February 2015

Brianna Thomas, Seattle area housing advocate and community organizer announced today she will run for Seattle City Council District One joining Chas Redmond, Amanda Kay Helmick, George Capestany, and Phillip Tavel in the race.

In a press release Thomas said:

“West Seattle has been known as a community where people can get to their jobs quickly, find affordable housing and know their neighbors while enjoying the benefits of a big city. I'm running because I'm worried that's changing,” said Brianna Thomas.

Brianna Thomas has been a community activist and organizer in and around Seattle for the last decade. In the last two years, Brianna was awarded the Warren G. Magnuson “Activist of the Year” by the Washington State Democratic Party, the “Excellence in Civic Engagement” award by the Institute For A Democratic Future and named one of “15 People Who Should Really Run This Town” by Seattle Metropolitan Magazine.

By Anastasia Stepankowsky

The Chief Sealth Ladyhawks played Seattle Prep to a five-point loss earlier this season, but that game was no harbinger of Tuesday’s playoff game. The Panthers dominated most of the way in a 69-39 win.

“I think we got one shot to their four each time down the floor. … It’s really hard when the girls who normally contribute to the scoreboard aren’t touching the ball,” said Chief Sealth head coach Katie Jo Maris.

The Ladyhawks got a standout game from freshman Miya Spry, who played up from the JV squad and netted 15 points. But the Panthers shut down Chief Sealth’s most potent weapons — Allison Hadaway and Oshae Walker, who only played sporadically throughout the game. And the Ladyhawks simply had no answer to the rebounding of Seattle Prep’s Chinwe Ezeonu, who scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the game.

“We make mistakes every game, but we know what the mistakes are and we all work hard and we all keep going,” Spry said.

by Paul Moseley

The West Seattle boys hosted the O'Dea in a loser-out Metro tournament game Tuesday night. The Wildcats, coming off a tough loss to Franklin last week, got their rhythm back and dispatched the Fighting Irish 68-53.

West Seattle controlled the game and went into half-time up 38-24. Capitalizing on their fast break offense, Nate Pryor led the Wildcat offense and spread the ball around, putting four west-siders in double digits on the night.

O'Dea did not go out without a fight. Coming back from a 53-38 deficit in the 3rd Quarter, the Irish got to within six points when the score was 57-51 with two minutes left in the game. West Seattle settled down and played their game and went on an 11-2 run to close out the game, winning 68-53.

information from West Seattle YMCA

More than 150 YMCA volunteers and staff gathered at The Hall at Fauntleroy to focus on kids in West Seattle. This Kick-Off Event for the West Seattle & Fauntleroy YMCA’s Annual Campaign was a cause for celebration on two fronts.

First reason to celebrate was the start of the 2015 Annual Campaign -- goal $400,000 with $75,000 raised to date. Every year for the Y’s Annual Campaign, scores of community volunteers reach out to their friends to get kids what they need at the YMCA. These funds help youth whose families cannot afford YMCA before and after school programs in 7 local schools, YMCA childcare at two locations, youth sports programs, swimming lessons or summer day camp.

The second reason to celebrate was reaching the $3 million mark towards a $5.5 million goal to expand the West Seattle YMCA. The total project cost is $11 million, half to be provided by the YMCA of Greater Seattle and half raised locally.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

High schools
Girls basketball
West Seattle will play in the Metro League tournament semifinals
Wednesday, after getting a bye as the No. 1 seed.
The Wildcats take on the Holy Names vs. Ballard winner in a 7:30 p.m.
battle inside the Nathan Hale gymnasium.
The West Central District girls tournaments also begins Wednesday.
Kennedy Catholic hosts Columbia River at 7 p.m. in 3A action as
Evergreen entertains Sequim and Foster goes to Liberty in 2A games.
More games will take place as the week goes on depending on who wins
the earlier games.

Boys basketball
Kennedy Catholic will be at home playing Prairie in a 7 p.m. Thursday
playoff as Foster travels to Sammamish and Evergreen to the home of
the South Puget Sound League 2A No. 3 entry.
More action will occur as the week goes on.

Wrestling
Seamount athletes will be involved in girls sub-regional action to be
held at Decatur High School on Wednesday, and qualifiers will be on to
regional action in Yelm on Saturday.

BY GERARDO BOLONG
Contributing Writer

It was an excellent night for teams to display their assorted spinning and whirling talents.
Highline High School led Highline School District teams with a fourth place finish in the 2015 Seamount League sub-district meet held at Mt. Rainier High School on Fri., Feb. 6, at Mt. Rainier High School in Des Moines.

