(Cameron Slader making the play at third base)
Next up for West Seattle High School baseball – they’re playing at Safeco Field on Saturday! This follows a Thursday pre-season loss to Ballard, 3-1, with photos and summary courtesy of Greg Slader (thank you!):

Pitching and defense did their job Thursday, but the offense still lacks the clutch hits. Ben Wexler pitched three innings as he relied on his defense to hold Ballard to one run:

(Ben Wexler throwing a strike)
Offense struggled again to get going as the Only RBI hit was late in the Game. The Wildcats left plenty of base runners stranded and had plenty of opportunities late in the game.

Next game is Saturday 4 pm @ Safeco Field vs. Issaquah. Tickets are FREE, sit anywhere you want. Parking is ½ price. Come support the team!

(Bobby Swami singles to drive in a run)
The Garfield High School baseball team’s local tour moved on Tuesday to West Seattle High School, where the Bulldogs beat the Wildcats 6-4. Thanks to Greg Slader for the photos above and below and this summary:

Kevin Cuddy pitched three solid innings, holding Garfield to one un-earned run and a 1-1 tie through three. Unfortunately, a five-run fourth inning would prove too much for West Seattle as they suffered the loss 4-6. The team is still working on coming together, but with six seniors, a junior and two sophomores starting the game, positions seem to be set for defense.

(Spencer Elder making the play at second base)
As noted in our report on Garfield’s game against Chief Sealth a day earlier, the GHS roster includes West Seattleites who have been past West Seattle Little League (and other organizations) teammates of boys on the home teams, so there were people in the stands cheering for everybody.

(WSB photo)
West Seattleite Justin Arkills-McLain was the winning pitcher for GHS, as noted in their online wrapup.

(Garfield pitcher Owen Vickrey, WSLL alum)
The visiting team was almost a second home team when the Chief Sealth International High School Seahawks opened its baseball season at Roxhill on Monday afternoon. Four of the visiting Garfield High School Bulldogs, as noted in this Garfield-penned online wrapup, are West Seattle Little League alums – winning pitcher Owen Vickrey, catcher Alex Chase, rightfielder Justin Arkills-McLain, and centerfielder Derek Billey. Derek’s father, Garfield assistant varsity coach Dan Billey, alerted us to the this, meaning much familiarity on the field not only during this game, but also when Garfield goes on to play West Seattle HS on Tuesday, since the two on-peninsula teams have former WSLL teammates too. But back to Monday’s game; final score was Garfield 11, Sealth 6.

(Sealth 3rd base, Merle Rowan-Kennedy, WSLL alum)
Chase led Garfield with 5 RBIs:

(Garfield catcher Alex Chase, WSLL alum)
Today’s WSHS-Garfield game is at 4 pm, and Coach Billey notes that too will feature former WSLL teammates turned friendly rivals. He coached many of them along the way starting when they were about 6 and moving on up through state Little League All-Star tournaments in their 9-10, 10-11, and 11-12 days. So head on over to Hiawatha for today’s 3:30 pm game and cheer for everybody.

P.S. Speaking of WSLL, its pre-season jamboree is this Saturday at Bar-S Fields on Alki Point.

Play ball! High-school sports’ spring season is starting. Thanks to Greg Slader for sharing photos as Coach Velko Vitalich‘s West Seattle High School baseball team takes the field for the year, after finishing 2013 as #2 statewide. Above, the official team photo; next, two of Greg’s images from the pre-season jamboree Saturday at Liberty High School. Here’s Kevin Cuddy throwing the first pitch:

And Jimmy Mai rounding third base on his way to scoring a run:

Greg reports:

WS tied Kentwood in three innings at 3-3 and jumped on Liberty for a 4-1 edge. Offense had plenty of big hits as the top of the order scored seven runs in six innings. Five pitchers have stepped up this season and seem ready for the challenge ahead. Defense was shaky but they should return to last year’s form as they work together more.

Up next for WSHS – two games at home (Hiawatha), Garfield on Tuesday and Ballard on Thursday, both at 3:30 pm.

