It’s that time of the volleyball season when teams are gearing up for making the push to the playoffs. Time to cue the mid-season report. I’ll be focusing on our local teams that are in playoff contention as we turn the page on the second-half of season.

Olympic League 2A

North Kitsap leads the pack with a 8-0 record (9-1 overall) and head to Sequim on Tuesday and Bremerton on Thursday. The Vikings haven’t lost a league match since the 2012 season against Sequim. Their record in the Olympic League is 89-4.

The Vikings are looking to clinch their seventh league title in the last eight years with one more win.

With all of that, North might not be the hottest team in the league right now.

That distinction could go to Kingston. Or Bremerton.

Kingston is tied with Bremerton and Sequim for second place at 5-4. The Buccaneers are coming off a bizarre 3-2 win over the Knights and are 5-1 in their last six matches. They take on Port Angeles and North Mason next week and face North Kitsap at home on Oct. 27.

Bremerton is 3-3 in its last six matches, but have come up big in games against Olympic, winning both. However, they’ve let some winnable games slip away — losses to Sequim and twice to Kingston may come back to haunt them as teams shuffle in the final two weeks of the season. The Knights take on North Mason and North Kitsap next week and end the regular season against Sequim on Oct. 26.

Sequim has a tough finish to its schedule as the Wolves face North Kitsap, Bremerton this week and Olympic on Oct. 27.

The Trojans (4-4) are struggling. With high hopes of putting together a league-title contending season, Olympic has lost its last three matches, and were swept in two. The Trojans have four games remaining and take on Port Angeles and North Mason this week, then finish against North Kitsap and Sequim.

Port Angeles, at 3-6, still has an outside shot of making the playoffs as the Roughriders face a little easier schedule than Olympic; they play Olympic and Kingston this week and North Mason on Oct. 27.

There are five berths to the West Central District 2A tournament, which is Nov. 6-7.

Olympic League 1A

The Klahowya Eagles won their first two league games (they had a later start just because there are only four teams in the league) and are getting closer to clinching a playoff spot for the second straight year. The Eagles travel to Chimacum (also 2-0) and Port Townsend next week, then face Coupeville and Chimacum again on Oct. 27. The two matches against Chimacum could be for the league title if the standings remain the same until then.

The 1A OL has three berths to district, with the third seed playing in a loser-out match.

Narrows League 3A

Central Kitsap (10-1) has already clinched a playoff spot, it’s just a matter of what seed they will take to the 3A WCD tourney. The Cougars have their most important match of the season on Tuesday when they host league-leader North Thurston (11-0). The Rams beat CK 3-0 on Sept. 24, but the Cougars responded by winning their next six in a row. CK will play Wilson on Thursday and Mount Tahoma on Oct. 27 to end the regular season.

Narrows League 4A

South (4-5) is sitting in the fifth and final spot for the 4A district playoffs. The Wolves can do themselves a big favor by beating Timberline on Monday before they play a huge game against fourth-place Gig Harbor (5-4) on Wednesday at home. The end the regular season Oct. 31 against Olympia.

Metro League 3A

Bainbridge (1-7) is struggling having lost their last seven, but the Spartans have only been shutout twice during that span by ranked teams — No. 5 Lakeside and No. 7 Holy Names. The Spartans will need some help to make the Metro League tourney (nine seeds are available) and will need to right the ship even more if they want to get to the Sea-King District. Bainbridge faces Blanchet (5-3) on Monday and Holy Names (5-3) on Wednesday in their final two regular season games.

Sea-Tac League 1B

Crosspoint Academy (3-7) has played some tough and close matches of late only to come out on the losing side in their last three. That recent slide hasn’t helped the Warriors as they head to the league tourney (all 12 teams are in), Oct. 27-29. Crosspoint plays Seattle Lutheran Tuesday and Vashon Island Friday to finish the regular season.

We’re getting some pretty strong candidates each week for our Top Performers list. This week was no exception. Without further ado, here are the three honorees…

Week 4

Izaiah Davis, South Kitsap running back: Davis peeled off 259 rushing yards on 39 carries and scored four touchdowns in the Wolves shootout loss to Emerald Ridge on Friday. Davis had TD runs of 3, 2, 3 and 9 and also had a 59-yard run that helped set up his first score.

Bri Duchemin, North Kitsap volleyball: The junior had an outstanding individual effort that helped the Vikings remain perfect in Olympic League 2A play with wins against Port Angeles and North Mason this week. Duchemin had 18 kills against PA and 21 against North Mason.

Ayden Laurion, Crosspoint boys soccer: The sophomore middle defender scored a goal and had two assists as the Warriors went 2-1 this week and clinched a first-round bye in the upcoming Sea-Tac League 1B playoffs as the No. 1 seed.

Our Week 3 Top Performers turned out to be a tougher choice, so thank you to all the coaches who submitted their athletes.

