By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Rivalries make for the best competition and this Friday night the Huling Bowl – a rivalry game between West Seattle High School and Chief Sealth High School — will not only establish bragging rights for West Seattle, but it will also lay the groundwork for two programs that have bright futures.
Named after a prominent West Seattle family, the Huling family owners of Huling Brothers auto dealerships, the Huling Bowl has been a West Seattle tradition since 2002, when the community asked if they could name the football rivalry game between West Seattle and Chief Sealth on behalf of the family.
Steve Huling, a graduate of Chief Sealth class of 1965, was honored and the family provided the contest with the Huling Bowl trophy and the rivalry held at the Southwest Athletic Complex in West Seattle has not only been a community affair but a fierce contest each year between the two schools’ football programs.
West Seattle Head Football Coach Jeff Scott says that the Huling Bowl is a game that he circles on his calendar every year.
“We take one game at a time,” say Scott, who is in his fourth year at the helm for the Wildcats. “We set our goals for our team and the Huling Bowl is right up there with winning our division and getting into the playoffs and to create some havoc for teams that may underestimate us.”
Chief Sealth Head Football Coach Daron Camacho, now in his second year as head coach, was a part of this rivalry as a player and now he is equally excited as a coach.
“We are excited for another year in this rivalry,” says Camacho. “We are excited for this competition, as a former player for Chief Sealth I was a part of the rivalry now as coach it’s awesome to see it from a different perspective.”
While the two programs may be at different points of their rebuilding process, both teams are optimistic about their chances to make a run at securing some hardware by season’s end.
West Seattle’s optimism stems from the fact that they have a team filled with veterans. In Scott’s first year as coach his freshmen class, who are now Seniors, bought into the program and their hard work is paying off. The team won their division championship last year and are looking to build upon their success.
“This is the fourth year I have been at West Seattle and so the Seniors were my freshmen class,” says Scott. “It’s taken two, two and a half years for the kids to buy-in. So last year they bought-in and we had some success winning the division championship and so this year we can see that they are fully buying-in, especially with the hot start going 2 and O, and not just because we are 2 and O but the way that we are playing and the way that we are dominating.”
West Seattle’s leadership is entrenched in its offensive line. With arguably one of the biggest lines to ever come out of West Seattle, anchored by seniors Reuben Teiapaua (6’ 2”, 250lbs), Sean Satia (6’ 5” 270lbs) and Sabastian Shike (6’ 1” 180lbs), the Wildcats take pride in their ability to control the trenches.
“Our leadership starts in the trenches because we have a big offensive line,” says Scott. “We have four seniors on our offensive line that are anchoring that line and set the tone offensively for us.”
“I think we are looking pretty good this year,” says Satia. “We’ve got solid guys, everybody is seasoned so I think we are going to be good and ready going into the Huling Bowl.”
Last year, Chief Sealth posted a 5-2 record, including 40-17 victory in the Huling Bowl. However, according to Camacho, the team lost quite a few seniors and now finds itself with a very young but hungry team. Made up of freshmen, sophomores and juniors Camacho is not phased because the team has a lot of talent and a bright future.
“Overall with the team we have this year we are kind of just developing,” says Camacho. “We have a lot of players who are playing in new key roles. We have a young sophomore quarterback in Isaac Martinez, so we are really in a rebuilding process right, but we had a great summer camp and these young guys are soaking it all in.”
Chief Sealth senior defensive lineman/offensive tackle RosPhealy Prak-Theam (6’1” 245lbs) says that the team may be young, but that they all believe in one another.
“We are young but we are good,” says Prak-Theam. “Our young guys play with heart and we try to play as one. If one fails, we all fail, if one succeeds, we all succeed.”
Traditionally West Seattle has fielded relatively small but competitive teams, but this year West Seattle boasts a lot of girth on both the line and their running game. With offensive threats like receiver Elijah Brady (5’10”, 170lb), running back Jaxton Helmstetler (6’1”, 190), who over two games has amassed 3 touchdowns and 250 yards rushing, and running mate Mason Kallinger (6’1”, 200lbs), who has 125 yard on 15 carries and 6 touchdowns already this season, West Seattle looks to be a handful for any opponent this season.
“Our offense is looking pretty good for the start of the season,” says Kallinger. “I think we have one of the best offensive lines and defensive lines in the division, if not the league. And so, I think their leadership is going to carry [us] into the playoffs as well as a win on Friday in the Huling Bowl.”
While Scott is optimistic about his team’s chances to win, the game ultimately will come down to preparation, heart and pride.
“Sealth is a very lethal team,” says Scott. “Over the past few years, they have had our number but this Friday we are going to play smash mouth football, who wants it more football and that is what it’s going to come down to.”
Despite their youthful nature, Camacho says that he is optimistic about the growth his young team is displaying and looks forward to competing with their neighborhood rival from West Seattle.
“With this young group it looks promising,” says Camacho. “I am excited to get this year going. This year we are trying to keep everyone healthy. Our quarterback is stepping into a leadership role especially as a sophomore and he is doing a great job at it he is someone who is going to continue to learn.”
“So, we look to come into Friday’s contest and compete on every level,” added Camacho.
Chief Sealth receiver/defensive back Demiko Bousely (5’9”, 140lbs) believes his team is prepared for the Huling Bowl this Friday. Through their preparation, he is certain that Sealth will be ready to come out and perform.
“We have a good young team,” says Bousely. “We have been working together since this summer and I think we will perform well come Friday. We work hard in practice and just like any other game we are going to go out there and perform.”
The Huling Bowl will take place this Friday, September 17 at the Southwest Athletic Complex (SWAC), 7:00 pm.
