December Sports Report

Author’s note: This sports section has information as of November 26th. To get more updated information about Bush athletics, you can go to BushBlazersAthletics.com. For more information on sports, you can go to ESPN.com. 

Welcome, everyone, to this month’s sports report! There’s a lot to go through, from a Bush fall sports recap and winter sports preview to an update on sporting news from around the world. 

Girl’s Soccer: The Girls’ Soccer team had a breakout season, finishing with an 11-4-2 record. Additionally, they had an average goal differential of two goals, scoring 2.9 goals per game and allowing less than one goal per game. Four players got all conference honors, with Makenna Kim ‘27 and Flora Toledo ‘27 being First Team All Conference. Reya Goel ‘26 and Sawyer Franklin ‘28 made Second and Third All Conference Team, respectively. The team ended up making the State Quarterfinals, a big accomplishment. Key moments included a victory over UPrep to place third in the Conference bracket and a Round of 16 state win 4-1 against Naches Valley. The season ended after a 1-0 loss to Seton Catholic. The Girls’ JV Team finished 5-2-0, scoring 3.9 goals per game and allowing 1.7 goals per game, and finished best in the conference.

Girls’ Volleyball: The Girls’ Volleyball season is in the books, with the varsity team finishing with an 8-11 record. However, they also have an impressive 5-3 record in conference games. The season ended after a 3-0 loss to Granite Falls. Bush got two All Conference players, with Eva Freise ‘25 and Jojo Ziegler ‘24. The JV team is 6-8 with a 4-5 conference record, with one game left in the season. They currently have a four game win streak. The JVC team finished 4-6 with a 4-3 conference record.

Boys’ Ultimate: The Boys ultimate finished 5-8 with a 4-6 conference record, significantly stronger than last year's 0-10 finish. This rebound was partly thanks to Conference Coach of the Year Max Bommarito, All Conference 1st team member Kenzo Yocom ‘24, and 2nd team member Rafe Fox ‘24. This season was a large step forward for the Bush Ultimate program, along with a 5-0 season from the JV team.

Cross Country: The Cross Country season ended with a bang for Bush, as the Blazers finished 11th in State for Girls and 2nd in State for Boys. Duncan Frisbie-Smith ‘24 set a PR and broke his own school record in a very difficult State course with a 15:51 5k. Next year he will run for Brown University. Additionally, Lincoln Neiswender ‘24, Benjamin Hester ‘24, Kai Awaza ‘25, and Alexander Hajduk ‘24 earned All Conference Honors. Elise Fischer ‘24 finished 6th in State and earned a spot on the All Conference team alongside Elaine Zhang ‘28.

Boys’ Tennis: The Boys’ Tennis team finished 4-6, with a 22-28 individual record. The season ended with a convincing 5-0 win against Bear Creek.

Boys’ Golf: After a breakout season, the Boys’ Golf team finished undefeated with a 5-0-1 record. Many key contributors of the team will head to the postseason this spring.

Winter Sports Preview: The Boys’ Varsity Basketball team will begin their season on December 3rd with a road game against Eastside Prep. The team will still have 2023-24 All Conference players Paul Hutchison ‘24 and Phanuel Wodaje ‘24, along with last year's coach of the year Ben Scheffler. They will aim to build off of last year’s stellar 15-7 record. Girls’ Basketball tips off their season also with a road game on December Third versus Eastside Prep. They’ll be led by last year’s all conference member Kate Hutchison ‘24. Nordic Skiing will also be in the Winter Season, with the first race being on January 12th.

National Sports Overview: With Week 12 in the books, the complexion of the 2024-25 NFL season is becoming more and more clear. Super Bowl contenders such as the Chiefs, Ravens, Lions, Bills, and Eagles are separating themselves from the pack. Meanwhile, teams that had moments of greatness, such as the Commanders, Texans, Vikings, and Bengals, have begun to skid. The Seahawks find themselves with a lot of optimism after a 16-6 win over the Arizona Cardinals, giving them sole position over an extremely weak NFC West. At 6-5, an up and down defense and terrible offensive line play contribute to an average start. However, a strong culture and playmakers such as Kenneth Walker, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and DK Metcalf have led the Seahawks to a winning record. Mike McDonald and company hope to continue their recent success with an away stint against the Jets and after the Cardinals. In college football, the UW Huskies are coming off of a huge 31-19 win at home against the UCLA Bruins. It’s been an up and down season for the Huskies, who knew they would have a tough time after many key contributors left for the NFL last year. However, they find themselves at 6-5 and have clinched bowl eligibility, so the Jedd Fisch era has been off to a promising start. Currently Oregon, whom UW is playing next week, is the only undefeated team, and other teams such as Texas, Miami, Ohio State, Boise State, Penn State, and more seem poised to make the newly expanded 12 team College Football Playoff. Currently two way sensation for Colorado Travis Hunter and running back Ashton Jeanty lead the race for the Heisman Trophy. In the NBA, the key story is the 17-1 Cleveland Cavaliers, who’s only loss is to the reigning champion Boston Celtics. Other teams who have found success are the Warriors, Rockets, Celtics, and Magic.