Category: Sports

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

After being humbled by the Lummi Blackhawks, the Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks’ focus immediately turned to cross-town rival, the Grace Academy Eagles. The quick turnaround between scheduled games was welcomed by players and coaches, alike, who were eager to get back on the court and see a reset scoreboard.

“I’m looking forward to our girls coming out with their spirits high and choosing to play a powerful brand of basketball, which they are more than capable of doing,” said head coach Katia Brown pre-game. “It’s important for any athlete or team to learn how to respond positively from a loss. We got beat good by Lummi, but that game is over now, and we’re focused on the opponent in front of us, which is Grace, and executing our game plan. If there’s an x-factor for us, it’ll be getting off to a quick start and putting up points from the jump.” 

If it’s possible to manifest a bucket, then coach Katia most definitely did. Indeed, sophomore forward Janiesha Zackuse won the game’s opening jump and tipped the ball perfectly into the shooting pocket of lead guard Aylani Lewis, who didn’t even have to dribble before scoring easily. Lady Hawks up 2-0. Moments later, freshman guard Madison Sheldon showed off her handles by dribbling around a Grace defender and then banking in a step-back jumper. The energy of the game was a complete 180 from the previous one.

Earlier this season, Heritage assistant coaches Deandra Grant and Jacynta Myles, each a dominant post player in their Lady Hawks heydays, spoke about Janeisha’s on-court development. They’ve been working on her establishing herself early in games and using her size to create effective scoring opportunities. As the tallest Heritage player, she stands out. Against Grace, she put together her most dominant game of the season by corralling rebounds galore, both offensively and defensively, getting to her spots down low, and shooting without hesitation. For her efforts, she was rewarded with plenty of scoring opportunities from the floor and charity stripe.

The game tightened up midway through the 2^nd quarter when Grace Academy’s primary ballhandler, Tulalip tribal member Tashenia Cortez, began to assert herself on both sides of the court. Her defensive prowess managed to force two backcourt violations, giving her team additional possessions. Offensively, her corner jump shot and ability to get to the rim and score through contact kept the Eagles in the game. 

Right before halftime, senior forward Raylee Lewis collected an offensive board and immediately went up with it to make a bucket and put her team up 15-14 at the break.

At the start of the 3^rd quarter, Raylee again scored off an offensive rebound. Her sister, Aylani, casually drained a 3-ball a couple of possessions later that put their Lady Hawks up 20-14. Heritage continued to soar from that point on. Encapsulating those soaring spirits best was senior guard Lilly Jefferson, who caught fire from the floor and scored 7 points in the 4^th quarter to secure Tulalip’s 36-24 victory. 

After the game, hugs and congratulatory high-fives were shared between the Lady Hawks and their two Tulalip counterparts who play for Grace Academy.

“I know Heritage and Grace are considered rivals, but I don’t really feel like that because it’s like playing family,” admitted Eagles sophomore guard Tashenia post-game. She led all scorers with 12 points and accounted for half her team’s offensive output. “It was definitely fun playing in this game and being able to catch up with some of the players whenever this was break in game play. I’m sure a few of us will be teammates in future Native tournaments.”

Added her Grace Academy teammate and fellow Tulalip tribal member Katherine Velasquez, “It’s definitely a different vibe leading up to these games with Heritage. For me, I still get nervous for these games because I know there will be so many people here to watch the game. Even if the games can get intense at times, it’s only because we know both teams really want to win. At the end of the day though, we know we’re still part of the same tribe even if we go to different schools.”

Katherine, Tashenia and their Grace Academy teammates will play Heritage one more time this season. Game scheduled for 5:30pm on Thursday, January 29, at Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium.

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The Tulalip Heritage girls basketball team hosted the Lummi Blackhawks at Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium on Monday, January 5. Lummi came into the game riding a 7-game winning streak, while the Lady Hawks had lost 4 of their 5 and were looking to right the ship.

In the early going, the game was played at a frenetic pace by both teams. There were shots galore, but they weren’t finding the nylon. Two minutes into the opening quarter, Lilly Jefferson found a cutting Madison Sheldon who converted a layup for their first basket of the game. Tied, 2-2, midway through the 1^st, the tide would abruptly turn when the Blackhawks got it going for 3-point range. What was once a 2-2 game quickly turned into a 3-21 game, then 5-33.

