Seattle Thunderbirds Player of the Week Justin Hickman.
First came the weights.
Then came the power for Kentridge High shortstop Kyle Leady.
Leady, a senior, entered last season among the unknowns in the South Puget Sound League North Division. An infielder who bounced in and out of the starting lineup, between shortstop and third base and most often hitting toward the bottom of the order, big numbers weren’t quite expected. Yet, in a span of two weeks, Leady went from a blip on the SPSL North radar to one of the most feared hitters in the league.
The Seattle Thunderbirds hockey team kept its playoff hopes alive Wednesday night with a 5-0 victory over the Kelowna Rockets at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia.
The faces and names have changed this spring on the Kentwood High baseball diamond.
The optimism, well, that has remained largely the same.
Kentwood won its first Class 4A state title last season since 2000. And though the Conquerors graduated 11 seniors, including their top pitcher and South Puget Sound League North Division MVP Austin Voth and a slew of sluggers, they expect a repeat.
• FAVORITE: Kentwood.
• CONTENDERS: Tahoma, Kentlake, Mount Rainier.
• SLEEPER: Kentridge, Auburn Riverside.
The Prince George Cougars defeated the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-1 March 12 at the ShoWare Center.
The T-Birds remain alive in a tight four-way playoff race with Kamloops, Everett and Prince George fighting for spots seven and eight in the Western Conference.
The Seattle Thunderbirds picked up a critical two points in the Western Conference playoff standings with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Chilliwack Bruins March 11.
Hometown:Coppell, TXBirthdate:1993-01-20Height6'2"Weight204Shoots/Catches:RightPosition:Centre2009-10: Colin played in all 72 Thunderbird games this season. He tallied 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points and had 119 penalty… Continue reading
The T-Birds have two big games this weekend as they push to make the WHL playoffs. They are chasing the Chilliwack Bruins who they play 7:30 p.m. Friday and the Prince George Cougars who they play 7:05 p.m. Saturday.
Things are finally coming together for the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Behind a blistering shot on goal by Burke Gallimore, the Thunderbirds outlasted longtime rival Everett 3-2 in overtime on March 5 to secure the victory in front of 4,609 fans at the ShoWare Center.
JESSE KELIILIKI, KentlakeGrade: Senior. Sport: Wrestling. Accomplishment: After opening the state tournament with a loss, Keliiliki won four straight matches en route to a fourth-place… Continue reading
It has been feast or famine for the Kentridge High boys basketball team all season long. Live by the 3-pointer. Die by the 3-pointer.
The Chargers did a little living Saturday morning at the Tacoma Dome, but not nearly enough to overcome Olympia in the fourth-place game. Behind a 9-0 fourth-quarter run, the Bears put away the Chargers 77-67 in the 8 a.m. Saturday morning opener.
The Kentridge High boys basketball team isn't going to leave the Tacoma Dome with a state title.
But the Chargers will leave with some hardware, and their names in the state record books, too.
A day after going cold from long distance, the Chargers picked up the pace Friday morning, torching Puyallup 75-34 in a Class 4A state tournament loser-out consolation game.
Kentridge High guard Gary Bell felt the need to take over Friday night at Jackson High.
Trailing Arlington 10-4 midway through the first quarter of a Class 4A state basketball opener for both teams – and just moments after being knocked hard to the floor but not getting the call – Kentridge’s star point guard turned up the heat on the Eagles.
Bell proceeded to rip off six straight points, tying the game 10-10 and giving Arlington a taste of what was about to come.
The 3-point well ran dry for the Kentridge High boys basketball team Thursday afternoon.
Just days after torching Arlington and Auburn with a barrage of 3-pointers in the opening two rounds of the Class 4A state tournament, the Chargers couldn't buy a bucket down the stretch in a quarterfinal game against Gonzaga Prep.
Chris Sarbaugh scored a team-high 22 points and teammate Parker Kelly added 20, leading the Bullpups past the Chargers 72-60 at the Tacoma Dome.
Things are clicking for the Kentridge High boys basketball team.
All it took was a loss to help kick the Chargers up another gear.
That loss came on Feb. 16, when the Chargers fell to Kentwood 75-62 in a first-round West Central/Southwest Bi-District tournament game.
If ever there was a wake-up call to a team, that was it.
“That loss hurt us big,” said Kentridge guard Gary Bell. “That was our third loss in a row. We knew we couldn’t lose again (if we wanted to make it to state). I think now that it did help us.”
They wanted to repeat as the Class 4A state champions.
Despite exceeding most all expectations, the Kentwood High boys basketball team didn’t quite reach that lofty status last week, falling to top-ranked Garfield and unranked Olympia in succession at Juanita High en route to being eliminated from the Class 4A state tournament.
The Seattle Thunderbirds defeated the Everett Silvertips 5-1 Sunday night at the ShoWare Center behind a four-goal effort from left wing Marcel Noebels.
Noebels' second goal was also the game winner for Seattle and Calvin Pickard only allowed one goal in a crucial game in the Western Conference playoff race.
The Seattle Thunderbirds defeated the Everett Silvertips 5-1 Sunday night at the ShoWare Center behind a four-goal effort from left wing Marcel Noebels.
Noebels' second goal was also the game winner for Seattle and Calvin Pickard only allowed one goal in a crucial game in the Western Conference playoff race.
The Portland Winterhawks scored with 33.9 seconds left in regulation to defeat the Seattle Thunderbirds 4-3 Feb. 27 night at the ShoWare Center.
Nino Niederreiter tallied his second goal of the night and 29th of the season with just seconds left in regulation to seal the win for Portland. Sven Bartschi registered the only assist on the goal.
