Tulalip Heritage Archives

Hawks start season with perfect 3-0 record

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

This time last year, the Tulalip Heritage boys basketball team was (0-4) and in desperate search of a W. What a difference a year makes. Coach Bubba Fryberg has taken over head coaching duties for the boys team, assisted by Jared Parks and Marc Robinson, and together they’ve coached their team to a (3-0) start to the new season. Most impressive, all three Ws have come against 2B schools, a division higher than Heritage’s 1B classification.

In their home opener, the Hawks hosted the Mount Vernon Christian Hurricanes on November 29^th. Family and friends filled the bleachers to watch a very entertaining game. It couldn’t have started any better for the Hawks; they jumped out to an 11-0 lead and pushed that to 17-4 at the end of the 1^st quarter. The ball was moving and every starter had scored points.

Defensively, the Hawks weren’t allowing anything at the rim or in the paint. The Hurricanes were forced to settle with contested jumper after contested jumper.

Over the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters, the ball continued to move well for the Hawks and the point distribution continued. Going into the final quarter the Hawks led 38-24.

The 4^th quarter saw a blowout turn into a grit and grind game. Suddenly, the Hurricanes couldn’t miss and the Hawks couldn’t buy a bucket. The lead dwindled by the minute and with only 21 seconds remaining the Hawks led 41-40 with Mt. Vernon Christian inbounding the ball. Tulalip played solid defense that resulted in a contested 3-pointer that missed, giving the Hawks the W in a front of a frenzied home crowd.

Freshman Alonzo Jones-Smith led all Hawks with 12 points, Rodney Barber scored 10 points, and Paul Shay Jr. chipped in 7 points.

Two days later, on December 1, Tulalip traveled to Darrington High School and won 45-37. The very next day they played again. This time taking on the La Conner Braves. In a heated game that saw multiple runs by both teams, the Hawks pulled out an impressive 49-45 victory. The (3-0) start is the first such undefeated start since the 2013-2014 team that made it all the way to State.

Coach Bubba attributes the team’s early season success to “defensive hustle, more emphasis on man-to-man defense rather than running zone, and all around team effort on offensive.”

Lady Hawks soar to back-to-back victories

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The (0-3) Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawk volleyball team has had a rough start to the season, with several first time players still adjusting to the high school game. With each additional rep, practice, and game the girls grow more familiar with each other’s strengths and weaknesses, while team chemistry continues to develop.

Assistant Coaches Katia Brown and Aliya Jones, both Heritage graduates, have been working diligently with their players to build a strong foundation with a back to the basics approach.

“We’ve been focusing on communicating better, passing to the setter and getting our serves over the net,” says Aliya.

“As a team, we’ve been watching videos on passing technique and then critiquing ourselves based on those videos,” adds Katia. “The videos have helped us develop better footwork that leads to better passing.”

Everything the Lady Hawks have been working on was on full display in a home matchup with Cedar Park Christian on September 21. The communication, passing, and getting the ball over the net was all much improved. Heritage won the 1^st game 25-15, 2^nd game 25-9, and finished strong in the 3^rd game 25-17 to earn their first W on the young season.

Just days later the Lady Hawks hosted the Skykomish Rockets on September 26. The momentum from their first victory continued into this game. Aces were aplenty as nearly every Lady Hawk took their turn serving up points. After winning the 1^st game 25-13, the Lady Hawks dominated the 2^nd game 25-6.

Going into the 3^rd game, Coach Tina Brown seized the opportunity to substitute all the back-ups into the game. Having a completely new line-up in provided much needed experience and in-game reps. This Lady Hawk line-up didn’t disappoint either. They passed well and served up Aces, too. At one point they went up 15-1 before clinching the deciding game 25-16, taking the match 3 games to 0.

After back-to-back victories, upping their overall record to (2-3), the coaching staff is delighted to see practice paying off with better communication and a much improved service game.

