The Sixth year of the millennium was marked by highs and lows for the sports teams of Marysville-Pilchuck High School and Lakewood High School.
After back to back 2-8 seasons, M-PHS head football coach Rudy Grandbois relinquished his duties; Dan Teeter advanced to the role of head football coach at Lakewood High School after being an assistant at a couple of area schools; Snohomish County was chosen to host the National Softball Association World Series for the second time in three years; LHS and the Lakewood community began the 2006-07 school year shortly after summertime traffic accidents that took the lives of Karlie Kaska and Scott Skiles, both were soon to enter their senior year; the semi-professional International Basketball League announced the newest team to join their leagueSnohomish Countys Everett Explosion, led by M-PHS graduate Nathan Mumm; LHS senior Kelvin Mansfield was awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Snohomish County Football officials Hall of Fame.
The Cougars boys basketball team started off the year with wins over Chimacum and Mount Vernon Christian to claim the championship in the 9th annual Christmas Tournament at home. Senior Anthony Wiederkehr scored 35 points in the two victories, and Bryan Connor poured in 26 to pace the Cougs.
One week later, the Cougars defeated Cascade Conference foes Archbishop Murphy and Granite Falls to improve to 4-0.
Drew Scott paced the victors with 18 points against Archbishop Murphy in their 66-46 win and Wiederkehr pitched in 15 in a 55-42 triumph against Granite Falls.
On Jan. 19, the M-PHS gymnasium was named in honor of the late Jim Linden, an original member of Pilchuck High School.
Linden died of a heart attack on the M-PHS campus in 1993 and former colleague Dave Carpentier spearheaded the drive to rename the facility in Lindens honor.
Marysville resident and Seattle firefighter Michael Camlin was featured after turning in a gold medal performance at the 2005 GPC World Powerlifting Championships in Dessau, Germany.
Camlins winning performance included a combined weight of 947.5 kilograms (2,090 lbs.) 365 kg. Squat (805 lbs.), 237.5 kg. Bench press (525 lbs.) and 345 kg. Deadlift (760 lbs.).
The M-PHS wrestling team placed fifth out of 18 teams at their host M-P Premier Tournament Saturday, Jan. 14.
M-PHS seniors Kenny Kubec (130-lb.), Tony Cadiz (171-lb.) and freshman George King (125-lb.) won their respective weight divisions.
The second month of the year brought the end of the 2005-06 wrestling season and three LHS represented the school at the 18th annual Mat Classic at the Tacoma Dome.
Junior Steve Edmonds (125-lb.) joined seniors Bryson Renouard (145-lb.) and Nic Caldwell (152-lb.) at the nations largest indoor wrestling competition.
All three guys are great individuals and are going to do great things in life, head coach Tom OHara said. I am confident they will take this experience with them, and use it to their advantage.
M-P qualified freshman George King at 119-lb. and 130-lber Kenny Kubec for the two-day event in Tacoma.
King fell one-point short of qualifying for All-state qualification with an 8-7 loss to Phillip Cowin of Southridge.
Kubec picked up two victories before facing the daunting task of battling his cousin Kelly Kubec of Lake Stevens. The two Kubecs went all three rounds before Kelly prevailed 4-3 to end Kennys high school wrestling career.
One M-P relay team, one individual and one diver represented the Tommies at the state swim/dive meet at the King County Aquatics Center in Federal Way.
The all-senior relay team of Kevin Knodel, Ben Tweed, Chance Keyes and Josh Banal placed 13th in the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 1:45.03. Freshman Trevor LeValley placed 16th in the 200-yard individual medley in a time of 2:05.49. Sophomore Taylor Gibson came in 13th out of 24 divers in his first state appearance at the state level.
The Lady Tomahawk basketball team suffered a similar fate as their male counterparts as they lost a 57-54 4A District tourney game to Jackson at the Jim Linden Fieldhouse.
M-P finished with a 15-9 record overall and were led by the 28-point effort of senior Amanda Dunbar. Classmate Sarah Gribler chipped in 15 points in the tough defeat.
Dunbar was honored as a member of the Wesco North first team and was joined by Gribler on the second team and junior Laura Degerness was an honorable mention.
In spring sports action, the LHS baseball team completed a three-game sweep of the Cedarcrest Red Wolves over the spring break to even their league record to 3-3.
The Lakewood soccer team used a goal from freshman Evander Ochoa to defeat Cedarcrest and improve to 1-1 on the young season.
In track and field action, the Cougars were represented quite well at the M-PHS Tomahawk Classic Saturday, April 29.
The boys finished sixth out of 12 teams and the Lady Cougars came in seventh out of 12.
I think the kids performed very well, veteran coach Jeff Sowards said. The meet (M-P classic) was set up so that the back-to-back days would simulate the state experience. I think the kids did a good job preparing themselves.
The M-P boys soccer team improved their overall record to 3-2-0 with a 6-0 thumping of the winless Arlington Eagles Saturday, March 25.
Senior Tyson Farley scored a goal and had two assists in the victory.
After winning seven games in a row to advance to the 4A district tourney, the M-P baseball team faced the fifth-ranked team in the nation in Jackson High School.
The Tommies were shutout and no-hit by future Division 1 hurler Cam Nobles 3-0.
