Category: Sports

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

Ultimate Frisbee, often simply called “ultimate”, is experiencing a surge in popularity across college campuses nationwide. With more than 18,000 student-athletes competing on 800-plus teams, the college division is ultimate’s largest demographic, according to the sport’s national governing body USA Ultimate.

The popularity of college sports in America is not limited to NCAA varsity programs. Ultimate has proven that club sports can establish a rich tradition and elicit the same excitement and emotion from players, fans and alumni alike. Tulalip tribal member Kendra Miller checks all those boxes – player, fan, alumni – and one more, coach.

The 29-year-old played for Brigham Young University’s ultimate team for four years as a featured player. After her head coach departed following her senior season, Kendra was approached by school officials and asked if she was interested in filling the vacated head coach position. She graciously accepted and has been leading BYU ultimate for the past six years.

In her most recent stint patrolling the sidelines, Kendra witnessed the BYU Cougars skyrocket up the national rankings and sustain their early season success well into the postseason. The 2024 regular season lasted from early January through mid-April and resulted in a set of national rankings. BYU climbed as high as #10 in the entire country during the season and entered the Northwest Regional round of the postseason as #11, out of 800 eligible teams.

In an opportune twist of fate, the Northwest Regionals were hosted at the Skagit River Sports Complex (45-minutes north of Tulalip) in early May. This playoff tournament brought together the best of the best ultimate programs from the Northwest Region, which included the University of Washington, Oregon, University of British Columbia, and BYU.

After routing Montana by the score of 13-5 and then coming up just short to Oregon 10-13, BYU had an hour-long break before taking to the field again to face-off with U.W. During rest period, two BYU upperclassmen and team captains shared how much Kenda means to them as players and to their collegiate program.

“It’s been such a great experience being coached by Kendra. Something I really admire about her coaching style is she is strict and disciplined but in a way that motivates us to push ourselves to achieve the greatest things,” reflected BYU senior captain Madison Robinson. “For example, at our team camp that occurred before the season, she asked each one of us what are goals we wanted to achieve this year. She didn’t tell us what goals we should have or what goals she wanted for us. Instead, she listened to all of us and then worked with each player individually over the course of the season to progress towards achieving those pre-season goals we set for ourselves. That’s the best part for me, I think, is because she is such an outstanding ultimate player herself that she’s capable and willing to demonstrate to us what it takes to excel on the club and pro level.

“Something else that’s so amazing about Kendra is you have to realize our coaches aren’t paid to understand how insane it is the hours she puts in to make sure we have every opportunity to be the best team possible,” continued Madison. “For example, between practices she’s watching game film and cutting us reels to show what we did well, what we could do better, and adapting game strategy for our next opponent. She puts in so many hours behind the scenes just because she cares about our team and is committed to seeing us do well.”

Added junior captain Autumn Porter, “I couldn’t agree more. Watching Kendra play and then being coached by her is such an inspiration. She’s always pushing us to strive for reaching our full potential, which means always being open to learning new skills and never settling for anything less than 100% effort. Everything she does as a coach comes from her experience as a former BYU player and current pro. She also has the experience of playing with and against some of the best ultimate teams out there, plus she’s won nationals. So, for me, as someone who dreams of playing in the pro level, it’s like she’s teaching us how to play, practice, and act as pros even though we’re still in college. It’s a really unique experience and a welcomed one for those us who feel like we’re being prepared to play at the next level.”

Following the two BYU captains’ interviews, they reconvened with the rest of their team and got in a proper warmup before taking to the field to face-off with the purple and gold wearing Dawgs. BYU put up a valiant effort, losing by a close score of 11-13. They rebounded superbly by absolutely destroying their day’s final opponent, Oregon State, by a whopping margin of 13-3. 

“I’m so proud of this team, not just for how much they achieved on the field but also for how much each player has grown and embraced their roles on our team,” said coach Kendra. “We made school history by making it to the Regional round. This is an amazing accomplishment! Especially when you consider we were without one of our top players for this Northwest Regional Tournament. Making it here, earning wins against Montana and Oregon State, and battling to the very end vs. Oregon and Washington… there’s so much for these ladies to be proud of.” 

Upon the completion of BYU’s season, Kendra now shifts her focus from coaching collegiately to airbending on the most prestigious platform ultimate has to offer, Team USA. After an extensive series of workouts and qualifications where she performed with the nation’s best ultimate players, she was named to the 24-woman roster who will competing at the upcoming World Ultimate Championships hosted in Australia this summer. 

By Wade Sheldon, Tulalip News

On Wednesday, May 14, the Tulalip Heritage High School golf team hosted the 2b/1b Tri-District Golf Tournament for the first time at Tulalip’s Battle Creek Golf Course. The weather was perfect as 62 girls and boys, including Tulalip Heritage seniors Tieriana Mclean and Lincoln Pablo, competed, aiming to qualify for the highly anticipated WIAA State Tournament.