“We’ve been working so much on serving and passing in practice and it really showed in our last two matches,” says Katia.

The Lady Hawks look to get more Ws and stay in the playoff hunt with 1/3 of the season now played. The next home game is Thursday, October 5 vs. Grace Academy.

Lady Hawks rise to #2 in standings

Lady Hawks host the (2-4) Eagles from Grace Academy on Tuesday, January 3.

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

Last we checked in the Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks had just dismantled Summit Sierra, 71-0, in front of their home crowd. The win gave them their third 50+ point blowout victory on the young season. Yet, the question still remains: How good are the Tulalip girls really? Yes, they had those three dominant wins, but each came against out of league opponents made up of freshman and sophomores. They had a 36 point win over inner league Orcas Christian, but Orcas has lost big in every game. Only once this season have the Lady Hawks played a quality opponent, in Tacoma Baptist, and in that game it was the Lady Hawks getting blown out, 23-63. So the question remains.

On Tuesday, December 27, the (4-1) Lady Hawks traveled to the Puyallup Reservation to take on the (1-4) Warriors of Chief Leschi. The game started off with both teams trading baskets to the tune of an 8-8 tie midway thru the opening quarter. Aliya accounted for all 8 points, scoring six and having an assist to Myrna. Things quickly went south from there. Tulalip couldn’t buy a bucket against the full-court press and Chief Leschi was running their offense to perfection. Leschi finished the quarter on a 15-0 run, leaving Tulalip trailing 8-21.

In the 2^nd quarter, Aliya tried to rally her team by making back-to-back 3-pointers. Claudia Parker also scored a 3-pointer and Myrna added a 2-point basket of her own. That was the only offense the Lady Hawks could muster, long jumpers, because the Chief Leschi defense prevented the girls from getting to the rim, while forcing many turnovers that they turned into lay-ups on the other side. Going into halftime Tulalip trailed 21-39.

The 2^nd was much more of the same. Chief Leschi’s defense was just too good and kept the Lady Hawks from finding any offensive rhythm. Even worse, it’s safe to say the Lady Hawks committed twice as many turnovers as they had field goal attempts. With so many turnovers it would be improbable to make a comeback. Led by Aliya’s 17 points, Tulalip lost the game 44-66.

The Lady Hawks had no other choice but to shake off the loss and get focused on their next opponent as they played the very next day. On Wednesday, December 18, they traveled to Lummi Nation to play the (2-0) Blackhawks. It was the perfect remedy to get over their loss the previous day. Tulalip made quick work of Lummi, winning the game 51-28. They were led by a huge game from Deandra Grant who had 20 points.

After back-to-back road games, the (5-2) Lady Hawks returned home to host the (2-4) Eagles from Grace Academy on Tuesday, January 3. The game couldn’t have started off better for the home team. Tulalip was very active on the defensive end, crashing for rebounds and contesting nearly every shot. Then on the offensive side, the girls were running their offensive sets and getting the looks they wanted. All of this led to the Lady Hawks dominating the 1^st half and having a 28-8 lead at halftime.

In the 2^nd half, the offense sputtered by shooting a few air-balls and not making the same crisp passes like they did in the previous quarters. The errant passes led to Grace getting multiple transition lay-ups, but it wasn’t enough to cut into their 20-point deficit. Tulalip led 38-17 going into the final quarter.

Deandra Grant got rolling in the 4^th quarter, having her way in the post and leaving Grace players with no other option but to foul her. Tulalip guards looked for Deandra to get into good post position before feeding her the ball. She scored three buckets and got lots of free-throw attempts in the final eight minutes. That was more than enough, as the Lady Hawks won 46-25. Aliya led all scorers with 14 points, Deandra finished with 12 points, and Keryn added 8 points.