This week I’m also posting what some of the area coaches wrote about their nominees. Good stuff here folks. Enjoy.

Week 3

Kira Crane, Klahowya swimming: The sophomore is well on her way to earning her second Ironman status. Crane has five out of the eight state-qualifying times; 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle and 200 individual medley.

Claire Henninger, Sequim girls soccer: The Wolves goalkeeper was named team MVP in their scoreless draw with Olympic on Wednesday. Henninger made 10 saves in the first half and 15 in the second half. On one play she came out to block a shot, then blocked a second and finally chased down the ball outside the box to keep Sequim in the game.

Cecilia Teston/Katie Downey, Central Kitsap volleyball: Teston and Downey helped lead the Cougars to victory in two matches this week, both 3-1 wins over Narrows League 3A opponents Lincoln and Capital. Teston finished with 11 aces, 20 digs and 36 assists while Downey had 13 kills, 18 digs and 26 assists.

Who’s who among nominees

Corinne Pierson, Port Townsend swimming: Broke the school record in the 100 butterfly

Kalie Nation, Crosspoint volleyball/soccer: Nation was 19 of 21 serving with five aces, 9 kills and 10 kills in two matches as well as helping the Warriors soccer team to a win.

Katie Campana, Olympic girls soccer: Campana stepped in to play goalie for the first time after an injury to the Trojans starter and also played defender this week. Campana made 10 saves against NK, two saves in a penalty-kick shoot out and also had the game-winning PK against Sequim.

Autumn Johnson, North Kitsap volleyball: In wins over Olympic and Kingston, setter Johnson had 36 assists, 10 digs, 7 kills and was 23 of 24 serving with four aces.

Taylar Clark, Port Angeles girls soccer: Helped lead the Roughriders to a win over Klahowya, their first in 15 seasons, with three goals, including two PKs.

Daryn O’Dell-Dee, Kingston volleyball: O’Dell-Dee had a passing rating of 2.3 with 25 digs, 18 kills and 14 aces as the Buccaneers went 2-1 this week to keep themselves in the hunt for a possible playoff berth.

Matt Becker, Olympic football: The quarterback for the seventh-ranked Trojans was 13 of 19 for 138 yards and scored five touchdowns (two rushing) in their win over Kingston.

Riley Cowan, Sequim football: The freshman quarterback passed for four TDs and was 17 of 28 for 284 yards in the Wolves victory over North Mason.

Crosspoint Academy’s Matthew Kelly, a junior, and Kalie Nation, a senior, were named by the WIAA as athletes of the week in soccer and volleyball, respectively.

Kelly helped the Warriors with two goals and an assist while Nation helped the girls soccer team with two goals and also had 10 digs, five kills and four aces for the volleyball team.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s Representative Assembly passed nine amendments, including a significant change to the current two-year reclassification cycle.

The classification cycle amendment (Rule 4.1.0) is changing from every two years to every four years according to a press release from the WIAA on Friday. A school can appeal its classification after two years. A school can appeal due to significant decrease in enrollment, declining enrollment, an opening of a new school or unforeseen circumstances.

The current cycle is completing its first year this spring. The next reclassification cycle would be for the 2016-17 school year. That’s when the four-year cycle would begin.

The other three amendments that passed that deal strictly with high school sports were Rule 17.5.8D which now allows an athlete who is invited to participate in a national championship event the opportunity to be coached by their high school coach.

Rule 18.23.3 allows a high school student, who is not represented by a high school, to compete against a college team and maintain their amateur status. Rule 65.3.3 also gives 1B schools the choice for varsity volleyball matches to chose the number of games they play, best two-of-three, three-of-five and five-of five.

For a list of all amendments, you can click here. You can also find a podcast of the RA meeting here.

Olympic’s Olivia Williams and Rebekah Baugh of North Kitsap helped the Class 2A beat the 1A squad in the Washington State Girls Basketball Coaches Association (WSGBCA) Senior All-State game Saturday at King’s High in Seattle. Crosspoint was represented by Cailyn Cattell and Desere’e Doty on the 1B team, which was beaten by the 2B team, 81-64.

The 2A won 93-75.  Baugh had 8 points and five rebounds and two steals in 21 minutes off the bench while Williams finished with three points and two rebounds in 19 minutes. Mork Morris’ Ashley Coons led all players with 19 points.

In the 1B/2B game, Cattell finished with 8 points and five rebounds, two assists and two steals and was the only local player to start. Doty finished with 5 points and two rebounds in 17:42 minutes off the bench.

All four players are going on to play in college; Cattell at Linfield, Doty at Grand Canyon (soccer), Baugh at St. Martin’s and Williams at Umpqua CC.

WSGBCA also announced its coaches/players of the year.