To qualify for the 18-hole match, boys needed to shoot under 55 and girls under 65 on the first nine holes. This target posed no problem for Pablo as he managed to stay in the top 3 at the turn. Although he lost a few strokes on hole ten, Pablo maintained his composure, rallied back, and finished the match with a score of 89. With this score, Pablo would finish tenth out of 34, making the 17-spot cut-off and stamping his ticket to the state tournament. 

“Last year, I made tri-districts, but it didn’t go well,” Pablo said. “This year, I worked hard to improve. On hole 5, I hit a great approach shot from the tee box and put the ball within 120 yards of the green. Then I took my nine-iron and hit the ball about 8 yards from the pin, finishing the hole with a par. This tournament has been amazing; the growth I have seen in myself over the last couple of years has been incredible. My family here supporting me has been wonderful.”

With some fantastic shots, Mclean kept it close to the players on the leaderboard. One such shot was on hole number 6, where Mclean sank a ten-foot-plus shot to save a bogey. With a par on hole 9, Mclean would end the front nine with a 54, battling for a tournament spot on the back nine. After a rough start and putting up a 13 on hole 13, Mclean dug deep, strung together a few suitable holes, and shot a 112, putting herself in 12^th place out of 28 contestants, placing in the top 14 ultimately qualifying for the state tournament.

Coaches J.T. and Dinesha Kane closely followed the players. Playing on Tulalip’s home turf was a bonus. 

J.T. said, “It was a big doing bringing the tournament to Tulalip. We wanted to be the hub for the tournament because we wanted the teams from down south and up north to meet us on our tribe and represent our inaugural season. We’ve worked hard; our kids are ready to show that we are a golf high school and community.”

When asked what he was most proud of, J.T. remarked, “Mindset; if I had one word, it would be mindset. Their ability to overcome the course’s multiple obstacles was remarkable and I can’t wait to see what they have at state.”

The match at Battle Creek Golf Course showcased the talent and determination of the Tulalip Heritage golf team. The team’s ability to host and compete at such a high level marks a significant achievement for Heritage and sets a new standard for the school’s golf program, ensuring that the team will be formidable in future tournaments.

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

In a true testament to youth-led organizing, Heritage High School recently hosted an action packed, exhibition game between local law enforcement and the school’s boys basketball team. 

Fresh off a deep playoff run that yielded impressive Ws in Districts, Tri-Districts and Regionals, senior forward Damon Pablo wanted to keep the team’s momentum and positive vibes going. His insistence led to the creation of a friendly game that brought tribal teenagers, police officers, and community together at Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium.

“I first got this idea after hearing about the Heroes and Hoops event held back in December at Marysville Getchell, which had police officers and fire fighters from Marysville playing against one other to benefit Toys 4 Tots,” explained 18-year-old Damon. “A requirement as a Heritage student is to come with three projects a year, and it’s often said we should try to create projects based on things we like to do. One of the main things I like to do is play basketball, and I know our community likes to come out and cheer us on when we play, so, yeah, that’s where the inspiration came from.”

With the assistance of TPD Officer Mike Carrington, Damon coordinated a friendly game of basketball between Tulalip’s local crime fighters and his fellow high school teammates on their home floor. Friends and family of both teams sat in the bleachers and were treated to an exciting back and forth game that was just the right amount of competitive.

Team TPD played to their strengths, which was having the height and weight advantage of actual grown man bodies. They were intentional about getting the ball into the post and attacking the glass for offensive rebounds that would lead to put back opportunities. They also had the services of Officer Phil Powers who is well versed in the art of sharpshooting from behind the 3-point arc. Team TPD jumped out to a 9-0 lead that they stretched to 14-3 midway through the opening quarter.

The Hawks would storm back behind a 3-point barrage, led by freshmen phenom Amare Hatch. He was impossible to miss while wearing a festive pair of Easter bunny ears and routinely splashing jump shots over one, two, and sometimes three defenders. His scoring prowess helped his teenager team take the lead, 30-26. However, it would be short lived as Team TPD finished the half on a 7-0 run to regain the lead, 33-28, at halftime. 

“It’s my first time ever playing in a game like this and, to be honest, it’s really fun. I’m enjoying splashing threes over the cops,” shared freshman guard Amare during intermission. “I’m wearing the bunny ears for the little kids in the stands. Every time I make a shot and turn towards the fan section, I can see kids cheering and smiling. Seeing their smiles makes me enjoy life a lot more.”

In the 2^nd half, the high-flying Hawks executed their brand of rez ball to near perfection. Running and gunning, forcing steals, and showing off their seemingly endless supply of energy. For their effort, they held their largest lead of the game, 57-43, with only five minutes of game action left.

