Soccer Update

While the football team claims the phrase “On the Rise by Surprise,” it’s the Girls’ Soccer team that has proven worthy of it. They came out of their fifth league game with a 4 – 1 league record, 4 – 2 overall, placing them second out of the 11 competing teams, ahead of Roosevelt, Inglemoor, and Eastlake.

The team has a solid defense that has only given up four goals, and held shutouts on all of their wins. Defense can’t win games by itself, and in the last three games, the Bulldogs have come out with narrow 1 – 0 victories, one with a penalty kick in the last 12 minutes, and one in the first of two overtimes against Ballard.

“Our defense has been really solid so far, only letting goals in against last year’s state champs (Eastlake),” said junior Hillary Heath. “If our forwards can start getting goals then our chances at making playoffs will be so much better.”

With highly anticipated upcoming matches against Roosevelt and Redmond, the team will be put to the test. With a little more offensive power and a consistent defense, the team will be headed to the playoffs in November.

Tennis Update

The Boys’ Tennis Team is on track to meeting all of their season expectations. After suffering a close 5 – 4 loss against Eastlake in their first game of the season, they have shown nothing but improvement. The Bulldogs have won three of their last four games, including last week when Garfield players rallied to a 9 – 0 win over Juanita.

The key contributing factor in the Bulldogs’ success has been the doubles matches. The doubles teams have been able to consistently score points for the team, taking some pressure off of the six singles games. The singles players have shown immense improvement since their first game in which senior Jesse Steinbach was the sole Garfield singles player to pull a win.

Of Garfield’s remaining opponents, Ballard and Redmond remain their biggest competition. The Bulldogs have two weeks to prepare for these two tough match-ups, and to ultimately strive to finish 9 – 1 for the season.

Boys Cross Country Update

The Bulldogs boys’ cross-country team came up short at their first meet last Thursday, losing to Eastlake by a narrow margin of eight points. The Bulldogs were lead by senior Lucas Carrico, who placed third, and freshman Jason Wimbish, who placed fifth.

The team was missing some key runners due to injuries and absences who may have helped the team to a victory.

Senior Greg Kramer said, “the team needs to grow together and form some bonds to become successful this year.”

The key to this season’s success will be breaking opponents’ running packs, and finishing with a stronger group across the finish line. With new talent like Wimbish and returning leaders, the team should be able to build a stronger team spirit to carry through the season.

Swimming Update

The Lady Bullfrogs have their work cut out for them. In keeping with tradition, they are undefeated after three meets. This year, however, the teams are much more evenly matched. Garfield’s meet against Eastlake last week was a prime example. Expecting to pull a blowout win over the Wolves, the Bullfrogs cut it close, leaving the last race as the deciding factor. In the past, the only teams with a chance to compete for the Kingco 4A title have been Garfield, Roosevelt, and Inglemoor. This year, however, throughout the region, swimmers are coming up with faster times that are making for tough competition.

Garfield swimmers have six weeks remaining to qualify for the state meet. As to coach Justin Knight’s expectation of sending four of his swimmers state in individual events, the Bullfrogs are well on their way to meeting his goal. Already qualified are sophomore Katrina Ernst (100 fly) and freshman Leslie Roberson (500 free, 200 free). They will play a key part in the Bullfrog’s match-up against defending District Champion Inglemoor, and in their team’s quest for the title.