Darius Alexander led Spanaway Lake boys basketball in all three games of their first week in the 4A division. Alexander led each game in both points and assists. In the first game, he put up 20 points, six assists, and seven steals. In game two, he scored 21, assisted on six baskets, and had three steals. In the third and final game of the week, the junior put up 27, six, and three. Alexander is currently a junior at SLHS who takes running start classes at Pierce College, works part time, and holds a 3.72 GPA.Darius Alexander led Spanaway Lake boys basketball in all three games of their first week in the 4A division. Alexander led each game in both points and assists. In the first game, he put up 20 points, six assists, and seven steals. In game two, he scored 21, assisted on six baskets, and had three steals. In the third and final game of the week, the junior put up 27, six, and three. Alexander is currently a junior at SLHS who takes running start classes at Pierce College, works part time, and holds a 3.72 GPA.
Herky Briggs sailed through his junior tennis season as Bellarmine Prep’s top boys singles player, finishing the fall without dropping a single set. He always had a great attitude and demonstrated full effort in practice and matches, although his ability level usually far exceeded that of his opponents. Briggs won both the Puget Sound League and District Tournaments with ease, beating all of his opponents in straight sets. He is an excellent example of a high-achieving student-athlete who manages to stay grounded and still have fun playing tennis with kids at any level. He’ll head to the State Tournament this coming spring.
Join Us for the December 12th TAC Membership Meeting!
Featured Speaker: C.W. Herchold from Bellarmine Prep
Topic: Insights into their athletic program and community impact
Quick Overviews by Bellarmine Coaches:
Brian Jensen - Football
Bobby Moorehead - Boys Basketball
Kevin Meines - Girls Basketball
Willie London - Girls Fastpitch
Derek Woodworth - Girls Soccer
Morgann Crook - Boys Tennis
When: December 12th
Where: Cheney Stadium
Register Here: https://tacomaathletic.com/events/december-12th-lunch-meeting/
Don’t miss this inspiring and engaging session! See you there!
Senior Lacee Williams has put togethger an undefeated league season for the Sumner Swim and Dive team. Williams is also this seasons 4A District 3 diving champion.
Ava Field is ranked first in her league and has achieved State-qualifying times in all eight individual swimming events in 2024. She has broken two Steilacoom High School records and the league meet record for both individual events she competed in last week, winning every race.
As a quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive back for Puyallup High School, sophomore Luke Parker has helped lead his team to four straight victories. Parker was the starting free safety before taking over at quarterback when the starter got hurt. As a result, the Vikings now head to the playoffs with a 5-4 record, most recently beating Yelm 28-17 in a crossover game this past Friday. In that game, Parker went 9-for-17 for 186 yards and three touchdowns, also rushing the ball seven times for 78 yards and another score. In four games since he took over, the sophomore is 45-for-62 through the air for 866 yds and 15 touchdowns, completing 72% of his passes, with a 140.8 passer rating. He has also run the ball 24 times for 178 yards in that stretch. His selflessness and leadership and team-first attitude should be commended. He is literally willing his team to win, helping them to the playoffs, which seemed out of reach just a few weeks ago.
Bonney Lake’s Latham West has a 4.0 GPA as a junior who is driven in everything she does. This year she placed fifth in the elite Hole in the Wall division, third at the John Payne and Bellermine invites, and first in every other race, including the SPSL League Championships and the 4A District 3/4 meet on Saturday.
Joe Withee, Director of Publicity at Emerald Downs and a popular racing host, will be the speaker at our November 14th membership meeting. He will share his journey in the horse racing world, including his connections to Tacoma. A 1971 graduate of Kennedy High School, Withee played basketball against Tacoma teams and has built lasting ties to the area.
He worked at Longacres with Vic Cozzetti, who owned a Tacoma sporting goods store and knew Warren Chinn, a horse owner and restaurateur, and Clay Huntington, who traded track passes for advertising on KLAY radio. Withee was honored as the 92nd inductee into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame in 2021.
Join us on November 14th at Cheney Stadium to hear about Joe's incredible journey!
Kaitlyn LaTendresse has had a noteworthy 2024-25 season. During the regular season, she was undefeated in all her individual races. She was a double winner at the 2024-25 Swimvitational, setting new meet records in both the 200 Freestyle (1:59.20) and 500 Freestyle (5:18.83). LaTendresse has qualified for the 3A WIAA State Championship Meet in both of those events. Her successes in the pool are the result of hard work, dedication, resilience, and the desire to compete against herself as well as her competition. She is an intelligent, mature, and energetic young woman who has earned great admiration and popularity among her peers.