Down by 14 points, Team TPD refused to call it quits. Instead, to the delight of fans who desired a buzzer-beating finish, they went on a heroic 16-3 run to get within just a single point with only 50 seconds remaining.

With the pressure mounting and possession of the ball, the Hawks ran the shot clock all the way to ensure make or miss their opponents would have minimal time to pull off the comeback. When Damon’s 3-pointer rimmed out, Team TPD secured one final possession with only seconds to go. They looked to get a transition bucket, but the Hawks defense got back, seamlessly triple-teamed the police ballhandler, and forced a super contested shot that nearly went in. 

The Hawks collected the defensive rebounder and the final buzzer sounded. They reveled in a hard fought 60-59 W that resulted in one last standing applause from their adoring fans as they exchanged high-fives with Team TPD.

“In so many ways, these positive interactions with the youth are beneficial to our shared Tulalip community,” said Chief of Police Chris Sutter after the game. “Building trust for effective community policing starts with our officers being seen as humans, not just an officer with a badge. Today, the kids and community witnessed a friendly game of basketball that got the competitive juices flowing, but at all times was respectful and lighthearted. 

“We definitely would like to see more events like this where our officers can connect and engage with the youth over shared interests. These types of events also serve as the best way to inspire and empower the next generation to pursue careers in law enforcement,” added Chief Sutter. 

The late Francy J. Sheldon, for whom the Heritage court is named, would agree wholeheartedly with Chief Sutter’s perceptive. A well-known advocate for everything athletics, Francy excelled at sports as a young man before passing on his decades of experience through coaching. Later in life, Francy proudly answered the call to serve his community as Chief of Police; something that he spoke of proudly to the next generation that he continued to coach well into his twilight years.

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

After narrowly losing to Orcas Island, 29-34, in a defensive battle in their opening game of the NW1B District playoffs, the Tulalip girls hosted their crosstown rival Grace Academy on Tuesday, February 6, in a loser-out game. In front of a horde of their devout fans, the Lady Hawks took to the Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium hardwood with full knowledge of the stakes: win and advance, lose and go home. 

In their two regular season matchups, Tulalip bested Grace 33-27 and 41-29, which gave the home team a boost of confidence seeing the same opponent a third time. That confidence showed on Tulalip’s opening possession when Audrielle McLean splashed a 3-pointer on her first touch and gave her team a 3-0 lead. It showed when moments later Lilly Jefferson shot a midrange jumper that banked in. Those 5 early points would be all the Lady Hawks could muster for a long while though, as Grace implemented a 3-2 zone that stifled Tulalip’s perimeter-oriented offense. 

Trailing 5-11 midway in the 2^nd quarter, sophomore forward Raylee Lewis battled for an offensive rebound and was rewarded with a put-back bucket. The 5’5” Raylee again snatched a rebound away from Grace’s nearly 6-foot center, and put up a super quick layup off the glass before any defenders could contest. Her two buckets were the Lady Hawks only ones in the 2^nd quarter.

Fast forward to early in the 3^rd quarter, Tulalip trailed 11-25 and things began to look bleak. The transition game that the girls made their bread and butter on all season was nonexistent, and to make matters worse their senior guard Tieriana McLean was out for the remainder of the game with a wrist injury. They also had no answer for Grace’s center Candice Mugo who resembled Shaq with her dominating presence in the paint.

BUT, and it’s a big but, the beauty of sports is sometimes miracles happen. Epic comebacks. Catastrophic collapses. And whether or not any one thought they could actually come back against such undesirable circumstances, junior guard Audrielle did. At least her play conveyed that.

From late in the 3^rd quarter to midway through the 4^th, her teammates fought for every loose ball, did their best to corral every rebound and force turnovers, and each time they got another possession, they’d immediately look for Audrielle and pass her the ball. She turned into a true solo artist on offense. Splashing one deep 3-pointer after another. Each met with a louder and louder cheer from the home crowd. After her sixth made 3 ball, the Lady Hawks had clawed their way back to get within one possession of Grace, 28-30, with just under 2:00 left.

Comeback almost nearly complete, the Lady Hawks got a few quality looks in the games final seconds, but they would rim out. Grace would feed their post monster, who scored on their next two possessions, and that was a wrap. Tulalip lost on their home floor 28-35, ending their season.

Audrielle finished with 19 points, Raylee added 6 points, Lilly scored 2 points, and Isabelle score 1 point. 

“This season was my first time ever playing basketball,” shared 15-year-old Raylee after the game. “I’ve got a lot of cousins on the team and they were the ones who convinced me to play. My coaches and teammates kept telling me how much I was improving practice after practice and game after game. Looking back at how far I’ve come from the beginning to now, it really did mean so much to play on this team and in front of so many fans from the community. I’m not known as a scorer, so with this being our last game, it was actually real exciting to get some buckets with my parents and grandparents in the stands.”

