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They’ve been here before. Quite often, in fact. La Conner and Morton-White Pass are no strangers to the State football playoffs, nor to one another. The Braves and Timberwolves have met three times in the past four post-seasons, with Morton-White Pass eliminating La Conner from title contention in 2011, 2012, and 2013. They tee it up again in State 2B grid action this Saturday, Nov. 14, at 4 p.m. in Sedro-Woolley. La Conner, of course, will be looking to reverse prior trends and oust from the S...
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Or, in the case of the La Conner High volleyball team, with a single set. The Lady Braves executed countless of those sets to perfection in Raymond last week en route to a hard-fought Bi-District title and unblemished season mark. La Conner puts that perfect record on the line — and its team bus back on the road — with a trip to the State 2B Tournament in Yakima. The Lady Braves open State play Friday morning at the Sun Dome....
They’ve been down this road before — often, in fact. That being the La Conner High volleyball team’s annual trek to the State Tournament in Yakima, the latest trip booked last week by virtue of twin Tri-District playoff wins in Raymond. The Lady Braves return to Raymond today, Wednesday, for a date with top-ranked Napavine, an ideal tune-up for their pending drive to the Sun Dome. “We go back to Raymond to play Napavine for seeding at State,” La Conner head coach Suzanne Marble said Sunday. “The travel prepares us to play on the road at S...
They rolled out the red carpet at Whittaker Field on Friday. Not for the visiting Bellingham football team, but for the La Conner High Homecoming Court. Yet crowning achievements weren’t limited to special coronation festivities at halftime. The Braves saw to that with a 24-7 royal beating of Bellingham, a key non-league triumph that gives La Conner added momentum going into a two-game stretch drive opposite NW2B rivals Friday Harbor and Orcas that wraps up the regular season. The hosts c...
The La Conner High volleyball team is rooted in fundamentals, having leapt to the top of league standings with tree-mendous serving, defense, and offensive attacks. The Lady Braves host Concrete tomorrow, Thursday, in their annual Senior Night/Dig Pink match at Landy James Gym. – Photo by Pam Keller...
The La Conner High girls’ soccer team always seems to get the run-around at Friday Harbor. But last week it meant the Lady Braves will stay well in the running for a State title. La Conner, with its players having made their traditional mad dash from the ferry landing, clinched the NW2B championship and a coveted top Bi-District playoff seed with a gritty 2-1 comeback win over the Lady Wolverines on Thursday. With the triumph, the Lady Braves improved to 9-0 in conference play and completed a regular season series sweep of Friday Harbor —...
A week after a tough league loss at Orcas, the wheels weren’t about to come off the La Conner High bus. The Braves instead literally kept their feet on the ground by churning out 261 yards rushing to claim a key 35-18 NW2B win at home over Concrete on Friday, thus paving the way for what could be yet another deep post-season drive. “The players rebounded like a good team should,” La Conner head coach Johnny Lee said afterward, “and we put ourselves in a position where we control our own destiny.” The Braves, who improved to 5-1, completed...
Their goal at the start of the season was to win the big tournament in Eastern Washington come November. The La Conner High volleyball team got an early taste of that kind of success by capturing top honors at the 10-school Wenatchee Invitational this past weekend. The Lady Braves swept 4A Wenatchee Eastmont and 1A Chelan to win their pool and then defeated 2A Grandview and 4A Wenatchee High in the tourney bracket to bring home the gold. “The girls played better and better with each set,” La...
Its offense sputtered at times, but the La Conner High football team’s defense never rested on Friday. The result was an impressive 56-14 NW2B verdict over Friday Harbor in the Braves’ home opener. “We got a nice win in our first game back at home, and I thought our defense was the difference,” La Conner head coach Johnny Lee, whose club improved to 4-0, said afterward. “They played stout against the run, kept Friday Harbor’s passing game in front of us, and capitalized on opportuniti...
The La Conner High soccer team zeroed in on a perfect NW2B record in a big way last week. The Lady Braves, behind three goals from Emma Lee and two more courtesy of Kyla Crawford, blanked Orcas 6-0 to remain unbeaten in four conference starts. “Orcas was a really fun game,” an elated La Conner head coach Amy Freeto said afterward. “Our passing combinations were really on. It was one of those great games where everyone clicked, and it looked like we’d been playing together forever. “It was absolutely wonderful to watch,” she stressed. S...
Having a versatile attack has served the La Conner High volleyball team well. Especially on those rare occasions when its serving is sub-par. Last Tuesday was one of those times, but the Lady Braves were still able to dispatch NW2B rival Darrington in straight sets and remain undefeated in five starts. Due in large part to Olivia Hedlund’s deft and well-placed sets, La Conner breezed to a 25-12, 25-9, 25-15 triumph over the visitors. Hedlund recorded 51 assists on the night. “She did a nice job of spreading around the offense,” Lady Brave...
Olivia Hedlund has posted all kinds of crazy stats for the La Conner High volleyball team this season. But for the Lady Braves senior setter, the number one will do quite nicely. As in recognition that Hedlund is playing at the top of her game, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has certainly taken note, naming Hedlund its State 2B Volleyball Athlete of the Week for her all-around play during recent non-conference wins over Woodinville and Squalicum. Hedlund was tabbed for...
