David pan 2018 version 2

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January 10, 2018

Kamiak’s Mack steps down as head football coach Coaching is teaching in its purest form for longtime educator

BY DAVID PAN REPORTER @ YOURBEACON . NET

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aybe it was inevitable that Dan Mack would go into coaching.

The fourth oldest of 13 children, Mack spent a lot of time working with his younger siblings.

“When you’re one of the oldest kids, you do a lot of teaching,” he said. “You learn how to teach at an early age.”

For Mack, teaching and coaching have always gone hand in hand.

“Coaching is teaching in its purest form,” he said. “It’s really an extension of the classroom.”

Last month, Mack made the difficult decision to step down as Kamiak High School’s head football coach.

Mack had been contemplating retirement from his coaching position for about a year.

Mack, a Fine Arts and Physical Education teacher, plans to continue teaching at the high school, at least for one more year.

But after 20 years as the Knights head coach, Mack won’t be walking the sidelines any more next fall.

“It was hard,” Mack said of his decision. “Either you leave the game or the game leaves you.”

The last few weeks have been an emotional ride for Mack, especially when he typed his resignation letter to the Mukilteo School District.

The overriding emotion Mack has been feeling is gratitude for his time at the helm of the Kamiak football program and his 39 years in the Mukilteo School District.

Beacon photo by David Pan Kamiak’s Dan Mack is retiring as head football coach after leading the Knights for the last 20 years. Mack has taught and coached in the Mukilteo School District for 39 years.

“I feel very fortunate and very blessed to be coaching here in the school district and coaching here at Kamiak High School,” said Mack, who took over the program in 1998. “I always felt it was a complete honor to coach these kids. I enjoyed every minute of it.”

When he looks back at his coaching career, which started in 1978 at Endicott High School in Walnut Grove, Washington, Mack said the highlight was being able to coach his son Johnny at Kamiak and later

to coach along side of Johnny, who joined the Knights’ staff.

“What a gift to be able to coach your son and have him on your staff,” said Mack, who was inducted into the Washington State Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 2015. “But all the kids that I’ve coached have been important to me and they all had equal value. … I don’t care if you are the No. 90 kid or the No. 1 kid athletically. We love all those kids the same.”

Just as he appreciated every player who came through the

program, Mack said that his assistant coaches also were a big reason why he enjoyed his job so much.

“It’s really been fun and I feel very honored that I was able to be around such great coaches,” Mack said. “I was blessed to be around such great men, who love and want the best for kids in this community.”

Former Kamiak freshman coach Dan Hanika first met Mack when they were both attending Central Washington University and they later

reconnected in the mid-1970s.

Mack always emphasized to his assistants that they needed to put the players first.

“Remember we’re here for the kids,” Hanika recalled Mack telling his staff. “The kids aren’t here for us.”

Mack went out of his way to extend himself to his players or to what he called the Kamiak football family.

“He was never shy about giving his personal number to the kids,” Hanika said. “He was always accessible to the kids.”

Connor Alexander, a 2016 graduate who started at quarterback for Kamiak his senior season, said that he and his teammates felt like Mack treated them like they were his sons.

“He was super inspirational,” said Alexander, who is now at George Fox in Newberg, Oregon. “He was always positive, always encouraging.

Even when he’d get on you, he was trying to make you better.

There was a positive behind it.”

Mack admitted he isn’t quite sure what he’s going to do with his upcoming free time. He is looking forward to spending time with his sons Johnny and Lucas and his five grandchildren.

He also will have time to work on his music. Mack, who plays the guitar and piano, performs in different venues,d from senior centers to charityo functions. Mack also plans to go fishing and to do some trav-f eling. t “How am I going to spendt my time? I’m still working onw that,” Mack said.

Mack finished with an overallb career record at Kamiak of 123-f 72 with 11 playoff appearances.r The Knights advanced to the 4A semifinals in 2000. t The 2000 team didn’t havem any players who Mack wouldM t see MACK page 7 u n c t o a t Kamiak’s defense also wasn’tt able to shut down Martin ora W Lawrence.

“They had a lot of buckets onb transition, which was part of w the scouting,” West said. “We didn’t do a good job of gettingt e back in transition.”

Kamiak was coming off ab much better performancec o

Offensive struggles hurt Knights in lopsided loss to Grizzlies Off-night shooting, defensive woes too much to overcome

BY DAVID PAN REPORTER @ YOURBEACON . NET

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amiak’s shooting woes sank any chance of knock-

ing off the defending league champions.

The Knights fell behind 21-9 in the first eight minutes of play and ended up making 28 percent of their attempts in a 72-35 loss to Glacier Peak in a Wesco 4A boys basketball game Friday, Jan. 5, at Glacier Peak High School.

The Grizzlies, atop the league

Kamiak Athlete of the Week Congratulations to Kamiak Senior Karsen Alexander for being named player of the week.

Karsen averaged over 12 pts per game during Kamiak’s 3 game winning streak vs Shorecrest, Meadowdale and Monroe.

Karsen leads the team in fg, 3 pt and free throw percentage this year for all players with a minimum of 10 attempts. Karsen is a very heady player with great court awareness. Karsen is also a great team leader both on and off the court. Thanks for your hard work and great Karsen Alexander Girls Basketball attitude Karsen And Go Knights!

Serving the Community Since 1986

standings with a 5-0 mark (9-1 overall) connected on 52 percent of their shots.

“They just outplayed us,” Kamiak coach Cory West said.

“They played very well. They moved the ball well. All kudos to them. It was not so much us as them.”

