10/15/2020 W.F. West Fastpitch Head Coach Caty Lieseke By Matt Baide ESN Contributor Caty Lieseke was recently named the Washington State Softball Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations, even though there was no softball season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The […]
High School Sports
Trending Up: Chance Guadiz of Kentridge Football
10/15/2020 Kentridge SO. QB Chance Guadiz By Brandon Brown ESN Director of Content Chance Guadiz is only a sophomore at Kentridge, yet he is already turning heads. He took the reins of the Chargers offense as a freshman and showed exactly why people think he will be a force in […]
Trending Up: Jackson Proctor of Kentwood High School
10/7/2020 Kentwood SR. QB Jackson Proctor By Brandon Brown ESN Director of Content Jackson Proctor is entering his second and final season with the Kentwood Conquerors after transferring from Eastlake prior to last season. The 6-2 QB made and immediate impression on his new teammates and coaching staff as he […]
BREAKING: WIAA Announces New Guidelines for Return to Athletics and Activities
Developing Story The State Department of Health have updated their guidelines on how to re-start High School sports. One of the biggest changes in this new update is the moving of basketball into the ‘High-Risk’ category. Previously basketball was in the ‘moderate-risk’ group, making the sports return a little bit […]
WIAA Announces ‘Mind Gym Wednesdays’
10/1/2020 Via Wiaa.com Mental training is a vital part of your workout, especially now with sports on hold here in Washington. To help student-athletes and coaches make mental conditioning a priority, the WIAA has teamed up with Collin Henderson and Ngozi Musa to offer Mind Gym Wednesdays. Starting Wednesday, October 7th, Collin and Ngozi will be hosting weekly […]
Trending Up: Olympia Girls Soccer Head Coach Tamara Liska
9/30/2020 Olympia Girls Soccer Coach Tamara Liska By Matt Baide I interview Olympia girls soccer head coach Tamara Liska about where the team is at right now, what players are doing to stay in shape and about the Bears’ trip to the state tournament last season. Elisportsnetwork.com
Liability is a big issue in getting back to school and playing sports
9/29/2020 To begin this story we are first going to thank The Columbian’s columnist Tim Martinez for spurring the idea on with a really thoughtful piece he wrote last week. (See Tim’s Column here) The subject was simple why aren’t we or can’t play High School sports while other states […]
Trending Up: Capital XC Head Coach Danelle Wright and Junior Aubrey Harrington
9/23/2020 Capital XC Head Coach Danelle Wright and Junior Aubrey Harrington By Matt Baide ESN’s Matt Baide checks in with Capital XC head coach Danelle Wright and junior Aubrey Harrington about the upcoming season in the spring, staying in shape before the season starts and the potential for the annual […]
Legendary Coach Don Kruse the Consummate Assistant will be missed
9/22/2020 Long Time Assistant Coach Don Kruse Succumbs to Stroke (Tumwater, WA) This is very personal and I am not even going to pretend that this is an unbiased story with simple facts it is personal not only to me but literally thousands who were touched by a very special […]
ESN Interview: Olympia XC Head Coach Jesse Stevick and Junior Ethan Coleman
ESN’s Matt Baide interviews Olympia XC head coach Jesse Stevick and junior Ethan Coleman about the delay of the season, staying in shape until the spring and his goals for this season.
The Burner: Champion Review: 2012 Bainbridge boys soccer tops Jordan Morris’ Mercer Island team
The Burner 9/16/2020 Jeff Graham | Kitsap Sun 9 years ago, the Bainbridge Island boys soccer team reached the 3A title game against Camas. The Papermakers would win that match 3-0, giving the Spartans the 2nd place finish. A year later Bainbridge was back and looking for revenge. This […]
Hall of Fame basketball coach Ed Pepple passes away
9/14/2020 The state lost one of the greats today, when Ed Pepple passed away due to cancer. Pepple coached the Mercer Island High School basketball team for 42 years. In his tremendous tenure at MIHS, Pepple accumulated 958 wins along with 4 state titles before retiring in 2009. His Championships […]
The Burner: Reliving the Valley’s best season-opening football games
9/9/2020 Over the years, the Yakima Valley has seen some great games to kickoff the high school football season. From OT thrillers to final play heroics, Scott Spruill of the Yakima Herald takes us down memory lane. You can catch his full article here: Memory lane: Reliving the Valley’s best […]
Yelm XC senior Bryce Cerkowniak remains positive in quest for State Title
ESN’s Matt Baide talks with Yelm cross country senior Bryce Cerkowniak about the upcoming season in 2021, what he’s doing to stay in shape for the season and his aspirations to win a state title in his final prep season.
Matt Baide talks with Adna Soccer Coach Horst Malunat
By Matt Baide Adna girls soccer enters the 2020-21 school year with so many new things: new schedule, new seniors and a new coach. Horst Malunat is a staple in the Lewis County soccer scene and after retiring from coaching in 2019, he was supposed to be back on the […]
The Burner: Despite heartfelt pleas from high-school athletes, playing fall sports doesn’t align with COVID-19 realities
9/4/2020 The impact of no in person schooling has been felt throughout the state of Washington. None have been impacted more than coaches and student athletes who are used to getting their seasons under way this month. Many, even lost their last chance at playing when spring sports were cancelled […]
The Burner: Where did the refs go?
9/4/2020 Officials around Washington say there is a growing disconnect between them and players, coaches and fans. It’s showing as the number of new referees dwindles and the industry struggles to replace its aging core, mirroring a trend seen nationwide. Games have already had to be rescheduled; if the pattern […]
Matt Baide talks with coaches of Onalaska Football
By Matthew Baide It is supposed to be football season, especially if you’re a football coach. Onalaska football head coach Mazen Saade and assistant coach Wayne Nelson joined me to talk about the football season that would be in full swing before the pandemic. The duo join me to talk […]
Friday Night Lights!! A 14-Game Broadcast Schedule on ESN Kicks of Sept 4!
8/26/2020 (Centralia, WA) The Eli Sports Network is extremely excited to announce a 14-game Football Broadcast schedule this Fall beginning on Friday, September 4 at 7pm and offer them for free on the NFHS Network. The NFHS Network and ESN reached an agreement recently that will allow ESN to re-broadcast […]
WIAA LEAP Committee Class of 2022 Selected
Via Wiaa.com RENTON, Wash. – Eight incoming juniors from around the state of Washington were recently selected to join the LEAP (Leadership through Education Activities and Personal Development) Committee, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) announced Thursday. The incoming juniors selected are: AuLani Benitez – Grandview High School Cole Clark – Freeman High School Megan Leitz – […]
