Liberty, Hazen swimmers leave their mark at state
February 28, 2013
By Greg Farrar
Raymond Ha, Liberty High School senior, cuts through the pool, en route to repeating as 3A state champion in the 100-yard breaststroke Feb. 16 at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.
As Liberty High School senior Raymond Ha approached the starting block to swim in the final 100 breaststroke race of his high school career, the sounds of Justin Bieber’s “Beauty and a Beat” blasted from the King County Aquatic Center’s speakers.
The participant with the top-qualifying time in each event gets to choose which song is played as the swimmers walk onto the pool deck to compete in the final race. Surprisingly, Bieber was Ha’s artist of choice.
“I like to do it to psych people out, to get them off their serious edge, so I get an advantage,” he said of the song selection.
Patriots’ wrestlers leave state battered, but better
February 28, 2013
Hazen sends three grapplers, down from eight last year
By Greg Farrar
Joanna Moreira, Liberty High School sophomore, complete with nosebleed, is declared the 10-5 winner over Centralia’s Jenna Gillaspie in her first-round, 137-pound bout during the state 3A wrestling championships Feb. 15 at the Tacoma Dome.
Her face was caked in sweat, her shoulders had mat burns and her nostrils were leaking red. And yet, Joanna Moreira could not stop smiling.
The Liberty High School wrestler had just defeated Angelica Vaschenko, from Franklin Pierce High School, in the second round of consolation at the state tourney in Tacoma. The win, a 12-8 tussle of wills, assured that the 137-pound Patriot from São Paulo, Brazil, would finish better at state than in 2012.
Hazen, Liberty athletes officially sign with colleges
February 28, 2013
A handful of Hazen High School seniors will officially take their athletic talents to the collegiate level, after six students gathered for a special signing day ceremony in the school’s activities room Feb. 6.
Hazen athletes Zach Cable, Dee Dee Green and Cody Moorhead signed letters of intent to play for Division I schools, while Sam Bunnell, Drew Kelly and David Hughes made commitments to play for Division III schools.
By Christina Corrales-Toy
Hazen High School athletes (from left) Sam Bunnell, Drew Kelly, Dee Dee Green, Zach Cable, Cody Moorhead and David Hughes made their college decisions official on Feb. 6.
Zach Cable, an all-league linebacker for the Hazen football team, will attend the University of Idaho. The linebacker follows in the footsteps of his father, Tom Cable, who played and coached at the school.
Hazen High School athletes sign with colleges
February 6, 2013
NEW — 12:55 p.m. Feb. 6, 2013
By Christina Corrales-Toy
Hazen High School athletes (from left) Sam Bunnell, Drew Kelly, Dee Dee Green, Zach Cable, Cody Moorhead and David Hughes made their college decisions official on Feb. 6.
A handful of Hazen High School seniors will officially take their athletic talents to the collegiate level, after six students gathered for a special signing day ceremony in the school’s activities room on Feb. 6. Read more
Hazen wrestlers defeat their rivals from Liberty
January 31, 2013
By Greg Farrar
Abdu Mukhammadjonov (right), Hazen High School sophomore, is about to have his pin awarded in his 113-pound bout against Liberty freshman Kyle Armstrong during their Jan. 15 match.
BAs the nation struggles through a particularly aggressive flu season, many Liberty and Hazen high school wrestlers know only too well the ailments that accompany the illness.
The flu knocked out a good portion of the Liberty wrestlers, and the Highlanders were not exactly healthy themselves, when the two teams squared off Jan. 15.
Hazen High School wrestlers fundraiser takes down cancer
January 31, 2013
Rodney Magana, Hazen High School wrestling coach Rory Magana’s father, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October 2010, and died from the disease just eight months later, in June.
In 2013, an estimated 45,220 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a disease that is expected to claim more than 38,000 lives in the coming year.
By Rob Nichols
Hazen High School wrestlers and coaches gather for a group photo after competing in the Taking Down Pancreatic Cancer event to raise funds and awareness for the disease.
The fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, it has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers. About 74 percent of patients will die within the first year of diagnosis and 94 percent will die within five years, according to the American Cancer Society.
Liberty swimmers dunked by Issaquah, 118-68
January 31, 2013
Coaches are notorious planners, especially in individual sports, such as golf, tennis, wrestling and swimming.
These amazing aquatic mentors can usually anticipate what may or may not transpire down to the tenth of a digit.
At the annual swim meet between the Issaquah Eagles and the Liberty Patriots held at Julius Boehm Pool on Jan. 24, what unfolded in front of the unsuspecting audience was not only in the realm of the uncharted, but was entirely unexpected with the element of surprise and was outrageously humorous.
Liberty High School rallies for heart health awareness
January 21, 2013
NEW — 3:25 p.m. Jan. 21, 2013
Dawn McCutcheon didn’t think it could happen to her.
In 2009, at just 38 years old, the Sammamish mother of two suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, changing her life forever.
“When my cardiac arrest happened, it was definitely a surprise and definitely a long road of recovery trying to come to terms with the fact that now I live with a pacemaker and it’s something that I have to live with for the rest of my life,” she said.
Rather than dwelling on her predicament, the 1989 Liberty High School graduate sprung into action, working to educate those around her about heart disease, as a volunteer, and eventually employee, of the American Heart Association. Read more
Hazen wrestlers look to take down pancreatic cancer
January 7, 2013
NEW — 2:30 p.m. Jan. 7, 2013
Hazen and Highline high schools are hosting Take Down Pancreatic Cancer, a special event at an upcoming wrestling match at 5 p.m. Jan. 11 at Highline High School, 225 S. 152nd St., Burien.
The goal of the event is to spread awareness of the disease, while raising funds that will go toward pancreatic cancer research.
Wrestlers from Hazen, Highline, Oak Harbor and Lynwood high schools are expected to participate.
In 2012, an estimated 43,920 people were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.
More than 37,000 people died from the disease.
Proceeds will be donated to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
Liberty’s first female wrestler defies odds
January 2, 2013
By Laurel Bluhm
Joanna Moreira, Liberty High School sophomore (right), wrestles her opponent at the Auburn Mountainview Girls Tour in December.
Just a day before competing in last year’s Mat Classic, Liberty High School wrestler Joanna Moreira stood high up in the rafters of the Tacoma Dome and stared down at the 12 perfectly placed mats laid across the floor.
“I remember just looking at those 12 mats and saying, ‘I got this far, and tomorrow I’m going to dominate,’” she said.