Senior Trey Lawrence scored a game-high 25 points and Bobby Martin added 20 points for Glacier Peak. Teammate Fletcher Douglas had 12 points.

Senior Carson Tuttle finished with 13 points and Danny Sharpe had 9 points for the Knights (3-2, 5-6). Kamiak

made only 3 of 21 of its 3-point attempts, a disappointing 14 percent. Ideally, West said he’d like the Knights to connect on 40 percent of their 3-pointers and he’s even be content somewhere in the 30s.

The struggles from the field were a combination of the Grizzlies’ defense and an offnight for the Knights.

“They played really hard.

They have guys who have high motors,” West said. “Our shots weren’t falling. Guys weren’t adjusting in game. Hats off to them. They’re a tough team to beat.”

KNIGHTS page 7 u

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Beacon photo by David Pan Kamiak’s Max Manalo dribbles the ball against Glacier Peak during a Wesco 4A game Friday, Jan. 5, at

SPORTS

January 10, 2018

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Mukilteo Beacon - 7

hLake Stevens knocks off Mariner in Wesco 4A showdown Key Marauders sit on bench due to foul issues

BY DAVID PAN REPORTER @ YOURBEACON . NET

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ariner has work to do.

Lake Stevens staked its claim to the top spot in the league with a decisive 62-30 victory over the Marauders in a Wesco 4A girls basketball showdown Wednesday, Jan. 3, at Mariner High School.

Both teams came in undefeated in league play, but it didn’t take long for the Vikings to pull away from Mariner.

Lake Stevens took a 13-7 lead into the second quarter and then outscored the Marauders 15-7 to extend their advantage to 28-14 at halftime. By the end of the third quarter, the Vikings led 45-24.

“We definitely froze in the first half,” senior Hannah Hezekiah said. “I think we just froze because it was a big game and I definitely think we’re going to be more prepared the next time we play them.”

Senior Kylee Griffin scored a game-high 22 points and teammate Raigan Reed added 19 points for Lake Stevens. Griffin guarded Mariner’s Taliyah Clark and limited the freshman standout to only 6 points. Clark struggled with foul problems, picking up her fourth early in the third quarter and eventually fouling out in the final

u from MACK page 6 describe as particular standouts.

“We had a lot of good solid football players that loved the game,” Mack said. “And they were willing to put in the work.”

While it’s easy to judge a team by wins and losses, Mack’s focus instead was on building relationships.

“One of the things I always try to do as a coach is find common ground with the players,” Mack said. “You never want to burn a bridge because you never know when you have to cross over it again. … I think the kids that have been through our program know that myself and our coaches care about them, and not just care about them as football players but really care about them as people.

We want to see them grow and be productive citizens in this world.

“Finding common ground, I think that’s a good lesson for everyone and every role in life because we can always find common ground with each other.”

s

u from KNIGHTS page 6 against Monroe. Tuttle scored 25 points to lead the Knights to a 58-35 victory over the Bearcats on Tuesday, Jan. 2.

Jordan Meyer had 12 points.

Kamiak went 2-2 at a tournament in California over the holiday break.

“I think we’re moving in the right direction,” West said.

“The team bonding was big there (California). We played pretty good defense against Monroe.”

In some ways West hopes the loss to Glacier Peak was an eye-opening experience for the Knights, especially regarding their defensive performance.

He noted that every team is going to have nights when the shots don’t fall.

“It’s unacceptable to allow 72 points when you’re only scoring 35,” West said.

Beacon photo by David Pan Mariner’s Hannah Hezekiah (left) is grabbed by Lake Stevens’ Laycie Taylor during a Wesco 4A game Wednesday, Jan. 3, at Mariner High School. period.

She wasn’t the only Marauder with foul issues. Hezekiah, who fouled out in the fourth quarter, and senior Denisa Grebovic both picked up three fouls in the first half.

“It’s hard when you have one or two of your better players in foul trouble,” Mariner coach Corey Gibb said. “It can be hard to compete. … You’ve got to learn to play and adjust your game to the way the game is being called.”

Mack was a coach who was always true to his word.

“He would always back up his words with actions,” Alexander said.

Alexander added that he learned just as much, if not more off the field, than on the field from Mack.

“It was more off the field on how to act as a man and how to be a good person outside of football,” Alexander said.

Prior to coming to Kamiak, Mack was at Mariner High School where he coached football, basketball and baseball.

He did all three sports for a long time. During his teaching career, Mack has taught music, English, U.S. history, world history, algebra, leadership and he also was the Kamiak activities director for 10 years.

Much has changed in the coaching profession since Mack first started. Football is now a year round sport and it’s unusual to find a two- or three-sport athlete these days, he noted.

“Back in the day, it was not uncommon to have a lot of kids in three sports or at least two,” Mack said.

Hezekiah led the Marauders (3-2 in the league, 8-3 overall) with 10 points and Grebovic had 7 points.

“We could not run a play,” Hezekiah said. “We were trying to get a lot of things to work. I don’t think we were rotating very well.”

Lake Stevens’ height advantage helped the Vikings on the offensive boards with second, third and sometimes even fourth offensive opportunities. Griffin is 6-foot-2.

Technology also has advanced and changed the way coaches prepare for games.

“When we first started everything was done with yellow pads,” Mack said.

He recalled a time when teams sent out scouts to check out their opponents. Then Kamiak started using 16mm film, which was sent to a company in Seattle to develop. Videotapes and DVDs followed and now everything is online.

“All these young kids coming up through coaching have the technology thing,” Mack said.

“But I still, when I break down film or when I look at film, I still use my yellow pad.”

Cellphones and the internet have made it easier for former players to reach out to Mack and his assistant coaches.

