Springtime youth sports are revving up – here are some invitations we’ve been asked to share with you:

GIRLS’ LACROSSE: Clinics are coming up this Sunday, according to parent Mike, who says that 7th-8th-grade girls are especially welcome due to openings in the season ahead – here’s the info (note there are clinics for boys too). Signup link for girls in those groups – 14U – is here.

BASKETBALL: Two organizations have events coming up this weekend:

Be a part of Hoops4Life Sunday Basketball Small Group Training at West Seattle High School! Great value small group instruction. The first Spring Session begins Sunday, March 2 and goes through Sunday, April 6. Sessions are at 11:00 and 12:15. Register here: hoops4life206.com/small-group-training

Also, the No Limits Academy has tryouts this Saturday:

Our mission statement: At No Limits Academy, we are passionate about developing the next generation of basketball athletes. Our developmental basketball program is designed to provide a nurturing and empowering environment for young athletes to hone their skills, build character, and help with the mental aspect of the game. We are a year-round basketball program that has travel teams, camps, personal training, and group training.

You can find out more at nolimitsacademyseattle.com.

Yet another reason to think spring, besides today’s semi-surprise sunshine! West Seattle’s pre-pro soccer teams, Junction FC men’s club and Rhodies FC women’s club, have announced their schedules – seven home matches for Junction FC:

Five home matches for the first-year Rhodies:

Single-match tickets are on sale now, and season tickets are still available too – all from this page. Home games are set for Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle).

All four local high-school varsity basketball teams are still in postseason play – the West Seattle HS boys play Blanchet at Franklin HS at 7 tonight in a district-qualifier game, the Chief Sealth IHS girls host Foster at 5:30 pm Friday night, (added) after winning the Metro 2A tournament with a 52-33 win over Cleveland Tuesday night:

Thanks to Sealth head coach Mario Martinez for the update and photo!

Meantime, the WSHS girls and CSIHS boys both have TBD games at 7 pm Saturday. The WSHS girls played last night, and WSB contributor Tracy Burrows was there:

(Alya Moore leads the fast break)

Wednesday night at the Cleveland High School gym, the West Seattle High School girls’ basketball team lost to Seattle Prep, 41-31, in the Metro League 3A Championship Tournament. The West Seattle Wildcats hung tough against a team with more height and experience at nearly every position. Seattle Prep pressured the ball effectively during much of the first half, causing turnovers and limiting West Seattle’s opportunities to execute their half-court offense. Prep led by a score of 28-14 at the half.

(Colby Timmons shooting from the line)

Scoring opportunities opened up for the Wildcats in the second half, but the shots just wouldn’t go in. The team played the entire game with a 6-person rotation, and fatigue may have contributed to an off-night of shooting. Still, the West Seattle girls played with tremendous intensity the entire game and pulled to within 10 in the fourth quarter after trailing by 15 at the end of the third.

(Seneca Lucas goes up for a shot)

This year’s West Seattle squad is a young team, with two freshmen and a sophomore as members of the starting five. Freshman Alya Moore led the scoring for the Wildcats, with 13 points and senior Colby Timmons racked up 10. Both teams will move on to the District Tournament, which starts on Saturday, February 15. West Seattle will play at either Inglemoor or Mercer Island at 7 pm on Saturday. The full District Tournament brackets will be finalized Friday night.

(WSB video/photos)

Air: A few degrees above freezing. Hearts: Warm. That was the situation on the upper field at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex this morning, as West Seattle High School softball players led their annual preseason clinic for younger players, ages 7-13. First session was for the youngest participants, ending with a spirited round of base-running (as also shown in our video above):

The players instructed their students in other skills including hitting and throwing. Each of the two groups had takers for every spot – more than 30 per session:

Along with opportunities to practice coaching and mentoring skills, the clinics were fundraisers for the team. Every participant got this special T-shirt:

The clinics were originally organized four seasons ago by player Kamil Ygnacio, who has since graduated – her sister Kaila Ygnacio took the ball and ran with it:

So have newer players’ parents, so the clinics will carry on even as the roster changes over the years. This year’s group stopped down for a players-only group photo while awaiting the next group’s arrival:

(L-R: Hannah, Daeja, Stella, Alice, Julia, Kenzie, Lila, Violet, Molly, Kaila, Marina)

They’ll be starting play in less than a month – spring sports start in early March.

