Grahn, who will become a teenager next month, is the featured clown for this weekend’s Thunderbird Pro Benefit Rodeo, returning to the Kitsap County Fairgrounds for the sixth year Friday through Sunday.

Little Grahn is quite the cowboy, a youngster who enjoys the comedy skits and implied risk of  being a rodeo clown. He comes from a rodeo family, with both his father and older sister having participated in rodeo events. Raymond, his father, was a clown for a brief time before becoming a firefighter.

Lot’s of cool angles on this story, which you can read here.

And here are some photos I took at his family’s ranch home Wednesday:

At the time I considered basketball my “best” sport. Every day I played alone on the cracked court outside my childhood bedroom, providing play-by-play and commentary for the birds and whoever or whatever else was around and would listen. I’d play for hours, shouting in glee over game-winning jumpers, made possible by the imaginary game clock I could rewind because I was the referee, too. All I ever wanted to be was a basketball player, and when that eighth grade coach told me otherwise, I threw in the proverbial towel.

Now, when I think back to my biggest hardship over those four years, that’s it. I didn’t play basketball.

I was incredibly lucky.

There are teenagers in our community who have been through far, far more. Yet they persevere and step up to the same podium, on the same stage, the night of high school graduation. They should be commended, congratulated, because their journeys went beyond jump shots and buzzer-beaters. They overcame  illness, homelessness, neglect, depression and others.

Read about two incredible soon-to-be-graduates, Kandyce Alvear and Cathy Dang, as part of a special feature in Friday’s Bremerton Patriot and Central Kitsap Reporter.

The second-round selection was right around where scouts and experts projected the senior would go. I talked to Central Kitsap coach Bill Baxter about an hour ago, and speaking like he knew the future, he told me he had an inkling Vettleson would go to either the Rays or Florida Marlins.

Baxter said a scout, calling from Florida, asked about Vettleson’s character for about 25 minutes this morning. The scout didn’t say which organization he was working with, only that he was calling from Florida.

The scout must have liked what Baxter said.

Vettleson is the second Central Kitsap player to go pro, the other being 1998 grad Todd Linden, who was picked No. 41 by the San Francisco Giants in the 2001 draft. Linden’s career never got off the gorund and he bounced around from team to team, eventually going to Japan.

Now, Vettelson is faced with a big decision: Go pro, or go to college? He has committed to Oregon State University, a baseball powerhouse.

We’ll have more later.

Some draft experts had Vettleson going to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who with the 28th pick selected right-handed pitcher Zach Lee, a high school senior who has committed to Louisiana State University.

The Los Angeles Angels are next up, holding the 30th pick.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, though, because the senior has been projected by many to go either in the late first round or early second.

One player from Washington state, Josh Sale of Bishop Blanchet High School, has already been chosen. The power hitter was selected 17th overall by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Updates to come.

Wesley Remmer/staff photo

It’s the big day for Central Kitsap High School senior baseball star Drew Vettleson, who is expected to be drafted in the 2010 Major League Draft, beginning at 4 p.m. today and running through Wednesday.
Multiple reports project Vettleson will be drafted late in the first round, 28th overall, by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both Jim Callis of baseballamerica.com and Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus say Vettleson is headed to Los Angeles.

The ambidextrous slugger, who has committed to play at Oregon State University next season, said earlier this season he wasn’t sure whether he’d go pro if given the chance. Central Kitsap coach Bill Baxter, however, said last week he believed Vettleson would skip college if the circumstances were right.

“I think if he goes high enough he will probably lean toward going,” Baxter said. “He’s in a nice position because he has a backup plan.”

Check back later for updates.

Photo by Wesley Remmer

As promised, here’s a story on three Japanese ballplayers who will spend the summer in Kitsap playing for the Kitsap BlueJackets. One of the men, Masaki Kitamura, 29, is actually a bullpen coach. He’s also the only one who speaks English and will double as a translator as the two players learn the language.

The presence of all three gives the collegiate baseball team some international flair during a time when the organization is scrambling to fill the seats. This certainly won’t hurt.

During an interview before practice Tuesday, I asked all three about coming to America — for the players, 19 and 21, this is their first visit — and also about playing across the Sound from Ichiro, one of the most legendary baseball players Japan has ever produced. We talked about living with a host family and sampling the food, as well as many other topics.

Check the story out here.