Remember that splash of sunshine on Monday afternoon? It arrived at just the right moment for the West Seattle High School baseball team, parent Greg Slader reports:

High School Baseball started on Monday and West Seattle enjoyed a brief glimpse of sunshine at Monday’s practice. This year’s team returns 10 seniors from last year’s team, which made a fantastic run in the state tournament to 2nd place. The pre-season jamboree is scheduled for March 15th in Liberty @ 10 am.

After that, the WSHS team has two games at home at Hiawatha, hosting Garfield on March 18th and Ballard on March 20th. Two games against crosstown rival Chief Sealth International High School are on the schedule for April 30th (at Southwest Athletic Complex) and May 2nd (at home).

Know a 6th-through-12th grader who loves to play basketball? The West Seattle High School Class of 2016 hopes they’ll sign up (ASAP!) for an upcoming charity-benefit tournament. Sophomore-class rep Gabby Carufel shares the invitation – and says they’re looking for volunteer referees, too:

The West Seattle High School Sophomore class is hosting a 3 x 3 Basketball tournament “206 BANG OUT” on Saturday, March 15th which will benefit Treehouse and help improve lives of foster kids in our community.

This event is for 6th – 12th grade kids, with open divisions for all skill levels, Saturday, March 15th, from 9-3 pm in the WSHS Gym. Cost is $20 dollars per team.

To sign up, please contact: 206bangoutrsvp@gmail.com Entry deadline is March 3rd.

We are also looking for experienced people who would like to help with refereeing at this event.

Bring your friends, bring your family and take it to the hoops!

Download the registration form here (PDF).

Congratulations to Chief Sealth International High School swimmer Carlos Morgan Montemayor for finishing #2 in the 100 backstroke at the state meet last night in Federal Way. Trisha Montemayor, who has been sharing Sealth swimming results with us this season, reports that Carlos’s 50.35 “is the 8th fastest time in 3A history in this event and an All American Consideration time. This is also the highest placement at State for a Sealth swimmer in school history.” AAC, she adds, is a recognition of both athletic and academic achievement, for high-school-student athletes with GPA’s of 3.5 or higher plus times that meet or exceed a preset time standard in their sport.

Congratulations are also due to Sealth’s Michael Stewart, also swimming in the final day of the state meet; Trisha reports that Michael “finished in 16th place in the 50 free event with a time of 22:58.” You can see full results by scrolling down the left-side window on this page.

(Photo courtesy Cathy Thom)
Did you know there’s an extra charge to play a high-school sport – and some sports still have no budget? West Seattle High School second-year head tennis coach Cathy Thom she’s been told she has a budget of -$15. So she is trying to creatively raise some money to cover costs as the season approaches, and she’s launched a crowdfunding page as part of the plan. In an e-mail exchange, we asked Coach Cathy if she might want to illustrate with a photo of “sorry-looking equipment you need to replace,” and she replied:

Well, I need squeegees for the courts, and I’d love to take a picture of them, but some people stole them from the courts, and well, we need tennis balls and racquets — the essentials to running the season, and sorry I don’t have any pictures of items we don’t even have!.. But I’m also hoping to raise money to help kids with the sports fee(s). I can’t believe it costs $100 to play a sport. No wonder kids are opting out and playing video games! So I want to have extra funds available for those who can’t afford the sports fee or who can’t afford the uniforms.

Despite the challenges, two of Cathy’s players made it to state competition last year, and she’s hoping to get more there this year, “with proper equipment, and being able to focus on the kids more than focusing on my budget … My ultimate goal is to get this team to be top of the line. I’ve played college tennis (division 1) and know I’ve got the knowledge to get these kids in line to get tennis scholarships if desired. … I’d like to open up doors for these kids … So far it looks like I need uniforms for incoming players (jackets and shirts), tennis balls, squeegees for the courts when it rains, and some scorecards.” Just go here and use the PayPal “donate” button (if you don’t have a PP account, you can use a credit card).