“The coaches and I go to weddings and unfortunately some funerals at times. Baptisms we’ve been invited to,” Mack said “It’s so much fun to hear from kids you’ve coached. You never know who you’re going to hear from.

“For me it’s always been about the players and the relationships.”

“Blocking out hurt us,” Gibb said.

“You’re giving them three or four shots at the basket, they’re going to make one. Lesson learned. Next time we’ll do a better job of blocking out and making sure we maintain contact on our block-outs.”

Even though Griffin scored 22 points, Gibb said that the Marauders did a good job on defense. The plan was for Tiana Nguyen and Tina Duangmani to guard Griffin.

“I thought Tina and Tiana did a nice job of being physical with Kylee,” Gibb said. “Our game plan was to be physical with her. I thought they did a decent job. She’s legitimate. She’s one of the best players in the state for a reason.”

Mariner held Lake Stevens (5-0, 9-1) to only 5 points in the first part of the third quarter but only managed to score 4 points and wasn’t able to close the gap.

The first week back from the holiday break didn’t get any better on Friday, Jan. 5, when Jackson jumped out to a 23-8 first quarter lead en route to a 71-54 victory over the Marauders at Jackson High School. Clark led Mariner with 28 points and Hezekiah added 12.

The Marauders have rematches with Lake Stevens and Jackson at the end of the month.

“There’s a lot you can learn from a loss,” Gibb said. “We’ll come up with a game plan and prepare for the next time. We’ll learn from this. We’ll be better because of it.”

Beacon photo by David Pan Kamiak’s Dan Mack plans to continue teaching Fine Arts and Physical Education at Kamiak High School after his retirement as head football coach.

Mack, an accomplished musician, plays the guitar and piano.

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IN THIS BEACON Future chefs create comfort food Voyager to put on ‘Hairspray’ School garden gets $500 grant Is your work a job or a calling?

Agreement would let ferry work move ahead

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Volume XXV Number 38

May 10, 2017

MAKING MOVES

SLICK KICK

Young dancers learn to set goals on, off the dance floor

Bicycle kick gives Knights a playoff win over Vikings

7

Ultimate attracts athletes of all kinds

Public hearing set as council considers construction mitigation measures

BY NICHOLAS JOHNSON MUKILTEOEDITOR @ YOURBEACON . NET

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he City Council is expected to adopt an agreement May 15 with the state Department of Transportation that will allow construction of the new, $139-million multimodal ferry terminal on the Mukilteo waterfront to move forward.

A public hearing is set for 6:45 p.m.

May 15 at City Hall.

“We’ve worked really hard to incorporate what we’ve heard from the public over the last year and half into this agreement,” said Patricia Love, the city’s director of Planning and Community Development. “The council has the authority to ask for any changes if they feel we didn’t hit the mark on it.”

In March 2014, the city’s hearing examiner approved an Essential Public Facilities permit and a Shoreline Conditional Use permit for the ferry terminal project with some 56 conditions.

The agreement, negotiated by city and state officials, addresses those conditions by laying out how the state will mitigate the impacts of construction on residents, traffic and the environment. It covers the city and the state’s respective obligations and commitments, as well as issues around construction noise, haul routes and access to the construction site.

The agreement is admittedly incomplete and will be updated by October of this year.

“There are some things we’re still working on, but we’re moving ahead see

Beacon photo by David Pan Kamiak High School’s Max Furlong-Benedetti (left), a member of the Carpe Discus Knights, demonstrates the proper disc throwing technique to Harbour Pointe Middle School’s Alex Weeks during an Ultimate skills clinic. Ultimate, previously known as ultimate frisbee, has increased in popularity. The Knights, the high school team, has 35 players this season, the highest in their eight years of existence.

Growing Mukilteo team passes on passion for sport through skills clinics

BY DAVID PAN REPORTER @ YOURBEACON . NET

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embers of the Carpe Discus Knights became involved in the sport of Ultimate for different reasons.

Kamiak High School junior Max Furlong-Benedetti started playing the sport, originally called ultimate frisbee, in middle school with his friends in Seattle.

Junior Megan Grose’s older brother Ryan introduced her to the sport three years ago. It soon turned into one of her favorite activities.

Senior Erin Dahl was looking for a way to stay active. A friend told her about the Carpe Discus

Knights, the Kamiak High School team.

While Furlong-Benedetti, Grose and Dahl all participated in other sports, such as basketball, soccer, track and wrestling, junior Annabelle Lee didn’t have any experience in organized sports prior to her joining the team two years ago. Lee was a member of the Kamiak Show Band when a friend encouraged her to come out for the team.

While they may have been motivated for different reasons, all of the players share a passion for the sport of Ultimate.

Lee, a co-captain of Team B, likes how close the players have become as a team. see

ULTIMATE page 6

FERRY page 12

Beacon photo by Nicholas Johnson Jeff Price addresses the Mukilteo City Council on May 1 after he was unanimously confirmed as the city’s new Recreation and Cultural Services Director.

City fills recreation director position after 3 months Price boasts background in business marketing, lifelong love of recreation

BY NICHOLAS JOHNSON MUKILTEOEDITOR @ YOURBEACON . NET

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eff Price has been working in parks and leading recreation programs since his high school days.

“I started working for Moses Lake’s department of recreation at 16,” Price, now 54, said. “It was the first job I ever had. When I got to college, I knew parks and recreation work was what I wanted to pursue. It’s been a real natural fit for me.”

The City Council unanimously con-

firmed Price as the city’s new Recreation and Cultural Services Director on May 1. He was one of 43 applicants for the position that Jennifer Berner resigned after nearly 10 years. His first day on the job is May 10.

