As the fall sports season comes to a close, athletes from Hazen and Liberty high schools are being honored for their athletic achievements as all-league teams are announced. Players and coaches select all-league teams annually. Email additional all-league honors to newcastle@isspress.com.

Hazen boys tennis

The following Hazen High School tennis players were named to the Seamount League all-league team:

FIRST TEAM: Gregg Furumasu.

SECONT TEAM: Jon Le.

HONORABLE MENTION: Jason Lui.

Hazen cross-country

The following Hazen High School cross-country runners were named to the Seamount League all-league team:

BOYS: Daniel Karpman, Sr.; Marshall Melrose, Sr.; Keith Beasley, Sr.

GIRLS: Kristin Ericksen, So.

Hazen girls soccer

The following Hazen High School soccer players were named to the Seamount League all-league team:

FIRST TEAM: Chelsea Delgado, Jr.; Gabby Brower, Jr.; Cindy Hanson, Jr.; Courtney Kiteley, Jr.

SECOND TEAM: Brianne Sherin, Jr.; Dee Dee Green, Sr.; Melissa Carney, Jr.; Erin Zetterberg, Fr.

HONORABLE MENTION: Cameron Devereaux, Nicole Anderson, Korbyn Walls, Kristina Holm, Jenifer Bourbonnais

Hazen swim and dive

The following Hazen High School swimmers were named to the Seamount League all-league team:

FIRST TEAM: Amy LeBar, Sr.; Talisa Wibmer, Jr.; Kourtney Brunings, So.

SECOND TEAM: Anna Collons, So.; Kristin LeBar, Fr.

Hazen golf:

The following Hazen High School golfers were named to the Seamount League all-league team:

Boys

FIRST TEAM: David Hu, Nick Yee.

SECOND TEAM: Brody Graybeal.

HONORABLE MENTION: Ethan Morris.

Girls

SECOND TEAM: Samantha Kelly

Coach Teresa Caluori was selected as the league’s coach of the year.

Hazen volleyball

The following Hazen High School volleyball players were named to the Seamount League all-league team:

FIRST TEAM: Kelsey Allen, Jr.; Marcela Macias, So.

SECOND TEAM: Shelby Sturman, Jr.

HONORABLE MENTION: Sarah Sherrod.

Liberty volleyball

The following Liberty High School volleyball players were named to the KingCo 3A/2A all-league team:

HONORABLE MENTION: Shea O’Brien, Jessica Pickering.

Liberty football

The following Liberty High School football players were named to the KingCo 3A/2A all-league team:

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE: WR Tynan Gilmore, Sr.; WR Scott Dean, Sr.

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE: LB Scott Dean, Sr.

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE: DT/NG Max Hill, Sr.; DE Nick Short, Sr.; S Tynan Gilmore, Sr.

HONORABLE MENTION: Russell Boston, Di Wang, Nate Jarvis, Sam Dodt

Hazen football

The following Hazen High School football players were named to the Seamount League all-league team:

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR: Cody Moorhead, Sr.

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE: OG Cody Moorhead, Sr.; P Kyle Nelson, Sr.

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE: DT Tyler Wicks, Sr.; DE Cody Moorhead, Sr.; LB Zach Cable, Sr.; DB Kyle Nelson, Sr.

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE: RB Joe Glaefke, Jr.; C Bryce Sowder, Sr.; OT Tyler Wicks, Sr.

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE: DB Marquise Lee, So.

HONORABLE MENTION: Jordan Abdullah, Isaiah Davis, Jeremy Hazlet, Mason Jacobs, Drew Kelly, Tony Nipert, Dominic Orsillo.

Liberty girls soccer

The following Liberty High School soccer players were named to the KingCo 3A/2A all-league team:

FIRST TEAM: F Kailiana Johnson, Sr.; MF Kiana Hafferty, Sr.

SECOND TEAM: D Taylor Sekyra, So.; D Katie Noonan, Sr.; MF Tara Johnson, Jr.; MF Nicolle Marlow, Sr.; F Kali Youngdahl, Jr.

HONORABLE MENTION: Mollie Cooke, Amy Ellenberg, Leah Grefthen, Jacquelyn Anderson.

Coach Tami Nguyen, in her first year at the helm for the Patriots, was selected as the league’s coach of the year.

“She started off really strong,” Liberty tennis coach Mike Salokas said. “Strong in strokes, and strong in conditioning.”

