Derek Clarkston, Kodiak Daily Mirror Journalist Profile

Articles

Kodiak boys win 3,200-meter relay at DI State Track and Field Championships

1 week ago | kodiakdailymirror.com | Derek Clarkston

Kodiak’s 3,200-meter relay team is back on top. The Bears picked up their 11th title in that event — first since 2021 — Saturday at the Division I State Track and Field Championships at Dimond High School in Anchorage. Joshua Hathaway, Weston Roberts, Gabriel Koehler and Miles Grimes produced a time of 8 minutes, 9.98 seconds, checking in three seconds ahead of Soldotna.
Kodiak finishes fifth in NLC, earns at-large berth to state

1 week ago | kodiakdailymirror.com | Derek Clarkston

After finishing tied for fifth in the Northern Lights Conference Championships, Kodiak baseball received some good news on Sunday. The Bears' season is not over. Kodiak is headed to their fifth consecutive Division II State Championships. The fun begins with a 10 a.m. matchup against Mid Alaska Conference runner-up Monroe Thursday at Coral Seymour Memorial Ball Park in Kenai. At 6-12, Kodiak earned the first of three at-large state berths.
Kodiak three-peats as NLC champions with 10-6 win over Soldotna

1 week ago | kodiakdailymirror.com | Derek Clarkston

When left fielder Abby Flerchinger saw a fly ball headed her direction, the senior had one thought. “If I’m not going to catch this, then everybody is going to be so mad,” Flerchinger said. Flerchinger made her teammates happy. When the yellow ball found leather, it closed out Kodiak’s 10-6 victory over Soldotna in the title game of the Northern Lights Conference Championships Saturday afternoon at Baranof Field, handing the Bears their third-straight crown.
Roberts, Timu earn top finishes on first day of state track meet

1 week ago | kodiakdailymirror.com | Derek Clarkston

Kodiak’s Weston Roberts and Tino Timu earned podium finishes on the opening day of the Division I State Track and Field Championships Friday at Dimond High School. Roberts placed fifth in the 3,200-meter run with a 10:03.79, while Timu tossed the shot put a personal-best 47-09.5 to place sixth.
Kodiak baseball ends NLC tourney with 7-3 loss to Kenai

1 week ago | kodiakdailymirror.com | Derek Clarkston

Kodiak baseball’s run at the Northern Lights Conference Championships ended Friday afternoon with a 7-3 loss to Kenai at Kosinski Fields in Anchorage. The Bears finished tied for fifth with Houston and will wait to see if their regular-season resume and 6-12 record are good enough to earn one of the three at-large berths to the Division II State Championships. The state bracket will be released on Sunday.
Mahle's walk-off double pushes Kodiak to NLC title game

1 week ago | kodiakdailymirror.com | Derek Clarkston

Jillian Mahle stood on second base, thinking that she had hit a routine double. The line drive to center field was so much more than that. The freshman power hitter’s pressure-packed double with two outs in the bottom of the seventh scored Hailee Henslee from third to give Kodiak a walk-off 4-3 instant classic win over Soldotna in Friday evening’s winner’s bracket championship game of the Northern Lights Conference Championships at Baranof Field. It was a magical Mahle moment.
State Track Preview: Baisa hurdling up Kodiak’s all-time list

1 week ago | kodiakdailymirror.com | Derek Clarkston

The 300-meter hurdles have become the marquee event for the Kodiak girls track team. Since 2019, five racers have hurdled onto the school’s all-time list in that event. It started with Hallee Blair’s school record time of 45.96, set as a junior (that time would most certainly have been lowered but her senior season was wiped out because of the pandemic). That same year, Hannah Villaroya recorded the second fastest time, a 47.75.
Kodiak baseball goes 1-1 on first day of NLC tourney

1 week ago | kodiakdailymirror.com | Derek Clarkston

Kodiak baseball sported a 1-1 record on the first day of the Northern Lights Conference Championships Thursday at Kosinski Fields in Anchorage. The fifth-seeded Bears blanked No. 4 Homer 2-0 in the first game, then fell to top seed Soldotna 13-4 later in the day. The Stars advanced to today’s 1 p.m. championship game against Palmer. Palmer beat Mat-Su Valley rivals Redington 13-7 and Houston 8-1 to reach the title game. The Hawks, the No. 6 seed, upset No. 3 Kenai 7-4 in the opening round.
Kodiak erupts for 17 runs in fourth inning to advance in NLC tourney

1 week ago | kodiakdailymirror.com | Derek Clarkston

Jogging off the field after a disastrous top of the fourth inning, Hailee Henslee reminded her teammates that the game wasn’t over. Fourth-seeded Palmer had just put up a 10 spot on top-seeded Kodiak to take a 12-7 lead in the drizzle Thursday evening at Baranof Field. With the firepower Kodiak’s offense possesses, Henslee was right. The game wasn’t over.
Kodiak track well represented at state meet

1 week ago | kodiakdailymirror.com | Derek Clarkston

A dozen Kodiak athletes qualified for individual events at the Division I State Track and Field Championships. The Bears will also be sending one relay team to the big dance that begins Friday at Dimond High School in Anchorage. Senior runner Miles Grimes leads Kodiak’s contingent, gaining entry in the 400-meter run (seeded 10th, 52.49 seconds), the 800 (11th, 2:04.95) and the 1,600 (11th, 4:37.37).