Sports Archives - Page 16 of 51

Hawks finding their identity, get 2nd W

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The (1-4) Tulalip Heritage Hawks were coming off their first W of the season when they defeated Summit Sierra, 51-46, back on December 20. They traveled to Puyallup on Tuesday, December 27, to play the (4-2) Chief Leschi Warriors. Tulalip only had 5 players for this one.

The Warriors were just the better team, especially with the Hawks missing guys, and had their way on both ends against Tulalip. The Hawks hadn’t played an opponent like Chief Leschi and struggled to matchup with their athleticism. With only five guys the burden would fall on guard Josh Iukes to carry the team, but the Warriors knew this as well and constantly threw a double-team at him, forcing Josh to give up the ball.

Tulalip trailed 8-21 after the 1^st quarter and the deficit only increased at halftime when they trailed 16-48. When the game was over Tulalip lost 28-75. The only bright spot for the Hawks was forward Samuel Fryberg finding a rhythm and getting buckets in front of his cheering family. Sam knocked down three 3-pointers and led his team with 13 points.

Lummi Nation hosted the Tulalip Hawks the very next day. The game played out very similar to the Leschi game, with Lummi opting to press and double Tulalip’s key ball handler. The strategy worked again as Tulalip committed many turnovers on errant passes that led to easy transition buckets for the Blackhawks. Tulalip would lose the game 31-65.

After losing back-to-back games to fellow tribal schools, the Hawks returned home to host (2-5) Grace Academy on Tuesday, January 3. These two teams matched up very well on paper and with a large crowd turn-out, the people were expecting a highly competitive game. Got to give the people what they want.

In the 1^st quarter, Nashone Whitebear caught fire by making three straight baskets. Trailing 6-9, freshman Josh Miranda found his spots in the offensive sets and made Grace pay for leaving him open. Josh splashed in consecutive 3-pointers to keep his team close. At the end of the opening quarter, Tulalip trailed 14-18.

After some quick buckets by the home team, it was a 19-20 game before Grace went on a 12-2 run. Trailing 21-31, Tulalip called a timeout. The Hawks players were strongly urged to turn up their defensive intensity and stop giving up uncontested buckets if they were going to get back in the game. Paul Shay responded, coming up with two timely steals and going on a 6-0 run of his own. Tulalip finished the quarter strong and cut their deficit to only 4 points, 31-35 at halftime.

Starting the 2^nd half, Miranda hit another 3-pointer to bring his team within one point, 34-35. However, this time it was Grace finishing the quarter strong, leaving Tulalip to trail 41-48 with one quarter to play.

In the 4^th quarter, the Hawks as a team collectively willed their team to victory. Everyone was scrambling on defense to not give up any easy buckets, they were crashing the boards, and hitting the deck diving for loose balls. Nashone once again got the hot hand and scored three straight baskets. With just over five minutes to go, the Hawks took their first lead of the game 49-48. With the defense still turned on full throttle, Grace Academy was at a loss on the offensive end. They were held to only 5 points in the quarter.

In the game’s biggest moments down the stretch, guard Josh Iukes was clutch. Josh hit a corner 3-pointer to give his team a 52-49 lead and then he sealed the deal draining another 3-pointer with only seconds remaining. Tulalip played their best team game of the season and earned their second victory, 55-53.

Nashone and Josh both led all scorers with 16 points each, Miranda with his three 3-pointers scored 9 points, while Paul and Rodney both added 8 points.

Lady Hawks Continue to Cruise

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

With a (2-1) record that includes a 72- and 59-point win, the Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks basketball team traveled to Orcas Christian to take on the (0-2) Saints on Tuesday, December 13. The girls once again made quick work of their opponent, winning 50-14.

Tulalip returned to their home court when they hosted the Spartans from Summit Sierra on Tuesday, December 20. Looking for their first competitive game in front of the home crowd, spectators were instead treated to what may be the most dominant victory in Lady Hawk history. The inexperienced Spartans team comprised of 9th and 10th graders were torched early and often. Tulalip led 22-0 after the 1st quarter, 49-0 at halftime, and went on to take the game 71-0.

