Football

Coach: Charlie Bell (fifth year)

Last season: 3-7 overall

Key returners: Alec Mavar, sr., wide receiver/defensive back; Wyatt Hendricks, sr., wide receiver/linebacker; Chris Stoneham, sr., quarterback/defensive back; Cody Addison, sr., quarterback/linebacker; Caranza Farrell, sr., running back/defensive back; Jonathan Pfeffer, sr., offensive lineman/defensive lineman; Daniel Detschman, sr., offensive lineman/defensive lineman; Dylan Ray, sr., offensive lineman/defensive lineman; Wyatt Zollman, sr., wide receiver/linebacker.

Key newcomers: Landon Macy, jr., linebacker; Andrew Bolton, so., running back; Matt Cole, jr., placekicker.

Outlook: The Seahawks will try to rebound from a difficult season behind a committed group of seniors.

“We have excellent leadership,” said Bell. “It’s a very hard-working group. Quickness will be one of our strengths, and we’ll be physical.”

The team is short on varsity playing experience — only Mavar, Hendricks and Stoneham started in 2007 — but many of the other 2008 seniors were on the varsity last year stuck behind older players.

The Seahawks may have as many as eight two-way starters, putting them at risk of a couple injuries derailing their season.

They will introduce a new offense this season, going with the shotgun, no-huddle style developed by Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin.

The team has done away with its tight end and a running back, adding two receivers in their place.

That should take advantage of one of the team’s main attributes.

“We’ve got a good group of receivers,” said Bell. “We definitely will be quick.”

Should all go well for Anacortes, it could redeem itself for last season’s disappointing finish.

After going to the state Class 2A quarterfinals in 2006, last year’s veteran team missed the playoffs.


Volleyball

Coach: Ashley Abrams (first year)

Last season: 3-10 conference

Key returners: Hannah Holtgeerts, sr., middle hitter; Megan Dunton, sr., setter; Connie Grimnes, sr., outside hitter; Tyler Calles, jr., outside/middle hitter; Meghan Murray, sr., outside hitter; Monica Archer, sr., setter/middle hitter; Amy Cole, sr., outside hitter; Jessica Straight, so., middle hitter.

Key newcomer: Kate Murray, so., outside hitter.

Outlook: The Seahawks have benefited from a new club team in town, which has meant volleyball year-round for many of the players.

The Island Fire has allowed many of the Seahawks to show up on the first day of turnouts in good volleyball shape.

“There is a lot of talent,” said first-year coach Abrams. “I’m excited to work with these girls.”

The Seahawks will have good height — Holtgeerts is 6-2, Straight 6-0 and Archer 5-11 — and an experienced setter in Dunton.

Abrams said her team appears fairly well-balanced.

“We should be a good offensive and a good defensive team,” she said. “We’ve got experience, leadership and I think we’ll have good chemistry.”

Because Abrams has just started her first season as head coach, she is not ready to set goals for her team.

“Not yet,” she said. “We’re just working on fundamentals.”


Girls Soccer

Coach: Ken Welk (third year)

Last year: 3-10 conference, 3-13 overall

Key returners: Sam Olsen, sr., defender; Emily Fakkema, sr., midfielder; Sarah Koss, sr., midfielder; Brianna Hobbs, sr., defender; Mila Zotova, sr., midfielder; Jorgina Moore, sr., defender; Jessie Olsen, jr., midfielder; Sommer McWhirter, jr., midfielder; Maren Hanson, jr., midfielder; Keidy Guillen, jr., defender; Madison Bundy, so., forward.

Key newcomer: Jasper Sortun, fr., midfielder.

Outlook: The Seahawks need to find a way to score goals.

They didn’t have a real threat last season and it kept them in the bottom half of the conference standings.

“We’re trying to develop a better offensive attack,” said Welk. “Scoring goals has been a definite issue.”

Sortun has offensive skills, but is untested. Jessie Olsen and Koss can also factor into the scoring.

It’s not as if the Seahawks need a lot of goals. With the way they played defense last season, one or two goals a game would go a long way to helping the team build on the three wins it’s had in each of Welk’s first two seasons as coach.

“Defensively, we showed some improvement last year,” he said. “We played tighter games. We’d go through a half with no score, then give up a goal or two and lose.

“We need to get to where our defense isn’t planting its back against the wall all the time.”

Athletically, this group of soccer players is on par with those on Welk’s state championship-caliber girls’ basketball teams.

Though it’s not a physically big team, the players have good strength. And they have some speed.

“The last two years, I felt we had a pretty fast team, but I never felt our skill level caught up with our speed,” said Welk. “That’s one thing that’s improved, our skill level.”

Welk is looking to his seniors to lead this group.

They were sophomores when he took over the program, and now they understand what he wants them to do.

“We’ve kind of been working together to get this thing turned around,” he said.


Boys Tennis

Coach: Jeff Thomas (fourth year)

Key Returners: Zach Purcer, sr., singles; Mackenzie Larkin, sr., singles; Dillon Bundy, sr., doubles; Corey Geffe, jr., singles; Peter Schlegel, sr., singles/doubles.