Senior Layne Dent, a six-foot-two outside hitter for the Cougars of Cascade Christian, has once again earned another pair of volleyball statistical “double-doubles” after leading her team to two victories this past week. She has now recorded “double-doubles” statistically in seven of her team’s 16 contests. On October 14, in a win against Life Christian, she totalled 19 kills and 12 digs. On October 16, taking down Seattle Christian, she put up 14 kills and 12 digs, Dent is the team captain and a full-rotation player, playing all six positions. She demonstrates remarkable ability at every position and possesses an outstanding vertical leap, quickness, speed, and athleticism. Dent is a Division 1 commit to St. Mary’s in Moraga, California. Her current season stat totals through 16 games are the following: 253 kills, 132 digs, 30 blocks, and 23 services aces.
Drenyn Chittenden is a full-time running start student who also takes an Aerospace Manufacturing course at Washington High School, in addition to his college course work. Chittenden placed first in league, finished second in the League Tournament, earned fIrst-team all-league honors, and notched his second trip to the State Golf Championships this spring. He was also named the SPSL Boys Golfer of the Year.
This last week, Curtis junior Kai Muller won his second SPSL singles title in a row. After completing a season with one loss leading up to the league tournament, he cruised to the final without dropping a set. Starting the final down 4-1 he fought back to win the first set 6-4. finally, he secured the second set 6-4 before winning the league championship in straight sets. In addition to his second league title, Mueller is a model student-athlete, maintaining a 3.77 GPA this semester while enrolling in five AP classes. He is a two-time first-team All-SPSL player and went 15-1 against league opponents this season, winning over 85% of the total games played.
Abe Jones serves as a freshman varsity starting goalkeeper for the Cascade Christian Academy soccer team. In one game last week, Jones managed 41 saves. Only a freshman, he is an instrumental part of the team, holding down the only goalkeeper spot on the team. Jones also serves as freshman class president.
Alexis Esser is undefeated this year in every one of her races, including the 200m and 400m relays. She has set personal records in her primary events, the 100m and 200m free, and has district qualifying times in all eight individual events. She is an integral part of the team and helped Silas beat Stadium, their 4A cross-town rival, for the first time in five years. Her anchor leg of the 400m relay solidified the win by making up over 4 body lengths over the last 100 meters, swimming an impressive 55 to finish. She’s a team captain, and a great leader.
We are excited to announce that Jeanne Naccarato will be our featured speaker at the October 10th TAC Lunch Meeting! Jeanne is a member of the Professional Women's Bowling Association Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Tacoma-Pierce Hall of Fame in 2005. She will be sharing her incredible journey, offering insights into her success, and discussing how she became one of the most accomplished figures in the bowling world. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from a true legend!
The Sound Christian Lions football team has struggled over the past couple of years, usually winning one game per season. The Lions coaching staff is now in its second year at the helm. They made the playoffs in their first season, only to have an early exit at the hands of Neah Bay. Our coaches spent the offseason planning out a new strategy for the team, revolving around a few key players and some new ones that were joining the team at the start of the season. This season, Sound Christian, as of September 30, has matched their win total over the past two seasons combined, currently outscoring their opponents 106-64 in three games. The Lions have had two shutout victories, one against a larger 1A school in Vashon Island. The Lions are above the national average in completion percentage, yards per completion, passing yards per game, completions per game, passing long, and quarterback rating. In the ground game, the Lions are above the national average in yards per carry, rushing yards per game, rushing long, and rushing touchdowns. The Lions are currently averaging 485 all-purpose yards per game, which amounts to 170.8 yards per game higher than the national average. The Lions football team also had the honor of being ranked in the WIAA RPI Top-10 for the first time in five-plus years.
As a Title 1 school, Franklin Pierce has some struggles with academics and involvement. However, the boys cross country team has consistently demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in the classroom and on the course. The senior boys this season make up four of the top five varsity spots on our team. They are all four-year varsity lettermen in cross country and have broken countless records while at Franklin Pierce. However, their involvement doesn’t stop on the course. Two of the four are also completing their associate’s degrees while in high school and will be graduating in the spring with their high school diplomas and associate’s degrees from Pierce College. Another senior is a four-year leadership student, current senior class president, and has held various other leadership and involvement roles throughout his time in high school. The fourth senior varsity boy has a high school cumulative GPA of 3.93 and received offers from top schools to continue his academic and athletic accomplishments after graduation. These four seniors set the bar for being exemplary student athletes with their work ethic, dedication to academic excellence, and athletic prowess. The varsity squad is completed by a sophomore in the fifth spot who set the team record for personal records in a season with seven and was voted Rookie of the Year as a freshman by his teammates. The sixth and seventh varsity spots are held by two freshmen coming from the local middle school. They are as dedicated as the current seniors were as freshmen and will continue the strong academic and athletic performances in the coming years.
