The Orcas Vikings headed over to Lopez on Oct. 17 for a special day of island camaraderie.
Orcas and Lopez football players took the field to play against Bellingham during Lopez High School’s Homecoming celebration. The Vikings lost 20-13, but the players, parents and community supporters felt it was a win for all. See below for full coverage of that game.
“The activities today both challenged and broadened our athletes’ definition and concept of the terms team, pride and unity,” said Orcas Booster Club volunteer Justin Paulsen.
For the Vikings’ schedule of homecoming events next week, go here.
Vikings sports update
by MARTY ZIER
Sports contributor
The Lady Vikings volleyball team lost Oct. 12 to Friday Harbor, 3-0.
On Oct. 17, the Vikings lost 3-2 to the Lobos from Lopez in a close but non-league match.
“Two players stepped on the court in different positions, Lilly Miller as setter and Parker Landsman as middle hitter,” said Coach Rebekah Hardee.
Stats from the Lopez game: Bethany Hansen – 6 aces, 2 digs, 1 assist, 5 kills, Lily Ater – 2 digs, 3 kills, Katy Minnis – 1 ace, 12 digs, 3 kills, Emily Nichols – 1 ace, 2 digs, 1 kill, Parker Landsman – 1 assist, 4 kills, 1 block, Jessie Nichols – 7 aces, 5 digs, 9 assists, 3 kills, Lilly Miller – 2 aces, 2 digs, 6 assists, 1 block.
On Oct. 15, the boys Viking soccer team traveled to Shoreline Christian and won 7-2.
“This was the first time for many of the boys playing on an artificial surface but our style of play was brought to a new level,” said Coach Matt Stolmeier. “The pace and bounce of the field took a bit to adjust to but after a while it just made our possession oriented offense flow with ease across the field.
On Oct. 17, the Vikings had a rematch with Grace Academy winning 6-1.
Stolmeier said, “The first half proved difficult to score despite having a majority of possession and getting many shots on goal.
The Lady Vikings soccer team lost 2-0 against Friday Harbor on Oct. 12. Down a couple players, Coach Chris Doherty was still impressed with his team.
“The Friday Harbor defeat was a fine performance from our defense,” he said. “To hold a very large roster of 27 players to our 11 was a great experience for our team. They showed some true grit and stamina throughout.”
The Vikings lost a close game to Concrete 2-0 on Oct. 15.
“The game was 0-0 at half and we played the best soccer I have seen from this team,” Doherty said. “We had plenty of shots on goal but couldn’t quite finish. In the second half, Concrete became a lot more aggressive and combined with the vocal home crowd, our team felt the pressure and I believe it affected our passing.
On Oct. 17, the Vikings football team lost 20-17 to Bellingham, but it was a great opportunity for the hybrid Lopez/Orcas team to play on their other home field on Lopez Island.
“They have great fans and community,” said Coach Justin Frausto. “Playing a much larger 2A school is always going to be tough. We started with a 50-yard touchdown pass from Miles Harlow to Jordan Randolph, giving us a 6 to 0 lead. In the 2nd quarter we drove down to the 1-yard line behind the running of Vinny Kramer who ended the day with 13 carriers and 170 yards rushing. We capped that drive with a 1 yard touchdown pass from Harlow to Pasha Bullock. We were up 13 to 7 at half.”
Bellingham started the second half with a 72 touchdown catch which tied the game at 13. Bellingham scored late in the 4th quarter, winning 20 to 13.
