MARYSVILLE — In 2010, success was a theme for Marysville athletics.
But while winning can help the significance of a season, it certainly isn’t a prerequisite for making it compelling.
Not to be mistaken with the winningest seasons of the year, this top-10 list has not been created to rank the level of success a particular team had, but merely to discuss the significance one team or season had on the community’s history. Some deal with great stories of perseverance, and some potentially start traditions, such as our top story:
No. 1 Marysville-Pilchuck football
The Tommies outdid themselves, moving one spot up the list from last year by displaying an attribute that all winning programs have: perseverance.
With a 3-3 record entering Week 7, coach Brandon Carson’s boys looked out of the playoff race, but found a way to limit the turnovers that had been killing them all season and defeated Lake Stevens, Monroe and Edmonds-Woodway to clinch a playoff spot.
After a remarkable 2009 season where the Tommies captured their second straight Wesco North title, there were a number of questions entering 2010, most notably, what the rushing attack was going to look like.
But behind an ensemble cast of runners including Tyler Thompson, Andre Pina, Cody House and others, the Tommies put together a potent attack that culminated in a second-place finish.
M-P went on to beat Bethel in a state seeding game before losing to Issaquah in the first round of the Class 4A state bracket, but not before matching their success of a season ago when they won their first playoff game in 20 years.
One or two years of success in every four or five is average for high school football, but 2010 can be the year that cemented Marysville-Pilchuck as a football school.
Carson said that he hoped the 2009 team started a postseason tradition — and now the 2010 team kept the momentum going.
No. 2 Lakewood girls soccer
The Lady Cougars committed a lot of “firsts” on the pitch in 2010, with the most important being a Cascade Conference championship. Manager Jeremiah Wohlgemuth guided Lakewood to a 15-0-1 record in the regular season to take the league title.
Overall, the Cougars finished undefeated (14-0) in conference play, but their season ended with a 1-0 loss to Klahowya in the first round of the state bracket.
What might have been the most interesting story of the season for the Cougars, was rebuilding a rapport that was broken at the end of the 2009 season with the suspension of eight players just after the regular season ended. Forgiving and forgetting was an achievement in itself, but turning that into a motivation to be the best Lakewood girls soccer team in program history was inspiring.
The Cougars needed that kind of teamwork with their defense-first playing style that stiffled nearly every opponent. In 19 games in 2010, the Cougars allowed just 11 goals.
Along the way, the Cougars got their first win against powerhouse Archbishop Murphy, going 2-0 against the defending state champs in the regular season.
No. 3 M-P girls hoops
Before the 2010 season started, the Lady Tomahawks were picked in a coaches’ poll to finish near the bottom of the Wesco North. Fast-foward three months later and M-P was playing for the league and district titles.
Led by a group of juniors, the Tommies went 17-8 overall and tied for the best record in the North before earning their first trip to state since 1997.
M-P showed its inexperience at state, losing to Garfield and Moses Lake in the first two rounds, but that season put Tomahawk basketball back on the map and nobody expects coach Julie Martin’s girls to be bottom feeders this year.
No. 4 Knowles retires/M-P boys 10th
Scott Knowles ended his final season as Marysville-Pilchuck’s boys swim coach in a common way: with a top-10 finish. The 30-year coach finished in the top 10 schools of the state nine times in his career with the Tommies.
M-P had a solid final day of competition, as Oliver Durand posted personal-best times in the 500 free (finishing fifth) and a 50-free split in the 200 relay (fourth). He also finished fifth in the 200-free while Spencer Girard broke the school record in the breaststroke, finishing third.
No. 5 M-P girls swim finishes 11th
Nicknaming the 2010 season as “the golden year,” the Lady Tomahawks set out to do some things that haven’t been accomplished. By the end of the season, they were able to check two of their three goals off in winning the Western Conference and District 1 titles — both were firsts in school history — while falling just short of the third: finishing in the top 10 at state.
But 11th is quite good, and M-P needed to swim well to do so after a not-so-great first day of competition. Jewel LeValley placed sixth in the 500 free and seventh in the 200 free while teammate Hannah Taylor finished third in the 200 IM.
No. 6 Millar queen of swing
It’s difficult for anyone to say they are the best at something, but 8-year-old Marysville softball player Kassidy Millar can say she is the best Pitch, Hit and Run player in the country for her age.
Millar won a regional and national competition, organized by Major League Baseball, in front of crowds at Safeco Field and later Anaheim’s Angel Stadium as part of MLB’s FanFest during All-Star Weekend. Millar got to meet New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and USA Olympic softball team pitcher Jenny Finch.
After winning the competition, she was invited to throw out the first pitch as the Seattle Mariners took on the Boston Red Sox, July 22.
No. 7 Powder Puff
The most memorable stories of the year often unfold on the gridiron, but they don’t often involve a charity game. The mothers of Lakewood and Arlington squared off for a powder-puff game to raise money for their respective youth football leagues.
The game was a tremendous success as the fans saw an exciting game and the moms raised nearly $5,000. Wanting to give the fans a good show, both teams practiced for a number of weeks leading up to the game.
With husbands leading cheers on the sidelines and hardly a seat left in the bleachers at Haller Middle School, Lakewood shut out Arlington, 16-0, using a stout defense. Dana Krueger earned MVP honors with her play on both sides of the ball and a few tremendous catches.
Another matchup is expected in the summer of 2011.
No. 8 M-P soccer
The Tommies battled injuries all season to an 11-4-1 record in conference, earning second place behind Lake Stevens. Returning a number of key pieces from the nationally ranked team that placed fourth in state in 2009, there were high expectations. The Tommies struggled early, but midway through the season, learned to trust the new contributors and took off.
Ultimately the Tommies ran into a talented Stadium team that lost once all season.
Nevertheless, Marysville-Pilchuck had highs and lows, but were led by Wesco North MVP Brady Ballew, who scored five goals against Oak Harbor.
No. 9 A year worth waiting for
The Cougars picked up the pieces of a 3-7 finish in 2009 and used them as motivation to create havoc on the Cascade Conference.
Led by quarterback Justin Lane, Dan Teeter’s boys looked like a completely different team in 2010 en route to a 7-3 record. The Cougars went toe-to-toe with eventual Class 2A state runner-up Archbishop Murphy and King’s, losing by a combined 10 points.
Lakewood finished one game away from the state bracket, and will be looking to better that with a large returning class in 2011.
No. 10 Following Getchell
The Marysville Getchell Chargers have been represented all season at the ‘C’ team level, but judging by their fan base, they are ready for varsity sports.
The Globe has covered as many angles of Marysville’s newest school as possible, and the excitement around the Chargers has been palpable.
The ‘C’ team concept has worked in terms of developing support around the athletic programs before they play a varsity game or match, as supporters show up wearing green and gold.
