The hype going into the Huling Bowl was unreal. During the school assembly that day, hundreds of students filed into the West Seattle High School gym to display school spirit before the big game. 

 The student section theme was neon, and everyone got the memo. The energy was hyper and vibrant, matching the colors that were worn.  

  The moment of the game for West Seattle came in the 2nd quarter when quarterback Axel Johnson connected with tight end Matthew Henning on a seam route for forty plus yards. Henning outran the flailing Chief Sealth secondary for a big touchdown to momentarily keep us in the game. 

  “Sealth came out with a lot of energy and emotion. To win a rivalry game you have to match that. We did not. You learn a lot about yourself in a game like this. We do not dwell on it and get better from it,” said Johnson.   

Johnson threw for 165 yards and 1 touchdown on 9 of 16 passes. 

West Seattle fell short on the field, but the spirit that Westside brought off the field was something to be proud of. Tom Burggraff – a WSHS teacher and former head football coach – said, “Outstanding student section. It looked like 400 students were up and cheering the whole game. Cheer leaders and the band looked impressive, represented our spirit well.” 

West Seattle (3 – 2) looks ahead to the homecoming game at SWAC against Lakeside.