2002 was the year of the three-peat
SANDPOINT — Nobody knows who first said “good things come in threes” or even why they said it, but they’d certainly get no argument from Randy Thoreson or Adam Tajan, who each stewarded their teams to a third consecutive 4A state title in 2002.
Not only did these two teams excel on the pitch, but in the classroom as well, boasting 3.6 team GPA’s and winning academic state championships as well. SHS athletic director Jack Dyck had high praise for the entire 2002 fall sports season, which netted four team state banners.
“We should all be proud of our student athletes and coaches. I know I am,” Dyck told the Daily Bee. “What a fall season they’ve put together. They have worked very hard and all deserve a hand.”
n 2002 Sandpoint boys soccer team
ROSTER: Luke Miller, Halvor Mikkelsen, Lee France, Andy Cottrell, Jason Cates, Justin Ziegler, Mike Wold, Travis Smith, Jordan Wahlin, Pat Hoffman, Ty Thomas, Jonathan Davis, Conor Baranski, Zach Jones, Billy Mundell, Luke Henry, Lonnie Williams, Arien Reiner, Casey Bostock, Travis Smith, Anthony Sorentino, head coach Randy Thoreson and assistants Rik Mikkelsen and Bill Radcliffe.
For the second consecutive season, the team never tasted defeat, allowing a paltry three goals en route to the title.
The Bulldogs beat Vallivue 3-0 in the championship game, getting goals from senior Luke Miller, Mike Wold and Justin Ziegler and a shutout from goalie Andy Cottrell. The win ran their unbeaten streak to 59-0-3, a prodigious run.
Miller would be named the Inland Empire League Most Valuable Player while the other Luke, Henry, won IEL Defensive Player of the year and Thoreson IEL Coach of the Year honors.
After winning districts, Thoreson said of a three-peat “if it happens, great, but if not, I know these guys will have left everything on the field.”
Quote of the Year: “Can anybody beat those guys?” asked Vallivue coach Thom Barker of favored Sandpoint prior to the state tournament. “That’s everybody’s goal: to get the next shot.”
n 2002 Sandpoint girls soccer
ROSTER: Jesy Rosholt, Becca Sturm, Micah Thoreson, Kasey McKittrick, Jesse Schifrin, Jazmine Knaggs, Abby Jensen, Callie Weiden, Erika Snedden, Elle Carne, Heather Reifsnyder, Kylie France, Angie Menghini, Amanda Jensen, Allison Gillis, Brooke Donnelly, Margo Lane, Sarah Snedden, Courtney Wood, head coach Adam Tajan and assistant Ed Bock.
Not to be outdone by their male counterparts, the Bulldog girls accomplished a three-peat of their own, finishing the season with a sterling 19-1-2 record.
You know you’re good when you travel to Lewiston and win 7-0, and head coach Adam Tajan (IEL Coach of the Year) is quoted after the game as saying “I thought we played a little sluggish. We were coming off two tough games against Coeur d’Alene and Lake City.”
The season had a wild end, with the state title game heading to a dramatic shootout after 100 minutes of scoreless soccer. Senior Jesy Rosholt, who was named IEL Offensive Player of the Year, and sophomore Abby Jensen each scored in the shootout, and Heather Reifsnyder (IEL Keeper of the Year) made some big stops at goalie in the win.
Rosholt, who played soccer in college at Oklahoma State where here brothers Jake and Jared would wrestle, was quoted after the game as saying “Heather is definitely the best keeper in the state.”
Quote of the Year: “I hate to see a game come down to penalty kicks. It’s just a bad way to decide a state championship,” Adam Tajan told the Bee after the game. “I’m 25 but feel much older after that game. I don’t think I have any gray hair, but I’ll have to check again when I get home.”
See tomorrow’s Daily Bee for a look back at the 2002 Sandpoint wrestling team, the final champ of aught-two, before jumping feet first into 2003.