Hazen drillers make it three in a row

Contributed
The Hazen High School drill team and coaches show off their third consecutive first-place trophy after the Dance and Drill State Championships March 29 at the Yakima SunDome.

If Kristin Sargent’s career as the head coach of the Hazen drill team was written as a book, it would have the perfect fairy tale ending.

The preface would note that her Hazen roots run deep. She was a member of the Liberty High School drill team before coming to Hazen, where she was the drill team captain in 1999.

The body of the story would detail her seven years as the Hazen drill coach, a golden era of sorts, as she led the Highlanders to several state titles.

The best part would be the ending, though, when Sargent’s team captured its third consecutive state title, in the same year she announced it would be her last.

That’s what happened March 29 as the Hazen drill team added to its overflowing trophy case with another great showing at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s Dance and Drill State Championships in the Yakima SunDome.

The Highlanders took first in 3A pom with a score of 252.3.

Liberty goes from 3A to 2A

Liberty High School sports teams went from 3A to 2A beginning in the 2014-2015 school year.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association released enrollment numbers showing Liberty, at 891.8, is the size of a 2A school. Schools with less than 990.8 students, but more than 472, are considered 2A.

In the recent past, the Patriots had opted up to the 3A level, despite its stature as one of the state’s smallest 3A schools, but this time around, administrators decided to test the 2A waters.

Former Liberty Athletic Director Stark Porter said he looked at the move as a two-year experiment, after which the school would re-evaluate things.

Hazen’s basketball star signs with ASU

With the swift stroke of a pen, Hazen High School senior Dominic Green made a permanent decision about the setting of his life’s next chapter Nov. 12.

The Hazen basketball star signed his national letter of intent to play at Arizona State University next year, officially making him a Sun Devil.

Green, a small forward, chose Arizona State over offers from schools such as Washington State University, Portland State University and the University of Montana.

Green is the first Hazen boys basketball player to sign with a Division I school since 1992, when Jason Hamilton began his career at San Diego State University before transferring to the University of Washington. Hamilton now serves as a radio analyst for the Huskies’ basketball team.

Patriots win first swim title

By Greg Farrar
The Liberty High School swim team cheers Nov. 15 as the 400-yard freestyle relay team wins the final event and the Patriots run away with their first-ever team state swimming championship.

The 2014 Liberty girls swim team won the program’s first state championship in a devastatingly dominant fashion. The Patriots won seven of the meet’s 12 events and left the King County Aquatic Center with a 2A record final score of 348 points.

To put that score in perspective, second-place finisher Sehome, coincidentally Liberty coach Kris Daughters’ alma mater, had 188 points.

“That was one of the most fun nights of my existence,” a beaming Daughters said at the end of the meet.

Senior Mackenna Briggs led Liberty swimmers with two individual wins, capturing the 100-yard butterfly with a 2A meet record time of 55.65 seconds, and cruising to victory in the 50-yard freestyle in 23.78. Briggs, a University of San Diego commit, also won the Swimmer of the Meet Award.

Hazen, Liberty wrestlers shine at Mat Classic

Malik Haythorne’s senior season of wrestling was emblematic of his entire Hazen High School team — growth was evident.

A year after failing to win a match at the state championships, Haythorne nearly wound up capturing a 3A state title. He settled for second place at 152 pounds as the Mat Classic XXVI wrapped up Feb. 22 at the Tacoma Dome.

Haythorne’s runner-up finish topped the Highlanders’ six-athlete contingent at the Mat Classic. Raven Svenson, a freshman who took seventh in the 155-pound girls division, was Hazen’s only other medalist.

On the Liberty side, three Patriots reached the medal podium.

Conner Small took third at 160 pounds, Romney Noel was sixth at 170 and Joanna Moreira took sixth in the 137-pound girls division.

Patriots put together big fall at 2A

In its first sports season at 2A, the Liberty Athletic Department put together an impressive 2014 fall postseason.

In addition to the swim team’s 2A state title, other teams took home hardware, too.

The Liberty boys and girls cross-country teams each earned third place at the state championships in Pasco Nov. 8, taking home the first state trophies in program history.

The Patriots’ volleyball team also made history, making its first state appearance and earning an eighth-place trophy.

Hazen senior named a Sea Gal

Hazen High School 2014 graduate Errin Mekel was selected as a member of the Seattle Seahawks dance team, the Sea Gals, for the 2014-2015 season.