Thanks to Trisha Montemayor for sharing another update on Chief Sealth International High School swimmers’ postseason competition: The two-day state championships conclude tonight at King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. Trisha’s report on Friday night:

Sealth sent their 200 Medley Relay team to state and finished 22nd. Top 16 in each race move on to finals. Michael Stewart will be swimming in the consolation final of the 50 free, having finished tied for 15th today. Michael also finished 19th in the 100 free, just missing the finals for that. Carlos Morgan Montemayor swam the 100 butterfly and finished tied for 10th but will not swim it (Saturday), to concentrate on swimming the 100 backstroke. He will swim the Championship final, going into it in 2nd place.

Good luck to Carlos and Michael! If you’re interested in seeing the times and other results – go to this page and click any event in the left sidebar to bring up full results in the larger window.

(WSHS #22 Annalisa Ursino, #12 Lydia Giomi, #10 Charli Elliott; photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
9:32 PM: The final score in Bellevue minutes ago was 43-30, with the West Seattle High School girls’ basketball team out of the postseason after a loss to Liberty HS (Issaquah district), but the game was a lot closer most of the way than the final score reflects. More photos and details later tonight.

ADDED EARLY SATURDAY: First, the scoring rundown for WSHS – Giomi led the field with 10 points, #30 Lexi Iaone (above) was second with 7 points including the Wildcats’ only three-pointer of the game. #21 Gabby Sarver (next photo) was third with 5 points.

Elliott followed with four, and scoring was completed by #15 Sarah Cooper (photo below) and Ursino with 2 points each.

Liberty got out to a 5-0 lead before WSHS finally scored midway through the first quarter and went on to take the lead 7-5, promptly losing it when the Patriots hit one of several 3-pointers, answered by the one by Ioane, which gave West Seattle the lead again.

Everything was hard-fought, from rebounds to breaking through the two sides’ respective defenses.

WSHS led 12-8 at the end of the first quarter but Liberty came back out fighting in the next one – including its very vocal fan contingent (WSHS had a hearty turnout too) — and the lead see-sawed a while, with Liberty ahead 22-21 at halftime after a run including two 3-pointers.

West Seattle’s rebounding was strong in the second half but its shooting was on the cold side. They did take back the lead a few minutes in, 23-22, and the lead was extended to three points after a pair of foul shots by Giomi.

But five unanswered points, including yet another 3-pointer, by the Patriots gave them the lead again, 27-25, and Liberty held it the rest of the way, including a few flashes of full-court-press defense. They were one point up over WSHS, 29-28, at the end of the third quarter, and it wasn’t that close again. The Wildcats had many shots but few successes. They scored only once more, a basket by Sarver with just under 3 minutes to go, while Liberty opened it up, including yet another 3-pointer along the way, until the 43-30 final.

Head coach Sonya Elliott has the chance to keep the same strong team growing next year, since none are seniors – yet.

(TUESDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Next game for WSHS set; scroll down)

(WSHS #30, Lexi Iaone; photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
4:39 PM: In postseason competition at Ingraham High School in North Seattle this afternoon, the West Seattle High School girls’ basketball team has just lost to Mercer Island, 52-49; down by nine points at the start of the 4th quarter, head coach Sonya Elliott‘s young team (no seniors) embarked on a comeback, but fell short.

(WSHS #12 Lydia Giomi, #21 Gabby Sarver, #10 Charli Elliott)
They’re not out of the postseason yet; our crew reports the Wildcats are expected to play again Friday night in Bellevue, opponent TBA. (More photos & game details later this evening.)

ADDED 11:02 PM: Coach Elliott tells WSB their next opponent is Liberty, 8:15 pm Friday at Bellevue College. Ahead, notes and a few more photos from today’s game:

Read More

Congratulations to head coach Keffrey Fazio and the West Seattle High School boys-varsity basketball team on a second consecutive season with postseason play. Their final report is just in:

The West Seattle High School boys basketball season came to an end on Saturday night, falling to Seattle Prep 63-59 in an overtime thriller.

The WSHS boys were one game from making the 3A Regional playoffs, which consists of the top 16 teams in the state.

The Wildcats have now gone to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, and this year made it to the district tournament.

This season was a true journey for the team as they battled through adversity and achieved great things on and off the court.

The future is bright for the Wildcat boys, as the youth in the program has great potential and will be training hard in the off season to get back to the post season.

Lots of postseason sports updates this weekend – see them all in our sports-coverage archives here (reverse chronological order).