The deficit continued to grow as Lummi showed why they are a State Championship contender with multiple all-area players on their roster. The scoreboard didn’t deter our Lady Hawks though. They continued to play their hearts out and exerted tremendous effort in their attempts to execute the plays being called out by their coaching staff in the 2^nd half. 

Ultimately, the Lady Hawks lost by a wide margin, 18-78. Aylani Lewis led the Lady Hawks with 7 points. Madison Sheldon added 4 points and Hayleigh Enick, off the bench, notched a 3-pointer. 

After the game, senior co-captain Raylee Lewis shared her insights. “It was honestly pretty nerve-racking,” she admitted. “One, because it’s always difficult to be in a situation where we know we aren’t going to measure up to our usual expectations, because Lummi is really, really good. And two, we had so many people show up to the game, our Tulalip families and our Lummi families, who were so excited to see us play one another, so there was additional pressure to perform well.

“Even though the game didn’t go how we’d have liked, there are still some positive takeaways. Like, each one of us knows there are things we can do to get better and improve and those things were magnified today. So, if we focus on those things and continue working towards improving as individual players and as a team, it can only benefit us in the long run.”

Such self-reflection is what makes this latest iteration of Lady Hawks basketball so enjoyable. Even in blow-outs, they do their best to remain positive and look for silver linings. 

Assistant coach Deandra Grant knows all too well what it’s like to play in pressure-filled games versus Lummi. She played many such games during her tenure as a Lady Hawk. “As coaches, we knew what kind of competitive atmosphere it would be, especially with Lummi being as good as they are this year. But explaining and preparing our girls for it is difficult because you can’t replicate that kind of energy. But once the game started, everyone knew it was different.

“We’ll be seeing them again down the line and now we know what areas we really need to work on in order to compete with them,” she added. “Rebounding and transitional defense are the two areas that really come to mind. We’ll continue to emphasize these parts of the game in practice and continue to improve week by week.”

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

Tulalip vs Lummi. Hawks vs Blackhawks. A battle for Northwest 1B supremacy. The much-anticipated, much discussed first matchup of the season between Coast Salish rivals lived up to all the hype and then some.

There were figurative fireworks galore ignited on Everett Community College’s basketball court on January 5. Officially a Heritage home game, the venue was appropriately changed from Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium to Everett C.C. because of an expected high-volume attendance that would far exceed Tulalip’s gym capacity.

Fans began to fill the bleachers a good ½ hour before tip-off. While the boys hit the court to get in their pre-game routine, assistant coach Alec Jones-Smith reflected on what it means to be a part of the Tulalip/Lummi rivalry. 

“There’s so much history behind it. My grandpa still talks about his basketball battles with Lummi. That’s how much these games matter to our people,” said coach Alec. “You can just see how much pride there is. It’s literally filling the stands. There are more elders here than I’ve seen all season.

“And for our players, they’ve been playing with and against these same Lummi players since they were kindergarteners playing biddy ball. They know all too well what kind of bragging rights come with these rivalry games. Now, it all comes down to execution and staying poised in the moment. One thing, too, I try to tell them is just enjoy the experience because these are the games they’ll remember long after high school. Win or lose, they’ll remember playing here in this gym and all the community members who came out to watch them play.”

From the opening tip-off, sparks began to fly when Ziggy Myles-Gilford outjumped Lummi’s big man for first possession. Moments later, J.J. Gray missed a 3-pointer that bounced perfectly toward Davien Parks. He collected the offensive rebound and quickly shot a layup that secured Tulalip first bucket of the game. When Lummi took an 8-11 lead, five minutes in, J.J. threw a nifty jump pass to wide open Davis Bachand in the corner who connected on a game-tying 3-pointer, 11-11.

Early in the 2^nd quarter, both Tayari Williams and Peyton Hatch finished through contact to produce and-one opportunities for Tulalip and keep the score tight at 19-21. Lummi went on a mini-run to take an 8 point with 90 seconds until halftime. Timely scoring by Tokala Black Tomahawk over the final minute and half, including an offensive rebound and putback and an aggressive running floater, cut Tulalip’s deficit in half. The boys trailed by 4, 27-31, at halftime.