Mekel, also a member of the state-champion Hazen drill team in 2014, competed in a marathon of workshops, tryouts and auditions to be selected as a Sea Gal.

She used her athleticism, knowledge of choreography and passion to win over judges in the selection process. Out of the hundreds of women who try out, only between 24 and 32 are selected for the squad.

Liberty tennis star goes out on top

A year after Liberty High School tennis player Jenny Adams teamed up with Kristy Braunston to take second at the 3A state doubles tournament, Adams went solo with almost as much success.

She placed fourth at the 3A state tennis singles tournament May 31.

Adams, who graduated in 2014 as one of Liberty’s best tennis players ever, defeated Shadle Park’s Audra Spargo in three sets to win the fourth-place medal.

Hazen coach steps down to lead alma mater

The Hazen High School football team began spring 2014 practices under new leadership after head coach Drew Oliver stepped down to take over at Newport High School, his alma mater.

Oliver took over the program in 2009, and under his direction, Hazen returned to the state playoffs during the 2011 season, for the first time since 1993.

Oliver, who grew up in the Newport Hills neighborhood, coached at Newport prior to accepting the job at Hazen.

David Kilpatrick-White took over for Oliver. The 2003 Bothell High School graduate came to Hazen via the Bothell program, having coached freshmen wide receivers.

Hazen finished 4-6 under the first-year coach.

By Marcus Mason
Hazen running back Marquise Lee (3) bursts through for a big gain in the Highlanders’ Oct. 24 loss to Lindbergh, 56-12. The loss eliminated Hazen’s playoff hopes.

The Hazen High School Highlanders went on the road Oct. 24 to play Lindbergh on the Eagles’ homecoming night.

The Eagles came ready to play, forcing a 3-and-out on Hazen’s opening drive. When the Hazen defense took the field, Lindbergh marched down the field led by a strong running game from D’Angelo Faust, who would finish with more than 100 yards on the ground.

The theme continued as Lindbergh’s defensive rush was too much for the Highlanders’ offense and a plethora of missed tackles allowed the Eagles’ running backs to run rampant. D’Shaun Sims also rumbled in for a touchdown near the end of the first quarter to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead.

At the start of the second quarter, Hazen lost a fumble to the Eagles. Soon after, Hazen found cause for excitement as senior Marquise Lee stripped the ball out of a Lindbergh runner’s hands, giving Hazen the ball back.

On Hazen’s next drive, quarterback Nolan Hoover threw a ball deep down the right sideline for a Lindbergh interception. After the momentary back and forth of turnovers, the Eagles found their rhythm again with long runs by Faust and Devon Jackson to increase the Eagles’ lead to 28-0.

A touchdown pass to Jackson from quarterback Anthony Hill extended the lead to 36-0, as Lindbergh scored on a 2-point conversion to finish the drive. Right before the half, in an attempt to put points on the board, Hoover was intercepted on a crossing route by Eagles’ linebacker Sims, giving Lindbergh a lead of 43-0 heading into the half.

In the second half, because of the mercy rule, the clock continued to run due to the score of the game. At the start of the second half, the Eagles picked up where they left off, with Faust and Jackson each scoring on running plays, putting the score at 56-0.

Hazen found their offensive success late in the game on their final two drives. In the fourth quarter, Lee, a running back and defensive back, broke several tackles on his way to a long, 64-yard touchdown run.

On Hazen’s following drive, the Highlanders’ passing game displayed success, as Hoover connected with fellow senior Eli Azcueta on two deep passes, including a touchdown pass.

The clock wound down and the final score stood at 56-12, with the Lindbergh Eagles overcoming the Hazen Highlanders in a rivalry-fueled game.

On offense, Hazen was unable to mount sustained drives, often caused by a lack of protection up front from the offensive line. Hazen also turned the ball over four times in the game — twice on the ground and twice through the air.

On defense, the Highlanders failed to wrap up on their tackles. Despite being in position to make tackles throughout the game, the Lindbergh running game was able to break them consistently, leading to a dominant running performance.

The Highlanders’ finished the year at 3-6. The loss eliminated them from playoff contention.

When asked what Hazen’s biggest obstacle was this year, first-year head coach David Kilpatrick-White said, “One of the toughest things this year has been getting players to commit to the program.”

Kilpatrick-White mentioned that in the past three weeks, six players have been dismissed from the team for various reasons.

Bringing a spread offense to a high school that spent the past five years running a schematically opposite Wing-T, Kilpatrick-White also mentioned that it has been tough making such a drastic change.

