by Mark Butcher

Sports Writer

Twenty-two student-athletes - 15 eighth-graders and 7 seventh-graders – stepped into the Mountain View Middle School gym Monday (Oct. 29^th) to tryout for the varsity and junior varsity (JV) boys basketball teams. Fifteen days later, on Tuesday, Nov. 13^th, twenty will have made the cut and have earned the privilege to step onto the Bremerton school bus bound for their first game against the Central Kitsap Cub at Central Kitsap Middle School in Silverdale, Wash.

For the second year in a row the Squires open on the road.

“I like going on the road,” said third-year Head Coach Jesse Taylor. “It is a hostile environment and it shows a players current skill level under pressure. Anyone can play well at home, where they are comfortable. The true test of an athlete is can they play well in someone else’s house.”

Under Coach Taylor the program has seen a resurgence. He has guided the Mountain View Varsity to a 15 & 4 (.789) record in his first two seasons and won the West Sound Middle School Championship last season.

The 2018 season presents Taylor with the two new challenges. First, building a team with no returning varsity players. Bremerton alumnus Marshaun Thompson, who took over midway through the 2017 season, guided the Squires JV team to a 6 & 4 (.600) record last year. Five of those players hope to wear a varsity uniform this season but only two worked on their game in the off-season playing Pee Wees and/or Select basketball..

“Off-season skills training and court time is crucial in a players development,” Thomas explained. “This year’s 8^th graders haven’t worked on their game like last year’s players did.”

Coach Taylor's and Thompson's second challenge will be competing in a more competitive league.

“The primary concern of the coaches and the athletic directors was better competitive balance,” said Mark Swafford, Hawkins Middle School Athletic Director. “In the past, the schools were divided into two divisions, a northern and a southern division. This year we rearranged the schedules so the schools with larger student populations now solely play each other and the small schools compete against one another.”

Gone from Mountain Views schedule are longtime rivals: the Bainbridge Wildcats; the McMurray Mustangs; the Hawkins Huskies; and the Klahowya Eagles. Taking their place are the Central Kitsap Cubs and the Ridgetop Raiders.

“I am looking forward to the new schedule,” Taylor stated. “Central Kitsap and Ridgetop have players our boys are familiar with. They competed against them in Pee Wees.”

Also absent from the 2018 schedule are division crossover games and a championship game. In the new format each team plays the five teams twice (home and away) and league championship honors will be awarded based upon the final standings.

Complimenting the new big school / small school format is the addition of ‘West Sound MS League’ sports to OlympicLeague.com. On the website the high school teams have been using for the better part of a decade, you can find now find rosters, schedules, results, and standing for all the West Sound middle school sports.

“There are still a few kinks to work out,” Swafford added, “but we are excited about the coverage middle school sports will now be getting.”

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