The Fort Vancouver boys basketball team is in first place, and most of the other sports at the school are showing improvement in participation numbers in the second year of an agreement that has the big school playing in the Class 1A Trico League
Paul Valencia
Clark County Today
There are victories in competition and victories in life.
Athletes at Fort Vancouver High School are trying to experience both.
Thanks to a plan that was years in the making, the Trappers have a lot of hope these days.
“Yes, everybody wants to be successful and have wins. My philosophy is totally different than every other AD,” said Dee White, associate principal and athletic director at Fort Vancouver High School.
It is about the student-athletes.
“Let’s focus on fun,” White said. “At the end of the day, focus on making this environment the best environment that they’ll have. I want them to have fun and really cherish this moment.”
An outside-the-box idea spearheaded by previous school administration and supported by the current admin team, plus with the help of the Trico League, the Class 2A Greater St. Helens League, and the WIAA, the Trappers are in their second year of playing in the 1A classification in all sports.
Recently, the Trico League agreed to continue the partnership with Fort Vancouver for the next two academic years.
Yes, the big-school Trappers are competing with the small schools. Technically, Fort Vancouver has the enrollment numbers of a traditional Class 3A program. Based on the percentages of free and reduced lunch numbers for its student body, Fort Vancouver had been playing in the 2A GSHL for a few years.
However, in most sports, the Trappers were still way behind their competition. They were not just losing. They were getting pummelled in a number of sports.
“We have a lot of socio-economic needs. A lot of our kids can’t afford to play sports,” White said.
Many of those who do want to play sports once they are in high school had never previously played organized sports.
“A lot of them have to work to help support their families. Or they are caretakers for younger siblings,” White added.
Combining all of the challenges, this 3A school was not pulling 3A numbers for athletics.
Most of the sports programs at the school have struggled for decades now.
“It wasn’t fun for anybody,” said James Ensley, who worked in some capacity at Fort Vancouver for close to 20 years. He was the boys basketball coach for 10 years and was running the athletic department for five years.
It was his plan to ask the 2A GSHL for permission to leave and to ask the Trico League, Class 1A, to accept the Trappers.
“It wasn’t fun for anybody,” Ensley said of all the losses piling up for the Trappers. “It wasn’t fun for our kids trying to learn how to play sports.”
Take girls soccer, for example. The 2A GSHL is, by far, the best 2A league in the state.
“It wasn’t good for the kids playing us. It was a no-win situation. And it wasn’t fair for our kids because it was devastating trying to learn the sport,” Ensley said.
The WIAA passed an amendment that allowed any school to apply to go to a lower classification. Not every school would be approved, but any school could try.
“If this rule isn’t for us, then I don’t know who this rule is for,” Ensley said at the time.
Fort Vancouver’s plan was never about having a better opportunity to make the playoffs.
“How do we get to a level where we are competing?” he asked. “Have some success so we can build kids.”
Notice he still says we. Ensley, one of the engineers of this plan, is no longer at Fort Vancouver. His position as dean was eliminated. He is now a math teacher and the boys basketball coach at Battle Ground High School.
Still, he loves Fort Vancouver. He is a Trapper, as well as a Tiger.
It also means he is watching his former team excel. The Fort Vancouver boys basketball team is in first place in the Trico League after finishing second place last year. This team would have been competitive in the 2A ranks, as well. In fact, there have been some fans of opposing teams wondering why Fort Vancouver is playing 1A.
But this move was not for one varsity team. It was for the whole school, for all programs, at all levels.
Take a look at the traditional team sports.
Football is still struggling. That makes sense. Football needs the most numbers of any high school sport, and the football program is still working on getting more players.
Volleyball only won two matches this fall, but volleyball did have varsity, junior varsity, and even a C-team. That’s progress.
Girls soccer won four matches in 2024 and got to six wins in 2025.
This winter, the girls basketball team is 9-8 overall, 7-6 in the Trico League. One must go back to the first decade of this century to find a Fort Vancouver girls basketball team that has won this many games.
Last spring, softball went 8-12, showing huge gains from the previous year in 2A. Baseball got five wins. The boys soccer team had a winning record in its first season at 1A, up five wins from the previous year.
