The spring playoff push continues, and the Blazers are peaking at exactly the right time. Please enjoy the May 13 Playoff Update, which highlights some of the most noteworthy accomplishments from the past week. We hope to see many of you out supporting your Blazers as they compete in some of the most exciting contests of the year.
Golf
The Blazers delivered a historic performance at Tuesday’s Emerald Sound Conference Championship Tournament. The boys team captured its second league title in the past two years, posting a dominant team score of 108 – nearly 30 strokes clear of the runner-up. Leading the way was Justin C. ’28, who fired a tournament-best 75 to claim the individual conference championship and earn League MVP honors. Bush placed five golfers in the top 10. Neil N. ’28 finished third to earn First Team All-League honors, while Jonathan H. ’28 tied for fourth and also earned First Team All-League recognition. Aydin M. ’29 and Alex V. ’29 tied for tenth and were named to the Second Team All-League. Lang R. ’28 narrowly missed all-league honors, finishing tied for thirteenth, just one stroke out of the top 10. Jack A. ’27 placed twenty-fifth, and Sai S. ’26 rounded out the Blazers’ outstanding team performance in thirty-seventh place.
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The most dramatic moment of the day came when Aydin and Alex entered a playoff with an Overlake golfer to determine the final state qualifying spot. Both Blazers made par on the opening playoff hole to eliminate the Overlake competitor, setting up a sudden-death showdown between teammates. Aydin ultimately prevailed on the second playoff hole, earning the final state berth by the slimmest of margins. Justin, Neil, Jonathan, and Aydin all qualified for the WIAA State Championships, while Alex secured first alternate status.
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The girls team also turned in a strong showing. Meredith C. ’26 led the way with a tie for fifth place and First Team All-League honors, securing her spot at state. Charlie M. ’26 added a solid performance with a tie for fourteenth place.
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Meredith will join the four boys qualifiers to Liberty Lake, where the Blazers will compete in the 1A Boys and Girls State Championships at MeadowWood Golf Course next week.
Girls Tennis
The Blazers delivered an impressive performance at the Emerald Sound Conference Tournament, highlighted by another standout postseason run from Makenna K. ’27. In doubles play, Riley C. ’27 and Gia G. ’27 opened the tournament with a first-round victory before falling to the eventual doubles conference champions from U Prep. Nicola L. ’27 also gained valuable postseason experience, advancing to the second round before bowing out to the same opponent Makenna had defeated in the semifinals. Makenna continued to cement her status as one of the top players in the state, battling her way to the championship match and securing an automatic berth to the WIAA State Championships in Yakima. In the finals, she squared off against the No. 1 ranked 1A player in Washington from Overlake and finished as the conference runner-up. She will return to the court on Friday for one final match to determine her seed heading into the state tournament.
- Click here to view the ESC bracket
Boys Soccer
The Boys Varsity Soccer team is firing from all cylinders. The coaching staff has helped the Blazers settle into a rotation that appears primed for a deep playoff run. After dismantling Bear Creek 8-1 last Friday – with Steinar F. ’26 erupting for four (!) goals – Bush carried that momentum into its next-round showdown with Northwest. The Blazers had fallen to the House 1-0 during the regular season, but this playoff rematch was all Bush. The Blazers struck early, built a commanding 3-1 halftime lead, and then overwhelmed the Northwest back line with four more second-half goals to cruise to a dominant 7-1 victory. Parker S. ’28 delivered a breakout performance, recording a hat trick to lead the Blazer surge. Next up: a winner-to-state, loser-out showdown against a familiar postseason rival. The U Prep Pumas will host your Bush Blazers on Friday, May 15, at 3:00 p.m. at Shoreline B in a rematch of last year’s state championship final. This clash of soccer powerhouses is one you will not want to miss.
- Click here to view the ESC bracket
Girls Ultimate
The Girls Varsity Ultimate team gained valuable insight into its game in a key late-season matchup with Northwest, a contest that determined seeding for the DiscNW State Championships. Although Hush fell 9-5, the team put together a number of strong offensive and defensive sequences and pushed the House in a competitive battle from start to finish. The result secured a third-place finish in the Emerald Sound Conference and earned Hush the No. 8 seed in this year’s state tournament. Next up is a state quarterfinal showdown against top-seeded Garfield. While the challenge is significant, Hush is preparing to leave everything on the field in hopes of pulling off an upset and advancing to the state semifinals.
- Click here to view the DiscNW State Championship Bracket
Track & Field
The Bush Track & Field team turned in a spectacular weekend, piling up personal records and climbing the District 2 rankings as the postseason approaches.
The distance squad stole the show at the Liberty Twilight Meet, where Ella M. ’29, Leo N. ’27, Ryan E. ’27, Kai A. ’26, and Luke M. ’28 all set personal bests. Kai surged to a 4:22.75 in the 1600m to move to No. 7 in District 2, while Luke (4:27.64) and Leo (4:27.69) also cracked the district top 10. Ryan delivered one of the biggest breakthroughs of the night, dropping more than 11 seconds to run 5:21.00 and move to No. 5 in District 2.
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Less than 24 hours later, the Blazers were in action at the final league meet in Granite Falls and continued to shine. Xander T. ’26 remained unbeaten in the 100m, Luke M. ’28 returned to slash nearly six seconds off his 800m PR with a 2:03.96, and Annika C. ’26 posted PRs in all four of her events. Valerie M. ’29, Lily A. ’29, Kate F. ’29, Colin W. ’29, and several others also turned in lifetime bests as the Blazers head into the postseason with momentum and confidence. Next up: Emerald Sound Conference Championships at King’s this Thursday, May 14, and Saturday, May 16.