Colton High School Continues to Produce State Championships Despite Athletics Deficit, Low Enrollment

Colton High School football field and baseball field in Colton, Washington. 

COLTON, Washington -- Despite facing an increasing athletics deficit and drawing from a population of under 500, according to a 2015 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, Colton High School has served home to the past eight Class 1B women's basketball state championships dating back to 2009.

With a small talent pool to pull from the rural community has found success in high school athletics by first building a successful youth program with a positive culture. Nathan Smith, who serves as both superintendent and principle, has seen the development from student assistants at the elementary age level to becoming the next talented group of athletes at the high school level.

"It’s kind of amazing to look back at our elementary kids that were first and second grades who were managers on those teams," Smith said, recalling the rise in Colton's women's basketball program. ". Now they’re starting on those teams. It’s the youth kids who have been brought through this system over the last eight to ten years."

Smith said the current high school enrollment is between 58 and 60 with K-12 enrollment at 142, with the highest peaking at 170 students. The high school enrollment has always been under 100 according to Smith, with Colton also drawing students from nearby Uniontown, Washington where the two communities unite for youth flag football. 

Tayha Trimble, a 2016 graduate of Colton who attended almost every home women's basketball game  while in high school, believes the numbers don't express the true community feel that drives the school. 

"It was special because Colton doesn't have a lot going outside of going to school and either playing or supporting athletics by going to games," Trimble said. "Just seeing how much it really meant to the town, and not just ours because everyone was celebrating and even when you graduate that doesn't go away."

That sediment isn't lost on those who once attended Colton, including Jim Moehrle, who has spent the past 25 years in various capacities within the school district and currently serves as the high school's athletic director.  

Prior to returning to Colton in the early 1990s, having grown up in the town and playing baseball in high school and going on to play at Lewis and Clark State College, Moehrle said the school was unable to field a varsity women's basketball team. But through community involvement and building a successful youth development system the school has found success. 

"Obviously the involvement with the success has seen increased involvement, but more of an increased dedication to it," Moehrle said. "Basketball has always been one of the higher turnouts for girls sports around here."

However, with the success has also brought a struggle to keep up with the costs of running high school athletics. According to the Colton High School website in August 2014 the school's general athletics budget revealed at $13,462.16 deficit. One year later the deficit grew to $16,699.77 with the football program also facing a slight deficit. 

Moehrle said the deficit is due in large part to the WIAA and Officials Association agreement, which each school pays regardless of enrollment, which has also been decreasing at Colton. 

"Officials cost is our biggest thing as far as the deficit goes," Moehrle said. "The contract the W.I.A.A. has with the officials’ association, you’re tied to whatever the price is. So that’s our biggest outflow of money, and then small school our income isn’t great. 

"We get good crowds for what we have numbers wise in the town. But when you do that the only income you’re really getting is from the other schools because all your fans have bought passes.”

Colton is seeking its ninth consecutive women's basketball state championship with a record of 19-2 entering state playoffs. Smith believes even with the players graduating this season the success will continue to built off itself. 

"Making sure we have programs that are promoted all the way through our kindergarten classes," Smith said. "Making sure that we have high school students that are always looking to our elementary students to support them. We are one of a few schools where our kindergartener kids walk by our seniors every day in the hallway, so that interaction needs to be positive and stressing that interaction is huge.”

Outline:

1 - Lede and background to Colton women's basketball
2 - Nathan Smith introduction
3 - First Smith quote 
4 - Colton  enrollment numbers 
5 - Tayha Trimble introduction
6 - Trimble quote 
7 -  Jim Moehrle introduction
8 - Background on Moehrle 
9 - Moehrle quote
10 - Athletic budget deficit numbers
11 - Conclusion
12 - Final Smith quote 

Sources: 

Nathan Smith: nsmith@colton.k12.wa.us

Jim Moehrle: jmoehrle@colton.k12.wa.us

Tayha Trimble:  (509) 592-0847