Mayor Jennifer Gregerson selected Price in April from three finalists after a final interview. His monthly salary is $9,597.11, compared to Berner’s salary of $8,704.86.

The position has sat vacant since early February.

“I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and get started,” said Price, who is familiar with Mukilteo’s amenities after spending the past 10 years as Everett’s Recreation and Business Services Manager.

“Mukilteo is just another 10 minutes

down the road from where my office has been the last 10 years.

“Having lived in Snohomish County for over 25 years now, we’ve been to Mukilteo on multiple occasions,” he said of he and his wife, who live in Monroe. “We have hiked through the area, visited the beach and gone to events at the Rosehill Community Center many times.”

Price and his wife, who have four adult children, met while working together on a summer day program for Moses Lake’s recreation department. Both college students, she was home for the summer from Western Washington University and he was home from Eastern.

“We started dating during that time see

DIRECTOR page 11

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“We’re all from different friend groups and we all come together,” Lee said.

In Ultimate, each team has seven players out on the field at a time. Players throw the disc back and forth between teammates without dropping it until someone catches in the end zone. Once the disc is caught, the player must stop and plant a pivot foot, which cannot be lifted until the disc is thrown.

Dropped or intercepted discs result in a turnover.

In many ways, Ultimate draws from other sports.

“It’s more of a mixture of different sports,” said Grose, a cocaptain of the Team A. “You’ve got a little bit of basketball and soccer.”

Grose also has the opportunity to utilize her track skills since players are constantly on the move, either on offense or defense.

Perhaps the most unique part of Ultimate is that the sport has no officials and players make their own calls at this level.

The concept of self-officiating took a while for Dahl, who previously played basketball, to understand and appreciate.

“That was kind of weird for me because I’ve always let the

K

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Kamiak’s Erin Dahl looks to pass the disc during a scrimmage at Harbour Pointe Middle School.

Beacon photos by David Pan Kamiak’s Megan Grose prepares to catch the disc during a skills clinic hosted by the Carpe Discus Knights at Harbour Pointe Middle School.

u from ULTIMATE page 1

May 10, 2017

refs do that,” Dahl said. “It’s really kind of cool because it makes everyone very involved in the game. And it lets you take responsibility.

“If you did something wrong, do you have the integrity in yourself to give it to the other team if you foul them?”

Sportsmanship and fair play are cornerstones of Ultimate and are a major part of the appeal of the sport to FurlongBenedetti, a co-captain of Team A. When players make the calls they are more involved in the game.

“It makes it really interactive for everyone out on the field,” Furlong-Benedetti said.

“An important part is spirit, which is pretty much at the center of frisbee. Everybody is focused on sportsmanship and the spirit of the game. That’s why it’s self-officiated because everybody is focused not only on playing well and having fun but sportsmanlike conduct.

Unlike soccer, another sport Grose plays, Ultimate players strive to avoid contact.

“In soccer you want to be really aggressive but frisbee is no contact,” Grose said. “I can’t just go run into somebody. It’s really important everybody has respect for everyone.”

As part of the spirit of the

game, each team is graded by the other after a game on a scale of 1 to 5 on how they treated others, knew the rules and had fun. The spirit scores are used as a criteria for playoff qualification and invitations to the Spring Reign tournament.

The team, which operates under the non-profit organization Carpe Discus Ultimate, was founded in 2010 by coach Don Saul, whose son expressed an interest in Ultimate.

Interest in the team has grown since then and 35 players, the most ever, currently play for Team A or Team B, the first time there have been two teams.

“Before we barely had enough for one team,” FurlongBenedetti said. “Now we have enough for two teams and extras.”

Members of the team give back to the sport by hosting skills clinics four times a season for students at Harbour Pointe Middle School. This is the fourth year for the middle school team and the third in which the high school players have assumed most of the responsibilities in putting on the clinic.

“It’s good for them (high school players) because if you can teach something, you really understand it,” Harbour Pointe Middle School teacher Erin Quinn said.

The Carpe Discus Knights is not affiliated with Kamiak High School and Ultimate is considered a club sport. The teams play in leagues hosted

by Disc Northwest.

Both of Kamiak’s A and B teams have playoff games on

p S s

BY DAVID PAN REPORTER @ YOURBEACON . NET

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amiak executed its small ball plan to near perfection against district rival Mariner.

The Knights strung together hit after hit to defeat the Marauders 13-0 in a Wesco 4A softball game Tuesday, May 2, at Mariner High School.

Junior pitcher Cecilia Robbins pitched a complete-game shutout and also hit her third home run of the season.

As the Knights (6-7 in the league, 7-10 overall) head into the final week of the regular season and prepare for next week’s district playoffs, coach Ann Bradley has stressed that

they need to focus on small ball rather than swinging for the fences.

Robbins’ home run aside, Kamiak did just that against Mariner.

“We’ve been seeing the ball well,” Robbins said.

The Knights linked their hits together and were hitting line drives for the most part, Robbins added.

Kamiak scored six runs on six singles and two doubles in one inning.

“We’re having small swings, not big swings,” Robbins said.

Robbins was backed up by a defense that turned its first and only double play of the season and committed no errors for

Ella Dahl is a sophomore and has been on the varsity team for the last two years. She plays the majority of the time in left field but also does an amazing job behind the plate as the back-up catcher.

This year, Ella’s bat has really come alive. She has hit quite a few doubles and crushed a ball over the highest part of the purple wall at Kamiak. Her coaches love that she quietly and positively contributes every day whether it be at practice or a game. When given instruction on what to work on, she takes it and immediately applies it to her game. They look forward to seeing Ella continue to improve, work hard and lead the Knights to many victories in the future.