After being up 3-2 in the first set, Adams quickly started struggling to keep up. She lost the first set, 6-3, and the second, 6-1, to Shea Wojciehowski, of Lakeside High School.

“Yeah, pretty much I just got really tired,” she said, “because last week was really competitive for me. But I definitely think I could have won if I wasn’t so wiped out.”

Because she’s only a sophomore, this was Adams’ first year of a more strenuous schedule.

“I’ve never really played so many tournaments in a row, so many matches,” she said. “I’ve just learned you really need to stay fit, you need to stay strong throughout everything. Keep your game tight. Don’t get intimidated, because you can take out people that are better than you if you try. Don’t give up on it.”

Salokas, who doesn’t get many full-time tennis athletes at Liberty, said he is excited for the future and knows his team can learn from players like Adams.

“I try to get the school to allow me to bring more kids here, not to play but just to watch,” Salokas said. “Because when you watch a player that you practice with every day out in battle, it kind of raises your level.”

Salokas brought a doubles team to the KingCo tournament this year, and was amazed at the level they brought themselves to, just because of the competition around them.

“When you step out on the court with other players that are good, it raises their game,” he said. “Jenny’s presence will do that next year.”

Mike Salokas Liberty High School tennis coach

Allow me recreate a scene from Sept. 20’s tennis match — Liberty versus Juanita.

On court No. 3, the final exhibition match was nearing completion and the thankful end of a one-sided match was concluding. Juanita coach Justin Ochsner and I are amid obligatory congratulations while I am packing supplies and equipment.

Suddenly, Justin and I hear commotion coming from court No. 1. Players from both teams run there in such haste the Juanita coach and I fear something terrible is occurring.

Players from both teams merge together and begin an intra-team game of King of the Hill. Much to the coaches’ surprise, players from both teams combine and begin to yell, cheer and laugh as they proceeded to play in a tennis drill often used by coaches every day at practice.

The irony is the Liberty team record in 2011 at this point is a dismal 0-5.

During the formal match against Juanita, I took critical notes of Liberty play with intent to use the data and observations as a motivational tool in future practice. Listed and underlined on my clipboard were instances of mechanical (swing) failure, lack of strategy in point creation, and clear deficiency in stamina and conditioning.

I was preparing my no-holds-barred tennis lecture.

As I watched the players on my team engaged in full-scale King of the Hill with the Juanita players, a first thought was, “Oh swell, poor on-court performance has given way to goofing around after the important match is over.”

My next consideration was, “Well, if my players understand they are underperforming, maybe hitting some extra shots will help.”

As I further watched what was happening on the court, I realized that many of the Liberty players were actually exhibiting better form, shot selection and tactical consideration than their play during the formal match.

I tend to coach from an “old-school” perspective. As a lifelong athlete, I compete to win.

The opponent is the enemy — someone to exert all energies, and within the guidelines of rules and fair play, to defeat.

At the end there is a winner and a loser. Losing has no redeeming value.

As a coach, my perspective changes.

I’m vigilant toward opportunities to demonstrate how winning, good sportsmanship, team togetherness and merely participating in good competition are all important qualities and life-developing opportunities for transformation into adulthood.

At times, however, the desire to win — the drive to win along with necessary tenacity and ferocity seep into my coaching. During the Juanita match, the seeping level had raised to dripping.

As I watched Liberty varsity players perform with players from Juanita — and as I reflect on what my goal as coach is — I see how positive the impact of the match truly was.

What Justin and I witnessed was an extraordinary occurrence. Today, my perception of the Liberty varsity tennis team is different from what it was before the Juanita match.

The experience makes me feel proud to be a high school coach.

Three Liberty High School tennis players — Thomas Lowes, Sho Kato and Ken Kato — were recently recognized as KingCo 3A All-League players this year.

Lowes was named to first-team all-league, and the brothers Sho and Ken Kato — a senior and freshman, respectively — were named second-team all-league.

Liberty head coach Mike Salokas was also named KingCo 3A coach of the year.

Lowes, the No. 1 player on the Liberty team, finished fourth in the KingCo 3A tournament last fall, and his strong finish earned him a berth in the district tournament in Seattle in May.

The Kato brothers — who play together as a doubles team — lost their final match in the KingCo 3A tournament to a Mercer Island High School team, losing the opportunity to compete in districts.

However, Lowes and the Kato brothers were named to the all-tournament team.

“Liberty has, in at least recent past, never had players selected to the all-tournament team,” Salokas wrote in a news release.