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The Tulalip Hawks hit the road and travelled north for a matchup with the Hurricanes of Mt. Vernon Christian. A 3^rd round game of Districts with a chance to play in the 1^st/2^nd place game, Tulalip’s adoring fans hit the road, too, and actually outnumbered the Hurricanes fans in their own building.

A tense atmosphere in the early going as both teams traded buckets to notch it at 7-7. With chants of “Defense!”, the boys turned up their defensive intensity and forced the Hurricanes to play out of their comfort zone. Tulalip got their transition game going and continued to force the tempo to run up a 28-21 lead at halftime.

Midway in the 3^rd quarter, freshman guard J.J. Gray caught fire from deep and swished in three straight 3’s to push his team’s 43-31. With 3:00 in the 3^rd quarter, the Hurricane’s called timeout to attempt to settle their team, but instead were met with a devastating chant of “Tulalip Power!” from the unrelenting visiting fans. 

In the 4^th quarter, the game tightened up and the usual shots for the Hawks weren’t falling. The Hurricanes finally started to execute their offense and flipped the turnover script by getting Tulalip to force errant pass after errant pass. The boys watched their 12 point lead vanish and were suddenly trailing 43-44 with three minutes to go. 

Freshman guard Amare Hatch finally put an end to his team’s scoring drought by coming up with a steal and scoring a contested layup. Moments later he’d splash a 3 that put his team up for good, 48-45. Just for good measure, senior forward Hazen Shopbell, instead of holding the ball and waiting for the Hurricanes to foul him, opted to shoot a 3 of his own and join in on the long ball party. Fortunately, it went in to the delight and uproar of his teammates and all the Tulalip fans who knew the W was secured. 

The Hawks 52-46 win means no less than 2^nd place in Districts. They’ll again hit the road, this time for Lummi Nation, for a matchup with the Blackhawks on February 8. 

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The Tulalip Heritage boys basketball team finished a hard fought regular season with a (12-6) record. Having won seven of their final eight games, the Hawks earned a high seed in the NW1B District playoffs and the right to host a playoff game.

            On Saturday, February 3, family and friends lined the bleachers of Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium to cheer on their local teenage hoopers as they hosted the (7-14) Concrete Lions. This would be the third meeting between Tulalip and Concrete, with both getting a W on their home court previously.

It was a pressure-filled 1^st quarter as the Hawks came out tight in the opening minutes of their first playoff game. Senior guard Chano Guzman did his best to set the tone offensively with his usual attacking style. He knocked down two 3-pointers and three middy’s to score 12 points in the 1^st. With 2:15 to play in the 1^st quarter, the score was tied 14-14. The Lions were able to keep pace by hitting 3-pointers of their own and capitalizing on their bigger front-line players securing offensive rebounds and put back buckets.

Concrete continued their overachieving play to take their first lead of the game 20-18 early in the 2^nd quarter. It would be a super short-lived lead though as it seemed to spark Tulalip’s competitive fire. Fueled by their unrelenting pressure defensively, the boys forced Concrete into one turnover after another. Each seemingly leading to transition layup or high percentage shot. Six Hawks players scored down the stretch before halftime, then freshman guard J.J. Gray caught fire in the 2^nd half. 

After the Hawks went down 18-20 early in the 2^nd quarter, they used stifling defense and a diverse offensive attack to go an incredible 38-8 run that spanned to late in the 3^rd quarter. Now up big 56-28, head coach Shawn Sanchey used the comfortable lead to insert his bench to the cheer of the crowd. 

Nearly every shot by a reserve player received a little roar of anticipation from the crowd and benched starters, who were more than eager to see their brethren get a playoff bucket. Final score was a whopping 72-49 win. The Hawks were led in scoring by J.J.’s 25 points and Chano’s 22 points, while seven of their teammates also got into the box score. 

After the game, Coach Shawn shared his thoughts on the playoff W. “Having played Concrete twice before, we had a good idea on what we’d see from them and which areas we really needed to prioritize. The first two games, we weren’t at full strength either, so that was a benefit this time around knowing we were at full strength.

“It was impressive to see one of our senior leaders on the team, Chano, rise to the occasion early with his on-ball defense and timely buckets. He’s been a part of our Heritage program for a few years now and has the experience needed to keep our team together in tough moments and set the tone for us.”

Lastly, Coach Shawn added the significance of his starters taking control of the game and building the big lead so that their teammates could get some court time. “I tell the boys every game that they owe to the game and their team to work hard each quarter so the whole team gets a chance to play. Everyone, starters and bench players, works super hard and grinds every practice to get us here, so it’s only fair that we work hard in games like this to get our whole team some court time.”