Serving the Community Since 1986

Harbour Pointe Badminton Club

Dahl encourages anyone with e an interest to check out the h team and the sport. i “You’re in a great environment with people who want tos have fun and also learn andS stay active,” Dahl said. s For more information about Carpe Discus Knights email:r coach@carpediscus.com

Kamiak cruises past Mariner 13-0

Kamiak Athlete of the Week

The Harbour Pointe

t b m m s s K S b S Kamiak’s Max Furlong-BenedettiH leaps to catch the disc during a t match against the Bush School. b Saturday, May 13, at the Shore-p line Park fields in Shoreline.

Team A faces Bainbridge Is-h land A at 1 p.m. and then playsw again at 2:30 p.m. Team B facesw the Edmonds Sky Falcons at 4i b p.m.

Furlong-Benedetti has playedn just about every sport growing i up.

“I’ve definitely had the mosts fun playing Frisbee,” he said. b

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the first time this year.

“These last few games, theo girls are playing really good“ ball,” assistant coach JasonM Rhodes said. “They are com-s ing together chemistry-wise.f They’re really buying into the program and doing a good jobs M for coach Bradley.”

The emphasis on small ball isg an approach that many of thet players are not used to, RhodesK s added.

“It’s working for them,” he said.

Robbins said that her curve and screw balls were working well.

“Cecilia had a really good game today,” Rhodes said. She spun the ball. There was a lot of movement on the ball today. IK don’t think they got one hit off g either one of those pitches.”

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fi 6 W s C

fi w

Ella Dahl Softball

a K a

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t A f Beacon photo by David PanW Kamiak’s Elaine Nikolaidis throwsA the ball to first base during a gameF L against Mariner.

SPORTS

January 24, 2018

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Mukilteo Beacon - 7

Brunner’s 3-pointer lifts Knights to stunning win Kamiak rallies from 12-point deficit to beat Lake Stevens

BY DAVID PAN REPORTER @ YOURBEACON . NET

C

arolyn Brunner had doubts about whether the shot she just took was going to go in the hoop.

From his perspective near the Kamiak beach, coach Jason Johnson said that Brunner’s shot looked good all the way.

Trailing 50-49 with 7.4 seconds left in the game, the Knights took the ball from under their own hoop following a timeout.

Senior Alex Gallaher brought the ball up the court and passed to junior Hunter Beirne, who caught the ball on the right side of the court and drove to the basket. Beirne found the lane blocked by Lake Stevens defenders, so she passed the ball to a wide-open Brunner deep in the left corner of the court.

The Kamiak senior launched a buzzer-beating 3-point shot that rattled ever so briefly before falling through the hoop to give the Knights a stunning 5250 victory over the Vikings in a Wesco 4A girls basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 17, at Kamiak High School.

“It was incredible, shooting the winning shot,” said Brunner, who led Kamiak with game-high 17 points. “It’s just an unbelievable feeling having your teammates have faith in you to make that shot, make the last shot.”

Brunner, however, wondered if the faith was misplaced.

“I was really worried,” she said. “I didn’t think it was going to go in. I was just like – please go in.”

During the timeout that preceded the game-winning shot, the Knights drew up a play designed for Beirne to drive down the lane.

Beacon photos by David Pan Above: Kamiak’s Carolyn Brunner is mobbed by teammates after her game-winning 3-point shot against Lake Stevens Wednesday, Jan. 17, at Kamiak High School. Below: Kamiak’s Hunter Beirne had the key assist on Brunner’s buzzerbeating basket.

“The lane was clogged up,” said Johnson, an assistant filling in for head coach Brian

Norman, who was out with the flu. “Hunter did a great job of finding Carolyn in the corner.”

Though she is known for her rebounding and inside game, the 5-foot-11 Brunner spends a lot of time working on her outside shot.

“She’s one of the few kids that is in the gym all the time,” Johnson said. “She works and works on her game and she can shoot the ball outside and inside. She’s improved considerably.”

Lake Stevens, in the words of Johnson, “walloped” Kamiak 64-44 in the first meeting between the two teams in early December. Senior center Kylee Griffen, who has committed to Gonzaga, scored 20 points to lead the Vikings.

In the rematch, the Knights decided to double-team Griffen with Brunner handling most of the duties, along with help from Kamiak’s guards. The Lake Stevens standout was held to only 13 points.

u from MARINER page 6 Gibb liked what he saw in the second half.

“I thought we played much better as a group,” he said. “We had some nice passes and we were able to convert.”

Mariner was coming off a 6253 loss to Monroe on Tuesday, Jan. 16. Clark scored 23 points

“We doubled her up at the top of the key at all times with the posts,” Johnson said. “Carolyn did an excellent job on that and then we dropped a guard on to her to front her. If we were going to get beat, we were going to get beat by the corner shooters. They did make a few shots, but not too many.”

Beirne finished with 12 points and Karsen Alexander had 7 points. Lake Stevens Laycie Taylor scored 11 points.

Kamiak and Lake Stevens were tied at 13 after the first quarter and the Vikings eventually inched ahead 27-23 by halftime. Lake Stevens outscored the Knights 15-7 in the third quarter to head into the final period with a 42-30 advantage.

The lead stayed in double digits for much of the fourth quarter, but then the Knights started chipping away at the deficit.

A putback basket by sophomore Ashley Gray cut the Lake Stevens’ lead to 47-45 with about two minutes left. The Knights then had an opportunity to tie the score but missed the front end of a 1-and-1 free throw at the 1:28 mark.

