Track and field
Miller, Larson shine for NHS
ST HELENS, Ore. — Twelve schools from Oregon and Washington sent athletes to the Lower Columbia Invitational track meet Saturday. Naselle girls won four events.
Twenty-nine runners set times for the 100 meters, but Naselle freshman June Miller’s (13.52) was the fastest. She won the 400m in a season best time of 1:03.50 and won the high jump, clearing 5 feet.
In the 800m, eighth grader Kenzie Larson won with a personal best of 2:28.77.
Freshman Karsen Green placed second in the pole vault, clearing 7 feet. Sophomore Shaylee Suomela was fourth with 6.6.
Junior Mylee Dunagan tied for third in high jump, was fourth in the javelin and fifth in triple jump.
Freshman Halle Miller was fifth in high jump and sixth in the 100m hurdles. Sophomore Sophia Colombo placed fourth in the 300m hurdles in 54.66.
June Miller, Colombo, Suomela and Dunagan placed second in the 4×100 relay, which featured 10 teams.
Green, Suomela, Larson and freshman Cheyenne Engelson, placed second in a combination distance relay.
Naselle boys also competed. The best finish was sophomore Caesar Garcia, who placed second in the 3000m.
Next for the Comets is a trip to Elma April 16. Ilwaco, which had a week off, will also compete.

Naselle girls secure wins at Raymond
RAYMOND — Naselle girls’ success in this year’s track season continued at Raymond Thursday. Four won events, accumulating team points that put the Comets in second place.
Freshman Karsen Green won the pole vault with a personal record of 7.0, ahead of her cousin, sophomore Shaylee Suomela, who cleared 6.6. Green had a PR in the triple jump with 29.3, placing third.
Freshman June Miller won the high jump with 5.0, placed second in the 200 meters and third in the 100m, improving her PR to 13.28.
In a field of 34, junior Mylee Dunagan won the javelin with a PR of 103.2, was second in the long jump with 14.5 and fifth in the 200m.
Halle Miller won the 100m hurdles in 18.17 and placed second in the 400m with Dunagan fourth.
Eighth-grader Kenzie Larson had second-place finishes in the 1600m with 6:12.25 and the 3200m in 13:16.74. Both were PRs.
Sophomore Sophia Colombo placed second in the 300m hurdles in 56.67 and eighth in the 100m hurdles. She teamed with the Miller sisters and freshman Cheyenne Engelson to win the 4x400m relay.
Junior Jessica Underhill placed seventh in the discus with 74 feet.
Freshman Gus Burkhalter had a busy afternoon. He placed second in triple jump with a PR of 39.7, fourth in high jump with 5.2, sixth in the 400m and ninth in a field of 40 recording scores in the 100m.
Sophomores Bo Dunagan and Reilly Browning placed second and third in the pole vault, both clearing 8.0. In shot put, freshman Rylee Lozano placed fifth with a PR of 35.1 and eighth in discus. Classmate Jerrit Wyatt placed eighth in shot. Sophomore Caesar Garcia placed eighth in the 800m and 1600m.
Elma won both girls and boys meets.
Raymond/South Bend soccer
An undefeated Raymond/South Bend soccer team is surging up the state 1A rankings after shutting out Montesano 6-0 last week, bringing the Ravens to 8-0-1 on the season.
Raymond/South Bend sophomore Jose Ramirez was recently recognized for the early-season success, earning an ‘Athlete of the Week’ designation from the WIAA following his week of stellar play.
“Jose played a pivotal role in the team’s three victories last week, including a key win over Rochester High School that propelled the team into first place in the league. He scored 8 goals and recorded 3 assists on the week,” according to an excerpt.
The Ravens (8-0-1), rose six spots to #2 among 72 1A soccer teams across the state after the recent wins. The Ravens’ lone tie was in their first game of the season, against Elma.
Up next: Raymond/South Bend (8-0-1) will host Hoquaim on April 21, followed by a home game against Chief Leschi on April 23.
Ilwaco softball
The Ilwaco softball team was on a bye this week for spring break, remaining 2-4-1 overall on the season.
Through the first seven games, the Lady Fishermen have been led offensively by senior Megan Dille (14) . Dille has delivered a team-high batting average of .462, followed by teammates Emma Frame (.444), Gracie Wirkkala (.412) and Sage Womack (.357). Wirkkala has a team-high seven hits, with Bailey Womack accounting for a team-high eight RBIs.
