A rousing Senior Night victory over Charles Wright helped the East Jefferson boys’ soccer team finish sixth in the Nisqually League and qualify for a postseason contest against third-place Klahowya.

 EJ’s Senior Night game on April 30 was charged with emotion as Rivals players, families, and fans gathered to honor graduating Port Townsend seniors Zephyr Bell, Sevryn Rust, Awhrey Smith, Finlay Watson and Hugh Wentzel.

 That emotion carried into the game as junior Simon Barlow scored one goal and sophomore Rene Martin scored two more, rallying their teammates to a 3-1 win over the Tarriers of Charles Wright Academy.

 Having secured a sixth-place finish, the Rivals (4-7-3) geared up for a road playoff game against the Eagles of Klahowya Secondary School (9-3-2) on Saturday, May 4. 

 The Rivals knew they had a chance, because during the regular season, EJ had tied the Eagles at home, 1-1. However, a late-season road loss to Klahowya on their Senior Night showed winning in Silverdale would not be easy.

 In the playoff match, the Rivals got off to a slow start. "We weren't communicating as well as we should have," said forward Armando Sanchez, a Chimacum sophomore. 

Klahowya took full advantage and seized an early lead, but EJ regrouped and showed impressive persistence.

Rivals sophomores Rylen Kruse and Manaseh Lanphear-Ramirez each scored goals, but the team’s comeback effort fell just short.

The Eagles narrowly prevailed, 3-2, forcing the Rivals to hang up their cleats for the season.

"We battled the whole game,” said first-year head coach Logan Stegner. “Can't ask for anything more out of these boys." 

 “We did much better than last season,” said Sanchez. “Thanks to Coach Stegner, we were able to play in our first playoff game.”

 In 2023, the Rivals finished seventh in the nine-team Nisqually League and failed to qualify for the postseason.

 Highlights from the 2024 regular season included sophomore Rene Martin’s hat trick in a 4-1 victory over Annie Wright, and sophomore Eduardo Martinez breaking a scoreless tie against Life Christian with a winning penalty kick.

 “There’s something about the energy this group plays with on the pitch,” said Barlow, a team captain. "We've come together as friends more than ever, especially this season.”

 Nearly 40 athletes turned out for varsity and junior varsity soccer this spring. EJ’s roster is loaded with talented and rapidly developing underclassmen ready to carry forward this year’s growth and camaraderie.

 "I think we'll improve a lot next season,” Sanchez said.

Miles Johnson, a Chimacum freshman, agreed: "If we can figure out how to work as a team and build each other up, we can make it far."

Adrian Garcia, Aidan Stepanski and Gary Zambor are students at Chimacum High School.