The Kitsap Sun picked up on the angle, too, and wrote a story. See it here.

And here is the entire team, including MVP, first team, second team and honorable mention selections:

League champ: North Kitsap
Sportsmanship: Sequim
Coach of Year: Jay Hultberg, North Mason
MVP: Daniel Jewett, North Kitsap

First team (name, grade, school)
1B    Daniel Orr    12    KHS
2B    Austin Abrahamson    12    NK
3B    Jordan Halstead    12    OLY
SS    Brandon Neet    12    KSS
C    Nick Benish    11    NK
DH    Justin Williams    12    PA
Utility    Isaac Yamamoto    11    SQ
OF    Cody Sullivan    11    PA
OF    Chris Campbell    11    OLY
OF    Blake Johnson    12    OLY
P    AJ Konopaski    11    PA
P    Alex Smith    11    NK
P    Josh Herrera    11    KHS

Second team
1B    Chris Groat    12    OLY
2B    Keith Davis    12    OLY
3B    Jordan Halstead    12    OLY
SS    Kasey Bielec    11    NM
C    Curtis Wildung    11    KHS
DH    Matt Rief    12    SQ
Utility    Kaden Tomlinson    9    BHS
OF    Zane Minder    11    NK
OF    Stephen Gorman    11    KHS
OF    Alex Gillis    12    SQ
P    Riley Crow    12    OLY
P    Ryan Unbedacht    12    PT
P    Matt Ramstead    12    KHS

Honorable Mention
Joe Valley    11    KSS
Alex Smith    11    NK
Cameron Robinson    12    PT
Skyler Jensen    12    NM
Conner Wales    10    BHS
Drew Rickerson    11    SQ
Garrett Ramstead    12    KHS
Dillon Douglas    12    NM
Zac Smit    11    NK
Easton Napiontek    10    PA
Rico LeMay    12    KHS
Patrick Middleton    11    OLY
Conner Wales    10    BHS
Patrick McGuire    11    KSS
Kevin Woodral    12    KHS
Bradley Harstad    11    KSS
Devin Garcia    11    BHS
Berkley Nilles    12    NK
Augie Konopaski    12    PA
Seth Green    12    KSS
Zach Bird    12    OLY
Joe Nys    12    NM
Preston McFarlen    11    SQ
Brett Johnson    12    PT
Joe Stevick    11    OLY
Eli Fultz    9    BHS
Clark Rose    10    KSS
Matt Bereiter    12    SQ
TJ Reitan    11    NK
Josh Fisher    12    BHS
Chris Campbell    11    OLY
Brandon Neet    12    KSS
Chris Groat    12    OLY
Nick Torento    11    KHS

Baseball
The Central Kitsap High School baseball team defeated Emerald Ridge High School 7-1 in a loser-out game Saturday at Kent Memorial Park to earn a berth to the Class 4A state tournament. The Cougars have now advanced to state four consecutive seasons.
Senior Tyler Baumgartner hit two home runs and fellow senior Drew Vettleson struck out 11 batters in 6 2/3 innings to pace the Cougars (16-8), who earlier that day lost to Puyallup High School, 11-5.
Up next for Central Kitsap is the opening round of state and a matchup with the Hawks of Mountlake Terrace High School (15-6), the Northwest District I champion and winners of four consecutive games.
The Cougars defeated the Hawks in the first round of the 2008 tournament, 11-5. Mountlake Terrace has made five appearances at state since 1986, but is winless in those games and has been outscored 31-13.
The winner of Saturday’s game advances to the quarterfinals at 4 p.m. on the same field, playing the winner of a game between Skyline High School and Kentwood High School.
See the bracket here.