Less than a week later the Tomahawks saw their season end at the hands of league foe Cascade with a 7-5 loss in which starting pitcher Ricky Holm collided with infielder Brandon Williams and was removed from the field in an ambulance.
The M-P soccer team returned to post season action after a seven-year hiatus and after wins over Edmonds-Woodway and Meadowdale came within one victory of the 4A state tournament. Unfortunately the Tommies tank ran dry at Monroe High School in a 2-0 loss to league foe Lake Stevens.
You may be disappointed with the loss, but please dont be disappointed with the season, M-P head coach Kyle Suits told his team after the loss to L.S.
The LHS boys soccer team seemingly coasted through the regular season before falling to the Orting Cardinals 2-1 Tuesday, May 16 in a 2A state tournament shootout.
Lakewood finished their season with a 15-5 record.
Veteran coach Vaughn Vandelac said afterward it simply wasnt his teams day overall.
We werent aggressive at all, he said. They beat us to every ball.
At Eastern Washington University, the Lakewood track and field team was led by two-time state champion Tyler Rapp.
Rapp was victorious in both the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs at the 2A State Championships. Rapps triumphs capped a triple crown as he also won the 2A cross-country title in the fall. Lady Cougar Michelle Howe finished third in the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 15.68 seconds.
The 4×400-meter M-P relay team of Megan Crenshaw, Nicolette Runyan, Haley Nemra and Chelsea Bradley shattered a school record en route to a third-place effort at the 4A state championships at Edgar Brown Stadium in Pasco.
M-PHS graduate Nathan Mumm became the general manager and vice-president of the Everett Explosion, the newest team in the International Basketball League.
It is exactly like the NBA, but on a smaller scale, Mumm said. The general manager said his main incentive in bringing a professional team to his native area was attributed to his 11 years of coaching.
In Lakewood, it was out with the old and in with the new for the LHS football team.
Dan Teeter became the new head coach after many years as a volunteer at Sedro-Woolley High School.
The Lakewood community was saddened by the passing of LHS senior-to-be Scott Skiles Aug. 29, who died in a car accident on Fire Trail Road.
Skiles was a runner-up to teammate Rapp at the 2A cross country championships and expected to make a run in both the cross country and track and field seasons.
At the schools annual Hole in the Wall invitational Saturday, Oct. 7, the LHS boys cross country team placed sixth out of 17 teams while their female counterparts came in fourth-place out of 16 teams.
The Lady Tomahawks won the 4A varsity meet and were led by freshman Kaylie Kimmells second-place overall finish.
After getting off to a sluggish start, the Cougars football team fought the Coupeville Red Wolves to a 34-22 Homecoming victory Friday, Oct. 20.
The first half was a little rough with three fumbles on offense, but we just never quit, junior Ernest Mitchell said afterward.
Our coaches always tell us to never quit and thats what we did. I think I did pretty good individually. This is just a great feeling.
The Lady Cougars soccer team made school history Thursday, Oct. 26 with a 3-0 blanking of the visiting Lynden Lions to record the first 2A playoff victory in school history. Unfortunately for LHS, they were on the short end of a 5-0 shutout loss to Bellingham and had their historical season end with a 7-11 overall record.
After a five-year run and 18-31 record, M-P head football coach Rudy Grandbois hung up his whistle.
One of the only bright spots of the gridiron season was a 28-21 Wesco North victory over the Arlington Eagles Friday, Oct. 27. Senior running back Aaron Posey set a school record with 34 carries for 334 yards in the victory.
The Lady Tomahawks swim and dive team only sent three members of their squad to the 4A state championships, but they all placed in the top-10 among their peers.
Sophomore Kami Girard placed seventh in the 100-yard backstroke and divers Sarah Clark (freshman, ninth-place) and Trang Vu (junior, eight-place) represented M-P at the King County Aquatics Center in Federal Way Nov. 9-11.
The M-P volleyball team went two and out at the 4A state volleyball tournament in Kennewick after losses to Lewis and Clark and Shadle Park High Schools Nov. 10-11 at the Toyota Center.
This was a great group of girls, junior varsity coach Nathan McClellan said. We are really going to miss our six seniors, but we have seven returning players for next year.
Marysville Middle School teacher and athletic director Corby Schuh saw a dream come true when he signed with the Everett Explosion.
It is a good opportunity to just play basketball, Schuh said. It will be more fun to play than in a recreational league. It is just fun to be involved in a team again.

M-P Tomahawks basketball
Despite a 14-7 overall record, the M-P boys basketball team saw their 2006 season end in a painful 71-65 overtime loss to Shorewood at Jackson High School. The loss came 72 hours after the Tommies dropped a 72-67 double overtime game to Edmonds-Woodway at the E-W Warrior gymnasium.
If you are going to suffer, the best place to do that is surrounded by those that love you, first-year coach Bary Gould told his team afterward. Junior guard Jared Stohl had 44 points in the two OT losses and classmate Nathan Lozeau poured in 39 to pace M-P.
Stohl was named to the All-Wesco first team, Lozeau was selected to the second team and senior guard Keaton Taitingfong was an honorable mention.
For the first time in more than two decades, M-P had two student-athletes sign letters of intent to play Division 1 athletics.
Nathan Lozeau committed to play for Eastern Washington University and 6-foot-2 inch guard Jared Stohl will be a University of Portland Pilot.