Junior Annika Weedon is a tough person to spike on. She currently leads the Sound Christian Lady Lions Volleyball Team in blocks. At their last game versus Northwest Christian (Lacey), Weedon had 11 successful blocks, with only four errors. The Lions have played 14 sets this year, and Weedon is already at 22 blocks for the season, closing in on the 52 she had last season. Currently, the junior is ranked third in Washington for blocks, as well as first in the Sea-Tac League.
Last week, Femke Laudy recorded eight goals and had two assists in only two games played, despite being double- or even triple-teamed by defenders. In four total games this season, Laudy has either scored or assisted on 19 of Annie Wright’s 23 goals.
Peninsula senior Elektra Higgins won her race at the Olympia XC Classic this past week, setting a new course record in the process. She also owns the record in the Junior Division, which she sat last year.
Sophomore Samara Kula, Stadium High School swimmer, won every race at her first meet of the season against Auburn this past Thursday. She took first place in the 100 back, 50 free, and both relays in which she participated.
Sumner High School senior Austin Ferencz kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime in a week one victory over two-time defending State Champions Lake Stevens this past weekend. Ferencz is also Sumner’s ASB president and carries a cumulative GPA of 3.868.
We're excited to announce that Chris Egan, the KING 5 sports anchor and reporter, will be our guest speaker at the TAC September membership meeting! He'll be sharing his incredible journey from the Olympics, where he had the unique opportunity to join the athletes and broadcast the events. Don't miss this chance to hear firsthand about his experience!
Dues for the 2024-2025 year are due on September 31st.
Thank you to those that have already paid your dues.
Reminder statements will be sent on October 3rd to those that have not paid their dues yet.
If you have any questions, please contact Karyn, TAC Club Administrator, at KarynTAC@gmail.com
Dues are
- $150 for individual membership, $75 for individuals age 40 and under
- $375 for business membership (3 named individuals from a company)
- $1,500 for a lifetime membership
You can pay your dues online or by mailing a check to PO Box 11304, Tacoma, WA 98411.
If you are not a member and are interested in joining, visit the membership page on our website.
Event Photos Now Available!We're excited to share that the photos from the event are now available online. Simply click on the photo on the left to be directed to the storage page where you can view and download them.
For any questions regarding the photos, please reach out to Makana Murashige at (808) 223-3286, via email at Kanaphotographs@gmail.com, or on Instagram @Kana.photographs.
Enjoy the memories!
Do you know someone that would be a good speaker during one of our monthly meetings? The majority of speakers that we have at our meetings are the result of a connection with or suggestion from the members. Let us know if you have any suggestions. Email: KarynTAC@gmail.com
The Tacoma Athletic Commission will now be meeting at Cheney Stadium in the Summit Room. Check our calendar for more details regarding our monthly meetings and events.
Monthly meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month.
Please access Cheney Stadium via Clay Huntington Way off of 19th Street.
Golden Clover Card Offers Free Admission for Senior Citizens
The Golden Clover card is a partnership opportunity for senior citizens living in Clover Park School District to participate in high school activities and athletic events at no charge.
A Golden Clover card admits one senior citizen (65 years of age and older who qualify for the Senior Citizen and Disabled Person Property Tax Exemption Program) to high school sports events, concerts, plays and other district events where admission is charged.
Golden Clover applications are available in all school offices and at the Student Services Center, 10903 Gravelly Lake Drive SW, or by calling the Community Relations Office at 253-583-5040.
We invite you to join in the amazing experiences that young people bring to our community through education and activity!
Tacoma Public Schools Gold Pass
The Tacoma Public Schools offers a Gold Pass to those living in the City of Tacoma that are age 65 and over. The Gold Pass grants the holder access to TPS regular season sporting events. To request an application email studentlife@tacoma.k12.wa.us.
Dedicated to the support of amateur sports and civic betterment in Pierce County
Tacoma, WA 98405
United States of America