During intermission, head coach Shawn Sanchey described the second half game plan. “Locking in mentally and just staying true to who we are. We know this is a big game, it’s been a lot of fun and super high energy to this point, which is why it’s more important now to remain focused and stick to the game plan down the stretch.”

In the subsequent 3^rd quarter, the Hawks came out firing. First, it was Tokala knocking down a corner 3-pointer and then a couple minutes later, Yari and Peyton connected on back-to-back 3-pointers. Each made long ball received a roar from the home crowd faithful. Tulalip held a 5-point lead, 43-38, with 2 minutes remaining in the quarter. Lummi would battle back to tie at 47-47, setting up a decisive 4^th quarter.

Tulalip trailed 53-55 midway through the 4^th when Davis came up with a steal and ignited a Hawks transition break. His layup attempt rimmed out, but Ziggy, who trailed him on the break, was in perfect position. More fireworks ensued when the 11^th grade forward took flight, corralled the offensive board in mid-air, and abruptly two-hand jammed it. The Everett gym exploded like a pack of Excalibur mortars. Tie game, again, this time at 55-55.

Over the game’s final four minutes, Heritage’s dazzling display dissipated, as lack of offensive execution curtailed their grand finale. A bad pass, a miss-timed play, and 3-point attempts that fell just short was all it took to prove the difference in a game between Northwest 1B contenders. First round goes to Lummi with Tulalip losing a memorable matchup, 62-65.

Davien Parks led Tulalip with 16 points. Tayari added 12 points and Peyton scored 9 points. Round 2 of Tulalip vs Lummi is scheduled for February 3, at Lummi. Mark your calendars.

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The Tulalip Heritage girls basketball team hosted the Shoreline Christian Chargers at Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium on December 11. Prior to tip-off, head coach Katia Brown and assistant coach Deandra Grant shared what the girls have been working on in practice.

“We’ve mostly been doing a lot of repetition in practice. Running through our primary plays over and over again,” said coach Katia. “When our offensive, defensive, and out of bounds plays become second nature, then it won’t matter as much which five girls are on the court, they’ll all be able to execute. The other point of emphasis for us is getting back in transition. We want all our girls to be running back on defense and to give full effort on the defensive end. Because at the end of the day, defense is all about effort.”

“We’ve also been working with our freshman, Madison Sheldon, to let her know that she’s more than capable of being a strong ballhandling option for us,” added assistant coach Deandra. “She’s young and quick to second guess herself. When, really, she already has the talent and drive to produce in a big way.”

The points both coaches spoke of become evident against Shoreline in the early going. First, the Lady Hawks defense was down right stifling. They helped each other, communicated and rotated well, and were routinely hustling to get back on D in transition. Meanwhile, the offense was flowing. Guard Aylani Lewis found big sister Raylee down low for a layup and on the next play, kicked it out to Madison who splashed a 3-pointer. Up 5-0, the Lady Hawks would never look back as they held a 12-4 lead entering the 2^nd quarter.

Aylani called her own number to begin the 2^nd quarter when she made back-to-back 3-pointers to put her team up 18-4. The defense continued to harass Shoreline ballhandlers and force turnover after turnover. It was routine to see Lady Hawks lay out to secure loose and deflected balls, which ignited Heritage’s fast break opportunities. After Madison hit her second 3-pointer of the game, she assisted her big sister Lilly Jefferson a couple possessions later for a 15-foot jumper. The Lady Hawks led 26-4 when Shoreline got their only points of the quarter from the free-throw line. The girls took a commanding 26-6 lead into halftime.

The dominance continued in the 2^nd half. The Heritage coaches, true to their word, put their trust in their girls to execute the offense without lead guard Aylani on the floor. As she sat for an extended rest, Madison and Lilly took the reigns and made the most of their opportunity. Lilly caught fire from the floor and wasn’t shy to show off her mid-range game that she worked on over the offseason. She made six 2^nd half baskets, and on one of her few misses, sophomore forward Janiesha Fryberg was there to corral the offensive board and score a bucket.

Ultimately, the Lady Hawks team effort resulted in a 54-15 rout of Shoreline Christian. Aylani scored a game high 16 points, Lilly added 15 points, and both Raylee and Madison chipped in 9 points. It’s worth noting that the Lady Hawks defense was so on point that they didn’t give up a single bucket to Shoreline in the 2^nd or 4^th quarters. Lockdown.