Key newcomers: None

Outlook: Larkin benefited from playing singles during the 2007 season.

The one-time doubles player is more skilled with last season’s experience under his belt.

“His game has improved,” said Thomas. “That happens when you play singles. You get in so many more strokes and so many more serves.”

Larkin and Purcer, a state tournament alternate last season, will be at the top of the Seahawks’ singles lineup.

The most experienced doubles player returning is Bundy, who played at the No. 2 spot last year.

Bundy is in search of a partner. He is looking for someone whose skills and personality suit him.

“It’s a combination (of the two),” said Thomas. “It’s nice to have your skills complement each other. But you’ve got to be able to get along and you’ve got to be able to talk to each other.”

With Larkin and Purcer returning, the biggest challenge the Seahawks face is getting some doubles teams together.

“We’ve got to put some teams together,” said Thomas. “We’ve got to get them working together.”

Thomas has some young players to choose from, but also some older players who are trying tennis for the first time.

“It’s fun to watch them improve,” Thomas said of the six first-time players who have turned out.

“They come in not knowing how to do much at all, then within a day they’re hitting serves and groundstrokes.”


Girls Swimming

Coach: Leslie Mix

Key returners: Rosie Jenssen, sr., butterfly; M’Lis Wyll, sr., freestyle; Lindsey Thomas, sr., diving/backstroke; Hayley Rieger, sr., sprints/freestyle; Emily Akland, jr., freestyle/breastroke; Emma Ochs, jr., breaststroke/diving; Hillary McManus, jr., diving/backstroke; Kim Herringstad, sr., diving; Keert Bagri, sr., multiple strokes; Laura Andrich, jr., diving/freestyle; Elizabeth Wiley, jr., backstroke/breaststroke; Kelli Herringstad, so., freestyle/breaststroke; Hannah Brennan, so., freestyle/backstroke; Maddy Sykes, so., freestyle; Stephanie Nelson, so., butterfly/freestyle; Mallorie Estenson, so., diving; Micah Martin, jr., freestyle/backstroke; Isabel Sible, so., mutliple events.

Key newcomers: Sara Brennan, sr., breaststroke; Kylee Bowker, so., multiple strokes; Katie Kaestner, fr., multiple strokes; Megan Osborne, fr., freestyle; Amber Pasckowski, fr., multiple strokes; Elisabeth Raff, jr., multiple strokes; Jenna Whitney, fr., multiple strokes; Jeannie Wiley, fr., freestyle/backstroke; Anne Stoner, fr., freestyle/backstroke; Julia Lapworth, so., multiple strokes.

Outlook: The Seahawks will rely on captains Jenssen and Rieger to help them remain a competitive program.

“They’ve experienced the state meet and they know what it takes to get there,” said Mix.

The two seniors complement each other well.

While Jenssen is a year-round swimmer, Rieger is involved in sports that are traditionally more team oriented.

“The team sports aspect is nice to have in swimming and diving,” said Mix. “In team sports, it’s all about the team. It’s not about the individual person.”

Jenssen made the state Class 2A finals in two relays, the 100 butterfly and the 200 individual medley last season, while Rieger swam in the finals on two relays.

Estenson is the other Anacortes swimmer to place in an individual event at last year’s state meet, taking fifth in diving.

Swimming again this year for Anacortes is La Conner’s Sible. She was fourth in last year’s state 2A 100 breaststroke.


Cross Country

Coaches: Chris Crane, third year; Case deVries, second year

Key returners: Boys — Daniel Brown, sr.; Kevin Birch, sr.; Braxton Cox, jr.; Corey Rosson, jr.,; Lucas Papadakis, so.; Jason Hogge, so.; Girls — Caroline Crawford, so.

Key newcomers: Boys — James No, sr.; Gunner Gillman, so.,; Tyler Thompson, fr.; Taylor Beck, fr.; Girls — Caroline Masters, fr.; Maegan Barrett, fr.; Alexis Chandler, fr.; Terrah Romano, fr.

Outlook: The Seahawks should have a pretty good boys’team.

So good that deVries thinks they’ve got a shot at making it to the state meet.

“We’re very optimistic,” he said. “We think we have a good team.”

Birch, Rosson and No figure to be the top three runners, while there are four others who have run varsity looking to fill the rest of the lineup.

Oh, and don’t forget the newcomers.

“The young guys are just raw,” said deVries. “You don’t know what they’re going to do.”

Last season, the Seahawks won their first boys meet in three years. They should get more wins this year.

No ran in one varsity race last year after making a late switch from football to cross country.

He parlayed that into a solid track and field season — he went to the state meet as part of a relay — and now is looking sharp for his senior season.

“He’s talented and he’s tough as nails,” said deVries. “He’s our fastest kid right now. He’s a competitor. No one works harder than James.”

The girls team is young, but the numbers are building.

At this point last year, the team had two runners. Now it has five.