“When you go from a one-read offense like the Wing-T, where if the first receiver isn’t open then you tuck and run, to a spread offense where you have to make multiple reads, it’s going to be difficult,” he said. “But Nolan has been getting better every week.  I just wish I could have started with him a little sooner.”

Looking forward, the Highlanders will spend the offseason looking to build the commitment that Kilpatrick-White knows will be essential in making progress in the program.

By Greg Farrar
Nolan Hoover, Hazen High School senior quarterback, fades back and looks for a receiver August 20 during the Highlanders’ first fall football practice of the 2014 campaign.

It’s not uncommon to hear speakers blaring with rap music and today’s latest hits when visiting a high-school football practice.

It is, however, rare to hear interspersed between those songs, the rich, melodic sound of a bagpipe, as was the case at the Hazen High School football team’s fall practices.

It speaks to a focus on a renewed pride in all that it means to be a Highlander, fostered by the team’s first-year head coach David Kilpatrick-White.

“It’s very clear to me that there’s something that the senior class wants to be different about the way people perceive Hazen football moving forward,” he said, “and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get that done.”

Kilpatrick-White comes to Hazen via the Bothell High School football program, where he worked with the freshman wide receivers. He replaces coach Drew Oliver, who is now at Newport high School.

He graduated from Bothell in 2003 and played for coach Tom Bainter all three years. He said he hopes to bring to Hazen much of the Cougars’ “Blue Train” mentality, characterized by fervent fans and tough, physical football teams.

Kilpatrick-White inherits a team that went 4-2 in league last year and 5-4 overall. He has some returning talent to work with, led by star defensive back Marquise Lee, and all-league performers center Parker Trewett and quarterback Nolan Hoover.

Hoover will have the opportunity to showcase his passing-game abilities in a way he hasn’t been able to before with Kilpatrick-White’s up-tempo offense.

New Hazen coach David Kilpatrick-White

“When we’re on offense, we want to try and snap the ball, ideally, every 8 seconds or so,” he said. “We want to be as fast as Oregon or Auburn and teams like that.”

Receivers Eli Azcueta and Kyle Hanis will get a lot of work in the retooled offense, Kilpatrick-White said.

On the defensive side, Kilpatrick-White said he sees a strong secondary, led by Lee at safety, and Skyline High School transfer Dae’von Bovan at corner. In addition, offensive lineman Trewett will serve as a key anchor at linebacker.

“We’re going to bring pressure,” Kilpatrick-White said. “We’re going to dictate the terms of the game to you. We don’t ever want to let the other team feel comfortable.”

The community is a big part of the football program, Kilpatrick-White said, so he wants to put an emphasis on the fans.

“We’re going to make game day at Renton Memorial an event, something people don’t want to miss,” he said. “I don’t want to give any secrets away, but we’re going to do some things differently.”

The Highlanders’ 2014 season begins Sept. 4 versus Lake Washington.

David Kilpatrick-White will lead the Highlanders, after spending the past three years on the coaching staff at Bothell High School.

He replaces outgoing coach Drew Oliver, who announced at the end of February that he would leave to take the helm at his alma mater, Newport High School.

“Thanks to the hard work of coach Oliver and the dedicated staff at Hazen High School and the amazing kids, the Highlanders are on a solid foundation,” Kilpatrick-White said in a news release. “We are very excited to get to the work of becoming great under way.”

Kilpatrick-White inherits a team that went 4-2 in league last year and 5-4 overall. He has some returning talent to work with, led by star defensive back Marquise Lee, and all-league performers center Parker Trewett and quarterback Nolan Hoover.

Hazen’s new coach worked with the freshman wide receivers at Bothell, his alma mater. He graduated from the school in 2003 and played for longtime coach Tom Bainter all three years.

Before his time on the staff at Bothell, Kilpatrick-White spent two years at Ballard High School, where he was the varsity quarterback and defensive back coach.

After Oliver took over the program in 2009, Hazen returned to the state playoffs during the 2011 season for the first time since 1993. Ed Crow, Hazen assistant principal and athletic director, said Kilpatrick-White is eager to build on Oliver’s progress.

“Coach Kilpatrick-White is an excellent fit for Hazen,” he said in the news release. “His desire for his team to exhibit excellence both on the field and in the classroom is exactly what we are looking for in a head coach in all of our sports.

“He understands and embraces that his role is to be a teacher of both the game itself but more importantly be a teacher of each young man in the program. We believe he’ll be an innovator on the field and motivator of our student athletes.”