Fastpitch
For the Central Kitsap and Olympic High School fastpitch teams, the march toward state begins Friday.
When the Lady Cougars open the 4A West Central District III tournament against Tahoma High School at 10 a.m. Friday at Sprinker Recreation Center in Tacoma, they will begin their quest for a fourth consecutive berth to the 4A state tournament.
Coach Bruce Welling’s squad secured its first state-tournmament victory since 2000 with a win over Kamiakin High School in the first round last year.
A win over Tahoma would put Central Kitsap in a winner-to-state contest against Puyallup or Gig Harbor High School at 2 p.m. Friday at Sprinker. A loss drops the team to the consolation bracket and a loser-out game at 4 p.m. Friday, also at Sprinker.
The Lady Cougars (14-6) face defending 3A state champion Bainbridge High School in a non-league tune-up game at 4 p.m. Monday at Linder Field in Silverdale. Central Kitsap and Bainbridge have split two games this season.
Olympic, meanwhile, will compete in the 3A West Central District III tournament beginning Friday, despite struggling to a 6-14 record during the regular season.
The Lady Trojans open against Mount Rainier High School at noon Friday at Sprinker. In the event of a win the team would face Union High School or Peninsula High School in a winner-to-state game at 6 p.m. the same day.
A loss would drop Olympic to the consolation bracket and a loser-out game at 8 p.m. Friday at Sprinker.
See the brackets here.

Girls tennis
With district tournaments beginning Tuesday and Wednesday and continuing Friday and Saturday, the girls tennis playoffs are in full swing.
In 4A action Central Kitsap senior Corinne Wurden will look to advance to state for the fourth time in as many seasons, opening districts at 10 a.m. Wednesday against Kim Auton of Emerald Ridge.
Wurden is the Narrows League No. 1 seed, while Auton is the South Puget Sound League No. 9 seed.
Bremerton’s Bre Casias opens districts as the Olympic League No. 1 seed and will face the No. 4 seed from the Seamount League at Sprinker Recreation Center on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, senior Maggie Becker and sophomore Tracy Landram of Klahowya both look to return to the 2A state tournament after advancing in 2009. Becker finished fourth and Landram took second.
They begin districts Friday at Auburn High School.

Boys soccer
The Bremerton boys soccer team missed an opportunity Saturday to reach the 3A state tournament. The Knights, whose most recent appearance at state was in 1991, lost 3-2 in overtime against Auburn Mountainview High School. It was a loser-out, winner-to-state contest.

Track and field
The 3A Olympic League boys and girls sub-district championships were Saturday at Port Angeles High School, with Bremerton and Olympic in action.
See the results here.
The West Central District III championships are Friday.
On the 2A side, Klahowya will participate in districts Wednesday. See the pairing here.
And finally, in 4A competition, Central Kitsap will compete in districts beginning Friday. Senior Shane Moskowitz will look to reach state after becoming an individual champion in 2009.

Fastpitch:
Central Kitsap High School will face Wilson High School in the Narrows League Tournament on May 14 to determine the league’s No. 3 and 4 seeds to districts. The winner gets No. 3, the loser No. 4.
The Lady Cougars (14-5 overall, 10-4 league) lost to Wilson 5-1 early this season, but coach Bruce Welling has said more than once over the past few weeks that the team is right where it needs to be and on course for another successful postseason. Central Kitsap has advanced to the Class 4A state tournament three consecutive seasons.
The Wilson game will be at a time-still-to-be announced at the South End Recreation Area in Tacoma. More info here.

Baseball:
Central Kitsap and Olympic are still alive and both teams are in action this week at districts, looking to advance to state.
The road might be a little easier for the Cougars (15-7), who will have two chances to move beyond districts by virtue of their No. 3 seed. They face Puyallup High School of the South Puget Sound League at 11 a.m. Saturday at Kent Memorial Park, with the winner earning a No. 1 seed to state and the loser dropping to a loser-out, winner-to-state game at 5 p.m. the same day.

Here’s an image from Central Kitsap’s 7-6 win over rival South Kitsap High School in a game that was played Saturday. Photo credit goes to Editor Jeff Rhodes of the Port Orchard Independent.

Olympic, on the other hand, must win two consecutive games to advance to state for the second time in three seasons. The senior-laden Trojans face Auburn Mountainview High School in a loser-out game at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Kent Memorial. A win would put Olympic in a loser-out, winner-to-state contest against either Union High School or Mount Rainier High School at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Coach Nate Andrews has said over the past few weeks that his team in playing better now than it has all season. We’ll see if that’s enough for the squad to advance.
Brackets here.

