for 2008

By Tim Clinton

Eagle-Gator basketball semifinal was a game for the ages

It was the perfect setup for two rivals to meet.

The Federal Way Eagles and the Decatur Gators have a long history of battling it out for top honors, but this time they met with the biggest prize ever on the line.

The teams were meeting in a state semifinal at the Tacoma Dome, with the winner going on to play for the championship the next night and the loser dropping into the game for third and sixth.

The two teams battled into overtime, and it was Federal Way that came away with a 69-60 win to reach the title match-up.

“I’ve been really blessed and fortunate to go on,” said Eagles head coach Jerome Collins. “Right now we just want to enjoy this one.”

Unfortunately for the Eagles, the championship went into the books as a decisive 68-44 win for the Ferris Saxons - making it very anticlimactic to say the least.

But the Eagles still came away with the second place trophy, while the Gators played for third place and lost to Bellarmine, 62-59. The close loss left Decatur as the winner of the sixth place trophy.

Beamer girls soccer

team knocked off

A top story that could have been was the exploits of the Todd Beamer girls soccer team.

The Titans were ranked as the No. 1 Class 4A team in the state of Washington for most of the season, and spent much of the year ranked 14th in the United States.

But Beamer was stunned by a 3-0 loss to Kentwood in the South Puget Sound League playoffs and bowed out with one more loss in the West Central District tournament. The Tahoma Bears eliminated the Titans by a 2-0 score.

The Titans had still been ranked as the No. 3 state team after the loss to Kentwood, but finished with no trophies.

Eagle’s football postseason

The Federal Way football team enjoyed a wild ride in its postseason appearance.

The Eagles opened district action with a trip to Purdy to play the nearby Gig Harbor team and was rated as a heavy underdog. Federal Way proved its critics wrong, turning back the Tides for a 24-20 victory.

Federal Way was not so fortunate in its next game, losing to Skyline, the top rated 4A team in the state.

Todd Beamer boys make it to semifinals

The Todd Beamer boys soccer team, the Titans, made it as far as the state semifinals this past fall, but took a 1-0 loss. Beamer then settled for fourth with a 2-1 loss to Eastlake.