Most of these teams have been growing their JV programs, as well, White said. Some programs have C-teams, too.
That is key.
For years, coaches at Fort Vancouver have talked about losing potential athletes early in their careers due to having to play varsity before their time.
“Give teams a chance to play at a level where they are not getting blown out, so you don’t have a freshman on the varsity who says ‘This isn’t worth my time,’” said Mick Hoffman, executive director of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.
“It’s been a huge success.”
Hoffman said the Trico League overwhelmingly supports Fort Vancouver in the league. That says a lot about all the athletic directors in the region.
“It’s been a great fit,” said Matt Cooke, athletic director at La Center High School, who confirmed that the vote was unanimous to keep Fort Vancouver in the Trico League for the next two academic years.
“It’s what’s best for those kids,” he said.
Ensley and White also appreciate the 2A GSHL ADs in this process. The 2A GSHL sacrificed for the betterment of Fort Vancouver student-athletes. By losing Fort Vancouver as a 2A team, it changed that league’s allotment for postseason positions.
As far as boys basketball, this team right now, with this coaching staff, would be competitive in a number of classifications. The Trappers are closing in on a Trico League title.
“It’s a positive thing for everybody here,” White said. “Not just proud we are having success in basketball, but it is carrying over to the school. Our principal has prided himself on changing the culture here at Fort. The success in boys basketball is helping that. Yes, it’s academics first, but we need to have more positive things. Anything we can build success in is just great for us.”
The boys basketball team also has a larger responsibility than the other teams at Fort Vancouver. Because the Trappers are so good, and at times dominant, all eyes are on them. There is an emphasis on sportsmanship.
“We have been on both sides. We are having success on the boys side. We’ve also been, for the majority of sports, on the other side,” White said. “We’ve seen some lopsided scores. We’ve seen starters left in against us. Hopefully, one day we will get there in all sports. When we do get there, we want to do it with class.”
Fort Vancouver also has an optics problem with some opposing fans. For visitors coming from small schools, Fort Vancouver looks gigantic, including the gym.
“We have fans walk in and say, ‘There’s no way this school should be in our league.’ For me, it’s an opportunity to try to educate opposing fans on some of the things we go through here and why we are in 1A,” White said. “It gives them a different perspective. It sinks in, and then they realize.”
Ensley said it has been fun for him to keep tabs on his old team, but he is also thrilled at the progress in most of the other athletic programs at Fort Vancouver.
“It was about giving kids opportunities,” he said. “That was the whole point of the whole thing, to find some small success. The 1A was so understanding.”
The goal was always to build up the athletic program and return to Class 2A at some point. That remains the goal, but Fort will stick with Class 1A for at least the next two academic years.
“This was the pathway and the vision that previous leadership had,” White said. “I don’t want to do them a disservice. I want to build on what they have started. This is the way for us to build numbers.”
And build pride at Fort Vancouver High School.
Also read:
- The Study of Sports Podcast Jan. 31, 2026: We discuss how the 2A GSHL football is about to change in a major way, plus some Seahawks talk, too
The Jan. 31 episode of the Study of Sports Podcast covers major upcoming changes to 2A GSHL football, local high school sports updates, and discussion of the Seattle Seahawks. - Fort Vancouver athletics improving under partnership with Trico League
Fort Vancouver High School athletics are showing measurable gains in competition and participation during the second year of a partnership competing in the Class 1A Trico League. - The Study of Sports Podcast Jan. 15, 2026: We discuss some hot topics in high school sports across the state, plus we talk college and pro football
Reporter Paul Valencia is joined by Tony Liberatore and Cale Piland to discuss current issues in high school sports, along with college and professional football topics. - Opinion: Kindness is always welcome, even in places where one does not always find it
Paul Valencia reflects on how a brief moment of kindness between a journalist and a football coach underscores the importance of respect in journalism and public life. - The Study of Sports Podcast Dec. 30, 2025: A look ahead to 2026 with WIAA amendments, a year in review in high school sports, plus remembering the Mariners’ magical run
The latest Study of Sports Podcast looks ahead to proposed WIAA amendments, reviews high school sports in 2025, and reflects on the Seattle Mariners’ memorable run.