Olympic’s Olivia Williams, North Kitsap’s Rebekah Baugh, and Crosspoint’s Cailyn Cattell and Desere’e Doty were named to the Washington State Girls Basketball Coaches Association Senior All-State basketball teams for their respective classifications on Monday.

Claire Martin, a Bremerton resident who plays for Bellarmine Prep, was named to the 4A squad. Martin will play volleyball at Washington State next season.

Williams and Baugh are on the 2A team while Doty and Cattell are on the 1B team. Williams will play basketball at Umpqua CC, Baugh is headed to St. Martin’s while Cattell will play at Linfield. Doty will play soccer at Grand Canyon State.

The games will be held Saturday at King’s High School in Seattle. The 1B vs. 2B game is at 2 p.m., 1A vs. 2A at 4 p.m. and 3A vs. 4A at 6 p.m.

Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors/students with ASB.

It wasn’t the quarterfinal game the Crosspoint girls had hoped for in their return to the State B tournament on Thursday.

You can read about the game here. Sometimes those games happen, but I know coach Bryan Hanley pretty well. And he hates to lose. Hates it. But, if his team learns something in the process then he can live with it.

The Warriors loss to Sunnyside Christian puts them into the loser-out bracket. They will play Friday at 9 a.m. against someone they know quite well. Very well in fact.

Evergreen Lutheran.

I laughed out loud, not a big laugh, but more of a “You have to be kidding me!” kind of chuckle when I saw the bracket after the Warriors loss. I shouldn’t be surprised they will play them again, considering three teams from the Tri-District qualified for the final eight. Odds were there they would play again.

Crosspoint has faced their rivals four times this season. Twice in-season. Twice in the post-season. Friday’s game will mark the final time they play each other, at least until next season.

I think we all know at this point it’s not easy to beat teams twice. Let alone three times. But Crosspoint pulled out dramatic wins over the Eagles three times, and had one blowout, and are 4-0 against them.

Here’s how the Warriors did against EL:

Jan. 12, W, 73-33

Jan. 31, W, 59-52, OT

Feb. 12, W, 51-47 (Sea-Tac League tournament championship)

Feb. 21, W, 48-46 (Tri-District championship)

I don’t know about Crosspoint, but I wouldn’t be thrilled to play Evergreen again. Could this be the game that the Eagles finally are able to get past Crosspoint? I’m not a betting person, so I’m just going to stick with Crosspoint winning this one and fighting their way into the trophy round on Saturday.

No over-under on this one. Like I said, I’m not a gambler. I will say that I think it will be close and likely one of the better consolation games at the Spokane Arena.

One of the best rituals in Spokane, besides Bloomsday, is the State B tournament.

It’s the city’s chance to put its best foot forward and play host to thousands of fans coming from all around the state to watch their teams vie for a championship. RVs, vans, pickups, you name it are loaded to the rafters with family, friends and fans. The B is one of the best. It was fun in the old Spokane Coliseum with all the rich history of the past. Spokane’s Veterans Memorial Arena adds to that, although I guess the venue isn’t that new anymore, and then some.

I covered the B a few times while I was working for The Spokesman-Review in Spokane and  headed over to Spokane a couple more times with Crosspoint (then King’s West). I was there when the Warriors won their first trophy (fourth) in 2008.

Everywhere you go around town, from the valley to the north side, from the South Hill to downtown, it’s all about “The B.” Nearly every business marquee welcomes the “out-of-towners” and every hotel is full. If you’ve never been, you’re missing out. Guaranteed.

It’s been a few years since Crosspoint Academy has been and I know the Warriors are excited to find out what all the fuss is about. They’ll have their hands full bright and early with their first round opponent, the Sunnyside Christian Knights, Thursday at 10:30 a.m. Sunnyside is a tough matchup right off the bat, but I think the two teams are pretty even.

Let’s take a look at how they stack up.

Sunnyside is located about 35 miles southeast of Yakima, so the Knights didn’t have as long a trip to Spokane as Crosspoint did on Wednesday. The Knights are 21-2 overall and are riding a 19-game winning streak. They completely demolished their regional opponent, Nasalle 84-24. That’s not a typo. Sunnyside led 58-13 by halftime and backed off in the second half.

The Knights have just one senior in captain and guard Annie Brouwer, one junior and the rest are freshmen and sophomores. Needless to say they’ll be good for quite a while. Brouwer is second on the team in scoring (14.8 ppg) and are led by junior 6-foot forward Katelyn Banks (17.3) and the 10.1 points from frosh Sailor Liefke. Freshman Emily Banks is also a 6-0 forward, and I’m guessing she’s the younger sister to Katelyn, to give the Knights some height in the middle.

