Future Wildcats square off

on soccer pitch

The Eagles came out on top in the Battle of the Birds middle school girls’ soccer contest, held Wednesday night, March 26, at Mount Si High School between Chief Kanim and Snoqualmie middle schools.

Miranda Rawlings, Brittany Duncan and Alyssa Proudfoot all scored goals within a span of about seven minutes near halftime, as the Eagles overcame a solid Hawks defensive effort for a 3-0 victory.

“This is always a great game,” said Snoqualmie coach Darren Brown, who as Mount Si’s head soccer coach will be working with all the middle school girls when they reach the high school level.

“It was a battle till the end,” Brown said. “I was real proud of Chief Kanim. I was real proud of SMS. It was just a fun event.”

The game was scoreless and both sides played excellent defense up until the 28th minute, when Rawlings scored. In the 32nd minute it was Duncan’s turn, and the night was capped by Proudfoot’s tally in the 35th. SMS finished the season undefeated and won their league title.

Hawks wrap up season

The Chief Kanim Middle School Red Hawks finished a stellar, undefeated season with a 2-1 victory over Snoqualmie Middle School. The Red Hawks, one of two CKMS seventh-grade JV soccer teams, worked extremely hard all season and won all six of their games. Leading scorers include Allie Pusich, Shannon Fischer, Annie McCall and Lexi Johnson. Marissa Busby, the team’s sweeper, and stopper Alexis Greer led a fierce defensive line-up. The team worked on ball control, marking goal side and distributing the ball to the outside midfielders. The girls’ willingness to try new things, work hard during practice, maneuver as one organism during games, communicate on the field, and support one another made the season a success.

Hawks split games

The Chief Kanim Middle School Hawks seventh- and eighth-grade varsity basketball teams both played excellent basketball games against visiting Issaquah teams. The seventh-grade team used an intense press and dominated the boards against the smaller Issaquah team to win 57-26. The eighth-grade team was in the game until the end, but came up just short 54-59.

Seventh-grade stars included Trent Riley with 21 points, Blake Gillespie with 10 points and 11 rebounds, Erik Stai with eight points, Austin Hall with five points, Eli Gogan with four points and 11 rebounds, Alex Censullo with four points, Kaleb Sinclair with three points and Griffin McLain with two points and 11 rebounds.

Eighth-grade stars included Miles Zupan with 21 points and 14 rebounds, Charlie Corriveau with 21 points and 10 rebounds, Daniel Besmer with four points, Spenser Anderson with four points, John Farmer with two points and Matt Price with two points.

Eagles win “Battle of the Birds”

The Snoqualmie Middle School eighth-grade varsity basketball team finished their season on a high note, waiting all season to play their best basketball.

Top-notch play enabled SMS to defeat Chief Kanim in the annual “Battle of the Birds.” It was a tight contest throughout the first half, with both teams putting it all on the floor. But with the Eagle’s defense, led by the tenacious, denying pressure applied by Josh Piper and the aggressive play displayed by the point guard duo of Cody Botten and Ryan Atkinson, the Hawks were unable to find their rhythm in the second half. With Anthony McLaughlin swatting shots and sweeping the boards, and Tyler Piper’s elevating off the floor for clutch rebounds, the Eagles were able to limit their opponent’s shots. Offensively, the Eagles were led by the inside power game of McLaughlin, who combined bank shots, put backs, and free throws for 21 points, and the outside firepower of Josh Piper, who tickled the twine for 26 points, to lead all scorers. Ryan Olson continued his dogged determination on both ends of the court, contributing key drives to the hoop, and Josh Mitchell provided the extra muscle underneath, grabbing any loose rebounds. Botten swished an NBA three, Tyler Piper another three, while Atkinson banked and netted six clutch points down the stretch, enabling the Eagles to fly to a 62-38 victory. It was a great team effort to end the season.

Piper was honored with the “Mr. Offense” award for the season. Botten took home “Mr. Defense,” and Mitchell was honored as most improved player.