State team championships in softball. Notable individual accomplishments in wrestling, soccer, swimming and golf, plus record-setting feats in football and basketball.

Those were among the top Twin Harbors sports stories of 2017.

Traditionally, the top 10 stories would be selected. But, due to a tie for 10th, 11 stories are listed here.

The Daily World’s selection of the year’s male and female Athletes of the Year, Team of the Year and Coach of the Year will appear in the Jan. 3 edition.

The top 11 stories.

1. Revenge is sweet.

Montesano’s softball team had two major objectives entering the 2017 campaign: Earn its 20th consecutive state appearance and avenge its loss to La Center from the 2016 state 1A championship game.

Both missions were accomplished in May.

With each team returning a solid nucleus from the previous year, additional Montesano-La Center confrontations appeared pre-ordained.

The Bulldogs made an initial statement by blanking the Wildcats behind the pitching of Samantha Stanfield, 5-0, in the District IV championship game.

After topping Evergreen 1A League rival Hoquiam, 10-2, in the state semifinals in Richland, Montesano found La Center again waiting in the championship game.

This time Stanfield pitched a two-hitter and Peyton Poler drove in three runs as the Bulldogs survived uncharacteristically shaky defense to prevail, 8-2.

It was the ninth state softball title for Montesano and head coach Pat Pace.

As usual, the state tourney turned into a Southwest Washington showcase. Hoquiam, which outlasted Elma in nine innings in a winner-to-state, loser-out district contest, collected a third-place state trophy. Behind the pitching and hitting of English Hyde, the Grizzlies beat Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls in the game to determine third place.

2. Remember the Titans — and Wildcats.

Few state champions have been more dominant in recent years than Pe Ell-Willapa Valley’s softball team.

Hitting better than .500 as a team, the Titans blew away its competition in the Central League, the traditional cradle of state 2B champions. A 10-0 mercy-rule rout of Napavine in the District IV championship game was typical of their conquests.

At state, the Pacific-Lewis County combine outscored its opposition 65-6. Sidney Pollard and Katelyn McGough supported the pitching of Dakota Brooks with three RBIs apiece as the Titans again trounced Napavine, 10-1, in the state championship contest.

Under the direction of veteran coach Ken Olson, Pe Ell-Willapa Valley finished with a 24-1 record. Its lone loss was to Class 1A champion Montesano.

Ocosta, meanwhile, made some softball history of its own. The Wildcats held their own against rugged Central League opposition at district and earned their first-ever state appearance.

With victories over Dayton and Kittitas, the Wildcats advanced to the state semifinals where they ran afoul of PWV. A subsequent loss to Northwest Christian-Colbert prevented them from securing a state trophy.

3. A jaw-dropping accomplishment.

Perhaps the year’s most compelling sports story lacked only a happy ending for Hoquiam golfer John Sand.

On the final hole of his last practice round prior to the state 1A tournament in Pasco, Sand had the shaft of his 6-iron snap in mid-swing. The clubhead hit him in the mouth — fracturing his upper jaw, bloodying his mouth and forcing one of his front teeth out of alignment.

Playing through the pain, Sand was nonetheless poised to win a second state championship when he took a two-stroke lead late in the final round. Putting woes, however, forced him into a sudden-death playoff with Cle Elum-Roslyn’s Nick Baker, who birdied the first playoff hole to win the title.

Despite what was literally and figuratively a painful finish, Sand completed a remarkable career at Hoquiam that included four district championships and a state title (in 2014).

After making a strong run at the Grays Harbor Pro-Am title in late August (after taking the opening-round lead, he wound up fifth overall), Sand began his college career in the fall at Denver University.

4. Mat Classics.

Grays Harbor athletes were unusually productive at Mat Classic — the multi-classification state wrestling extravaganza at the Tacoma Dome in February.

Harborites went 3-for-3 in the title round, although two of the matches ended prematurely under unusual circumstances.

