Eastside Catholic’s strong athletic tradition continued this past year
The athletes of Eastside Catholic High School (EC) did not skip a beat during the 2022 to 2023 school year.
In the fall, the football team took second place in the Metro League for the second year in a row and ended the state playoffs as runners-up after a shocking and heartbreaking loss in the championship game. With 52 seconds remaining, Tyson Weaver, playing defense for Eastside Catholic, made what appeared to be a game winning interception, only to have the ball stripped by Kyler Ronquillo of Yelm, who was the intended receiver. Ronquillo, who took everyone off guard, then ran unobstructed to the end zone to score the game-winning touchdown.
EC’s baseball team also performed well this year, taking first place at state in the 3A division after opening their state tournament run by knocking out first seed Kennewick in a shocking first game.
The entire girls golf team qualified for the state tournament, which was the first time it did so in seven years. Nicole Koong, a junior, took second place at the state golf championship.
“Golf has been a very individual sport all my life and being part of a (high school) team is something that’s new to me, but it’s been a really great experience getting to know other girls that enjoy it,” Koong said.
Hannah Huarte of the girls swim team broke two school records during the state swim meet – in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 52.14 seconds, as well as the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:51.23.
On the track and field team, senior Branden Ganashamoorthy won a state title for the long jump with a leap of 23 feet, 1.25 inches.
Finally, the Crusaders’ newly established girls’ flag football team took second place at state in their inaugural season. Flag football has been growing in popularity as a sport across the region. This year, nine teams across Washington competed at Memorial Stadium in Seattle Center.
“Not only are the [EC] students enjoyable to be around but they are extremely passionate about their sports,” said Brian Morse, the school’s golf coach. “The support that the teams have from the EC community is second to none.”