Hawks notch first W of the season

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The Tulalip Heritage Hawks basketball program is in the midst of a rebuilding year. After graduating Willy Enick and Robert Miles, Jr. last season, the program has no remaining players from that highly talented 2013-2014 team that ran the table in the regular season before making it all the way to the State tournament. Also, this year’s team only returns three players from last season in Josh Iukes, Nashone Whitebear, and Samuel Fryberg.

The Hawks opened up the season with four straight losses as all the new faces are getting their reps in while learning the offensive and defensive sets. The learning curve has been steep, but the coaches have been working diligently with their young team and hope to find a winning form.

On Tuesday, December 20 the Hawks (0-4) hosted the Summit Sierra Spartans at Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium. In a highly entertaining game, the Hawks found themselves winning 31-21 at halftime led by 15 1st half points by sophomore guard Paul Shay, Jr.

In the 3rd quarter, the Hawks built their lead to 41-25 midway through the quarter. The Spartans kept battling and started to find holes in the Hawks defense, while at the same time the Hawks offense went ice cold. Tulalip’s 16 point lead vanished as the game tightened up and in the 4th quarter with a little more than four minutes remaining the score was tied, 41-41.

In the game’s most tense moments, Hawks guard Josh Iukes came up huge. Josh all but clinched the game with three clutch free-throws and a key 3-pointer. When the final game buzzer sounded, Tulalip had defeated the Spartans 51-47 and earned their first win of the season.

Paul Shay, Jr. led all scorers with 20 points, while Josh and Nashone each added 10 points.

Lady Hawks bounce back with another blowout win

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

After their season opening 74-6 victory over the Marysville Getchell Chargers c-team, the Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks (1-0) traveled south to play another out of league game vs. Tacoma Baptist. The game was played on Saturday, December 3, and it did not go well for the Lady Hawks. They were outscored by 40 points, losing 23-63. Tulalip quickly shook off the loss and put their attention to their next opponent, the Bears of Chief Kitsap Academy.

On Wednesday, December 7, the Lady Hawks hosted the Bears at Francy J. Sheldon gymnasium. The Chief Kitsap team is a young squad comprised of only two upper classmen to go with three 9^th graders and two 8^th graders. While on the other side, senior guard Aliya Jones was making her home court debut for the Lady Hawks.

Just like their last home game, the Lady Hawks came out firing on all cylinders from the opening tip. They girls were locking up on defense, forcing turnovers, grabbing nearly every rebound, and executing their offense. Aliya wasted no time going into attack mode and scored 12 points in the opening quarter. Tulalip went up 16-0 before making a four player substitution. The Bears didn’t score a field goal, but did manage to get on the board with a pair of free-throws late in the 1^st quarter.

The home team was up 20-2 going into the 2^nd quarter. With the starters back in the game, the Lady Hawks again controlled every facet of the game and pushed their lead to 32-2. Sophomore Claudia Parker went on an 8-0 run of her own, including the only two 3-pointers of the game, thanks to well-timed passes from her teammates. The Bears were held scoreless in the quarter and at halftime the Lady Hawks led 44-2.

The 2^nd half was more Tulalip domination. Aliya and Keryn Parks combined to quickly score 14 points to start the 3^rd quarter before hitting the bench after their team took a 64-5 lead. When the game ended, the Lady Hawks had won by 59 points, 66-7, upping their record to (2-1) on the young season. Aliya led all scorers with a game high 24 points.

The Lady Hawks hit the road for one game before returning for back-to-back home games on Friday, December 16, vs. Lummi Nation and Tuesday, December 20, vs. Summit Sierra.

Lady Hawks set school records in 74-6 rout of Chargers

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

Led by All-State talent Adiya Jones, last season’s Lady Hawks team went a perfect (19-0) in the regular season, winning those games with an astoundingly high 30-point average margin of victory, and made it all the way to the State tournament. That team finished with a (23-3) overall record as they rewrote the Heritage history books.

Fast forward nine months and the Lady Hawks are looking to replicate that same level of success in the upcoming season. Gone now are Adiya, Michelle Iukes, Desirae Williams, and Kaenishia Herrera who all graduated, but remaining are talented seniors Aliya Jones, Myrna Redleaf, and Cyena Fryberg. Along with stand-out junior Keryn Parks and a bunch of new faces who intend on being key contributors, the expectations remain high for the Lady Hawks basketball program.

