By Oly Archibald
PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles and Sequim high school cross country teams had a chance to warm up at the Olympic League Jamboree in Silverdale.
Three Roughriders and two Wolves placed in the top 11 of the two-mile run.
For the girls, Roughrider senior Leia Larson finished 3rd with a time of 12:44.96. Sequim freshman Emily Bair, already drawing plenty of attention as a promising newcomer, placed 11th in 14:11.77.
Roughrider senior Leia Larson finished 3rd at the Olympic League Jamboree.
On the boys’ side, Port Angeles senior Easton Dempsey was 6th in 10:59.26, with senior teammate Andre Campbell close behind in 8th at 11:08.79. Sequim junior Reid Randall rounded out the top performances with a 10th-place finish in 11:15.58.
Roughrider senior Easton Dempsey placed 6th at the Olympic League Jamboree.
Roughrider coach Angie Gooding said she was proud of her team’s performance, noting a strong freshman class and a promising outlook for the season.
Meanwhile, Roughrider senior Pyper Alton continues to balance soccer and racing. While suiting up for the Port Angeles soccer team, she’s also keeping her foot on the pedal in her No. 43 Legends race car. At Wenatchee Speedway, she qualified 4th in a 15-car field and finished 10th in the main event. At Stateline Speedway in Post Falls, Idaho, over three days of racing, she qualified 7th, 9th, and 14th out of 26 cars, and finished 9th and 15th in main events. If her team can repair their engine in time, Alton will race September 13 at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, and September 19–20 at Wenatchee Valley’s Oval Speedway.
The Port Angeles Roughrider football team holds its walk-through practice today at Civic Field, preparing for Friday’s home opener against Whatcom County power Mount Baker.
The Mountaineers are led by longtime head coach Ron Lepper, entering his 30th season with a career record of 208-101. Mount Baker went 5-5 last season in the tough “Black and Blue” Whatcom Division against Lynden Christian, Meridian, and Nooksack Valley. They beat Port Angeles 49-22 in last year’s opener, jumping out to a 49-0 lead before the running clock took over.
This fall, Mount Baker lost 14 seniors, including their entire starting backfield, but return four starters on a talented offensive line anchored by all-league senior Noah Ilichev (5’11”, 215 lbs). The Mountaineers also feature one of the state’s top tight ends in 6’6″, 235-pound senior Kell Reardon.
The Roughriders’ defense will have to account for Mount Baker’s 6’6″, 235-pound tight end Kell Reardon.
In the Wing-T offense, the new backfield is led by senior sprinter Brice Cooper (5’11”, 180 lbs), who averaged nine yards per carry as a backup last season. Fullback Kaiden Moa (5’8″, 170 lbs) returns after averaging seven yards per carry last year. At quarterback, senior Toga Tigilau (5’11”, 190 lbs) is healthy again after missing most of last season. He started as a sophomore in 2023, throwing for 856 yards and five touchdowns. Wideout Jet Ross (6’2″, 200 lbs) headlines a speedy receiving corps.
The Mount Baker offensive line is strong, anchored by all-Whatcom County selection Noah Ilichev
You can hear the Port Angeles–Mount Baker matchup tomorrow night on KONP Newsradio, with pregame at 5:05 p.m.
Elsewhere today in prep sports, the Sequim Wolves girls’ soccer team opens its season at Squalicum with a 5 p.m. kickoff.