Montesano’s Austin Cain, at 160 pounds, and Taylor Rupe, at 285, captured their second consecutive state 1A championships, while North Beach’s Seth Bridge prevailed in the Class B 285-pound final.

Cain was the lone Harborite to win conventionally, as he decisioned Colville’s Thailer Morrison, 8-3, in the title match.

Rupe received a forfeit victory when he was slammed into an off-mat scoreboard by Connell’s Alexander Deines and hit his head on the concrete floor during the 285-pound final. Sustaining a concussion, Rupe was unable to continue and was awarded the victory.

Bridge won by injury default when his opponent, Toledo’s Dalton Yoder, suffered a knee injury during the title bout.

Montesano wound up placing fifth as a team in the 1A classification.

5. Field day at state.

Twin Harbors track athletes harvested 10 titles at the state 1A, 2B and 1B meets in May at Cheney.

Oddly enough, nine came in field events. The lone runner to win state was Raymond’s Sean Sath, who registered an upset victory in the boys 110-meter hurdles at the 2B meet.

Raymond’s Karlee Freeman, Montesano’s Jordan Spradlin and North Beach’s Seth Bridge won multiple titles — all in the shot put and discus.

Despite aggravating a knee injury at district the previous weekend, Freeman repeated as state 2B girls discus champion and also captured the shot put.

Spradlin completed a magnificent high school career by capturing her third successive state 1A girls shot put and discus titles. Her mark of 139-3 in the latter event represented a season best by some seven feet. A standout in basketball and volleyball as well as track, Spradlin is currently a member of the University of Arizona track team.

North Beach senior Bridge uncorked a meet-record throw of 56-5 1/4 on his next-to-the-last attempt to take the 2B boys shot on the first day of the two-day meet. He won the state discus on the final day.

Taholah’s Levi Jackson was also a repeat state champion, bettering his previous PR by some seven feet in successfully defending his state 1B boys javelin title with a throw of 181 feet.

Hoquiam’s Devin Merksick and North Beach’s Tawni Blankenship were first-time state titlists.

A transfer from Nebraska, Merksick cleared 6-6 to avoid a jump-off, then made 6-8 to take the boys 1A high jump. Blankenship won the girls 2B pole vault with a mark of 11 feet.

Aberdeen’s Bryan Sidor had the hardest luck at state. The leading qualifier in the boys 2A 400 meters, Sidor was outleaned at the tape by Sedro-Wooley’s Davis Mihelich in the finals.

6. Domination in the pool.

Matching first-place punch with their traditional depth, Aberdeen’s female swimmers continued their domination in the pool.

How dominating were they? Despite having two relay teams disqualified for early takeoffs in the all-classification Southwest Washington Championships, the Bobcats still won the team title by 53 points. They were also unbeaten in dual competition.

Earning state berths in all but one event, the Bobcats easily captured their fifth successive District IV Class 2A title. Racking up 466 points, they finished 183 points ahead of their nearest rivals.

Freshman Anna Weber won the state 100-yard breaststroke the following week to help the Bobcats to a sixth-place state finish as a team.

7. Record-setters

Hoquiam basketball player Jack Adams III and Aberdeen football standout Kylan Touch surpassed long-established school records in their respective sports.

A four-year starter for the Grizzlies, Adams set HHS single-season (555 points) and career (1,645 points) scoring records in leading the Grizzlies to a second consecutive state tournament appearance. He averaged 22.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest in the 2016-17 campaign.

Adams is currently playing as a reserve for the Pacific Lutheran University men’s basketball team.

Touch ended his AHS football career last fall as the possessor of at least a share of 10 school records.

Those include single-game (367), season (2,106) and career (3,742) rushing yards, touchdowns in a game (eight), season (24) and career (45). With a 95-yard kickoff return, he also matched Alex Chicano’s school mark in that category.

8. Triumph and heartbreak.

Hoquiam’s and Taholah’s boys and Montesano’s girls registered landmark accomplishments in basketball. None, however, translated into a state trophy.