After the game, sisters Madison and Lilly offered their perspective on the impressive W.

“Our team adapted quickly to what Shoreline was trying to do on both ends of the court tonight,” said senior forward Lilly. “Our chemistry is so much better than last year and keeps getting better every game. I’m just glad to be playing on this team, especially now that my sister is on the team.”

Her sister, Madison, is only 14-years-old. She’s been watching Heritage basketball for as long as she can remember. Going from spectator to secondary ballhandler and opportune sharp shooter is something she’s quite literally waited her entire life for.

“It feels so great to be Lady Hawk!” beamed Madison, the heritage freshman. “I get to play with my sister. I get to be on the court, finally, and I get to grow up being a Lady Hawk.”

The Lady Hawks next home game is an out-of-league matchup with Wapato High School. Game scheduled for 3:30pm on Saturday, December 20, at Marysville Pilchuck. 

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

After their previous outing against King’s High School, the Tulalip Heritage boys basketball team was looking for a bounce back game when Shoreline Christian came to the Reservation on December 11.

“We’re still down a few players, but that shouldn’t be an issue for us in this matchup,” explained head coach Shawn Sanchey pregame. “I’ve called up players from junior varsity to fill out the bench. Those boys are hungry to get on the court. I’m hoping their energy becomes contagious and fuels our team to play at the pace and style we’re accustomed to.”

In the 1^st quarter, senior guard Davien Parks put Heritage on the board with one of his patented, step-back 3-pointers. He scored three more jump shots in the quarter and assisted fellow senior Davis Bachand on a corner 3-pointer. Tulalip led 14-7 when a timely offensive board was tipped out to forward Tokala Black Tomahawk, who didn’t hesitate to shoot and convert on the uncontested three ball. Tulalip up 17-7 after one.

Tokala scored Heritage’s first points of the 2^nd quarter when Davis found him alone in the corner for his second 3-point make. Leading 20-7, Heritage extended their lead to 32-11 with a combination of good ball movement and well-timed cuts to the basket. After Shoreline called a timeout to regroup with 2:30 left to play, Tulalip played good defense, secured a rebound and pushed tempo. This time, it was Tokala finding Davis in the corner for another 3-pointer, the seventh in the 1^st half by Tulalip. The impressive perimeter shooting powered Tulalip to a 38-16 halftime lead.

At halftime, coach Shawn shared that the point of emphasis for the boys in the 2^nd half would be their defense. They recognized that Shoreline only had one true ballhandler, and he was limited by his inability to dribble left. It was all right, all the time. The Heritage coaches challenged their boys to pick this player, one Daniel Abraham, up full court and not allow him to dribble right.

Multiple Hawks got their opportunity to guard Shoreline’s heart and soul. Collectively, from seniors Davis and Ziggy Myles-Gilford to sophomores Peyton Hatch and Deveyon Wells, the boys rose to the occasion to apply full-court pressure. Perhaps, most impressive of all, was Jaedynn Zackuse, who blanketed the Shoreline point guard like a lockdown corner in football. He played most of the 4^th quarter, solely concerned with not giving up a bucket, and he didn’t. Shoreline’s Daniel Abraham only scored one bucket the entire 2^nd half and failed to score any points in the 4^th quarter.

With their defense playing at a high level, and the three balls continuing to fall, nine made in the 2^nd half, Heritage soared past Shoreline. They outscored their opponent 38-10 over the 3^rd and 4^th quarters combined en route to a 76-26 victory. Davien led all scorers with 19 points, Tokala added 16 points, Davis added 12 points, and freshman Josh Davis joined the party by knocking down three 3-pointers.

After the game, coach Shawn said, “J.Z. (Jaedynn Zackuse) was an absolute dog for us tonight. We put him on Shoreline’s best player in the 4^th quarter, and he responded by working hard and executing the game plan. This is a teachable moment for our team because we’ve been preaching that defense wins championships. If we’re going to reach our ultimate goal this year, then it’ll be because we are locked in on defense.”

The Hawks next home game is an out-of-league matchup with Wapato High School. Game scheduled for 5:00pm on Saturday, December 20, at Marysville Pilchuck.

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

After last year’s exhilarating (15-1) regular season, 2^nd place finish at District’s, 3^rd place finish at Tri-District’s, and history-making 4^th place finish at State, the Tulalip Heritage boys basketball program made their much anticipated 2025-2026 debut.