One more update on local student athletes in this weekend’s postseason high-school-sports events – a swimming update from Trisha Montemayor:

Chief Sealth participated in the Boys 3A Sea-King District 2 Swim Championships this weekend. Preliminaries were held (Friday) and finals (Saturday). Chief Sealth had two relays participate in finals, finishing 11th in both and dropping 5 seconds of time in each relay. Boys in the relays were Carlos Montemayor, John Woefel, Eliot Nichols and Michael Stewart. Michael Stewart also swam finals in the 50 free and 100 free, qualifying for state in the 100 free with a time of 49:18 and finishing 8th overall. Carlos Montemayor swam the 100 back final, finishing 2nd in a time of 52.84. He will swim both the 100 fly and 100 back at State. Boys 3A State championships are Friday, February 21 at 6:15 at King County Aquatic Center for preliminaries and Saturday, February 22 at 6:30 for finals.

The aquatic center is in Federal Way.

More high-school-sports postseason news: Thanks to Lynn Ogdon-Perrine for sharing the photo and update after four Chief Sealth International High School wrestlers who won in the Metro League tournament last week competed regionally on Saturday. From left, freshman Nathan Perrine, sophomore Daron Comacho, junior Greg Tauti, and sophomore Orlando Lopez. At regionals, Daron placed second at 195 pounds and Greg placed fourth at 285, so they will represent Sealth in statewide competition at the Tacoma Dome next Friday and Saturday.

Also victorious in Saturday postseason basketball: The Seattle Lutheran High School boys-varsity team, with an 86-55 win over, and at, Orcas in their first playoff game of the year; here’s the scoring breakdown published at SeattleTimes.com (WSB partner). Next game is at Auburn Adventist on Wednesday night (February 19th). Thanks to Seana for the photo!

(UPDATED 11:59 PM with full story – lead paragraph was original, brief 8:34 pm report)

(Final seconds of the game – WSB Instagram video)
Story by Tracy Record
Photos by Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers

Lights flickered in the gym but stayed on and so did the West Seattle High School girls’ basketball team, pulling out a nailbiter postseason win 34-33 over visiting Eastside Catholic.

The Wildcats’ #12 Lydia Giomi scored West Seattle’s first two points while singlehandedly racking up almost half the team’s total, finishing with 15 points before fouling out with about seven seconds left in the game.

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Big win tonight in the West Seattle High School girls-varsity basketball team’s postseason – they beat Holy Names Academy at HNA, 40-39. Head coach Sonya Elliott tells WSB her team’s next game is expected to be Saturday night at home; opponent TBA.

ADDED 10:35 PM: More from WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand, who covered the game on Capitol Hill:

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Proud parents of players on the Metro Sound Division champion West Seattle High School girls-varsity basketball team made that sign to cheer them on as they started postseason play at Cleveland High School tonight. The home team won, 66-44; the game got off to a fast-paced, physical start.

It was within reach for the Wildcats until the third, when Cleveland went to a full-court press.

The third also saw foul trouble for Lydia Giomi, leading scorer for West Seattle with 15. Charli Elliott, who had 8 points, went out with a nosebleed.

Second-highest scorer for the Wildcats was Lexi Ioane with 13. Head coach Sonya Elliott (below center, with assistant varsity coach Ashley Ioane at right) says their next game will be Thursday.

She’s expecting to get word by morning of who they’ll play and where; we’ll update this story when that info’s in.

2:09 PM: From Coach Elliott – they’ll play at 7 pm Thursday at Holy Names Academy on Capitol Hill, vs. HNA (728 21st Ave. E.).

Congratulations to the West Seattle High School girls-varsity basketball team on their division championship! Head Coach Sonya Elliott sent the photo and an update as they begin postseason play:

The West Seattle Girls Basketball team had a special visit from Lisa Skvarla [pictured with the team] of Lee’s Martial Arts Academy, where the girls were empowered with life skills and self-defense techniques. Varsity finished the regular season as Metro Sound Division Champions and begin their playoff run tonight at 7:00 pm at Cleveland in the Metro League Tournament.

The Wildcats were division champs last year too.