Sehome was eager to get the 2024 season underway after a one-score loss to the eventual state champion Columbia River Rapids in the 2A boys soccer state semifinals last year.
The Mariners, who had won five straight games in the postseason by a combined 21-1 score, knew if they played that game again the result may be different. But a new season meant a blank slate, and head coach Jose Flores reminded his team of that.
“We just kind of channel our energy on the day-to-day,” Flores said. “That’s the best way to put it because we don’t know if we’re going to be in that semifinal again; we don’t know if we’re going to play Columbia River again.”
Sehome’s players have bought in. Despite losing seven starters and returning just 10 players from last year’s 22-man varsity roster that finished third in Class 2A, the Mariners are off to an unbeaten 7-0-0 record through the first three weeks.
Preparations began with priming the program’s future players before they reached varsity, Flores said. That’s why they haven’t missed a beat.
“I think the work started last season,” Flores said. “Just reinforcing what [new varsity players] already have and trying to help them develop their game.”
Included in the early-season streak are wins over in-city rivals Bellingham (7-1-0) and Squalicum (5-2-0), which are second and third in the Northwest Conference standings below Sehome.
Flores said playing their top league competitors early can be a benefit if they play well, but also offers the possibility of shaking the team’s confidence with a loss. This year, it’s been the former.
“They’re just good competition to play against,” Flores said. “They push us in a lot of different ways, and they help us move the game faster, which is what we want at this level.”
Sehome is not just winning all its games — it’s dominating. The Mariners are averaging 4.4 goals per game while allowing just one. In its three league games, Sehome has outscored opponents 17-0.
Ten different players have scored for the Mariners in what has grown into a well-rounded offensive attack.
“They work really hard, and they focus really hard, too, to be where they are,” Flores added. “Their discipline is probably one of their biggest strengths and that translates to a lot of other good qualities that we have.”
Even with heavy losses to its lineup, Sehome retained some of its top leaders in seniors Reiley Buri-Brown, Asher Sullivan and Sam Bell — all of whom are captains this year.
Identifying and empowering those leaders is key in preserving the program’s winning culture, Flores said, so the underclassmen understand how roles will evolve throughout their careers.
“They lead by example, all of them. So that kind of transmits to the rest of the team,” Flores added. “They’re really accountable for themselves, and they really transmit the goal, which is to keep continuity to the program and to help grow it overall.”
Flores highlighted juniors Blake Moore and Rudy Zurcher as two underclassmen who have embraced building the program long-term.
Moore, particularly, earned his starting role this year the hard way. After being a junior varsity player all of last regular season, he was elevated to varsity for the Mariners’ postseason run. Now, after making his presence felt as a sophomore, he’s playing 60–70 minutes a game.
Despite its strong start, Sehome will hope to avoid a similar regular season lull that it hit last season. The Mariners began 2023 with a 7-1-1 record before going 1-3-1 over its final five regular season matches.
They recovered in the postseason, but their No. 4 seed in the 2A District 1 tournament made the road to state slightly tougher.
“When you see that record, 7-0, sometimes you’ll think it was in easier games,” Flores said. “But in reality, these players work really hard in practices and in the warmups and during the games and during the meetings that we have.”
Sehome last won a state championship in the 2018–19 campaign. There have only been two postseasons since then, with spring state tournaments canceled due to COVID-19 the following two seasons.
Last year’s third-place finish was its fourth in program history, and first since 2010.
“We have some small goals that we try to hit. We focus on that rather than the opponent, and that really seems to help us,” Flores added. “Overall, you look at getting those wins, which is at the end of the day the bigger goal.”
Connor J. Benintendi is CDN’s sports editor; reach him at connorbenintendi@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
