Sports
Sportswriting is my passion. It's the reason I got into journalism, and the experiences I have gained while covering sports drive me to continue writing. Serving as the Sports Columnist and Sports Editor have given me ample opportunities to cover sports, which made it difficult to choose only a few favorites. Here are a few stories that I think accurately represent my sportswriting style:
Ten Things I Loved About MIHS Football’s Victory Over Stadium High School
This article is one of my favorite pieces that I have ever written. It not only combines my two of my favorite forms of entertainment (football and teenage romantic comedies), but the story also blends my two favorite writing styles: sportswriting and poetry.
A wide view of the famous football stadium at Stadium High School.
Photo by Alex Levin
The MIHS football team traveled to historic Stadium High School and won their third straight game this season 38-6, Friday, Sept. 24.
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Because Stadium High School is the setting of 1999 teenage rom-com “10 Things I Hate About You,” I have decided to detail my thoughts on the game in a slightly unusual format.
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Similar to the way Julia Stiles reveals her adoration for Heath Ledger toward the end of the movie, I have highlighted ten things that I loved about Friday’s football game:
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I loved the way we threw the ball, I loved the final score,
The Fahey-to-Rogan touchdowns were too good to be ignored.
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The Islanders’ passing offense was simply excellent. Quarterback Eli Fahey totaled three touchdown passes, two of which he threw to wide receiver Garrett Rogan. Fahey and Rogan also connected for a pair of touchdowns in their last game against Hazen.
I loved our three forced fumbles and our strong defensive scheme,
I loved our zero points allowed, excluding special teams.
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Aside from an 85-yard kick-return touchdown from Stadium senior Berlie Fincham, the MIHS defense did not allow a single offensive point. The Islanders’ three forced fumbles were also a crucial factor throughout the game, because the turnovers resulted in 17 combined points.
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I loved the gorgeous venue, it was worth the lengthy drive,
I loved to see our cheer team keeping MIHS spirit alive.
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Between the school’s French Renaissance architecture and the stadium’s Puget Sound views, the grounds of Stadium High School were certainly worth enduring 60 minutes of rush hour I-5 traffic.
Also, while there were no more than ten Islander fans in the visitor stands, the MIHS Cheer team’s enthusiasm replicated the energy of a typical MIHS home game.
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I love that we’re now 3-1, and how we can stand up tall,
and I mostly loved that the game wasn’t close,
not even a little bit,
not even at all.
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For the second week in a row, the Islanders were dominant. I am eager to see how the team will stack up against a 4-0 Bellevue team next Friday, Oct. 1.
MIHS Girls Soccer Ends Win Streak in Overtime
MIHS Girls Soccer plays rival Bellevue for the first time this year.
Photo Courtesy David Kris
This article is only one of the many MIHS sports games I have covered the past four years. Girls Soccer games have always been fun to cover, but this one stands out just because of the intensity of how the game finished and the consistent energy of a rivalry matchup.
In a thrilling, back-and-forth rivalry matchup, Mercer Island Girls Soccer fell short in overtime to Bellevue, 2-1, Thursday, March 18.
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With three minutes remaining in the first half, the Islanders established a 1-0 lead after sophomore Mia Shanafelt juked out the Bellevue goalie for a score.
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Even though Mercer Island held on to their lead for the majority of the second half, Bellevue gained momentum after a controversial penalty call late in the game, which gave them an opportunity to tie the score with a penalty kick and ultimately emerge victorious in overtime.
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“I think we played great, as a senior I’m just really excited [because] I feel like this is a great team,” goalie Maddy McElroy said. “It sucks obviously that we didn’t get the win, but this is the best game we have played so far and there is a lot to build on from here.”
The game-changing penalty was called on McElroy after she collided with another player when trying to secure the ball. The penalty was met with an assortment of boos from the crowd.
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“I feel like we were both going for the ball and neither of us got it,” McElroy said. “I don’t think it was a penalty at all.”
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Despite the dramatic finish and some offensive struggles, McElroy and the Islanders found success on defense, particularly when Bellevue was in scoring range.
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“I think defensively we looked much stronger today,” McElroy said. “Winning balls in the air is where we struggled a little bit today, and we struggled with possession, but I think [we had] effort and heart.”
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While students were not allowed into the stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions, a group of Islander fans lined up against the fence on the north side of the field to cheer on the home team.
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“I’m so glad that they [were] here,” McElroy said. “Even though they can’t be in the stands, it means a lot that they came and I think it definitely helps make it feel like a home game in a normal season for us.”
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While the Islanders are no longer undefeated, they will seek to take revenge in a rematch with Bellevue scheduled later this season.
How COVID-19 Has Impacted Spring Athletes
Senior Polly Schaps will miss out on being a lacrosse captain.
Photo Courtesy Polly Schaps
Another article I wrote early on in the pandemic, this piece focuses on how COVID-19 took away many important experiences and opportunities for athletes who graduated in 2020. This article is both a sports story and a feature.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has closed schools for the remainder of the year, most of the daily occurrences in high schoolers’ lives across the country have been replaced with remote alternatives.
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However, one thing that cannot be salvaged by Zoom meetings or Khan Academy videos is the 2020 spring sports season.
With group gatherings deemed unsafe, the virus has cancelled all games, practices and team events of any kind, jeopardizing many important team goals.
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“[MI Girls Lacrosse] won State last year for the first time and we had a really, really good chance of winning again,” senior Polly Schaps said. “The fact that we are not able to try for that is really heartbreaking.”
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Spring sports teams will also miss out on the opportunity to face school rivals, which is something that always stirs a competitive environment.
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“[MI Boys Soccer was] actually supposed to be pretty good this year,” senior Jaden Krauser said. “We were going to be up there with Bellevue for the KingCo Championships.”
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In addition to team-wide goals, the COVID-19 outbreak has impacted many players’ personal ambitions for the season.
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“Since I have been playing for 12 years, it has always been a huge goal of mine to be a captain of the team,” Schaps said. “[Lacrosse] has always been a sport that is very meaningful for me, so [not being captain] is a personal blow.”
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The season’s cancellation has also taken away many of the enjoyable social elements within each spring sports team.
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“Usually we go to a sounders game every year, we usually do team yoga,” Krauser said. “[I miss] all the bonding stuff and all the things outside of actually playing soccer.”
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Aside from the recreation that comes from the various bonding events, the convivial aspects of the spring sports season also provide newer athletes with opportunities to meet and connect with fellow athletes.
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“I remember coming into high school not really knowing lots of people,” junior Gihoe Seo said. “Without the golf team, I would have been really lost, and I really wish the [current] freshmen had the same opportunity as I did.”
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While the COVID-19 outbreak has severely affected high school sports, the pandemic has also modified the athletic transition from high school to college.
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With fewer games to draw from, the lack of spring sports has forced college recruiters to alter the ways they scout their prospective players.
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“A lot of the college coaches I am talking to, they are trying to actually look at our personalities a bit more and recruit that way,” Seo said. “They are trying to not only look at statistics, but also how we are as a person.”
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The adjustments in recruitment not only apply golf, but to other spring sports as well.
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“All of the [lacrosse] tournaments that would have happened over the summer are canceled, and the tournaments are when the scouts and college coaches come out to see prospective players,” Schaps said.
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The elimination of spring sports is certainly disappointing for many, but the cancelations are designed to keep players safe, and hopefully, when social restrictions are lifted, high school sports will be able resume and players will be able to make up for lost time.