On Monday, November 28, the Lady Hawks returned to action as they hosted the Marysville Getchell Chargers c-team in the 2016-2017 season opener. It’s worth noting two Tulalip tribal members play on the Chargers c-team, freshman Jasmin McLean and sophomore Kecia Zackuse.

From the opening tip it was obvious that it wasn’t a question of if the Lady Hawks would win, it was only a question of by how much. The Chargers c-team is comprised of all freshman and sophomore players who are still learning to play the game, while the Lady Hawks have players with years of experience and are coming off a State run.

It couldn’t have been gone any better as the Lady Hawks opened up the game hitting their first six shots and taking a 12-0 lead before the Chargers called a timeout. Following the timeout, the home team continued to hit shots and execute their offense, while playing stifling defense. At the end of the 1^st quarter Tulalip led 24-0.

In the 2^nd quarter, the game continued to be all Lady Hawks. In fact, Tulalip led 48-0 at one point before the Chargers made their first basket of the game with only nine seconds to go in the half. At halftime the Lady Hawks were up 48-2.

With the victory already well secured, Keryn got the home crowd going with a one-woman scoring demonstration to open the 3^rd quarter. In what seemed like only a matter of seconds, she scored back-to-back-to-back-to-back buckets giving her team a 57-2 lead. After hitting the bench for a quick breather, the hot-handed Keryn returned to score two more buckets, making it six straight shots without a miss for her.

Going into the 4^th quarter, Tulalip led 61-2. Even in a blowout of this nature there is valuable experience to be had. All the new faces on the Lady Hawks were able to get a lot of run and get familiar with running the team sets in real game action.

When the final game buzzer sounded, Tulalip had won their season opener 74-6. In the process they set team records with the 68-point margin of victory and a team total 34 turnovers forced, including a record breaking 31 steals.

Keryn led all players with 19-points and 7-assists. Adding to the awesome game notes was every Lady Hawk player scoring at least 4-points. Not a bad way to start the season.

The Lady Hawks next home game is Wednesday, December 7, when they host Chief Kitsap Academy. Tipoff at 5:00 p.m.

Lady Hawks historic season comes to an end

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks volleyball team (11-7) earned their first ever Tri-District tournament berth after an amazing showing at the NW1B District tournament. The team traveled to Tacoma on Thursday, November 3, to face-off with the (12-5) Eagles of Evergreen Lutheran High School.

In the 1^st game, Tulalip went down early, trailing 4-12 at one point, and weren’t able to get any momentum going. They dropped the opener 10-25.

The momentum continued to be elusive in the 2^nd game as the Lady Hawks again went down big early, trailing 2-12 before calling a timeout. Following the timeout, they ladies showed some fight and got some rally points going, but they weren’t able to overcome the early deficit. They dropped the 2^nd game 18-25.

Down 0 games to 2, and with the season on the line, the Lady Hawks finally got their offensive game going. They played the Eagles seemingly point for point in the early stages. At one point the game was tied 3-3, then again tied at 14-14. This time it was the Eagles calling a timeout to regroup and talk over their strategy. Unfortunately, the Eagles just had too much firepower on this day and the Lady Hawks weren’t able to counter for a full game. Tulalip lost the very competitive 3^rd game 22-25 and the match 0 games to 3.

The brief appearance in the Tri-District tournament marks the end of the season for the Tulalip Lady Hawks (11-8). Looking back on the season it was full of firsts and surprising developments for the volleyball program led by coach Tina Brown. The eleven total wins is a new school record, as well as the undefeated start when they opened the season (5-0). All in all, it was a very successful season that saw the Lady Hawks grow as a team and find unprecedented achievement on the volleyball court that led them to make their deepest postseason run in school history.

“I am so very proud of our Lady Hawks volleyball team,” stated coach Tina Brown. “The girls made it to tri-districts for the first time, they played with pride and fought hard. What a great season.”

Lady Hawks find their winning touch at District Tournament

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks volleyball team held a (7-6) overall record, sat in the 5^th spot in NW 1B standings, and were coming off losing four out of five matches with only a few days before the district tournament.

