Saying goodbye to a community you have an affinity for is never easy.

My final day as the sportswriter for the Snoqualmie Valley Record will be on Aug. 2. I have accepted a new job as a social media coordinator in the Puget Sound area. My final day at the four newspapers I work for (Snoqualmie Valley Record, Issaquah Reporter, Bellevue Reporter and Mercer Island Reporter) will be on Aug. 2.

In March of 2018, management at Sound Publishing expanded my coverage area to Snoqualmie Valley.

It couldn’t had worked out any better.

Over the past 16 months, the relationships I’ve built with the North Bend/Snoqualmie community was one of the most enjoyable aspects of my job. The region cares about its high school sports immensely. The Snoqualmie Valley reminds me of my childhood hometown, Belfair. The small-town atmosphere is undeniable and the commitment to athletics is of utmost importance.

The amount of availability/access the Mount Si Wildcats coaching staffs provided me in each of their respective sports went above and beyond expectations. With the majority of Mount Si coaches, I could show up to practice unannounced. Many coaches in modern day society cringe at that. However, whenever I strolled onto the football field or onto to soccer field last fall at Mount Si, head football coach Charlie Kinnune and head girls soccer coach Sophie Rockow always greeted me with a smile and asked who I was interested in interviewing.

That meant everything to me.

One of the most heartwarming events of the 2018-19 school year took place at the Mount Si Wildcats/Puyallup Vikings Class 4A state quarterfinal football playoff game on Nov. 16, 2018. The Puyallup Vikings defeated the Mount Si Wildcats, 47-34, but that wasn’t what I will remember the most about that night. Before the matchup took place, a plethora of fans lined the fence-line near the field, wishing Kinnune the best with a berth in the state semifinals on the line. Kinnune probably shook hands with 20-25 people. Watching that unfold gave me the chills. How many head football coaches converse with fans less than an hour before the biggest game of the season is about to kick off? That one instance captures the spirit of the Snoqualmie Valley community in a snapshot. It is truly a special place that I will always recall with the fondest of memories.

Shaun Scott can be reached at shaun101st@hotmail.com