Fall sports begin in earnest this week
By JOHN GALBREATH Sports Editor
The Stanwood Spartan gridiron team opened its 2010 season by playing Kamiak’s Knights last Friday night at Bob Larson Stadium.
Due to an early deadline for the Labor Day holiday, results of that game will be posted in next week’s NEWS.
This coming Friday, Sept. 10, Aaron Cupp’s charges will entertain the Sedro-Woolley Cubs in a non-league encounter. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m. here at Bob Larson Stadium.
The rest of the Sparts’ athletic teams begin their seasons this week.
Snohomish’s Glacier Peak soccer team will visit SHS today, Tuesday, Sept. 7. The match will begin at 6:30 p.m. The local booters, under first-year coach Kyle Veach’s direction, will attempt to better last year’s efforts when the Lady Sparts made the post-season only to lose a heartbreaker in the first district playoff round to Kamiak.
Bettering last year’s record-setting 9-3 regular season mark is likely a goal for Rita Brennan’s Lady Spartan swimmers, but it’ll be especially tough to accomplish when every meet will essentially be an “away” contest. Due to the closing of the privatelyowned pool they’ve used for more than a decade, the Sparts will be using the Marysville YMCA pool for their practices. As it stands now, all meets involving the Stanwood girls will be at the home pool of the opposing squad. Today, Tuesday, Sept. 7, Brennan’s team will participate in the Western Conference North Division jamboree at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.
Meanwhile the boys’ tennis team will kick off their 2010 season with a home match today, as well, against Arlington’s Eagles, beginning at 3:45 p.m. Last campaign the Sparts placed second in the North with an 11-5 record.
The rest of the Spartan varsity athletic teams begin their efforts to claim postseason berths Thursday, Sept. 9.
Jordan Sneva’s thinclads – both the girls and the boys – will run in the WesCo cross country jamboree at Arlington’s River Meadows Park beginning at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Expectations are high for the girls’ team, which won the WesCo district meet before placing third in the 4A state meet last fall. Only one of those runners graduated from the program: Natasha Verma now runs at Portland State. A number of boys, including Wade Weinert, will make a run at placing in post-season meets as well.
With a heavy senior graduation rate, Erik Titus’s volleyball team will depend on several veterans and a lot of underclassmen to improve on last fall’s near-even season record. The local high netters will take on Kamiak starting 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9.
Also on Thursday, the SHS soccer club will travel to Lake Stevens as will the boys’ tennis team.
Then on Friday, Sept. 10, the boys’ tennis team will play Monroe on the local courts beginning at 3:45 p.m.
On Saturday, Sept. 11, the volleyball squad will participate in the Squalicum Invite in Bellingham.
