While winning a state championship is a highly coveted goal, repeating is even a bigger challenge.

It is the mission directly in front of the Klahowya Eagles who, with a roster full of experience and ambition, have their eyes set on again landing atop the 1A schools of Washington state.

Expectations have soared for the team after its 2022 state championship, the third in the program’s history, but the challenge of repeating has never been achieved by the school. Coach Troy Oelschlager believes his team is more than equipped to take that step.

“You have the experience these girls have from club level, and they’ve been here before. With so many coming back, these girls know what to expect. We will be ready,” Oelschlager said.

It’s the experience of state competition that Oelschlager especially believes will help his team thrive, with all but two starters making the return to the 2023 squad. But it helps to have the talents of his younger players shining as well. “We’ve got a lot of quality players, but probably our top three are Amira Lyons, Ali Divano and Addyson Dickey, a freshman. She especially has been phenomenal; her speed is unmatchable.”

However, it’s times like a late afternoon Oct. 19 7-0 match against East Jefferson that concern the longtime coach. The match was 5-0 at halftime, and with the knowledge that it could have been a much larger if not for working on gimmicks, it was difficult for Oelschlager to keep his frustrations silent. “It’s hard to keep the girls motivated and focused,” he said. “Our league, unfortunately, is not the strongest league in the state, and so we have to play a lot of these types of games.”

It was especially difficult, he put it, as the visiting Rivals reportedly sat one of their best players after a couple of rough prior matches.

It’s not like the Eagles have neglected to play quality teams—their narrow opening victory against 2A’s North Kitsap highlighted a variety of solid wins on their resume. In-district competition such as Vashon Island and Bellevue Christian have given them reasonable competition. Yet, it’s the recent trend of games as playoffs grow closer that Oeschlager hopes will not leave his team without the necessary preparedness for another round of state competition.

“They want a challenge,” he said, “and games like this don’t make us better. These girls want to be better.”