Interlake will be without first team All-KingCo selection Chad Shapard and second team honoree Nate Lafavour.
Head coach Dan Peterson said returning second team all league selections Arden Chew and Jose Castillo provide experience and confidence to a group looking to make a playoff push.
“It is really important to have kids who feel like they are supposed to be successful,” he said. “They bring the mentality they are supposed to win.”
Defender Nestor Quijada and forward Issac Reed are two more players Peterson said have the chance to make a major contribution to a playoff run.
“Every year the goal is to play as many games as you can,” he said. “I think we should definitely be a KingCo playoff team, and we will see how we stack up.”
The Saints beat crosstown Newport 3-0 to start the year before taking the defending conference champs from Liberty to overtime before falling 1-0. Wins over Hazen and Mount Si have bolstered the confidence of a group looking to make the 3A state tournament for the first time, after a run of four trips to state as a member of Class 2A from 2009-2012.
Totems, Wolverines looking for 3A state spot
Sammamish was only one goal from its second state tournament appearance in three seasons last year before falling 4-3 to Sedro-Woolley in its 2A bi-district playoff game.
The Totems finished in front of Lake Washington in the regular season to claim the conference’s lone 2A postseason spot, and won two games in the tournament to reach the third place game.
Sammamish is 1-2-0 after a loss to Mercer Island Tuesday to begin conference play, and faces Mount Si in Snoqualmie Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Bellevue lost its conference opener 2-0 to Lake Washington on Tuesday, and faces Juanita tonight in Kirkland at 7:30 p.m.
Newport set to start 4A KingCo play
Newport’s Jordan Thompson earned KingCo Player of the Year honors in his senior season in 2013, but was unable to help his team to a postseason berth.
The Knights have dropped games to Chief Sealth, Hazen and Interlake to start the year, earning a 1-1 draw with Lake Stevens.
A trip to Skyline starts the 4A KingCo season at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