After another successful defensive stand, Beirne was fouled on an offensive rebound and made both free throws to tie the score at 47 with a minute to go.

Sophomore Raigan Reed then connected on a 3-point shot to give Lake Stevens a 50-47 lead.

Beirne responded with a basket to cut the deficit to 50-49.

The Vikings brought the ball up the court and subsequently were fouled. Lake Stevens missed the front end of the 1-and-1 free throw and Kamiak rebounded the ball and then called a timeout to set up Brunner’s winning shot.

“It’s the biggest win of the year by far,” Johnson said.

“The girls prepared very well and did a great job. We just executed all aspects of the game tonight.”

and Hezekiah added 16. But what did the Marauders in was defense.

The lack of defensive intensity is an on-going issue for Mariner.

“We’ve had a lot of conversation about it as a team,” Gibb said. “We’re just trying to get better and just keep that effort consistent.”

Kamiak Athlete of the Week Kamiak Cheer Team Beacon photos by David Pan Left: Mariner’s Topaziyon Kipabut goes up for a shot, while being defended by Monroe’s Blake Fodge during a Wesco 4A game Monday, Jan. 15, at Mariner High School. Right, Mariner’s Fama Toure saves the ball from going out of bounds.

Mariner beats Bulldogs for 1st league victory A strong first half performance was instrumental in Mariner’s first league victory.

Senior Fama Toure scored a team-high 11 points to lead the Marauders to a 45-42 win over Mount Vernon in a Wesco 4A boys basketball game Friday, Jan. 19, at Mount Vernon High School.

Three other Mariner players – Dwan Mallet, Simon Fanuel and Tony MacArthur – scored 6 points in a balanced offensive attack.

Mariner (1-8 in the league, 3-12 overall) took a 12-9 lead after the first quarter and extended the advantage to 25-17 at halftime. Mount Vernon outscored the Marauders 25-20 in the second

half to close to within 3 points by the end of Friday’s contest.

Earlier in the week, Mariner lost 54-51 to second place Monroe on Monday, Jan. 15, at Mariner High School.

The Marauders fell behind 28-22 at halftime and weren’t able to make up the 6-point deficit in the second half.

Topaziyon Kipabut scored a team-high 16 points for Mariner. Edwin Bouah finished with 11 points and Mallet had 10 points.

The Marauders face district rival Kamiak at 6:15 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 24 at Mariner High School.

Congratulations to junior captains Malia Fesler and Kyler Lien for their hard work and dedication to the Kamiak cheer team. Both Kyler Lien and Malia Fesler ladies have been on the squad since their freshman year, and are 100% committed to athleticism, school spirit and leadership. Malia and Kyler are incredible leaders during cheer practices, leading their team with sideline cheering and to top it off, in the classroom. Both young ladies have GPA’s to be proud of!

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February 21, 2018

Mariner’s Weaver advances to finals at Mat Classic XXX

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Beacon photo by David Panm Kamiak’s Vlad Gilszmer finished second in the 500-yard freestyle at the 4Am state swimming championships Saturday, Feb. 17, at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. The Knights took home a second place team trophy. s c

Freshman helps Kamiak to 2nd place finish at state

Mariner’s Levi Weaver (right) and Lake Stevens’ Malachi Lawrence share a hug after their 182-pound championship match.

All 3 relays qualify for finals at 4A meet

Senior standout falls to defending champ

BY DAVID PAN REPORTER @ YOURBEACON . NET

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BY DAVID PAN REPORTER @ YOURBEACON . NET

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ariner’s Levi Weaver wanted his final high school wrestling match to be his most challenging.

That’s one of the reasons Weaver chose to compete in the 182-pound weight class. Weaver knew there was the possibility he might face defending champion Malachi Lawrence of Lake Stevens at the 4A state wrestling tournament.

The scenario Weaver envisioned became a reality Saturday, Feb. 17, in the Tacoma Dome, except for the final results.

Lawrence defeated Weaver 7-4 in the finals to claim his second straight title at Mat Classic XXX. Weaver had no regrets about his decision.

“I stayed at 182 just to wrestle him,” the Mariner senior said.

“I didn’t want my last match to be an easy one. I wanted it to be tough. That’s what life is like – coming to the challenge and not fraying away from it.”

Weaver took fifth place at 138 last year, while Lawrence captured the 170 title.

“I feel pretty good,” Weaver said of his second place finish.

“Compared to last year, I came up three places. I’m pretty happy with it. I wish I could have ended with a win.”

It wasn’t for lack of trying.

Beacon photos by David Pan Lake Stevens’ Malachi Lawrence (right) lifts Mariner’s Levi Weaver off the mat during the 182-pound finals at Mat Classic XXX Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Tacoma Dome. Lawrence won a 7-4 decision.

“

I didn’t want my last match to be an easy one.

I wanted it to be tough.

”

“It was a close match,” Mariner coach Max Welsh said. “I think Malachi had a really good game plan. We couldn’t get any offense going.”

Weaver and Lawrence are friends who have trained together before. Lawrence defeated Weaver 10-6 in the SubRegional finals two weeks ago.

“I really tried to push the pace and stay careful in what I was doing,” Weaver said. “But at the end of the day he was just better… I wanted to take more shots. I couldn’t really get it. I wasn’t setting him up well enough.”

Weaver opened with a 7-5 decision over Hanford’s Hayden Henry and then pinned Sunnyside’s Moises Morales in the quarterfinals on Friday, Feb. 16. Weaver pulled out a 5-4 decision over Decatur’s Jacob Cassaday in the semifinals to advance to the finals.