The La Conner boys U12 youth soccer played Friday Harbor recently, and though defeated, put in a good effort. The La Conner players in blue from left are Ian McCormick, Sid Pillinger and Finn Hakenson. – Photo by Kathy ElstonThe La Conner boys U12 youth soccer played Friday Harbor recently, and though defeated, put in a good effort. The La Conner players in blue from left are Ian McCormick, Sid Pillinger and Finn Hakenson. – Photo by Kathy Elston...
For Bellevue Christian, it felt not so much as a loss as merely running out of time. For La Conner, on the other hand, the fourth quarter couldn’t end soon enough. But when all was said and done, it was the Braves who had posted another statement win, though there were nearly as many question marks as exclamation points down the stretch. Plus one big sigh of relief at the end. La Conner defender Cameron Hansen knocked down a Bellevue Christian pass in the end zone on the final play of the game to secure a 27-22 non-league thriller Saturday a...
The La Conner Braves were true road warriors on Friday. La Conner crossed the Cascades as part of a long trip to Kittitas, but the Braves saved their peak effort for the gridiron, romping past Colfax 47-16 to remain unbeaten in two starts on the young campaign. The mountain passes were nearly eclipsed by those of La Conner quarterback James Hulbert, who completed 12 of 16 tosses for 185 yards and a pair of touchdowns. “James had another solid game at quarterback,” Braves head coach Johnny Lee said afterward. “His decision-making is conti...
A tough league soccer opener at Friday Harbor proved Taylor-made for a thrilling Lady Braves finish. Taylor Reimland scored twice, including an unassisted goal during a frenetic second half, to give La Conner a hard-fought 2-1 triumph last Thursday. The narrow victory was essential in terms of La Conner’s NW2B title hopes, veteran Lady Braves head coach Amy Freeto said going in. “I couldn’t think of a more fitting way to start the season,” she noted beforehand, than by, “jumping into our toughest competition and (doing so) on the road.” It...
For the La Conner High volleyball team, it’s a simple matter of reward outweighing risk. Putting themselves on the line — and at the net — against larger school foes in non-league matches runs the risk of suffering deflating early losses. But the reward of character-building tests — win or lose — is just too great for Lady Braves head coach Suzanne Marble to pass up. “We like to push our girls by playing a tough non-league schedule,” she said Sunday. By then, the Lady Braves had swept both 4A Woodinville and 3A Squal...
No one expected a ride down Easy Street for the La Conner Braves in Concrete on Friday night. Quite the opposite, actually. A few road bumps were expected as the Braves opened their 2015 grid campaign against the defending league champions in a pairing of longtime rivals all the more crucial since the NW2B has been allotted just one State playoff berth this year. Turns out, the only potholes jolting the Braves were ones the team bus hit en route to the Lion’s den, where La Conner paved the way for a quick start to the league title race with a...
It’s a big week for the La Conner High volleyball team. Big matches against big schools to help launch a season filled with big dreams. And the Lady Braves, a perennial State title contender, are used to turning those dreams into reality — in a big way. La Conner is coming off a third place State 2B Tournament finish a year ago, and while having lost Skagit area Player of the Year Emma Christianson to graduation, the Lady Braves return a solid nucleus — including five All-League players — to the fold in 2015. Head coach S...
Two former members of the Seahawks NFL team were in La Conner last week sharing advice and encouragement with local Braves athletes of every age. Here, former Seahawks Alonzo Mitz, left, and Nesby Glasgow assess the young players’ moves during a scrimmage. – Photo by Amylynn Richards...
La Conner Elementary third-grader CJ Edwards leads the pack through the fog at Century Link Field in Seattle on Monday after a youth safety event attended by 10 future Braves. Hosted by USA Football and the Seattle Seahawks, the day’s program taught parents and youth football participants about proper helmet fitting, safer tackling techniques and concussion recognition. – Photo by Amylynn Richards...
Peewee Quentin Cobbs keeps Oak Harbor away during the 2015 Youth Football Jamboree in Burlington on Saturday. – Photo by Amylynn Richards...
Preseason workouts are still a few weeks away, yet the La Conner High football team already has a heads-up on its foes. Literally. The Braves have adopted use of the Riddell InSite helmet, a sensor technology headgear with a monitor that alerts coaches and sideline staff when a player experiences a significant hit or multiple impacts during a game or practice. The La Conner football program, according to Super-intendent Tim Bruce and head football coach Johnny Lee, will be the first in Washingto...
Road trips are nothing new for the La Conner High basketball program – unless, of course, it’s one scheduled for late July. And one that’s been as much anticipated as a Christmas tournament at Port Townsend or trip to Spokane in March. A large La Conner entourage will drive to Tacoma tomorrow, Thursday, to attend ceremonies honoring head coach Scott Novak as one of eight inductees into the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Novak joins a 2015 class that includes former Concrete coach John Pet...
Cousins Kimi Ward, left, Chas James and Raylee Ward were taking advantage of open gym night on Friday at Ground Zero Gymnastics in Burlington. – Photo by Robin Carneen Edwards...