Quilcene at Port Townsend Nov. 30 opens basketball season

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Winter solstice is still three weeks away, but the high school winter sports season starts today, Wednesday, for some teams. Here is what’s in store for Quilcene, Chimacum and Port Townsend high school basketball and wrestling fans.

QUILCENE GIRLS

Briana Weller looks ahead to the upcoming season in her fifth year as Lady Rangers head coach:

“[I’m] proud to say that the team was busy this summer with tournaments and camps. We are young this year with only one senior (Allison Jones), but we are very optimistic about the season. Several other returners that we expect great things from this year are Sydney Brown (junior) and Abby Weller (freshman).” New to the team this year are Madison Coffey (freshman) and Gina Brown (eighth grade); both did well with during the program’s summer activities, the coach noted. Katie Love returns after sitting out her sophomore year.

“We are small in numbers (total of 11 on the roster and of the 11, only eight have played previously). We have three girls that turned out this year that are brand new to the sport, so we will need to be in great shape and stay healthy to be competitive in our league this season.”

Quilcene opens with a 6 p.m. non-league game, Wednesday, Nov. 30 at Port Townsend, followed by a home game at 5 p.m., Friday, Dec. 2 against Mary M. Knight, and a meeting against Crescent High at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 6 in Joyce.

QUILCENE BOYS

All but one player from last year’s team return for Rich French in his second year as head coach, and he picked up two additional athletes who didn’t turn out in 2015-16. “We need one more shooter and a little more consistent post play,” said French. “Our season’s going to depend on turnovers and rebounding. If we can cut our turnovers and increase our rebounding, we’ll be a pretty good team. If we can’t, we’ll only be marginally better than last year.” The Rangers return with leading scorer Juan Rogers, along with improving post player Jarod Smith, both seniors. The season starts with a home matchup against Mary M. Knight at 6:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 2, followed by a game against Crescent High in Joyce starting at 6:30 p.m., Dec. 6.

PORT TOWNSEND GIRLS

Scott Wilson returns to the helm for a second year and welcomes new assistant coach Cameron Botkin, who has been the PTHS volleyball coach. Botkin, a point guard at the high school and college levels, coached the varsity girls in Forks to two state tournament appearances prior to moving to Jefferson County.

The Redhawks girls have only 16 players to cover the varsity and JV rosters, and are without three expected returnees. Junior guard Kaitlyn Meek returns after being a unanimous All-Olympic First Team pick last year, along with senior post Jenna Carson and sharp-shooting sophomore Jaz Apker-Montoya. “Most of our girls put in many extra hours over the summer into basketball camps or clinics,” said Wilson. “Our Olympic League has only four teams, all pretty evenly matched this year. We are looking forward to a great season and hope the community comes out to support Redhawk girls basketball.”

Townsend starts the season with a series of home games, facing 1B Quilcene at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 30; 2A North Mason at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 2; and league foe Klahowya at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 7.

PORT TOWNSEND BOYS

Coach Tom Webster returns for a seventh season to lead the Redhawks, a preseason pick as league title favorites. The boys had a jamboree on Monday at Port Angeles, and have open game action at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 2 at 2A North Mason. League action starts at 7 p.m., Dec. 7 at Klahowya, with the home opener against Blaine at 7 p.m., Dec. 9.

CHIMACUM GIRLS

Seniors Mechelle Nisbet, Shanya Nisbet and Alice Yaley are all healthy and look to lead the Cowboys in the fifth season for coach Trevor Huntingford. M. Nisbet was all-league twice, but was slowed by a bad injury last season that limited playing time and production. Yaley, a 6-footer out last year with a broken foot, should contribute in all areas, along with consistent scorer and rebounder S. Nisbet. Add sophomores Grace Yaley, Maddie Dowling and Jada Trafton to the mix and the Cowboys are optimistic heading into the season. “We feel good about our roster,” said Huntingford, “although we will be missing some girls to start the year for various reasons, and it may take a little bit to get in rhythm. But we feel like we will match up well in league, and if we put our minds to it and truly work at our goals, we should be able to achieve good things this year.”

Chimacum opens at 2A Sequim at 5:15 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 30; hosts Forks at 5:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 2; and hosts 2A North Mason at 7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 5. League action starts at 5 p.m., Dec. 7 at Coupeville, the first of five consecutive road games.

CHIMACUM BOYS

Justin Bento is the new Chimacum varsity boys’ head coach, with Jeff Williams as assistant. Bento, a teacher at Chimacum Creek Primary School, is in his first high school coaching gig after being a basketball coach for six years at other levels.

The program has 22 players, including four varsity seniors and six total returnees from last season’s league championship team.

“My style is to emphasize fundamentals and to stress the importance of team play,” Bento said. “We work to instill the desire to play tough defense and build trust between teammates.”

Offensively, he expects to take advantage of fast break opportunities. Sophomore guards Issac Purser and Peyton Hundley “have shown incredible quickness and vision when running our offense,” Bento noted.

Senior co-captains Lane Dotson and Aidan Hartnett “have embraced their leadership roles and set the tone for our team,” while junior Devyn Winkley “has been working to improve this off-season, and his efforts and intensity have been evident in our first weeks of practice.”

The boys played a jamboree on Monday at Port Angeles, and start game action at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 30 at Sequim, followed by a home tilt at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 2 against Forks, and a 7 p.m. game on Monday, Dec. 5 at 2A North Mason. League action begins at home at 6 p.m., Dec. 7 against Coupeville.

WRESTLING

Fifth-year head coach Steve Grimm leads the Port Townsend Redhawk grapplers. The boys competed at the Port Angeles Wrestle-rama on Nov. 29. The girls open at the Emerald Ridge Tournament on Dec. 3, and both squads face 2A Olympic at home on Tuesday, Dec. 6.

The program has a turnout of about 28, one of the best in years. Charity Jesionowski, PTHS Class of 2015 and former grappler, is a new assistant coach. “She will be the first female high school wrestling coach for the Olympic League and possibly the entire state of Washington,” said Scott Wilson, PTHS assistant principal and athletic director. “Once again, PT plays a role in unique history.”

Wilson noted that the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has ruled that the traditional one-piece singlet uniform is no longer required. “All teams have an alternate MMA-style, two-piece uniform that looks a bit more flattering than the traditional,” Wilson said. “I suspect this may help drive up the number of student athletes, since so many have said in the past that there was ‘no way’ they would wear a singlet.”

(Leader staff writer Patrick J. Sullivan contributed to this story.)