KALAMA — Less than four months after leading the Kalama Chinooks girls soccer squad to an undefeated league season and a runner-up finish in the 2B state tournament final, coach John Bates is leaving for Napavine.
In 12 seasons leading the Kalama girls soccer team, Bates led the Chinooks to one state championship, four second-place finishes, a third-place finish and four consecutive district titles to close out his tenure. The search is well underway to find his successor according to Kalama athletic director Kevin Wright.
“Coach Bates leaves a legacy of winning and hard work with our program,” Wright said. “He led multiple very successful teams all with a different cast of kids under his leadership. He and assistants Pat Shipley and Brad Given were a very dynamic team that complemented each other well.”
Bates, 66, leaves Kalama with a 119-25-2 record at the 2B level He called his time in Kalama the best he’s had as a coach.
“It was the best time I’ve ever had coaching,” Bates said. “The girls were great. I had great support there. The athletic directors were great, the assistant coaches (and) the parents. It just made it really easy. I loved it.”
With Bates’ departure to Napavine, Kalama will open play in the new look 1A Trico League with a new coach roaming the sidelines in 2024. The move to 1A played a key role in Bates opting for a new challenge.
“I’m getting old now. (With Kalama) moving up to 1A, I just don’t have the energy for that,” Bates said. “We accomplished everything we needed to do there. The girls have been great… It was a great run for (Kalama) and a lot of memories made.”
Bates wasn’t sure how many years he had left coaching, but said he is excited about a new chapter with Napavine.
“I just love the game. I love to coach the kids, see them progress, see them working together and become a team,” said Bates. “That’s what it’s all about.”
Napavine athletic director Josh Fay confirmed the hire to the Longview Daily News. Last season the Tigers finished second to Kalama in the Central 2B League standings with an 8-1-1 league record and 11-5-3 overall after losing to Adna in the district playoffs.
“We think it’s a good marriage,” said Napavine athletic director Josh Fay. “We’re definitely excited that he’s willing to make the commute up. We have really good athletes that need to be developed in the soccer world and I believe that he can do that for us.”
The Tigers could be a force in the C2BL and district IV level quickly. The team loses just one senior off of the 2023 team which fell one game shy of a state playoff berth. If Napavine’s entire roster returns in ‘24, coach Bates will have four seniors and seven juniors headlining the upperclassmen ranks.
Kalama, meanwhile, is set to return a healthy portion of its roster for the ‘24 season including leading goal scorer and the 2B offensive player of the year in Bridgette Hollifield following its runner-up finish in the 2B state championship game.
Kalama also has its top defender in center back Aubrey Doerty, the 2B defensive player of the year, returning for her senior season as well as Hollifield’s forward counterpart Sienna DiCristina.
The Chinooks will have to find a way to replace midfielder Josie Brandenburg, the engine of the team’s offense over the last three seasons.
And now, too, Kalama will have to find a replacement for the coach who has been a rock for the girls soccer program the last 12 years.
