One of the most decorated senior classes to roam the halls of Napavine High School witnessed a handful of athletes put pen to paper to play at the next level.
Eight Tigers participated in a signing day ceremony on Friday afternoon in the school gymnasium. Hayden Kaut, the girls basketball hero of the 2024 state championship team and the 2026 third-place bunch, was the headliner by signing with the University of Montana.
Three of her teammates – Hannay Fay, Taylen Evander and Sophia Bittner – also will play sports at the junior college level. Evander, the C2BL Co-MVP alongside Kaut this winter, will take her talents to Lower Columbia College for hoops while Bittner will also play basketball for Wenatchee Valley.
Fay, a standout multi-sport athlete, will go to Longview and LCC to continue her soccer career. Another Napavine standout, Kennedy Purvis, will make it a trio of Red Devils with her signage to play volleyball.
Lyla Kirkpatrick heads to Bellevue College to keep playing softball. The two boys at the ceremony – Cal Bullock and Masen Jeg – will stay north of the Lewis County border.
Bullock will play college baseball for Centralia College and Jeg heads to Pacific Lutheran to double up in football plus track and field.
Napavine Athletics Director Josh Fay was appreciative of the seniors for representing Napavine and still being able to continue with their athletic passions.
“To have eight kids out of a 2B school to continue their athletic careers, it is pretty neat,” he said. “Great group of kids that have had a lot of success in everything they've done here. They are a big part of the overall culture of Napavine athletically and academically.”