Prior to their opening game, head coach Shawn Sanchey shared, “We’ve been striving to get back that edge we had last year, where the desire was to play our brand of basketball better than anyone. This requires getting back to our discipline and continuing to work hard at each and every practice. We know we have a bunch of talented basketball players, but to win the biggest games when it matters most comes down to doing all the little things at a high level. That’s where our focus is right now to start this new season.”

That focus was on full display in front of a raucous home crowd who packed Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium. From the opening tip, the boys showed why championship aspirations abound. Tulalip jumped out to a 10-0 lead that ballooned all the way to 37-0 before Cedar Park finally got on the board with a made free-throw.

After one quarter of play, the boys led 44-3. Every Hawk starter made at least two buckets in the 1^st quarter as the ball was swung from corner to corner and outside-in to find one offensive player after another who was in prime scoring position. The offensive barrage didn’t hinder the boys’ defense either. They were constantly pressing and trapping, which forced too many to count turnovers, many of them resulted in easy Tulalip buckets.

The onslaught continued in the 2^nd quarter, where the boys held a 55-5 lead at one point. In the 2^nd half, the boys were determined to hit the century mark, which they ultimately did as they came away with an emphatic 106-21 drubbing of Cedar Park on opening night. 

Senior guard Davien Parks scored a game-high 33 points, forward Davis Bachand added 18 points, and Tayari Archibald chipped in 14 points. In total ten Hawks players scored a bucket in the blowout.

“Being down a couple starters tonight, I knew I had to be aggressive getting to my spots early,” said Davien post-game. “And as a team, we responded by playing extremely hard and picking up for the guys were missing. We know what the expectations are for this season. Every game we got to play with this level of effort. If we do, then I think we can score 100 points every game.”

For Tayari, the much-heralded little brother of RaeQuan Battle, the game marked his Heritage Hawks debut on the home floor. Asked how nervous he was for this game, he said, “I just tried to stay confident, to be confident, and to be patient knowing the opportunities would come. It feels good to have gotten the W.”

Hawks humbled by Kings one day later

Close to 24-hours later, the Heritage boys traveled south to play an out-of-league game against King’s Senior High School in Shoreline. Tulalip being 1B and King’s 1A, the expectation was the competition would be much bigger and better than what the boys got versus Cedar Park Christan the day before.

As it turns out, King’s would trot out four players taller than the tallest Hawk, and, more importantly, play to that advantage effectively. It didn’t help either that Tulalip was missing two starters, including their center Ziggy Myles-Gilford. Making matters worse, in the early going and the Hawks only trailing by one point, 12-13, point guard J.J. Gray went down with an apparent ankle injury that sidelined him the remainder of the game.

Down three starters and playing undermanned and undersized was quite the undertaking. The boys did their best to keep the game close and continued to execute their sets in the 2^nd quarter. With (2:30) to go until halftime, the score was 25-29. 

King’s kept playing to their size advantage in the low post and made the most of their decisive rebounding edge. That wore on the smaller Hawks players and eventually led to foul trouble for those unaccustomed to guarding post-players with patience and good footwork. King’s also did a good job of doubling any Hawk ballhandler who made a decisive move to the basket, and forced several offensive foul turnovers. 

Late in the 3^rd quarter and with Tulalip trailing 31-48, sophomore guard Peyton Hatch provided his team with a much-needed spark. He splashed a 3-pointer setup beautifully by a Davien drive and dish, and then hit the deck to corral a loose ball that led to a Tayari 3-pointer. That mini run forced King’s to call timeout.

The closest the boys would get in the 4^th quarter was to within 12 points, 45-57. King’s was just too much on this day given how short-handed the Hawks were. Tulalip ultimately lost 58-74. Davien and Peyton each scored a team-high 13 points, while Tayari added 10 points.

After the game, Peyton, who hit three 3-pointers down the stretch and never let the score of the game diminish his effort nor energy, said, “I just knew I needed have high spirits and keeping playing hard because we were getting a bunch of charge calls against us and that’s tough to play through. I did what I could to help grab rebounds and even got us going a little bit on the offense end. I airballed my first three-point shot, so it definitely felt good to catch fire and make three 3-pointers late in the game.”

