By Oly Archibald
PORT ANGELES — Both Peninsula Pirate basketball teams are still signing recruits, with Women’s Head Coach Allison Crumb securing another highly decorated, high-scoring point guard from Hawaii.
5’1″ point guard Veniza Jackson, from Lanai City on Maui, was named the Maui News Player of the Year after leading Lanai to two consecutive state championships. Jackson was also voted the MIL Division 2 Player of the Year. She averaged 17 points per game in her senior year. After winning the state tournament in March, Jackson initially announced she would attend Whatcom Community College in Bellingham but later changed her decision to Peninsula.
Veniza Jackson the 2024 Maui Player of the year averaged 17 ppg will play for the Pirates
The Pirate men have received a commitment from La’ron Roberts, a 5’10” guard from Anchorage, Alaska. Last year, Roberts helped lead East Anchorage to the Alaska 4A state championship with a 28-1 record.
The Port Angeles Roughrider football team, facing a major rebuild after last year’s state playoff run, will take on Mount Baker Friday night in Deming.
Mount Baker, a Class 1A school, is a member of the tough Whatcom County League, which consists of 1A and 2A schools. Mount Baker went 3-7 last year after losing the Class 1A state championship game to Royal in the 2022 season.
Roughrider Head Coach Dustin Clark announced that Jude Wallace, a 5’9″, 165 lb junior, will start at quarterback Friday night, replacing graduated three-sport star Parker Nickerson, who will suit up for the Skagit Valley Community College basketball team this winter.
Nickerson will be in the press box Friday night, handling color commentary duties for the KONP Newsradio broadcast of the Port Angeles-Mount Baker game.
Former Roughrider QB Parker Nickerson (Right) will join Oly Archibald in the press box for the Roughriders opener at Mount Baker Friday night