From the moment Jake Locker signed his national letter of intent to play college football at the University of Washington, the wheels of the hype machine were set in motion.
By the start of the 2010 season that machine had reached ludicrous speeds with Locker being picked as a preseason favorite to contend for the Heisman Trophy as the best player in college football and tabbed by some as the likely first pick in 2011 National Football League Draft.
The fall started with Locker barnstorming New York and appearing on ESPN, but after a slow start to the season that saw the Huskies lose six of their first nine games it didn't take long for the wheels on that hype machine to fall off.
Locker had one of the worst games of his career in a 56-21 loss to Nebraska at home and fell out of the Heisman race after completing just four passes and throwing two interceptions. It didn't get much better from there.
Mounting injuries slowed Locker and after a quality win against the University of Southern California, a loss to Arizona State, and a double overtime victory against Oregon State, the Huskies dropped three straight games to nearly end their bowl game hopes.
But Locker recovered in time from a broken rib to help UW to a win at home against UCLA. Then two more wins, including one over rival Washington State University in the Apple Cup, locked up a spot in the team's first bowl game since 2002.
And while a trip to the Holiday Bowl - which the Huskies won 19-7 over No. 17 Nebraska - wasn't the storybook ending to Locker's senior season and college career that many envisioned, it was still satisfying for Locker.
"It's everything I've ever hoped, all that I could enjoy," Locker said in an official UW game story after the Apple Cup victory. "It's awesome."
2. SQUALICUM REPEATS, WHATCOM COUNTY CLEANS UP AT STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS
If there were any doubt that some of the best Class 2A basketball in the state is played in the Northwest Conference and in Whatcom County it was put to rest in March. Along with the Squalicum boys' team repeating as state champions - and defeating conference rival Burlington-Edison to do it - Mount Baker finished fifth at state while Lynden was sixth. In Class 1A Meridian also played for a state championship, coming short against Cascade Christian, while Nooksack Valley placed eighth at state.
On the girls side, Lynden Christian came back from the Class 1A state tournament with a third place trophy and Burlington-Edison placed sixth. Also making the trip were Lynden and Nooksack Valley and Squalicum. The Lummi boys' and girls' teams also reached the Class 1B state tournament.
3. LUMMI FOOTBALL WINS ITS FIRST STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
The Lummi football program has never been short on success having reached the Class 1B state playoffs six consecutive seasons and the Tacoma Dome four times prior to this year, but its ultimate goal had remained elusive - until December. The Blackhawks defeated Cusick 55-30 in the Class 1B state championship game to capture their first title after falling short in two of the three previous seasons. Eddy Williams scored four touchdowns and Class 1B state player of the year Eric Robinson added three more to lift Lummi to the win.
But the victory went deeper than what happened on the field. It extended to a community that's rallied around a Blackhawks football program as a source of pride and accomplishment for several years now and to a coach in Jim Sandusky who has stayed true to the school despite many offers at bigger things. When Lummi's fans started chanting "Sandman" for their longtime coach and he was hoisted on his players' shoulders, there was scarcely a dry eye in the Dome.
4. NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH HOST THE BIGGEST WINTER SPORTS SPECTALE IN THE WORLD
For 17 days in February all eyes in the sports world turned to Vancouver, B.C., for the 2010 Winter Olympics and through that lens Whatcom County had its chance to shine. Whether it was through volunteering to help prepare courses, officiating events, participating in the opening ceremonies, or simply serving as a gateway into Canada, the area left its fingerprints on the Winter Games.
Athletes with ties to Whatcom County also left their mark. Karen Thatcher, who calls Blaine home, helped the U.S. women's hockey team win silver in Vancouver. Seth Wescott, who has competed several times at the Legendary Banked Slalom at Mount Baker, took gold in the men's snowboard cross. Maelle Ricker, another frequent Banked Slalom participant, took gold for Canada in the women's snowboard cross. And numerous athletes who have competed at Ski to Sea participated in cross country ski events for several different countries.
5. WHATCOM COUNTY SWEEPS 2A STATE SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS
In recent years, the Northwest Conference has shown its dominance in high school boys' soccer, with Sehome, Squalicum and Bellingham winning the last three 2A state crowns.
But this year, the girls stepped up, too. Sehome put together a 22-1-1 season this fall on its way to the school's first girls' state soccer crown, and only the second for a Whatcom County girls' team (Meridian won a 1A state title in 2007). In November, the Mariners put their unique stamp on a super season via a 6-2 romp over White River in the title game.