Kamiak Athlete of the Week Walter Limm is a senior and captain with the Knights Swimming program. Walter was a big part of our 12th consecutive 4A District Championship with a third place performance in the 100 Breast Stroke, currently the third fastest in the State. He was also a part of the School and District Record setting 200 Medley relay at the recent District Meet. Walter is also an National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Walter Limm Association Academic All American. Nice Boys Swimming job Walter!

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In the moments before the match start, Weaver was able to soak in the experience of wrestling for a state title.

“It’s really a good experience – the stands and the lights and the music and the noise,” he said. “I enjoyed it so much, even if I don’t come out a champion.”

At the start of the season, Welsh said that Weaver had a chance to bring home a state title.

“He’s an amazing individual,” Welsh said. “He really stepped up to get to this level…

He really rose up and it was a close match. He represented the best he could. That’s all you can ask for.”

Weaver gave credit to Welsh and his former coach Carl Wilkins, who he trained with for many years.

“It’s been a work in progress,” Weaver said. “He (Wilkins) had a huge impact on me as a young man and as an athlete.”

Training partner and fellow state participant Joshua Giron and Weaver pushed each other for four years.

“We’ve been working together and driving to tournaments early in the morning,” Weaver said. “We had lots of hard times and good times.”

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w “He was solid in all the relays,” Kamiak coach Chrisa Erickson said. “He was out-t standing.”

1 Sophomore Fang finished third in the 200 freestyle andt was seventh in the 100 but-“ terfly. Limm finished third int the 100 breaststroke and set a school record with his time of 1 56.93, which also earned all-K American consideration. t Freshman Slava Gilszmer was eighth in the 500 freestyle“ and 13th in the 100 backstroke. t Kamiak’s 400 freestyle relay squad of Fang, Kirby and the Gilszmer brothers was sixth c and the 200 freestyle relay team i of Limm, Park, Jason Cooper a and Alex Kirby placed seventh. u Park took 14th in the 50 freestyle and Kirby finished 10th in o the 100 freestyle.

Camas won the team title with 232 points and the Knights1 finished second with 182. Thefi second place finish is the highest for Kamiak since 2013,“ when the Knights won the team t championship.

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n Beacon photo by David Panr Kamiak’s Diana Cantini defeated Mount Vernon’s Kaylee Gaines in theu seventh/eighth place 105-pound match at Mat Classic XXX Saturday, Feb. 17,m in the Tacoma Dome.

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Kamiak’s Cantini earns medal Defending state champ de la Cruz unable to repeat due to injury

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amiak came home with plenty of medals and hardware from the 4A state swimming and diving championships.

All three of the Knights relays advanced to the finals with the 200 medley squad of Vlad Gilszmer, Walter Limm, Maxwell Fang and Brian Park placing second with a school record and all-American consideration time of 1 minute, 35.01 seconds.

Gilszmer caught the eye of many observers with appearances in the 200 and 500 freestyles. The Kamiak freshman took second place in the 500 freestyle with a school record time of 4:38.61, breaking the previous record which he set during the prelims. He also took seventh in the 200 freestyle.

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BY DAVID PAN REPORTER @ YOURBEACON . NET

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iana Cantini had an apparent victory taken away at the last second in the 105-pound seventh/eighth place at the state girls wrestling tournament.

The Kamiak sophomore was trailing Mount Vernon’s Kaylee Gaines 3-2 with time winding down when Cantini spun around her opponent. The referee initially awarded her two

points and the match.

W Seconds later officials ruled o that the referee was tapped late, C but Cantini still was awarded b one point for loss of control a and the score was tied at 3. v Cantini refocused and scored a takedown in overtime to win t the match 5-3 at Mat Classic t XXX Saturday, Feb. 17, in thec Tacoma Dome. h “I know I’m good on my feet.g I’m good on my shots,” saidT Cantini, who went 1-2 in the 100– division last season. “I did thea same shots that I usually do.”

Cantini came into the stateh tournament with two goals –h see

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STATE page 13 ut

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August 16, 2017

Run-A-Muk lays foundation for Snohomish Running Company Duo developed passion for running after competing in the Mukilteo race

BY DAVID PAN REPORTER @ YOURBEACON . NET

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he Run-A-Muk 5k-10k holds a special place in the hearts of Grant Harrington and Sarah Maxwell.

Run-A-Muk was the first race Harrington and Maxwell, the two managing partners of the Snohomish Running Company, participated in when they started running.

After being so overweight that he couldn’t even jog a quarter mile, Harrington started getting in shape in 2005 and ran in Run-A-Muk in 2006.

Since then he’s competed in two Ironman competitions and four marathons.

Maxwell only started running in the last few years. She ran in Run-A-Muk in 2013 and last month she completed her first marathon.

Harrington and Maxwell aren’t hitting the pavement for this year’s Run-A-Muk but will be around in a different capacity.

The Lighthouse Festival, which sponsors the race, hired the Snohomish Running Company to help stage the event.

“Run-A-Muk was my first ever long distance race,” Maxwell said. “It’s special that now we get to have a part of it from the professional standpoint too.”

Harrington and Maxwell, both former Mukilteo resi-

Beacon photo by David Pan Sarah Maxwell and Grant Harrington (right) are the managing partners of the Snohomish Running Company, which was hired by the Lighthouse Festival to help stage the annual Run-A-Muk 5k and 10k races. Maxwell and Harrington display medals from some of the other races the Snohomish Running Company puts on. dents, are handling the logistical issues of the race, which include registration, communication with participants, traffic control, aid stations, monitoring of the course, pickup of T-shirts and distribution of swag. The Snohomish Running Company also is doing some limited promotion.