Dille, the team ace on the mound, has pitched a team-high 22 innings this season, racking up 36 strikeouts while allowing a .260 batting average to opposing teams.
Ilwaco remains #26 in the WIAA state softball rankings among 47 2B teams across the state.
Up next: Ilwaco (2-4-1) will return to action with a home game against Ocosta on April 30.
Naselle softball
The Naselle softball team was idle last week, staying at 2-3 overall on the season.
Naselle is currently #17 in the WIAA state softball rankings among 28 1B teams across the state.
Up next: Naselle (2-3) will host Clatskanie on April 17, followed by a game at Oakville on April 18.
Raymond/South Bend Softball
The Raymond/South Bend softball team won both games last week, soaring to 8-1 overall on the season and a #3 rank in the state.
The Raven (8-1) offense this season has been fueled by teammates Ava Pine and Emma Glazier. Pine has accounted for a team-high nine hits and a .600 batting average, with Glazier batting .467, with a team-high two home runs and 11 RBIs.
Remarkably, five different players have hit home runs for the Ravens so far this season, including Pine, Glazier, Kassie Koski, Macey Enlow and Maddy San.
With the recent wins, Raymond/South Bend climbed four spots to #3 in the WIAA state softball rankings among 47 2B teams across the state.
Up next: Raymond/South Bend (8-1) will next play away at Forks on April 22.
Pe Ell/Willapa Valley softball
The Pe Ell/Willapa Valley softball team swept Forks in a doubleheader on April 9, outscoring the Spartans by a combined 26-10 margin.
In the first game — an 8-5 win — the Titans pounded Forks for 12 hits, including a home run by Lauren Matlock.
In the second game, the Titans blasted the Spartan 18-5, including an 11-run outburst in the third inning to seal the game. The Titans were led offensively by Matlock, who delivered a team-high three hits and two RBIs. CJ Sipp and Sophia Milanowski provided three RBIs each.
The Titans (5-2) outscored Kittitas 16-15 in a shootout on March 29, followed by a 12-1 win over Warden before falling to Adna 19-5 on March 31.
So far this season, Pe/Ell/Willapa Valley has four batters hitting above .500, including Sophia Milanowski (.593), Addison Merkel (.545), CJ Sipp (.520) and Tylar Keeton (.515), who has a team-high 17 hits. Milanoski has crushed three home runs this season with a team-high 21 RBIs.
Pe Ell/Willapa Valley surged six spots to #4 in the WIAA state softball rankings among 49 2B teams across the state.
Up next: Pe Ell/Willapa Valley (7-2) will next host Chief Leschi on April 22.
Ilwaco baseball
The Ilwaco baseball team was on a bye this week, remaining 5-0 on the season.
The Fishermen (5-0) are currently 4-0 in league play and ranked #2 in the WIAA state baseball rankings among 47 2B teams in the state, among their highest ranking in school history.
Up next: Ilwaco (5-0) will next host Chief Leschi on April 15, followed by an away game at Ocosta on April 19.
Naselle baseball
The Naselle baseball team beat Pe/Willapa Valley 7-6 on April 12, bringing their season record to 3-3 overall.
In the win over the Titans, Naselle was led offensively by senior Jack Strange (24) who accounted for three of the nine hits as a team. Teammate Jacob Lindstrom (5) added two hits and two RBIs while stealing five bases. Senior William Anderson (35) drove in a game-high three RBIs. Anderson was also the winning pitcher, throwing six innings with five strikeouts while allowing nine hits.
The Comets (3-3) rose 10 spots to #4 in the WIAA state baseball rankings among 39 1B teams in the state.
Up next: Naselle (3-3) will travel take on Oakville on April 18, followed by a home game against Wahkiakum on April 22.
Raymond/South Bend baseball
The Raymond/South Bend baseball team split their games last week, including a 10-9 loss to Wahkiakum and a 18-3 win over Morton/White Pass, bringing their record to 2-7 overall on the season.
The Ravens (2-7) are currently ranked #32 in the WIAA state baseball rankings among 47 2B teams in the state.
Up next: Raymond/South Bend (2-7) will host a home game against Forks on April 22.
Ilwaco soccer
The Ilwaco boys soccer team fell to 0-8 on the season after losing 9-0 to Montesano on April 8.
Up next: Ilwaco (0-6) will host a home game against Chief Leschi on April 16, followed by a home game against Forks on April 17.