Crosspoint counters with 6-1 post Cailyn Cattell, who averaged 14.4 points, 9.4 rebounds on the season. Junior Kalie Nation, 6-0, can be an absolute terror on the boards, she was averaging 15-20 late in the season that really boosted the Warriors on both ends of the court and is a nice balance for Cattell. Guards Holly Bandara and sister Kailey can both get hot from 3-point range while Desere’e Doty and Emma Laurion can do it all. The Warriors are also on a 19-game winning streak and are 23-3 on the season.

We’ll update after their game Thursday, and depending on how things go we’ll provide live coverage of their games Friday and Saturday. You can find a live scoreboard on the WIAA website here.

Here’s this week’s leaders ….

Girls Basketball

Scoring

Name, team GP Avg.

Rebekah Baugh, NK 18 19.1

Izzy Severns, Kla 16 15.8

Olivia Williams, Oly 18 15.4

Taylor Krouse, CK 18 15.2

Mikaela Shumaker, NM 19 14.3

Cailyn Cattell, CPA 16 14.1

Maddie White, CK 18 13.4

Desere’e Doty, CPA 14 13.0

Kaylee Yergeau, SK 17 11.6

Holly Bandara, CPA 16 11.6

Katie Campana, Oly 18 11.1

Michaela Derda, Brem 19 11.1

Taylor Tye, Bain 18 11.1

Olivia Selembo, NK 18 10.6

Starr Rodenhurst, CK 16 10.6

Brianna Shafer, SK 17 10.3

Paige Brigham, Bain 17 9.4

Nizhoni Wheeler, PA 19 8.9

Quincy Satran, NM 18 8.5

Alycia Heriford, Brem 14 7.9

Molly Lemmon, NK 18 7.4

Katie Usellis, Bain 18 7.4

Danielle Monzon, Oly 18 7.3

Hayley Baxley, PA 19 6.8

Katie Thorsen, CK 16 6.7

Libby Borgonia, SK 17 6.4

MaryBeth Bray, SK 17 6.1

Rebounds

Name, team GP Avg.

Kailie Nation, CPA 16 13.3

Madison Sturgeon, Kla 13 10.4

Mikaela Shumaker, NM 19 10.1

Cailyn Cattell, CPA 16 9.0

Olivia Williams, Oly 18 8.9

Brianna Shafer, SK 17 8.2

Dani Willey, NM 15 8.0

Molly Lemmon, NK 18 7.6

Nizhoni Wheeler, PA 19 7.6

Liz Lamoureux, Brem 19 7.0

Kaylee Yergeau, SK 17 6.5

Michaela Derda, Brem 19 6.5

Maddie White, CK 18 6.5

Mackenzie Paige, CK 18 6.3

Katie Campana, Oly 18 6.1

Rebekah Baugh, NK 18 5.9

Katie Usellis, Bain 18 5.6

Desere’e Doty, CPA 14 5.4

Alycia Heriford, Brem 14 5.2

Katie Thorsen, CK 16 5.2

MaryBeth Bray, SK 17 5.1

Sydney Garrett, NM 19 5.1

Emily Johnson, PA 17 5.1

Assists

Name, team GP Avg.

Taylor Krouse, CK 18 5.4

Paige Brigham, Bain 17 4.6

Maddie Boe, PA 19 4.3

Desere’e Doty, CPA 14 4.0

Maddie White, CK 18 4.0

Libby Borgonia, SK 17 3.8

Olivia Selembo, NK 18 3.7

Olivia Williams, Oly 18 3.7

Cailyn Cattell, CPA 16 3.5

Sydney Garrett, NM 19 3.4

Mikaela Shumaker, NM 19 3.2

Starr Rodenhurst, CK 18 2.9

Danielle Monzon, Oly 18 2.8

Brianna Shafer, SK 17 2.4

Madison Sturgeon, Kla 13 2.2

Katie Campana, Oly 18 2.2

MaryBeth Bray, SK 17 2.1

Rebekah Baugh, NK 18 2.0

Izzy Severns, Kla 16 2.0

Steals

Name, team GP Avg.

Mikaela Shumaker, NM 19 6.0

Maddie White, CK 18 6.0

Izzy Severns, Kla 16 4.8

Desere’e Doty, CPA 14 4.2

Maddie Boe, PA 19 4.2

Cailyn Cattell, CPA 16 3.8

Sydney Garrett, NM 19 3.7

Madison Sturgeon, Kla 13 2.8

Katie Campana, Oly 18 2.8

Emily Johnson, PA 17 2.8

Olivia Williams, Oly 18 2.7

Libby Borgonia, SK 17 2.6

Danielle Monzon, Oly 18 2.6

Rebekah Baugh, NK 18 2.4

Nizhoni Wheeler, PA 19 2.4

Alycia Heriford, Brem 14 2.3

Starr Rodenhurst, CK 18 2.3

Olivia Selembo, NK 18 2.2

MaryBeth Bray, SK 17 2.2

Taylor Krouse, CK 18 2.1

Quincy Satran, NM 18 2.0