Members of Montesano’s remarkable 2017 class of female athletes never lost an Evergreen 1A League game during their high school careers, going 48-0 since 2014.

Due to a change in the regional and state selection process, the Bulldogs even attained a long-elusive goal of qualifying for state.

But a regional loss to Okanogan relegated Monte to the single-elimination first round of the 1A tournament in Yakima. There, the Bulldogs suffered a hard-fought 54-49 loss to Meridian. Their senior post Jordan Spradlin earned all-state recognition.

The state’s new RPI formula, meanwhile, did Hoquiam’s boys no favors.

After surviving arguably the most exciting game of the season, a triple-overtime semifinal conquest of La Center, the Grizzlies captured the District IV championship with a 64-61 win over King’s Way Christian.

Despite that accomplishment and their sixth-place finish at state the previous year, the Grizzlies rose no higher than 35th in Class 1A RPI index and were forced to travel to Cheney for regionals. They trounced top-seeded Medical Lake, 90-75, at regionals but were the victims of a last-second 3-point basket in a 57-56 state loss to Newport.

Taholah’s boys won their third successive district 1B championship, then walloped Naselle to qualify for state in Spokane. But they were eliminated by Neah Bay in the opening round of state. Taholah’s Zach Cain earned all-state recognition.

Although standout Karlee Freeman missed the season with a knee injury, Raymond’s senior-dominated girls ended a 12-year state drought. They were also eliminated in the opening round.

Elma’s and Taholah’s girls bowed out at the regional level. The Chitwhin girls also won a district championship.

9. On the gridiron.

For the second consecutive year, Twin Harbors teams were more successful in regular-season than post-season play.

Montesano went unbeaten during the regular season, captured the Evergreen 1A League title and earned its 11th successive state berth. Hoquiam overcame significant graduation losses to make its fifth state appearance in the last six years. Pe Ell-Willapa Valley, also hit hard by graduation, won its third successive league championship by dominating Pacific League competition.

That trio represented the only area teams to survive the crossover round and advance to state.

Unfortunately for Montesano and Hoquiam, the road to the Tacoma Dome went through — and ended — at Bellingham. Meridian of Bellingham thumped the Grizzlies, 63-21, in the opening round of the 1A playoffs. The Trojans also shut down Monte’s high-powered offense, 28-7, in the following week’s quarterfinals.

For what it’s worth, Meridian also eliminated the third Southwest Washington entry (La Center) in the semifinals without leaving its home field at Civic Stadium. The Trojans fell to Royal in the state championship game at the Tacoma Dome.

Pe Ell-Willapa Valley also advanced to the state quarterfinals in the state 2B classification. Controlling the ball for 31 of the game’s first 34 scrimmage plays, the Titans built a 15-6 lead over top-ranked Kalama. But they subsequently had no answer for Kalama’s explosive attack and fell 50-15. The Chinooks went on to win state.

T10. Choker accomplishments.

Grays Harbor College’s recently revived men’s wrestling program continued to flourish.

Bolstered by first-place finishes from James Jones, Bryce Serna, Denzell Morrow, Brek McGaughy, Joe Leal and 38-year-old Elma High grad Dominic Curulla, the Chokers repeated as NWAC champions. They wound up 10th at nationals, with Morrow earning All-American recognition.

Grays Harbor College’s women’s basketball team enjoyed a fine season by qualifying for the NWAC tournament in Everett. The Choker are off to a strong start again this season.

T10. Unlikely district championships.

District championships by Harbor athletes and teams are too numerous to detail. They, however, included a few that were improbable.

Despite failing to crack the top five individually, Montesano used its depth to take the District IV Class 1A team title in boys cross country.

Hoquiam overcame the graduation of John Sand to win its third successive district 1A team title in boys golf.

Perhaps the strangest district title, however, came in boys tennis — a sport not associated with rainy Grays Harbor and its absence of indoor courts. Aberdeen won the District IV team championship, despite failing to advance anyone to state.