The Prep Blog

The Prep Blog

Covering high school sports in Tacoma, Pierce County and the South Sound

May
18th

Football: Gig Harbor hires a head coach

Gig Harbor High has hired Aaron Chantler as its new head football coach.

Chantler, a 2002 Wilson High graduate, has spent the past six seasons as a Rams assistant coach. Most recently, he was co-offensive coordinator. Chantler was going to be quarterbacks coach at Auburn High in 2012 — Trojans coach Gordon Elliott is his future father-in-law.

Chantler went through two rounds of interviews and received a call this afternoon offering the 28-year-old his first head coaching position.
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May
18th

Track & Field: Updates from 4A, 3A bi-district meets

I’m covering the 4A and 3A West Central/Southwest bi-district track and field meets today and Saturday. I don’t have time to post the results of every event as they happen, but I’ll post some updates throughout the day. You can also follow me on Twitter at @DougPaceyTNT for instant updates.

Here’s a link to the meet schedule.

Click here for first-day results.

Here’s my 4A meet story (3A meet story follows):

Sean Keller will be big in Finland.

The Heritage High javelin thrower has been invited to compete in an elite event this summerin the Scandinavian country, which has a national obsession over javelin.

How popular is javelin in Finland?

“It’s like the NFL there,” Keller said.

But before Keller makes the trip to Finland or compete in the U.S. Olympic trials – he’s the ninth-ranked javelin thrower, including professionals, in the country – he’s going to finish a stellar prep career.
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May
17th

Football: South Kitsap hires Eric Canton to lead Wolves

South Kitsap has hired Eric Canton, a longtime assistant at SK, to be the Wolves head football coach.

On Thursday afternoon, SK athletic director Ed Santos put out this press release:

The South Kitsap School District is pleased to announce the hiring of Eric Canton as head coach of the South Kitsap High School Football Program. The selection committee was impressed with the qualifications of all the applicants.

Eric Canton is a 1986 South Kitsap High School graduate, and is only the second South Kitsap High School alum to be the head football coach for the Wolves. The previous alum was Maynard Lundberg, who coached South in the 1930s.
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May
17th

Baseball: All-Narrows League 4A, 3A teams

All-Narrows League 4A

MVP—Cabe Reiten, sr., Olympia

Pitcher of the Year—Nick Gagliardi, jr., Gig Harbor

Coach of the Year—Chuck Peterson, Stadium.

First Team
Pitchers—Trever Hauser, sr., Olympia; Michael Wood, jr., South Kitsap.
Catcher—Alex Sablan, sr., South Kitsap.
Infield—Conner Jensen, sr., Bellarmine Prep; Gabe Padukiewicz, jr., Olympia; Vince Sablan, sr., South Kitsap; Jacob Veith, so., Stadium; Michael Nelson, sr., South Kitsap.
Outfield—Jake Ayers, sr., Gig Harbor; Jon Devine, sr., Mount Tahoma; Cameron Frost, jr., Olympia; Michael Fairchild, jr., Olympia.
Utility—Leif Hansen, so., Olympia.
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May
16th

Football: Foss hires Pat Johnson as head coach

Pat Johnson knew he wanted to become a head football coach when he was in 11th grade at Lakes High, playing under Lancers coach Dick Zatkovich.

Thirteen years later, Johnson will get the opportunity.

Johnson was announced Wednesday as the head football coach at Foss High.

“They don’t come better than coach Johnson,” Foss principal Bonnie McGuire said.
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