Columbia River had three teams win state championships this school year, including a perfect season from the boys soccer team this spring

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

Cole Benner and Hunter Cunningham showed up on campus Wednesday morning, wearing Columbia River soccer gear, still in the glow of a championship.

It turned out, that was their first day of school since the Rapids won the Class 2A state boys soccer title on Saturday. With the holiday on Monday, and the unofficial, (but kind-of-official) senior skip day on Tuesday, they had some extra time on their hands to process what they and their teammates accomplished.

Columbia River boys soccer is on top of the Class 2A world.

Championships are contagious at Columbia River, too. This high school was the place to be in order to celebrate sports for the 2022-23 academic year.

Perhaps the Columbia River Rapids should change their name again, this time to Columbia River Champions.

There are nine “traditional team sports” that are sanctioned by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association. Those are sports that do not have any individual medals. Of the eight, Columbia River won three state championships.

The Columbia River boys soccer team joined the Columbia River girls soccer team as state champions. The girls won it all in the fall. And the Columbia River volleyball team also won a state title in the fall.

The Rapids weren’t done. 

Lauren and Sydney Dreves won the Class 2A girls doubles championship in tennis on Saturday, leading the team to a second-place finish. The Dreves sisters are also on the volleyball team, so they, personally, experienced state championships in the fall and spring.

Champions are everywhere at Columbia River.

“It’s insane,” Benner said

Cunningham was particularly impressed with the two soccer titles. 

“Soccer is River’s sport,” Cunningham said. “Doesn’t matter if it’s the guys or the girls. I think that’s really cool.”

But again, it is not just soccer.

“It’s super exciting to represent River,” Lauren Dreves said. “We have a really good support system at this school, with the teachers, the administration, and the students are always happy and excited for us. It’s just fun having good sports. All the teams here are close and are really supportive of each other.”

The latest team title for the Rapids was perfect. As in a perfect season.

The Columbia River boys soccer team went 24-0, outsourcing its opponents 114-9.

But there was some drama. North Kitsap took a 2-1 lead early in the second half on Saturday.

“I never really lost much hope,” Benner said. “They went up 2-1, but I had a lot of confidence in us to be able to fight back in that game. The hope never died. Our team played with so much heart. North Kitsap was really hurting at the end of the game. Our team was still going at them. Everybody on our team had a huge amount of endurance and adrenaline.”

Columbia River had trailed 1-0 in two previous matches this season.

“We’ve been able to crawl back before,” Cunningham said. “We wanted it so bad. We just kept fighting and kept fighting until we got those goals.”

Up 4-2, the Rapids were feeling it, and waiting for the final whistle blows.

Then it was over.

State champions.

“It’s a huge stress reliever when that final whistle blows,” Benner said. “Immediately, we all just jumped on each other and started screaming. 

“There is no feeling like it. All the effort we put into the system, gaining that trust in each other, it paid off,” Cunningham said. “Getting in the dogpile … there’s no feeling like it.”

The Rapids were on an adrenaline rush for another hour or so on the ride home. They played Queen’s “We Are The Champions” and sang along. The 2018 state champions from Rive did the same thing, so the Rapids hope this becomes a tradition. The seniors passed their cleats around, and everyone on the team signed the cleats.

After a break for a meal, everything got quiet for the rest of the way home from Renton.

“Everyone just passed out on the bus,” Benner said. “We were so exhausted.”

“It was super silent that last hour,” Cunningham added.

Days later, the captains of the team say that will love the memories they made this season.

“This is my family here,” Benner said. “To be able to end my soccer career with this team, it’s something super special.”

“Every year, we focus on being a family,” Cunningham added. “Throughout the year, we stick to the family aspect. It will be a team I’ll never forget.”

It is not just a family “feel” for the Dreves sisters, who enjoyed their first tennis title together. Interestingly, it was not the first tennis title in the family, though. 

Lauren Dreves won the doubles title last year with then-senior Grace Rudi. That means Lauren now has four state titles — two with the volleyball team and two with tennis. 

Lauren appreciates that she and her sister are so competitive. They make a perfect team. The Dreves did not lose a set this season, winning in the state championship match 6-0, 6-3.

“We get into each other’s grills a lot when it gets tight. I know I can push her harder, and I know she won’t break,” Lauren said of Sydney. “I know her limits.”

Lauren is a junior and Sydney is a sophomore, so it’s very possible they will push each other even harder next year. 

That’s what they do. 

That’s what Columbia River athletes do at the school of champions.