SPORTS: Chief Sealth International High School’s fall celebration

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

(Photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)

Chief Sealth International High School celebrated a memorable fall sports season this week. Among the highlights, the Sealth slowpitch-softball team made it to the state tournament. But Wednesday night’s celebration banquet actually began with a big moment for a spring-sports star:

Seahawks pitcher Nestor German ceremonially signed his letter of intent to attend Seattle University. Sealth athletic director and baseball coach Ernest Policarpio called him one of the “hardest-working kids” he has known in his 15 years at the school. Nestor offered words of gratitude for his coaches, family, and Seattle U offering “this opportunity at the next level.”

Also in the spotlight – the fall sports’ Seahawk Award winners:

The awards honor work ethic and “being a total team player.” Each athlete received the award from their coach(es). In order of presentation – Carmen Yoshitomi, girls’ soccer coached by Mike Rillo:

Volleyball, Eve Elmore, coached by Dez Johnson:

Slowpitch, Leslie Rivas, coached by Alex Alicea:

Football, Zach Cunningham, coached by Ted Rodriguez:

Girls’ swimming, Lola Taylor, coached by Stephanie Hunt:

Cross-country, Cedric Gackenbach, coached by Alexia Ramos and John Ramos:

Golf, Koen Shaw, coached by George Cano:

Along with the awards, coaches offered brief summaries of season highlights, and there was a lot of gratitude to go around – for assistants, trainers, school administration, parents, and warm words from the AD for athletics secretary Debbie Taylor. Some of the coaches’ recaps provided reminders of how hard the students work to achieve in athletics as well as in classwork. Swim coach Hunt, in her first year, noted that the girls practice before school – 6:30 am, two days a week. “It takes a lot of heart, a lot of guts, and they’ve come in every day with a smile.” She also noted that one of their divers, Maggie Schiltz, competed at state. Football coach Rodriguez said 17 of his 26 players received all-league honors, and declared Policarpio “best athletic director in the district.”