Jimmy Strange and Kolby Glenn walk toward the stage together Saturday, June 12 at the Naselle graduation ceremony.

NASELLE — It seems only fitting that the high school athletic careers of Naselle High School seniors Kolby Glenn and Jimmy Strange would end with a win and a championship.

Winning is pretty much all that Glenn and Strange have done in their time at NHS, whether it be in football, baseball or basketball. The pandemic threw them a curveball in their senior year, with shortened seasons and wacky scheduling, including a basketball season that ended in June.

“Usually you’re starting to do summer activities, but we’re still in the basketball season so it’s hard to focus on basketball when it’s nice out, but you’ve got to find the fine line,” Glenn said.

The pair have been playing basketball together for some 10 years, dating back to second grade when they were coached by Glenn’s father, Tucker. Strange said Kolby’s dad has played a large role in their development as basketball players over the years, along with many other coaches throughout the years.

Along with basketball, Strange also played football and baseball in high school, while Glenn was on the track and field team his sophomore year and joined the football team this season as a senior.

The state championship appearances are some of the tandem’s favorite high school memories. For Strange, the community support is what he looks back on fondly from those momentous occasions.

“Our whole town came out and supported, it seemed like,” Strange said.

Glenn also remembers the big rivalry games, whether against Wahkiakum — whom the team beat last week for the district championship — or south county foe Ilwaco.

“Everyone’s crowded, everyone’s screaming [during those games],” Glenn said.

The buy-in from the community is apparent, whether it be support from the bleachers during games or coaches opening up the gym or weight room to help them become better athletes. As their middle school basketball coach, now-Naselle principal Justin Laine said Glenn, Strange and their classmates gave him some of his fondest memories.

“They played hard, fast, and unselfishly — always making the extra pass to get a teammate an open shot,” Laine said. “They are both fearless on the court and the playing field. I looked forward to teams pressing us when they were in middle school, and it didn’t matter how big the other team was — they didn’t back down.”

As is often the case in small communities, the bond between the two wasn’t just limited to when they were on the court or field together.

“Even if we’re not playing sports, we’re just hanging out all the time. We’ve been through everything together,” Glenn said.

The two have been classmates and teammates throughout their childhood. But now, with last week’s district championship in basketball and the class of 2021’s graduation ceremony in the rearview mirror, their paths will finally diverge.

For Glenn, his path will take him to Multnomah University in Portland, where he’ll play basketball for the Lions in the Cascade Collegiate Conference — which is affiliated with the NAIA — and plans to study exercise science and receive a master’s degree in teaching and become a certified teacher.

“Kolby has earned his opportunity to play college basketball through sheer heart and determination,” said Laine, who also called Glenn an outstanding citizen and leader. “He has spent thousands of hours in the gym — many of them with his dad.”

After he finishes spending the summer fishing in Alaska — he headed north this past Sunday, the day after graduation — Strange is heading east to Pullman this fall, where he’ll attend Washington State University and plans to study forestry. His father and grandfather have been in the industry for some 40 years, and it’s something he’s had his eyes on for awhile.

“Jimmy is the consummate worker in and out of school,” Laine said, adding that Strange has been committed to studying forestry at WSU for as long as he remembers. “I believe that he is going to flourish at WSU and excel in the forestry field.”

Both are more excited than they are nervous about starting this next phase of their life, and are looking forward to meeting new people and making new friends. But they’ll always remember the good times they had growing up, as both teammates and friends.

“We’ve been playing together since second grade and we’re so close, all of us — our grade and the grade below us, and even last year’s graduating class. My favorite part about playing together is that we were so close,” Strange said.