Remaining humble in a loss and learning what you could do better to impact the game is something a championship contender does best. That’s not lost on the Hawks coaching staff, especially assistant coach Alec Jones-Smith who played his high school ball at Marysville-Pilchuck, which is divisions above Heritage’s 1B. 

“We knew coming into this game that we were the underdog and they were the favorite. They were gonna play that much harder because as the bigger school they don’t want to lose to a smaller one,” explained coach Alec. “The important thing now for us coaches is to instill what we learned from this game into our players. Because we know that later in the season and especially come playoff time, we are going to see bigger and faster players. That’s just basketball. There’s always someone bigger and faster.

“I think being humbled like this early in the season could be the best thing for us,” he continued. “It shows how important it is practice with intention and remain locked-in from game to game. We can’t let a loss like this stay with us all season. We have to accept it, learn from it, and use it as motivation going forward.”

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

Last season’s Tulalip Heritage girls basketball finished with a reported record of (3-10). There was a decent amount of turmoil on the court and on the coaching bench. Losing tends to have that effect in any sport, at almost any level. 

But that was last year. This is a new year with a new coaching staff who are intent on creating a culture of community and sisterhood on the court that results in a good bit of winning.

Now leading the Lady Hawks program is head coach Katia Brown and her assistants Deandra Grant and Jacynta Myles. If these names sound familiar, they should. All three ladies are Heritage alumni who made quite a name for themselves during their tenure as Lady Hawks.

“In preparing for this season, we really focused on building a sense of team,” said head coach Katia. “From what was shared with us, the team concept was really missing from Lady Hawks basketball the last couple years. Coming in with an entirely new coaching staff allowed us the opportunity to lay a new foundation.

“We want our foundation to be built on team and trust because basketball is a team sport, not an I sport. But also, because these girls can create bonds with their teammates that last well beyond high school,” continued Katia. “The three of us coaches are an example of that. We each went to Heritage, played basketball and volleyball as Lady Hawks, and now we are grown and still close. We want are girls to see this time isn’t just about winning and losing or statistics, it’s about making memories and, if they choose, sisters for life.”

The 2025-2026 basketball season officially kicked off for the Lady Hawks when they hosted Cedar Park Christian at Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium. The new vibes were felt in the opening quarter when the Lady Hawks put on a defensive clinic. 

Their hands and feet were active, they constantly rotated on defense to help each other out, and their high energy resulted in plenty of highlights. Sophomore guard Aylani Lewis was all over the place, jumping passing lanes, and disrupting Cedar Park ballhandlers. Her pressure led to steals, which ignited the fast break offense. Sophomore forward Janiesha Zackuse, coming off an offseason growth spurt, came up with two blocks, one of which she didn’t even jump. Her denial of Cedar Park shooters at the rim also ignited the Lady Hawks fast break. After one quarter of play, the Heritage girls’ stifling defense only gave up 6 points, and they held a 16-6 lead.

During one memorable stretch in the 2^nd quarter, there were two pairs of sisters sharing the court. Aylani and her big sister, senior Raylee Lewis, along with sisters Lilly and Madison Sheldon. Madison, getting minutes as a freshman, received a lively applause from the home crowd after swishing a corner 3-ball to extend Heritage’s lead to 22-15 at halftime.

The second half was continued domination by the Lady Hawks defense. They refused to give up any uncontested shot attempts, made a valiant effort of gang rebounding as a team, and were routinely diving on the deck to collect loose balls. All things that Katia and her coaches expect from a team playing for one another and not for themselves.

While the defense continued to play at a high level, so too, did point guard Aylani. She used her agility and speed to blow by Cedar Park defenders seemingly at will and never shied away from contact. Showing off her shooting touch, she made three 3-pointers to compile a game high 24 points.

After the Lady Hawks triumphant, 45-23, win over Cedar Park, the Lewis sisters shared their thoughts on the team’s new vibe.

“It took us a while to get here, for sure, but it feels really good to be a part of a team that actually feels like a team,” said Raylee. “I think that our coaches are doing so much to make sure we are communicating effectively and always lifting each other up. It’s created a certain level of ease and comfort that last year didn’t have.”

Little sister and bucket-getter Aylani added, “My sister just has a way of making me feel beautiful, strong, and amazing…always. And I just know that her belief in me and our coaches belief in me motivates me to play my best.”

