La Conner High School fall sports teams make ready for business at hand

Having turned the page on the Labor Day holiday, La Conner High sports teams are poised to get down to business this week with the return of their regular fall sports schedules.

The La Conner High volleyball team, which won State 2B crowns in 2018 and 2019 and did not lose a single set during last spring’s modified season, opened their current schedule with a non-conference home match opposite 2A Sehome Tuesday night.

“Filling a non-league schedule with larger schools will help our girls to improve and play at a higher level,” La Conner head volleyball coach Suzanne Marble told the Weekly News.

The Lady Braves make their NW2B net debut tomorrow (Thursday) at Darrington, starting at 6:30 p.m.

“We’re going to go about this season,” said Marble, “like we would any other season with the focus on improving and working toward a championship come November.”

The new-look Braves football team, meanwhile, hosts 1A Sultan (1-0) of the Emerald Sound Conference in its season opener this Friday at 7 p.m. Sultan, winless in the spring, is coming off a 50-42 shootout win over Evergreen of Seattle last Friday.

La Conner captured the league grid title last spring while playing an abbreviated five-game schedule. However first-year head coach Charlie Edwards must replace a roster depleted by heavy graduation losses.

“We have a young, but very hungry team,” Edwards told the Weekly News. “I think they will surprise a few people, for sure. But we need to continue working. We can’t replicate game speed, that’s going to be the test.”

Edwards plans to maintain much of what his predecessor, Jeff Scoma, put in place, including Wing-T attack, during the spring’s successful 4-1 run.

Edwards was defensive coordinator for Scoma, who left La Conner in June to take the Stanwood high school head coaching job.

“I like a lot of what Jeff did last year,” Edwards said, “and will keep it in place, of course.”

Edwards said he and his staff also plan to add a few wrinkles of their own.

In Sultan, the Braves face a balanced Turks offense paced by running back Derek Felter, who reeled off five touchdown jaunts against Evergreen, including scoring runs of 47 and 53 yards in the pivotal fourth quarter. Quarterback Tyler Sargent added a pair of 40-plus yard TD strikes to receiver Jeremy Ripley for the victors.

Sultan trailed 42-37 entering the final stanza.

The Turks struggled all last spring, suffering lopsided losses to Cedar Park, Shorecrest and King’s along with a 22-20 heartbreaker to archrival Granite Falls in their traditional Black and Blue Game.

On the soccer pitch, the La Conner boys will be looking to build upon a strong close to last spring’s 2-4-1 slate. Head coach Galen McKnight’s squad finished with a thrilling 2-1 home victory over Grace Academy that was decided after a scoreless overtime session went to a shootout period.

The Braves opened at Friday Harbor on Tuesday and are scheduled to entertain Mount Vernon Christian Sept. 14 (4 p.m.) at Whittaker Field.

The La Conner girls’ soccer team, guided by head coach Christian Warman, is counting on a core of returnees that includes Delaney Cobbs, Karis Drake, Rachel Semrau and Kaliana Bill teaming with underclassmen like Bailey Smith and Lydia Grossglass to navigate formidable conference matchups highlighted by pairings opposite perennial title contenders Mount Vernon Christian and Friday Harbor.

The Lady Braves visit Coupeville 6 p.m. Sept. 16 and travel to Friday Harbor Sept. 21 for a 4 p.m. start.