The Pirates scored 129.8 points to trail bi-district qualifying Hazen (138.175) and Renton (138.05) as well as Lindbergh (131.55). All Hazen and Renton team members will compete at the bi-district meet at Mt. Rainier on Sat., Feb. 14. Top three all-around performers and top seven individual event participants not on the bi-district qualifying teams will also be competing.

"It was one of the best meets," Pirate head coach Kevin Tessandore said. "It was anyone's ball game, right to the end. It was really great with no cut throat atmosphere. I couldn't be more proud. We overcame injuries to come together as a group."

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

High schools

Girls basketball
West Seattle will play in the Metro League tournament semifinals
Wednesday, after getting a bye as the No. 1 seed.
The Wildcats take on the Holy Names vs. Ballard winner in a 7:30 p.m.
battle inside the Nathan Hale gymnasium.
The West Central District girls tournaments also begins Wednesday.
Kennedy Catholic hosts Columbia River at 7 p.m. in 3A action as
Evergreen entertains Sequim and Foster goes to Liberty in 2A games.
More games will take place as the week goes on depending on who wins
the earlier games.

Boys basketball
Kennedy Catholic will be at home playing Prairie in a 7 p.m. Thursday
playoff as Foster travels to Sammamish and Evergreen to the home of
the South Puget Sound League 2A No. 3 entry.
More action will occur as the week goes on.

Wrestling
Seamount athletes will be involved in girls sub-regional action to be
held at Decatur High School on Wednesday, and qualifiers will be on to
regional action in Yelm on Saturday.

By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

UNIVERSITY PLACE--Despite not getting one first place out of 11 swimming events or 1-meter diving, the Mount Rainier Rams' boys swim and dive team finished fourth out of 17 teams for swim coach Chris Veraya and dive coach Todd Wollenweber at the West Central District III meet held inside the Curtis Aquatic Center Saturday.

"It was exciting," said Veraya, who swam strong for Kentwood in the early 2000s as well as coaching the Arbor Heights team of the Seattle Summer Swim League.

Curtis won with 422 points and the Gig Harbor Tides took second with 294 ahead of Kentridge (223), Mount Rainier (208.5) and Stadium (193.5).

But, really, for the Rams, if not for a disqualification in one event for misdoing a stroke, they would have got the points to take third place as a team.

The Rams got three divers qualified into state, too, under Wollenweber. Nathan Dadalto took third place with 338.85 points, Peyton Conrad sixth with 314.80 and Daniel Russell ninth with 292.30.

BY GERARDO BOLONG
Contributing Writer

Seems like Mount Rainier has a contender.
The Ram gymnastics team created a scenario in which reaching the state gymnastics meet as a team is in range after scoring 163.425 points for third place in the SPSL 4A sub-district championships held at Mt. Rainier High School on Sat., Feb. 7.

MRHS trailed Emerald Ridge (169.325) and Puyallup (164.575) while outpointing Kentlake (163.375), Olympia (162.4) and Federal Way (153.675) as a group of six teams that moved on to bi-district at the Ram gym on Sat., Feb. 14.

"Our high scores tonight on the floor (44.925) and beam (43.0) have us where we want to be," exclaimed a pleased Ram head coach Ali Kestle. "It's so close. I know we can go to state as a team. We need to pick off one of the Puyallup teams and possibly an Eastern Washington team next week. It's really encouraging."
It was a trio Mt. Rainier top performers who were also highly satisfied and motivated by the events of the evening.

By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Foster won when it mattered.

The Bulldogs won their first game against Highline, 19-17, and despite a loss to host, Lindbergh, 22-11, in the second game of a three-team Seamount League 2A playoff elimination format will still go on to the West Central District tournament.

The two games were played on Friday at the Renton Highlands area school and the low scores are because the games were shortened to two eight-minute halves instead of the usual four eight minute quarters of a regular season high school game.

Highline, Lindbergh and Foster tied for third place in the Seamount for 2A teams in the league that includes Kennedy and Hazen, who are 3A squads and don't count. Renton went as the first place team (third in the Seamount) and Evergreen was second. So, after this mini playoff, Linbergh goes as the third seed and Foster the fourth. Highline is, unfortunately, out.

Foster will play at Liberty High School in the East Renton Highlands on Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. for its opening round district game.