather than lazy, summer in which La Conner cheerleaders scored points with judges during fast-paced training sessions on the Central Washington University campus. Two team members — captain Zanetta Cayou and Emma...