If this is just the beginning for the new year, new vibe Lady Hawks, then we can’t wait to see what the future has in store. 

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

For the first time in Heritage High School history, the football program hosted a home playoff game on the Tulalip Reservation. They made the most of the moment, too. Under the golden glow of Saturday night lights reflecting off Tulalip Bay, the Hawks delivered a statement victory by dismantling the visiting North Beach Hyaks of Ocean Shores by an impressive score of 62-8.

The energy was electric from the opening kickoff. Families, alumni, and community members packed the bleachers and grass hill overlooking the field. 

“Hosting our first-ever home playoff game is huge, not just for us but the community as well,” said head coach Shawn Custis pregame. “From the parents and teachers to the coaching staff, we’ve been working so hard to get our boys to this moment. It took so much community support to make this day happen and it’s finally here. Our boys are prepared, mentally and physically, and they know that as long as they execute our gameplan, keep in alignment, and play for each other, we can be victorious.” 

That preparation coach spoke of was evident from the first snap. The Hawks looked downright unstoppable with junior quarterback J.J. Grey leading the charge and putting on a masterclass in offensive command. With the poise of a veteran and the athleticism of a highlight reel, J.J. torched the Hyaks’ defense through the air and on the ground. His perfectly timed scrambles turned broken plays into explosive gains, often leaving defenders grasping at air.

Tulalip jumped out to a 24-0 lead after the first quarter, thanks to a balanced attack of precision passing, powerful running, and opportunistic defense. Senior running back James Jones scored a 55-yard rushing touchdown to get the party started. He was followed by wide receiver Jaedynn Zackuse who caught a 35-yard pass for a touchdown and then J.J. who went around left end for a 25-yard scramble to the end zone. 

In the final two minutes of the second quarter, J.J. showed off his legendary quicks when he casually carved up the North Beach defense for not one, but two more scores. The first was a 50-yard touchdown run. The second was a whopping 75-yard touchdown run with only twelve seconds remaining in the half.

At halftime, the scoreboard read 38-8, and the devoted home crowd knew they were witnessing something special. The Hawks’ offensive line dominated the trenches, giving J.J. ample time to pick apart the Hyaks’ secondary while the defense swarmed to every tackle, forcing turnovers and frustration.

Coach Custis noted at halftime that he believes Tulalip has the best scoring defense in our entire 1B classification. Meanwhile, offensive coordinator Timothy Greene said of his offense’s first half clinic, “Our kids are making the correct reads and executing our plays just like we draw them and run through them in practice. When we execute like we should, I have nothing but confidence in our offense’s ability to put up points against any opponent.”

The Hawks’ relentless tempo continued into the second half. A well-designed play led to wide receiver Jaedynn Zackuse scampering untouched into the endzone after a 25-yard run. Then the Hawks defense again stepped up and forced a North Beach 3-and-out. J.J. was back to return the punt and after picking up the ball from his own 15-yard line, he returned it 70-yards to set up an immediate scoring opportunity. On the very next play, J.J. dropped back and lofted a 15-yard pass that receiver Jaedynn jumped over a defender to catch in the endzone. With Tulalip leading 50-8 early in the 4^th quarter, senior wide receiver Tokala Black Tomahawk found the end zone on nifty jet sweep.

Up by the wide margin of 56-8, more of the depth chart began to rotate in, but the intensity never dropped. Freshman quarterback Joshua Davis rolled out to his left and found sophomore wide receiver Deveyon Wells in the back of the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown to punctuate the final score at 62-8.

“We knew North Beach was an outside-in team, so our coaches prepared us all week to stop their runners from getting to the outside. We executed that game plan to a T all game,” said junior safety Ziggy Myles-Gilford. He couldn’t help but take notice of all the Hawks fans still attendance following the blowout W. “Man, it just feels amazing to being playing like we are in front of our home fans. It means everything to show them what we are capable of getting this W for them. And the fact they stayed throughout the whole game says a lot.”

The Heritage Hawks now advance one stage deeper into the playoffs. Their next game is scheduled for 3:00pm this Saturday, November 15, at Pomeroy High School. For our readers unfamiliar with Pomeroy, it’s a small eastern Washington town of only 1,400 residents. Close to Pullman, it’s a mere 5-hour and 30-minute commute from Tulalip.