The win puts the Lady Hawks at (6-2) on the season and in firm possession of the 2^nd seed in league standings. The question of just how good are these Lady Hawks will be better answered on Friday when they host undefeated Cedar Park Christian. At (10-0), Cedar Park looks to be the Lady Hawks only competition for capturing the league title. They play at 5:00 p.m. this Friday, the 6^th, at Heritage High School.

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 volleyball returns with emphatic victory

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

The Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks volleyball program took leaps forward last year by winning five regular season matches and winning two clutch postseason matches before losing a nail-biter to Shoreline Christian, ending their season with a 7-11 final record. This season’s Lady Hawks team returns seven players from last year, and with another off season of development under their belt the Heritage program looks to take another successful leap forward.

On Thursday, September 8, the Lady Hawks hosted the Grace Academy Eagles in what doubled as the season and home opening game. Last season, our Lady Hawks got walloped 0-3 in both match-ups with the Eagles, so a good showing would be a nice confidence booster and proof positive the program is developing in the right direction.

From the opening serve it was obvious the Lady Hawks came to play. The first game was a highly contested battle, with each team going on a series of runs. Up 23-22, the Lady Hawks tightened up the defense and scored on back-to-back points to take the opening game 25-22.

The near even play continued in the second game, until miscommunication crept in on the Lady Hawks part leading to them trailing 17-23. Digging deep, they went on a 6-1 run to make it a one point game, 23-24. The momentum was halted moments later with a bad serve that gave Grace the game 23-25.

Tied at one game each, the Lady Hawks opened up a 7-5 advantage to start the third game. However, Grace took control and the home team trailed 10-18. Heritage was unable to get back in the game, going on to lose 17-25.

Down one game to two, and with Grace only needing to win one more game to take the match, the odds weren’t looking good for Heritage. But these Lady Hawks were determined to take the momentum back. They took a very quick 6-1 advantage in the fourth game and never looked back. Winning the fourth game 25-15 tied up the match at two games apiece, forcing a match deciding fifth game.

In the fifth and final game, the Lady Hawks opened up trailing 0-2 before buckling down and scoring at will. Determined to end their match losing streak to Grace, the Lady Hawks went on a 15-3 run to clinch the game 15-6 and take the match victory 3-2 in front of a very spirited home crowd.

The Lady Hawks hit the road for their next two matches against Lopez and Arlington Christian before coming back home to host Skykomish on Tuesday, September 20.

Heritage Hawks basketball awards banquet

by Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

Heritage_Banquet_2 — Members of the Heritage Hawks basketball team.
Photo/Micheal Rios

Members of the Heritage Hawks basketball team.Photo/Micheal Rios — Members of the Heritage Lady Hawks basketball team.
Photo/Micheal Rios

On Thursday, April 2, the annual awards banquet was held to recognize the Heritage Hawks basketball players. This year’s banquet took place at Alfy’s Pizza in Marysville. All the Hawks and Lady Hawks players attended, accompanied by their family and friends who cheered them on throughout the basketball season.

Each player from both the Hawks and Lady Hawks teams received a participation award congratulating them for playing varsity basketball. A second award was given to each player that was specifically personalized to commemorate something special they did on the court or brought to the team.

Cyrus “Bubba” Fryberg, Lady Hawks coach, opened up the girls’ awards ceremony by thanking each and every one of his players for making the best out of their season, “First of all I’d like to thank everyone for being here and taking the time to come and finish up the season. The girls worked really hard and played really hard and we had fun. Practices were really fun and I thought we really gave the effort I expected. Early in the season there really weren’t many girls playing. We only had five Lady Hawks for our first several games, so we had to really start recruiting girls to come out and play. After we did that, then we had a full team and really started to play. It took a few week to build up that sense of team with all the new girls, but they all played hard. I really want to thank my girls for all their hard work, especially the seniors.

“Going into next year, for the girls coming back, we are going to keep working hard and to continue focusing on improving as a team. We have six girls coming back and we expect to add more girls onto the team. I just want to thank you all for doing what I asked on the floor and off the floor and for making this season a fun one for the players and the coaches. I really appreciated all the hard work we put in to improving and we’ll continue to work on doing better things next year.”