Soccer:
The team to watch here is Bremerton High School. The Knights defeated previously unbeaten North Kitsap High School 2-0 last week to earn the Olympic League regular-season championship and an opportunity to become a No. 1 seed to districts. Led by senior captains Matt Olson and Eli Chastain, the Knights face the state’s fourth-ranked 3A team, Capital High School, at 7 p.m. Monday. A win would give them a No. 1 seed to districts, which begin Saturday, while a loss would drop them to a No. 2 seed.
In any event Bremerton will be in districts, looking to get to state for the first time since 1990. Thanks to my sister’s apparently great study habits, I was Mile High the night the Knights won the league. But here are a few images I took during a rainy game last week against Olympic, a 1-0 Bremerton win that set up the showdown with North Kitsap:

In 4A action Central Kitsap faces Wilson at 6:30 p.m. Monday in a loser-out, winner-to-districts match. The game is at Mount Tahoma High School, and the winner gets a No. 5 seed to districts. Brackets here.

Single-game tickets go on sale May 10. The Jackets, who play in the West Coast League, open the season July 4 against the Corvallis Knights. To reserve seats call (360) 479-0123.

Season tickets also are available by calling (360) 479-0123. Tickets can be purchased at The UPS Store in Silverdale or at the TEAM STORE on Wheaton Way in East Bremerton as well.

For additional information contact Bill Anderson, wanderson@kitsapbluejackets.com or (360) 731-3239.

Girls tennis — 3.458
Boys soccer — 3.104
Girls golf — 3.216
Boys golf — 3.074
Baseball — 3.283
Fastpitch — 3.32
Girls track and field — 3.254

The boys track and field team was the lone team not to make the cut, posting a collective gpa of 2.938, Andrews said.

There ain’t no hangover like a shrimp hangover cause a shrimp hangover don’t …
OK, I’ll stop.
Not even raw palms or cat food-smelling fingers can stop this sports reporter from humming a sweet victory tune. Nope, not on this Monday, not with about fresh 40 shrimp in my belly and 100 more waiting at home, where they’ll be gobbled and slurped and chewed and savored until the cocktail sauce stops flowing.
The featured sports story in last week’s print versions of the Central Kitsap Reporter and Bremerton Patriot previewed the 2010 jumbo spot shrimp season, which began Saturday and will continue Wednesday and May 8 and 12.
Curious, and hungry, following a few days of research and writing, I trudged into a Wal-Mart store post-work Friday and purchased my shellfish license. It was put to use the next morning, me piling into a 21-foot Parker-model boat for day one of the shrimp season.
Here’s a report:
We were on the water with our traps baited — a few hundred yards offshore from Fay Bainbridge State Park on Bainbridge Island — just after 7 a.m., skies overcast, coffee steaming, stomachs (at least one) rumbling from the previous night’s escapades and the anticipated feast ahead.
Outfitted with two 36-can boxes of the finest cat food Friskies has to offer, as well as two shrimp traps, nearly 1,000 ft. of rope and five yellow buoys, optimism and equipment were aboard and aplenty.
In 24 years of predominately fruitless fishing, I’ve learned to appreciate pre-trip preparations — perusing sporting good stores for the hippest apparel, checking the weather forecast incessantly, trying to decide between ham or turkey for lunch but inevitably slabbing together two sandwiches. There are no guarantees on the seas, so you gotta enjoy yourself pre-departure.
There were at least 50 boats, probably more, bobbing along the half-mile-or-so stretch of water we fished. Among of the cast were 12-foot aluminum rigs and cabin cruisers pushing 40 feet and more, boats of all sizes. There were boats full of beer-guzzling men, fathers and husbands who I’m guessing would have stayed out longer had the season allowed — all traps had to be out of the water by 3 p.m. — and there were father-son duos, solo anglers, rookies and wily vets.
People were friendly and talkative, waving to their fellow anglers. We were all out there for the fresh catch.
Aboard the Parker the first two hour-long soaks yielded next to nothing. We loaded both traps with mashed-up cat food and let them sit on the bottom of the ocean floor— in 200 to 300 feet of water — for 60 minutes per round. Two hours, four hauls and a pair of wet gloves later, five shrimp flopped around in our deep cooler. Five shrimp. Five. Enough to count on one measly hand. Not nearly enough to cover the bottom of our icebox.
Some guy named Larry, a first-timer who prior to dropping his one and only trap had asked for advice and tips, reported with a grin that his first two hauls yielded 118 shrimp. Great. Good for you, Larry. Your 20-something son is doing all the heavy lifting, the hauling, for you.
All fishermen have a burning desire to know how their counterparts are faring:
“Any luck over there, Jimbo?!”
“Yeah, brother, we can’t keep them off our line! Knockin’ em dead! How bout you?”
“Nah, nothing yet, but we’re just getting started.”
“You’ll get ‘em, don’t worry!”
The conversation always ends with all parties smiling, a mutual, “Good luck!” But as soon as the guy with all the fish, or shrimp, is out of range, the empty-handers begin to grumble. Over and over, they question if what they’re doing is correct. If the bait is stale. If they are in the right spot.  If the tide is affecting the bait scent. If there is a hole in the trap.
This was the case aboard the Parker — until haul number three, a jackpot.
We let the traps soak an extra 15 minutes, dropped them closer to shore and fastened more lead inside them to prevent them from drifting along the bottom. Bingo. 88 shrimp. Get the cooker up to a boil, baby, because we were in business.
All 88 heads were immediately ripped off — decapitating the shrimp and putting them on ice keeps them the most fresh — and our traps went back in.
That 88-critter haul was the best of the day, and we chipped away the rest of the afternoon, meeting our limit of 80 shrimp per licensed angler by about 1:30 p.m. Larry and his son “limited” out sometime around noon, I think, but that didn’t matter.
Not with our cooler full.
Not with a guaranteed feast, and a shrimp hangover, waiting.