“In essence, they brought us in to heighten the experience of the event as a whole,” Harrington said.

As part of their work, Har-

rington and Maxwell decided to make a few changes with the race course after driving and running the old route.

“We thought the old route was a little bit complex and difficult to manage in some ways,” Harrington said. “So we tried to simplify it to an extent.

We tried to simplify the route, while also reducing the impact on the residents in the area.”

At the beginning of the race, participants will be running down to Mukilteo Lane and fol-

lowing Mukilteo Lane all the way to Mukilteo Boulevard.

The finish line now will be in the paved plaza in front of the Rosehill Community Center.

The Snohomish Running Company, as the name suggests, is an event production and promotion business that specializes in running events.

“There are two different things to running events,” Harrington said. “There’s basically getting everybody there, which is the promotion and marketing piece and then there’s the actual putting on of the event, the production piece, the event management side.

“Our company, the Snohomish Running Company, does both. We do pretty much everything under the sun, except for timing. We contract out the chip timing to other companies.”

The company works with multiple government agencies to determine the best routes for races. For Run-A-Muk, Harrington coordinated with Mukilteo and Everett.

“This event goes through two cities,” he said. “It starts in Mukilteo and then it goes into Everett and it comes back. So we have to work with both the city of Mukilteo and the city of Everett.”

Most of the events the Snohomish Running Company stages, such as the Snohomish River Run and the Everett Half and 10k, are races the company owns. The company also is hired by organizations, such as the Lighthouse Festival, to assist in the production of

SCHOOLBRIEFS Kamiak High Cheer Clinic set The Kamiak High School annual Junior Cheer Clinic is set 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18 at Kamiak High School.

Participants will learn cheer basics and sideline dances and also will receive a T-shirt, poms and have the opportunity to march in the Lighthouse Parade with the cheerleaders on Saturday, Sept. 9. The clinic is open to preschool to middle school age youth. Email: kamiakcheer@gmail.com for registration information.

Junior golfers end season The

Harbour

Pointe

All-

Stars’ season ended Sunday, Aug. 13, with a loss to the Eastside Privates All-Stars during the PGA Junior League Golf Sub-Regional match played at Three Lakes Golf Club in Malaga, Washington.

Harbour Pointe was victorious in the consolation match defeating the Hayden Lade/ CDA team 8 points to 4, putting them in third place in this SubRegional.

“It was an incredible season,” assistant coach Caleb Kraus said. “The level of competition in PGA Junior League Golf gets stronger every year. We are already excited to build upon the successes of this year and make a run in the All Star post season in 2018.”

The Eastside All-Stars went

Give Your Staff a Stress Test Today

Photo courtesy of Caleb Kraus The Harbour Pointe All-Stars are, from left to right, Josh Waldo, 13; John Lee, 13; Weston Joyner, 13; Luke Strand, 12; Nate Kussman, 13; Anders Glenn, 6; Bennett Lahn, 12; Sergio Sanchez, 11; Brandon Yoon, 12; Taighan Chea, 9. The team coach is Ty Sullivan and the assistant coach is Caleb Kraus. on to defeat the Flathead Valley/Upper Lake All-Stars from Montana 8-4, to earn a spot in

the Western Regional at Harding Park in San Francisco to be played Sept. 16-17.

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events.

The Snohomish Running Company owns the Mukilteo Turkey Trot 5k and 10k, which has rapidly become popular in just a couple of years.

The Turkey Trot is held Thanksgiving morning and attracted more than 1,400 registrations in 2016, its second year of existence. The race is the second largest in Snohomish County.

“It got large very quickly,” Harrington said.

Harrington noted that the company specializes in events that encourage people to be participants rather than be spectators.

“We’re asking them to come take part in the event,” he said.

“We’re not just asking them to come watch.”

The Snohomish Running Company was incorporated in 2012. Harrington used to own a bicycle/triathlon store in Mukilteo called Endurance Sports Northwest. He started the Snohomish Running Company in order to try and drive traffic to his store. Eventually, Harrington realized that the Snohomish Running Company was more financially viable than his retail shop and he shut down the shop in 2015.

“It turns out it’s a lot easier to put on events than it is to do retail,” Harrington said. “It’s really difficult to make money in retail.”

Maxwell and another partner, Ron Montague, bought into the company in 2016.

The company is the largest running event promoter in Snohomish County and one of the top five event promoter/ event management businesses in Snohomish and King counties.

Total registrations were about 1,500 in 2014 and have grown to more than 9,000 in 2017.

While the Snohomish Running Company is a for-profit company, the company donates to different charities, such as Girls on the Run, Snohomish County Boys and Girls Club and the Kamiak High School cross country program (Mukilteo Turkey Trot).

For Harrington and Maxwell, the company is more than just a business.

“Running has become a passion of mine,” Maxwell said.

“I’m very thankful now that we get to turn it into a profession. It’s awesome to see people cross the finish line and be a part of it.”

Maxwell describes herself as more of a solo runner, but she loves racing.

“You can have the group energy and just cheer for people,” she said. “Other people are cheering you on. There’s good vibes happening.”

Having a goal kept Harrington motivated when he first started running.

“If there wasn’t a Run-AMuk or a Super Jock ‘n Jill, I don’t know if I would still be running,” Harrington said.

“You’ve got to have that end goal, that end thing to be able to set your sights to.”

Harrington enjoys helping other people accomplish their goals.

“We give them the opportunity to go out and do something that nobody can take away from them,” he said, “And they can take that on into their daily life – that confidence and that success. . We stand there at the finish line and we get to see the faces and the experiences these people have. It’s truly amazing to us.”