Wahluke continues to build on successful season
MIKE MAYNARD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 months, 3 weeks AGO
The Whaluke Warriors boys soccer team improved to nine wins on the season and continue to make a push for the post season.
FILE PHOTO
MATTAWA — The Wahluke Warriors boys soccer team showed up with a point to prove as they were victorious over the Wapato Wolves, resulting in a 3-1 final score. The Warriors started fast as they jumped out to a three-goal lead before the end of the first half.
“It was a good, tough game, and I think we showed up really well prepared. I want to say, this is the first match of the season that we showed up hungry, like, super hungry, trying to make a statement, and I think that worked out pretty good,” coach Cele Lopez said.
The Warriors felt compelled to make a statement heading into this matchup due to the implications it had on the rest of the season, the coach said. The Wolves were undefeated in conference play and coming out on top was a big win for Wahluke’s season.
Lopez took note of their slower performance in the second half and will look to focus on keeping momentum throughout the entirety of the game.
“I can understand that we cannot play at the same rhythm every game or the whole game, but we need to get better at how we are measuring when we're slowing down, or we're taking some of the intensity on the attack, and we gotta get more compact at the bottom [of the field] because I feel that we're an offensive team, but like yesterday, we relaxed and we allowed the other team to take advantage of that,” Lopez said.
The Warriors are gearing up for another big game against the Highland Scotties, Cowiche, who are also undefeated in conference play. The result of that game will likely determine who sits atop the league.
However, before they can fully turn their focus to the Scotties, the Warriors will need to go through the La Salle Lightning on April 17, Lopez said.
ARTICLES BY MIKE MAYNARD
Wahluke falls to Tri-Cities in home opener
MATTAWA — The Wahluke Warriors (0-1) were defeated 46-24 in their home opener by the Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars. Despite the loss, Head Coach Makai Hirai said he was proud of the effort his players gave on the court. “That was the biggest thing that I took away is we had a lot of effort. We have a lot of girls who are hungry, and the coaches were excited about (that). Our girls look pretty motivated ... they’re working hard,” Hirai said. The Jaguars started fast and held the lead the entire game. Tri-Cities Prep put up double-digit scores in each quarter except for the third. The Warriors finished strong with 10 points in the fourth quarter, but the Jaguars came out victorious.
From overtime thriller to championship stage
The Knights meet Cashmere once again
ROYAL CITY — On Friday, the No. 1 seed Royal Knights (12-0) will travel to Husky Stadium to play the No. 2 seed Cashmere Bulldogs (11-1) in the 1A state championship game. The Knights Head Coach Wiley Allred was not surprised to see the Bulldogs reach the state championship game. “I was hoping there wasn't a team better than them, because that's a pretty tough team right there. We'll meet our match,” Allred said. When these two met in October, it was the Knights pulling off a late comeback to win 21-15 in overtime. Coming into that game, both teams were undefeated. The Knights had only allowed seven points all season, while the Bulldogs had not allowed a score by any team.
Warriors fall short in home opener
MATTAWA — The Wahluke Warriors (0-1) were defeated 67-43 by the Tri-Cities Prep Jaguars Tuesday in their return to the hardwood. Wahluke Head Coach Anfernee Cortez said some of the loss may be attributed to first-game jitters. “We started too flat and just kind of dug ourselves into a hole early. Against a team like Tri-Cities Prep, it’s tough to catch up at that point,” Cortez said. A slow start by the Warriors allowed Tri-Cities Prep to take hold of the momentum early and build a commanding lead. In the first half, the Warriors struggled to knock down shots and attack the rim. The Jaguars carried their momentum into the second half to run away with the game. Wahluke had a stronger second-half showing, but Cortez said it was not enough to get back in the game.