(#22 wide receiver Brandon Lulow, #3 quarterback Isaiah Dowding-Albrecht)
Photos and story by Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publisher

The first home game of the year is in the books for Seattle Lutheran High School‘s football team.

The Saints had trouble stopping Tulalip Heritage at West Seattle Stadium on Thursday night; the Hawks scored seemingly every time they touched the ball, winning 58-0.

In the second half, quarterback Isaiah Dowding-Albrecht put together a solid passing game, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Tulalip’s speed and ability to find the open field.

It was the first time they had played in West Seattle Stadium as an eight-man team. First-year athletic director Dave Sleighter told WSB in an interview earlier this week that the shift from the traditional 11-man to eight-man came after the WIAA re-evaluated the school divisions, which led to Lutheran moving from the 2B Division to 1B Division. Sleighter said the change wasn’t all that welcome among the players when it was announced, but he said they took to the new format after they practiced a few times. Sleighter said it’s a faster and more offense-oriented kind of play, and that’s why the team has really embraced the new format.

As AD, Sleighter is successor to Bob Dowding, who remains at SLHS as an assistant for football. Sleighter also is serving as theology instructor. He was baseball coach when he arrived last year; he came here from Crean Lutheran HS in Irvine, California, after getting a call from Dowding. But he isn’t new to Seattle – he is originally from here, and had been looking for a way to return, so when Dowding’s call came somewhat out of the blue, he was glad that way had found him.

Next home game for SLHS football is homecoming, October 18th, vs. Rainier Christian.