Skyline athletic success anchored by soccer dominance
Skyline High School had a remarkably successful year of athletics, winning state titles in soccer and celebrating achievements by individual athletes in their respective sports. Both the girls and boys soccer teams won state titles, marking the first time in Washington state history that a 4A school won both state soccer tournaments.
The Skyline girls delivered a 2-0 shutout victory in Nov. 2022. They finished a perfect season with 20 wins, a tie, and no losses, scoring a record 100 goals. The team ended the year with a fourth place ranking overall at the national level.
The player to watch was junior Ashley Roni. She finished the season with the most goals scored in a game (4), and a total of 31 goals for the season. Roni also accumulated 23 assists, including seven hat tricks — the scoring of three or more goals in a single game. She will return to the team this upcoming season as a senior.
“Going into this year, we had gotten fourth at state the year before, but I knew, with the talent on this team, that we would be able to win it all,” Roni said. “It is a privilege to be able to play with all these amazing players on our team.”
The boys soccer team also won their state tournament with a 2-0 victory in May. Overall, the team scored 68 goals over 21 games, placing them second in state and also achieving a school record.
Some key players include senior Braden Ferreira and junior James Cairns, who tied for most goals in a season with a total of 19 each. Ferreira owns the title of most goals scored in a game with four, most points in a season with 47, and three career hat tricks.
“These players learned from the leaders on previous teams and realized that they needed to be students of the game, work hard collectively to implement the game plan, and adjust during the games to handle adversity and to compete,” said Don Braman, who coaches both teams. “Both teams dominated play in their state finals…posting shutouts to seal the state title. I am so proud of how they pulled together and became a family.”
Track and field also had an extraordinary run this season. The girls team won the Kingco Conference and placed fourth at state in May. Junior Rebecca O’Keefe ran the 1600-meter race with a personal best of 4:41.37 at Kingco, placing in the top ten nationally. She also won the 3200-meter run at state with a time of 10:39.01.
Junior Anna Callahan won the 1600-meter run at state with a personal best of 4:44.05. Callahan won the 800-meter dash at a meet against Eastlake with a personal best of 2:10.41, as well as at state.
Sydney Collier, a sophomore who suffered numerous injuries throughout the season, ended up winning the 3200-meter race at Kingco with a time of 11:11.10. She placed fourth at state with a time of 10:56.84. Collier struggled to get healthy and perform at her peak level, but was able to recover in time for each meet.
“This past season has had many setbacks and disruptions, but I feel I have gained experience, with help from my teammates and my coaches, that will accelerate future growth and improvement,” Collier said.
On the boys side, Senior Trey Crandall placed fourth at state in the 100-meter dash with a personal best of 10.68 seconds.
Other noteworthy results include football, where the Spartans made it to the state quarterfinals in November. Boys basketball finished seventh at the state tournament in March. Girls golf won fourth place at state for the first time under 4A classification in May. Charles Lee, from the boys swim team, broke the state record for the 100-meter breaststroke in February, and is in All-American consideration.