On preparing for the game:
“You know, the funny thing was I did not think we had a good practice the day before in preparation for the match. We were dealing with ‘more issues than TV Guide’ at practice as a result of our previous game against Sequim. Practice gave me an opportunity to address the team and to speak with each player individually, where I was able to challenge each player to pick up their game and their focus toward all things associated with soccer and team building.”

On his pre-game speech to the team:
“We knew the game was on NK’s home field, where they have been perfect for year. It would not be easy, so I sprinkled in some quotes during my pre-game talk. One from coach Eric Allen — ‘If it were easy, everyone would do it.” And one from Teddy Roosevelt — ‘Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.’

Making the result even more surprising …
“One of the outcomes of our previous games with Sequim was that we were going into the North Kitsap game without two key players, and we found out on the bus that a third key player was sick and would not be able to participate. I brought two players up from the JV team and we went into the game with 13 available players.”

Should be an interesting game between two teams separated by less than five miles who otherwise wouldn’t face each other during the season. The Trojans are in position to finish second among Class 3A teams in the combined 3A/2A Olympic League, while the Cougars (11-6) are currently in second place in the Bay Division of the Narrows League.

The baseball team entered the season with seven new starters after advancing to the Class 4A state tournament in 2009. Coach Bill Baxter wasn’t sure how his first-year starters would play, but he should be happy with the team’s performance through 17 games. Barring a collapse, the Cougars will have a good chance at reaching districts and getting another shot at state.

In fastpitch, meanwhile, Central Kitsap is playing its best ball of the season. The team won three straight games last week, including a 9-7 thriller against South Kitsap (10-2). The Lady Cougars defeated Bellarmine Prep on Monday.

You can find the most recent Narrows League baseball and fastpitch standings here.

The school is hosting tryouts for its summer baseball team at 3 p.m. May 10 at Huey Field. Those who are interested in playing must be current or prospective students at Central Kitsap.

There is no cost to try out, but the fee for those who earn a roster position is $400.
For additional information, contact Baxter at BILLB@cksd.wednet.edu.

Ambrose was the leading roller on an Olympic team that earned silver at state the past two seasons.

Here was the scene at Olympic when Ambrose made it official (photo courtesy of Nate Andrews, Olympic High School).

Here are some photos (taken by staffer Christopher Carter) from last week’s dog-and-pony show between myself and star baseball player Drew Vettleson. I’ve included two images that didn’t make the print version of Friday’s paper.
Coach Bill Baxter was kind — crazy? — enough to let me pitch to Vettleson after I whiffed, and I managed to get three pitches over the plate. He hit two of them deep, deep into the outfield. We were on the practice diamond, so I’m not sure how far the balls actually traveled or if they would have been home runs had we been on a game field. But trust me, they were blasts.
It will be interesting to see what Vettleson does come June, when he is projected to be drafted in the 2010 Major League Draft. I asked him if he would go pro if given the opportunity, and he said he has yet to decide, explaining he will weigh his options when the time comes. Asked which team he’d like to play for, if any in particular, he went with the hometown squad Mariners.
It’s hard to believe Vettleson would turn down a contract, though, and it’s looking like he’ll be selected fairly early in the draft. Some scouting reports have him rated as high as the No. 17 prospect in the country.
For now, let’s just appreciate the fact we get to watch this young man for another month or so as Central Kitsap marches toward the postseason. Enjoy.