Fortunately, there were two regular season matches remaining on the schedule. The first was against Orcas Christian (4-9), while the second was against Skykomish (0-12). Tulalip needed to build their on-court chemistry and find their winning touch again, and that’s exactly what they did. The Lady Hawks easily defeated Orcas Christian before dismantling Skykomish. The two wins paid huge dividends as the (9-6) record boosted them to the 3^rd spot in NW 1B standings, while the wins themselves were morale boosters for a team now looking forward to the playoffs.

The 2016 District 1B Volleyball Tournament took place at Mt. Vernon Christian high school on Saturday, October 29. First up for the Lady Hawks was a matchup with the Shoreline Christian Chargers.

In what proved to be a highly contested match, the Lady Hawks went nearly point-for-point with the Charges in the first two games, but came up just short. They lost the 1^st game 25-27 and the 2^nd game 20-25. Being down 0 games to 2, the Lady Hawks could have thrown it in and waited for their next match, but instead they fought back valiantly. They won the 3^rd game 25-12 and coasted in the 4^th game, 25-10. Tied at 2 games apiece, the match went to a deciding 5^th game played to 15 points, must win by two. The Lady Hawks were riding the momentum of the previous two games and went up early, but this time the Chargers battled back. It was a back and forth affair that saw both teams give their all. Tied at 15-15 the game went to extra points, where Tulalip let the game slip away as they 15-17 and the match 2 games to 3.

The loss put Tulalip in the loser’s bracket, where another loss sends them home packing, but if they win out they would earn a qualifying spot in the Tri-District playoffs. The Lady Hawks got ninety minutes to prepare and then took on their rival from Lummi, the Blackhawks.

These two teams played each other twice during the regular season, with Tulalip winning 3 game to 0 and 3 games to 1. This matchup played out similarly. In the 1^st game, the Lady Hawks came out sluggish and found themselves trailing 8-11 before flipping the switch and winning 25-20. In the 2^ndgame, the girls coasted to a 25-13 win. That was followed up by a 25-11 win in the 3^rd game, taking the match 3 games to 0.

Next up for the Lady Hawks was a matchup with Arlington Christian Knights, with a qualifying berth to the Tri-District playoffs on the line. These two teams also played each other twice during the regular season. Back in mid-September, Tulalip won the first match 3 games to 2, while the Knights took the most recent match 3 games to 1. Now for the rubber match.

Everything came together in what can only be described as the most clutch performance of the season by the Lady Hawks. Behind a combination of dominant serving, winning at the net, and trust for their teammates, Tulalip went up big early on in each game. In the 1^st game it was a 5-0 start, followed up by a 7-0 start in the 2^nd game, and capped off with a 6-0 start in the 3^rd game. In fact the Lady Hawks pulled off a very impressive accomplishment as they never trailed at any point during the match. They won the match in straight games, 3 to 0, by the scores of 25-17, 25-12, and 25-6.

The high-octane performance put the Lady Hawks record at (11-7) overall, but most importantly their season continues with their qualifying for the Tri-District playoffs. Next up, the Lady Hawks will travel to Tacoma on Thursday, November 3, to matchup with the Evergreen Lutheran Eagles (12-5) in a loser-out game.

Hawks qualify for playoffs despite 64-6 Loss

By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News

The Tulalip Heritage football program (1-3) played their final game of the 2016 regular season. The Hawks, with home field advantage, took to their brand new field, the Alpheus Gunny Jones Sr. Field, one last time as they closed out the season against the Crescent Loggers.

The Hawks started the game energetic on offense and sharp on defense yet were held scoreless for the first three quarters. The Loggers, had 32 points on the board by the end of the third.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Tulalip fans were treated to a highlight as number 21 for the Hawks, Josh Iukes, hit nitro boost as he returned a kick the length of the football field for Heritage’s only touchdown of the day. The Loggers would close out the game on a 32-0 run resulting in the final score of 64 Loggers – 6 Hawks.

Heritage ends their season 1-4, however, they will be competing in the district playoffs at the number four seed. Despite the blowout the boys never gave up and were playing every down at full speed. Their defense showed flashes of potential and if the Hawks are able to tighten up their offensive line and convert on a few third downs, something special could happen during their playoff run.

Lady Hawks rollercoaster season continues

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks volleyball team were coming off back-to-back losses that dropped them to a (6-4) record and 4^th in the league standings last we checked in. They would get a week’s worth of rest and practice in before their next game.