(WSB photos by Jason Grotelueschen)

This year’s night for crosstown-rivalry basketball ended with the boys’ varsity faceoff, as Chief Sealth International High School hosted West Seattle High School on Monday. This one was never close. The Wildcats got out to a 9-1 lead with five of those points contributed by #0, senior Alex Pierce:

Due to his antics among others, Sealth spent a fair amount of time at the foul-shot line, but were fairly cold from there in the early going. The first quarter ended with West Seattle head coach Fred Wilson‘s team up 21-9.

By halftime, they’d widened the lead to 40-17. Sealth tried to put the brakes on them but didn’t have much luck.

About the only bright spot for Sealth and head coach JaLyn Combs in this half was better luck at the foul line.

Final score was West Seattle 84, Chief Sealth 37. The Wildcats (7-12) host Nathan Hale tonight (Tuesday) at 7:30 pm; this was the last scheduled game for Sealth (3-16).

(WSB photos by Jason Grotelueschen)

Monday night, Chief Sealth International High School hosted West Seattle High School for the annual crosstown-rivalry basketball games. First up were the girls-varsity teams, who kept things close in the first half.

The Wildcats were only one point up on the Seahawks, 19-18, when the halftime buzzer sounded, after a second quarter full of seesawing. That was the biggest thing Sealth fans had to cheer about all night.

Then WSHS head coach Darnell Taylor‘s young team – only one senior – came roaring out of the locker room and started piling up the points.

WSHS’s top scorer in the game, #10, sophomore Seneca Lucas, hit two buckets before the first minute of the second half was over. Then that lone senior, WSHS #20 Colby Timmons, sank a three. The third quarter was more than half over by the time Sealth finally got back on the board, a three from CSIHS’s leading scorer on the night, #44, senior Fahima Mohamed.

At the end of the third, Sealth head coach Mario Martinez‘s team was still at a single-digit deficit, 35-26.

but WSHS resumed piling on the points in the fourth quarter, with a hefty helping of foul shots.

The final score was West Seattle 58, Chief Sealth 29. Next up, the Wildcats (10-9) host Lakeside at 7:30 pm Wednesday, while the Seahawks (9-11) visit Rainier Beach at 7:30 pm Friday.

(April 2024 WSB photo)

If you need an excuse to think about spring on this semi-snowy Sunday, here’s one: The University of Washington beach-volleyball team’s 2025 schedule has been announced, and it includes two events at Alki Beach: A doubleheader on Saturday, March 22, against Portland and Northwest University, and a tournament Friday and Saturday, April 11-12 – the Husky Invitational, hosting Long Beach State, FIU, and Oregon. You can see the full schedule here. This year marks nine years since UW played what was billed as its first-ever home match at Alki.

West Seattle High School‘s softball team is inviting younger players to clinics in two weeks to get ready for the upcoming season – two sessions, for beginners and more-advanced players. Here’s the announcement we were asked to share:

West Seattle High School’s softball team is putting on a one-day clinic Sunday, February 9, for girls ages 7–13 at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex upper field, for $25.

Beginner Session 8:30-10:00 am, Advanced Session 10:15-11:45 am

*Check in begins 15 minutes before each session. Each session will cover the skills in the infield, outfield and hitting. No pitching and catching instruction will be held. Players, please bring softball equipment and payment if you are paying in cash.

Questions, please email jenny_ignacio@hotmail.com

You can register in advance with this form.

West Seattle Little League wants to remind players and families that the registration deadline is getting close. The league has some other info to share, too, and asked us to publish this announcement:

Thank you to the families that have already registered for the upcoming season with West Seattle Little League (WSLL). More than 520 players signed up so far! Registration will remain open until Feb 9th. Registering early helps streamline our league operations – sign up today to guarantee your spot before we max out and to avoid a fee for late registrations.

-New and returning families, join us on Monday, 1/27 for our virtual info sessions. We’re here to answer your questions about WSLL and the 2025 spring season! Find more details here. We also encourage families to visit our FAQ page.

-We are excited for another fantastic season of WSLL Girls Softball! Our dedicated coaches welcome players of all skill levels and collaborate with local organizations to offer skill-building clinics, such as the Softball Skills Clinic on Sunday, 2/9 with West Seattle High School’s softball team!

=We need parents, friends, or family that are able & willing to step up and volunteer as coaches to make this season a remarkable one! WSLL has an amazing board of directors to ensure you receive the training and support. Learn more here.

=We’re strengthening our partnerships with sponsors to benefit both WSLL and local businesses. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a sponsor, please visit our sponsors page for more info.

We look forward to seeing you on the field!