The following list is the name of each personalized award handed out to the Lady Hawks and the player who received the award.

Awards:

Rookie of the Year: Larissa Menser

Most Coachable: Shaelynn Sanchey

Most Dedicated: Cyena Fryberg

Most Inspirational: Mikaylee Pablo

Best Defender: Jaylin Rivera

Most Rebounds: Nina Fryberg

Captain’s Award & Miss Hustle: Myrna Red Leaf

Captain’s Award, Best Offensive Player & Most Outstanding Player: Michelle Iukes

Marlin Fryberg, Hawks coach, opened up the boys’ awards ceremony by saying, “I want to thank all the families who are here to support your children, and I want to say thank you to all the high school faculty staff who are here for our kids. To my players, I hope you all recognize that the time and work you have put into this game together has created a friendship and bond between you all that will last the rest of your lives.

“This season was a mediocre one. We all know that it could have been better, that we could have been better. We’ll use this season and learn from it so that we can continue to develop the team for next year.”

The following list is the name of each personalized award handed out to the Hawks and the player who received the award.

Awards:

Rookie of the Year: Nashone Whitebear

Most Improved: Anthony McLean

Most Rebounds: Willy Enick

Mr. Hustle: Dontae Jones

Captain’s Award: Jessie Louie

Captain’s Award & Best Offensive Player: Robert Miles, Jr.

Lady Hawks take loss in game against rival Lummi Nation, 36-42

By Tulalip News staff

LUMMI – Tulalip Heritage Lady Hawks played a hard game against rival Lummi Nation Lady Blackhawks on Thursday, January 29, at Lummi High School. The Lady Hawks trailed at halftime 17-23, and could not take the lead to end the game 36-42. Lady Hawk Michelle Iukes led all scorers with 20 points.

Lady Hawks play Skykomish Rockets next on February 2, at Skykomish High School.

Hawks lose to Lummi Nation in last regular season game, 45-58

By Tulalip News staff

LUMMI – Tulalip Heritage Hawks ended their regular season with a game against rival Lummi Nation Blackhawks on Thursday, January 29. The Hawks, who made the trek to Lummi for the game, were banking on a win before entering district games.

Going into the second quarter the Hawks tied the game at 17-17 but quickly lost the lead going into halftime. Unable to secure a lead over Lummi the Hawks took a loss with a final score of 45-58, leaving them as the second place Northwest 1B league leader.

Both teams will enter the 1B league 2015 District 1 Boys Basketball Tournament on February 7, played at Mount Vernon Christian High School.

Lady Hawks offense buckles against Highland Christian Knights, 25-30

By Tulalip News staff

TULALIP – Heritage Lady Hawks hosted their last home game of the season tonight with a game against Highland Christian Knights at the Francy J. Sheldon Memorial Gymnasium.

The Lady Hawks built a strong lead going into halftime with a score of 17-15, and maintained a slim two-point lead going into the fourth. The Knights kicked up their defensive to take a 5-point lead and end the game, 30-25.

Hawks take loss against rival Lummi Nation Blackhawks, 49-62

Heritage Hawk Ayrik Miranda takes the ball down the court, Friday, Jan. 9 , 2015, in game against Lummi Nation Blackhawks. (Tulalip News/ Michael Rios)

By Michael Rios, Tulalip News

TULALIP – The 8-2 Tulalip Heritage Hawks lost again to rivals 9-0 Lummi Nation Blackhawks Friday night in a game that the Hawks led 17-8 after the first quarter.

The Blackhawks used a full court trapping defense throughout the second and third quarter that forced the Hawks into making errant passes, resulting in easy transition buckets for the still unbeaten Lummi Blackhawks. With the win Lummi all but secures the number one seed in the district playoffs.