Deutscher Brothers Go 1, 2 Twice At The State Championships

Caden Deutscher, Coach Weber, and Kobe Deutscher at the Washington State High School Track and Field Championships

Photo Credit: Alexis Deutscher

There are some memorable moments that I will always cherish from my coaching career. Over the years, I have been blessed to coach some fantastic young men and women.

One memory I will always cherish is when brothers Kobe and Caden Deutscher from JPII went 1-2 in the state track and field 1600-meter championships in 2019.                                                     

Kobe became the first JPII athlete in any sport to win a state championship and just missed the state's small school record by one second as a sophomore, no less. There were more than enough tears and hugs after those two brothers crossed the finish line. 

Just one day later, Sophomore Kobe Deutscher did it again. He won the state 800-meter title.

The joy began to flow once more when Senior Caden Deutscher won the state championship in the 3200 meters, running close to the state's small state record, with brother Kobe finishing second.

In my coaching career, I have not seen two brothers do what these two did at the state track meet. It was beautiful to watch two brothers compete against each other yet support one another at the same time. I wonder if I will ever see what these two did again at a state meet in my coaching career. 

The brothers also pulled off a first in Thurston County Track and Field History in 2019. They are the first siblings to finish 1-2 in two events (1600 and 3200 meters) at the same Washington State High School State Championship Track and Field meet, and Kobe also won the 800-meter event.

Words cannot convey the happiness I felt for both of these brothers as each shared the victories and podium of the day. It was one of those rare life experiences where everything came together at the right time. It was like something from a Hollywood script, only in real life.

I will always cherish the incredible blessing of coaching these two marvelous student-athletes and even greater human beings. Their parents have raised powerful yet humble young men who love and care for each other.

Blessings, 

Coach Weber 

Philippians 4:13 

Pope John Paul II High School, Lacey, WA (JPII for short), is ten years old and has about 95 students.

Note: The article above was written in 2019 when Kobe was just a sophomore. Unfortunately, Kobe never got to run in a state track and field championships again.

The state meet was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID. Kobe would have likely won many additional state titles and possibly broken several small state school records.

Photo Credit: Grant Clark, Thurstontalk.com