(Larry Jensen throws a strike; photo by Greg Slader)
In the first of two consecutive games vs. Rainier Beach, West Seattle High School came away with a shutout win on Wednesday, 19-0. Greg Slader shares a photo and the summary (thank you!):

Senior pitcher Larry Jensen got his first varsity start on the mound as he delivered four shutout innings and the win as West Seattle Wildcats climb to a 2-1 league record. His fastball mixed with a crazy knuckleball was enough to keep the Viking hitters off balance.

The game was at RB, which visits Hiawatha to face the Wildcats again on Friday, 3:30 pm.

West Seattle High School‘s soccer team is back on the field today, playing at Nathan Hale, after another win on Tuesday, 4-2 over visiting Cleveland HS. Our reader correspondent (who also shared the photo – thank you!) reports, “It started off rough with a downpour of rain for the first half. But after halftime, the Wildcats came back strong with the next two goals winning the game.” Here’s the scoring list. Today’s match is between early conference leaders – Hale and Westside both have two in-conference wins.

(Graham French‘s late-inning hit propelled WSHS to victory)
The first win of 2014 is in the books for the West Seattle High School Wildcats. The photos and summary are courtesy of Greg Slader (thank you!):

A wild “come from behind” game helps West Seattle get its first win of the season.

Lakeside ace pitcher and Stanford commit Andrew Summerville held the Wildcats to no hits thru Five innings as the Lions piled up four runs. But a sixth-inning walk and a failed pickle play got the Wildcats their first run. Things only got crazier from there as West Seattle scored two runs in the sixth inning and three runs in the bottom of the seventh for the improbable come-from-behind Victory.

(Kevin Cuddy held Lakeside to one run through three innings)
An excited assistant coach Brian Tupper had this to say: “Crazy game, but that’s the way baseball is. You know you just got to keep grinding. That’s why we play all seven innings; it’s never over till it’s over.”

West Seattle is on the road for the next three games; next home game is April 4th vs. Rainier Beach.

Come support the team @ our Spaghetti Dinner April 5th at West Side Presbyterian Church – meet the players – free autographs and more!

This afternoon at Hiawatha, the West Seattle High School Wildcats host Lakeside. On Saturday, they played at Safeco Field:

Greg Slader shares photos and this summary of West Seattle’s 2-1 loss to Issaquah HS:

The baseball team played another pre-season game at Safeco Field, continuing the tradition of the High School Baseball Classic. Defense and pitching are still improving … Jake Magera and Larry Jensen held the Issaquah Eagles to two runs over six innings. Defense stepped up their game with a fantastic play @ home.

(Jimmy Mai tags out the runner at home)
The offense is still missing the clutch hits and left many opportunities on base.

This afternoon’s game is at 3:30. The WSHS softball team is at home today too, 3:30 pm at Southwest Athletic Complex vs. Ballard.

Also on Saturday, a cross-town soccer match – Madison Middle School and Denny International Middle School boys’ teams facing off at Southwest Athletic Complex. Denny principal Jeff Clark shared the photo and reports, “The final outcome was 4 goals to 2, with Denny taking home the new trophy. Thank you to the West Seattle Soccer Club for your support! Congratulations to both teams on their effort and sportsmanship!” Clark says this, like the annual girls’ games between Madison and Denny (Madison won the last two years), was dubbed “Battle of West Seattle.” WSSC is involved with both – note the brightly striped WSSC scarf around the trophy.

Thanks to NP for the soccer report and photos: It was friendly-rivalry time at Walt Hundley Playfield in High Point on Thursday as West Seattle High School defeated Chief Sealth International High School 2-1, “with freshman Akili Kasim in the goal box along with a young team on the field.” NP adds, “It was nice to see a [retired] Sealth teacher (Mrs. C) giving the West Seattle goalie a hug after a great win!”

Next up for WSHS, Franklin comes to play @ Southwest Athletic Complex at 4 pm Tuesday; next up for Sealth, it’s back to Walt Hundley for a 3:30 pm game against Cleveland that day.

(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:

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