Soaked fall and spring, state tennis title highlight year

Famous author John Updike once wrote “Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.”

Despite dripping with what one might call punchable writing, there might be some truth to what Updike had to say about the wet stuff.

But don’t tell that to the fall or spring sports coaches at Sandpoint High School, whose teams spent the better part of the season stuck indoors. Another year of sports is officially in the books, one that will be remembered for the 40 days and 40 nights of rain in the fall, then what seemed like another 40 straight that hit just in time for the start of spring sports.

Come rain or shine, the Bulldogs showed up and represented Sandpoint with pride. As usual, the year was full of memorable moments, with a few standing out.

SANDPOINT has a rich history of winning state titles in volleyball, wrestling and soccer, but heading into the busy final weekend of action in May, the school had yet to win a team or individual state title in any sport.

Seniors Laney Search and Khloe Kyllonen were on a mission to change that, and they didn’t care that Sandpoint had never won a state title in tennis before.

State tennis titles are rare for North Idaho teams, which have less population, dry weather and indoor facilities available than other parts of the state. Often times players that roll through the competition in the Panhandle find the sledding much tougher at state.

Not so for Search and Kyllonen, whose third straight trip to state ended with a decisive three-set win over Century and the program’s first ever state tennis title in girls doubles. Their finish was enough to earn the Bulldogs a second place team trophy, as there are only five brackets at state tennis for all of the 4A schools to score in.

There is no substitute for experience or senior hunger at state. After a disappointing showing as juniors, at least by their lofty standards, the pair romped to the finals. After a poor first set in the championship, the two settled in and played like seasoned vets in the final two sets, blistering their way to a state title.

Kyllonen was strong from the baseline, and Search, who will play volleyball next year at George Fox, started hammering overheads and intimidating the opposition with quick strike points at the net.

Congrats on a rare state title.

ANOTHER two sports could also make a claim to posting the best seasons in their respective program history in the Bulldog girls basketball and softball teams.

Led by the dynamic duo of Grace Kirscher and Trinity Golder, the Bulldogs finished 3rd at state basketball for the second straight season.

Veteran coach Duane Ward and assistant Will Love have done a great job building a program, and the results are sitting for all to see in the trophy case, where state basketball trophies are rare.

The Bulldog girls are starting to produce college-level players, and the trend could continue in the near future.

Ditto for the Bulldog softball team. Head coach Elizabeth Hawkins-Williams and a strong stable of assistant coaches have taken a program to the brink of a state title, as a pair of wins and a close loss to eventual champ Middleton showed.

Perhaps no position in high school sports is more important than a softball pitcher, who more often than not dictate a team’s fortunes, and the Bulldogs have a good one in junior Bri Baldree. Under the tutelage of Bulldog assistant Gary Circo, a former professional fast pitch softball pitcher in his own right, Baldree has blossomed into an bona fide ace, as her wins over Bonneville and Bishop Kelly showed.

She’ll return next season with a stellar infield of Bri Barlow, Kaitlan Ward, Sierra Nicholson and Audrey Matilla to see if they can’t follow Search and Kyllonen’s lead and win the program its first state title.

I wouldn’t bet against them.

HOPEFULLY it’s not lost on the Bee readers how lucky we are to have Jason Duchow Photography sending in pictures to run in the paper.

He’s not just one of the best sports photographers in the region, but takes some amazing senior portraits as well.

When the state media sends out the annual state basketball and softball programs, it’s always fun to see how much cooler the Bulldogs’ team pics are than everyone else, courtesy of Duchow.

And on top of that, he’s a genuinely nice guy, so consider this a big thank you for all of the great art Jason.

Also worthy of huge thanks is Wendy Auld, longtime Bulldog football statistician who volunteers her Friday nights and helps get all of the stats in the paper, an endeavor that would be otherwise impossible with the Bee deadline.

And on top of that, she’s a superb math teacher, so thanks a ton for all you do Wendy.

And thanks to all of the coaches for helping call/email in the scores, stats and highlights that make writing the stories possible.

We’ll do it all over again in the fall.

Eric Plummer is the sports editor of the Daily Bee. For comments, suggestions or story ideas, he can be reached at “eplummer@bonnercountydailybee.com.”