On Wednesday, October 19, the winless Lummi Blackhawks came to town. As expected, the match was very one-sided. Tulalip won the 1^st game 25-5. Coach Tina Brown used the 2^nd game as a prime opportunity to get her less experienced girls into the game and get some reps. They showed great effort and made use of their court time, barely losing 22-25. Coach Tina went back to her starters in the 3^rd game and, again, it was a lopsided 25-6 win for the Lady Hawks. The home team went on to win the 4^th game 25-16 and the match 3 games to 1. Upping their overall record to (7-4).

In a quick turnaround, the Lady Hawks hit the road the following day and travelled to Kirkland to take on the Providence Classical Christian Highlanders. The Highlanders are the league’s best team, sitting atop the NW 1B standings and sporting an impressive ten-match win streak. During their dominant run only the Lady Hawks managed to give them a competitive match, when they previously played each other back on September 30.

The Highlanders were much more prepared for the Lady Hawks this time around and brought the heat early. The aggressive style of play and hard hit spikes proved to be too much for Tulalip to handle. In a decidedly quick match, the Lady Hawks got blanked 0 games to 3. It was the first time all season they failed to win a single game, dropping their record to (7-5).

Next up, Tulalip hosted the Cedar Park Christian Lions on Monday, October 24. The match was ‘Senior Night’ for the Lady Hawks, as family and friends filled the bleachers to cheer on their team.

The match started out very well for the Lady Hawks. They came out pumped up and full of energy thanks to the pre-game ceremonies. In the 1^st game, they took a commanding 13-4 lead and held on for a 25-19 win. Then in the 2^nd game, they played the Lions nearly point for point and grinded out a 25-23 win. Up 2 games to 0, Tulalip only need to win one more game to clinch the match victory and make a defining statement on week before league playoffs.

However, the Lions are the league’s second best team record wise for a reason. Their coaches made some between game adjustments and focused on hitting the ball to the Lady Hawks back row. After dropping the opening games, the Lions would take the 3^rd game 25-22 and the 4^th game 25-21.

Tied at 2 games apiece, the match went to a deciding 5^th game. Minutes into the clincher the score was 6-6. The Lions eventually pulled away, as the Lady Hawks made some costly miscues and found themselves trailing 9-14. They refused to give-up and took the next three points, but a bad serve gave the Lions the last point they need. Tulalip lost the 5^th game 12-15 and the match 2 games to 3.

It was a heartbreaking loss for the Lady Hawks after playing so well and having a 2 games to 0 lead. Their record now sits at (7-6) on the year with two more matches before playoffs.

The District 1B playoffs will be held Saturday, October 29, at Mt. Vernon Christian High School.

Lady Hawks fall to 3rd in standings

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The Tulalip Heritage Hawks volleyball program’s scorching hot (5-0) start seems like a distant memory after losing four of their past five matches. Their latest loss came at home when they hosted the (4-5) Arlington Christian Knights on Wednesday, October 12.

Game 1 was a lackluster effort from the Lady Hawks. They went through the motions of playing, but the effort wasn’t there and they dropped the opening game 16-25. During intermission, they tried to talk strategy and came to the conclusion they just weren’t pumped up to play. During game 2, the home team fell behind 3-9 before putting together a few rallies and got the score to 14-15. The crowd got into it and the Lady Hawks looked to be getting their groove back. The Lady Hawks played as a team with energy and grinded out a 27-25 win.

Their momentum continued in the 3^rd game, as they took a 9-3 lead and extended it to a 20-14 lead before the Knights called a time-out. Following the timeout the Knights took momentum back and left the home team reeling. After being up 20-14, the Lady Hawks were unable to close out the game and lost 23-25. They were unable to muster a comeback and dropped game 4, resulting in a 1 game to 3 match defeat.

With the loss the Lady Hawks are now (6-4) and find themselves in 3^rd place in NW 1B standings. They have work to do and it will start in practice to rebuild their team chemistry. The next two games are against the winless Skykomish and Lummi Nation teams. Hopefully the girls can right the ship, get those Ws, and figure out how to sustain their energy for a full match in order to clinch a spot in the postseason tournament.