OWL standings (league, overall)
Timberline                    5   0     7   0
North Thurston           5   0     6   1
Capital                           4   1     4   3
Olympic                        2   3     4   3
North Kitsap                2   3     3   4
Yelm                              2   3     3   4
Bremerton                   0   5     1   6
Port Angeles                0   5     0   7

Meanwhile, Central Kitsap is putting together a winning streak eerily similar to the one it did at the end of last year when it advanced to the Class 4A state semifinals.
The Cougars (4-3, 4-2), who have won three of their past four games, are in good position to make the playoffs out of the Narrows League, which gets five playoff spots. As the standings sit today, CK is in fourth with a chance to move to third with two victories to close the season.
Coach Mark Keel’s team closes against Stadium (2-5, 2-5) and Wilson (5-2, 5-1).
The Stadium game should be a victory, at least on paper, setting up what would be a huge game against Wilson to close the season.
If CK were to win out and earn the No. 3 seed, it would face the Wesco South No. 2 team in prelims with the winner becoming the District 1 No. 3 seed to state. Jackson, Cascade and Mountlake Terrace are currently deadlocked for the Wesco South No. 2 team.
If the Cougars lose either of their final two games, then the best they can finish is No. 4. The No. 4 Narrows team faces the South Puget Sound League  South Division No. 1 in prelims. Right now that would be undefeated Curtis.
Finishing as the No. 5 Narrows team is even worse, however, because that team must play a state prelim play-in game with the winner getting the 4A Greater St. Helens League No. 1 in prelims.
The Cougars need to close the season with two victories and secure the Narrows No. 3 seed to have a realistic chance of making another deep run in the state playoffs.

Narrows League standings (league, overall)
South Kitsap                6   0     7   0
Olympia                        5   1     6   1
Wilson, Woodrow       5   1     5   2
Central Kitsap              4   2     4   3
Foss, Henry                  4   3     4   3
Gig Harbor                   3   3     3   4
Bellarmine Prep.         2   4     3   4
Lincoln                          2   4     2   5
Stadium                         2   5     2   5
Shelton                           1   5     1   6
Mount Tahoma            0   6     1   6

In other soccer news, the Central Kitsap girls took care of Shelton 4-1 Tuesday to move into third place overall in the Narrows League. The Lady Cougars (6-2-2, 3-1-2) have lost once since Sept. 14, when they dropped a match to NK 2-0, and seem to be hitting their stride at the perfect time.
The team is at Stadium at 7 p.m. today.

During halftime of Tuesday’s KSS-Oly girls soccer game, I managed to catch the tail end of the KSS-Oly volleyball match. KSS, which has yet to win a match, lost 3-0.
Olympic coach Keith Peden had some nice things to say about the KSS team:
“They are rebuilding, they’ve only got one senior. But they look better than I’ve seen Klahowya look in a long time. They are coming along.”

As the not-nearly-fearless operator of this interactive sports engine, I hope to bring you, the readers, additional — interesting — insight and analysis on all sports, all Central Kitsap, all the time.

Inside the Huddle will focus on the athletes and coaches who comprise the sports landscape of Central Kitsap. During the academic school year, that means you’ll receive additional news about your favorite student-athletes and high school teams — Olympic, CK and Klahowya. During the summer, that means you’ll hear even more about the Kitsap BlueJackets, Kitsap Pumas and the other teams and athletes who lace ‘em up under the sunshine of Silverdale. This is an opportunity to expand coverage and, if all goes to plan, make the Central Kitsap Reporter sports section better than it already is.

There are times when stories or news briefs or interesting little tidbits don’t make it into the Central Kitsap Reporter print edition because there simply is not enough space. In launching Inside the Huddle, my goal is to close that gap.

There is a comment section here for a reason. Please use it! If you like something, let us know. If you hate something, let us know. We’re here to provide coverage that is both comprehensive and colorful. If there is a sports-related topic you’d like to read about at Inside the Huddle, or if you have a question of any kind, please chime in.

Welcome to Inside the Huddle, your one-stop Central Kitsap sports blog.