In the spring, the Bellingham boys' soccer team marched to a 2A state championship, too, giving Whatcom County a straight sweep of 2A soccer. The Red Raiders were without two top players, yet still defeated Sehome 3-0 in the semifinal and Sequim 1-0 for the championship.
6. TOPP EARNS COUNTY'S FIRST SINGLES TITLE AS PREP TENNIS STEPS IT UP
With Will Topp, maybe it was a matter of when instead of if. But the dynamic tennis player from Sehome did something no other Whatcom County prep player had done: Win a singles state championship.
Still, Topp's three set win over rival Riley Newman of Mount Vernon in May for the 2A boys' state singles championship was but the tip of the iceberg for local high school tennis. With Topp's win, and several more top finishes, the Mariners boys' team also won its second straight state tennis title.
The girls were no slouches either, with Squalicum and Bellingham each landing a doubles team in the state championship. Red Raiders duo Bella Hoyos and Megan Mullarky paired up at the end of the regular season, but battled their way to a 2A state doubles title, beating the Storm team of Amy Wilson and Becca Wilson for the state crown.
The Storm's Leah Strickling did her best to match Topp's individual title with one of her own, but ended up finishing third after a remarkable 14-0 regular season. She helped Squalicum finish third as a team, too.
Another cross country season, another Sehome sweep.
The Mariners, led by coaches Kevin Ryan and Mark Kerr, were sharp again during the fall of 2010, with the girls' team picking up its fifth straight 2A state cross country championship, led by Katie Delahunt's 10th-place finish.
Meanwhile, Scott Carlyle won his second straight individual state title with a personal-best time of 15 minutes, 30.8 seconds while helping to net the Sehome boys' cross country team a state title, its second in three years.
Sehome was alone at the top, though. The Bellingham girls' cross country team landed a third-place finish at state and Squalicum's Brittany Gappa led Whatcom County runners with a fifth-place individual finish. Bellingham also nabbed third-place at the boys' state meet while Squalicum finished fifth.
8. WESTERN WASHINGTON ATHLETICS TURNS IN EXCELLENT 2010
In 2010, Western Washington University continued its dominance on the athletic field.
Team highlights start with the women's rowing team with its sixth consecutive national championship. Both Viking basketball teams also reached their respective West Regional in 2010, with the men reaching the semifinals, where they lost in overtime to the eventual national champion.
Providing the core of Western's success were its cross country and track and field teams. In cross country, the Vikings placed fourth nationally in the men's division and eighth in the women's division, the two highest finishes in school history. In indoor track, the women tied for 14th nationally and the men tied for 16th, and in outdoor track, both teams tied for 18th.
Individually, pole vaulter Ryan Brown was a national champion in both indoor and outdoor track, and distance runner Sarah Porter earned All-America honors in multiple sports, placing second nationally in cross country for the second straight season and finished as runner-up in the 10,000 meters at outdoor nationals in the spring.
In golf, the men's and women's golf teams competed in super regional. Volleyball made it to the West Regional semifinals, but lost in five sets to Seattle Pacific.
If Whatcom County's sweep of the 2A state soccer championships seems impressive, consider what the Sehome boys' and Squalicum girls' swim teams accomplished in 2010 - each team repeated as 2A state swim champions.
Most recently, Carlee Bock, Rylie Martin, Camorah King and Leah Strickling helped the Storm defend its 2A state championship in November, teaming up for a clinching win in the 400 freestyle relay. Bock also won a state title in the backstroke.
The Sehome boys were led by Austin Fish, who earned Swimmer of the Meet honors for the second straight year at the 2A state meet.
Better yet, both teams will again be strong in 2011. Fish returns for his senior season to spur the Mariner boys while Squalicum returns Bock, Martin, King, Strickling and more. Stay tuned.
10. THE BAGELRY CAN'T COMPLETE THREE-PEAT AT SKI TO SEA
Much of the drama leading up to the 2010 Ski to Sea race from Mount Baker to Bellingham Bay centered on whether two-time champions The Bagelry could win a third in row.
They couldn't, but losing to Olympic-caliber athletes is nothing to get too upset about.
Instead, Boss Construction took the title, utilizing the talents of cross-country skier Ivan Babikov, who took fifth place during the 2010 Winter Olympics in the men's 30-kilometer pursuit, while racing for Team Canada. Meanwhile, Barron Heating finished second, getting a leg from Team USA cross-country skier Torin Koos.
Meanwhile, The Bagelry took a third-place finish in the Competitive Open division and fourth-place finish overall.
It probably won't get any easier in coming years as Ski to Sea continues to draw some of the world's top athletes to race its unique seven-leg course.
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