Matuska Signs to Play Hoops at Lewis-Clark State | | |
BHS Athletics held a Signing Day Celebration on Dec. 10 for Beaver Basketball player Gavin Matuska who will be joining the Lewis-Clark College State Basketball team next fall. Congratulations to Gavin, pictured with Athletic Director Eric Ensign and Basketball Coach Carlos Shay.
Families interested in having a signing ceremony can reach out to Eric at erensign@seattleschools.org
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Armstrong Earns All-America
Honors at Nike Cross Nationals
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Senior Cross Country athlete Cassidy Armstrong placed 18th at the Nike Cross Nationals Dec. 8 in Portland, one of the premier events in high school cross country.
Her effort earned her Third Team All-America honors. Congratulations!
| | | Holiday Beaver Gear Goodies Galore! | | |
'Tis the season to surprise your athlete or booster with new Beaver Gear! The online Beaver Gear store is open for your convenience 24/7 at ballardathletics.com/beavergear.
All sales benefit Ballard Athletics, and a member of our team will let you know when your items are ready for pickup in the Main Office. (Orders must be picked up by Dec. 19, before Winter Break.)
Questions? Reach out to Erica Jamir and Kajsa Puckett at bhsabcgear@gmail.com.
| | Trivia Night Tickets on Sale | | |
Join the fun at the Ballard Elks for the Athletic Booster Club’s Trivia Night on Wednesday, February 4! Build your team of six through January 20 for an “Early Beaver” rate of $120, or $20/per player.*
Your registration fee is a tax-deductible donation to the Athletic Booster Club to further our mission to support quality athletics at Ballard High School. The coaches’ team always comes to play too! Don’t have a trivia team yet but still want to join the fun? We’ll find you a group to play with! Doors open at 6 p.m., first trivia round is at 7 p.m. Dinner, Beaver Gear, and beverages will also be available for purchase. Tables go fast so make sure you can get your team in on the action.
| | *On January 21, 2026, the price will go up to $25/player or $150/table for six players. (Students are welcome to join the fun too!) | | Winter Dance Showcase Shares Student Choreography | | |
The Dance Team's annual Winter Showcase fundraiser featured an array of performance styles, Dec. 6, in the Performing Arts Center. The event included student choreography pieces in jazz, pom, lyrical, contemporary, and hip-hop.
In addition to Dance Team solos, duets, small groups, and full team dances, there were special presentations from Ballard Academy of Dance and Music and BHS Student Dance Workshop participants. Photo c/o and follow the team @ballardhsdanceteam.
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Victories Include Qualifications for Nationals
Cheer Wins Local Division Championships
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Ballard Cheer is already racking up victories in the competition season. The Red Team earned first place in Super Varsity Non-Tumbling Game Day and the Black Team earned first place in Varsity Non-Tumbling Intermediate at the 2025 NCA UCA Northwest Regional, Nov. 8, at Kentwood High School.
The team is now qualified in both divisions for the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championships Feb. 6-8 at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL.
The Red squad is classified as a Game Day squad, recreating the energy of the sidelines, while the Black squad competes in Traditional, focusing on advanced stunts, tumbling and pyramids.
More recently, the Red Team won the Game Day Large Division at the Spirit of Northshore competition Dec. 6 at Bothell High School.
Congratulations Beavers!
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Ballard Cheer has a new Coach this year, Alicia Edgerly. Alicia previously coached cheer at Sammamish High School for seven years where they won three state titles. She is excited to be the new head coach of Ballard Cheer, her dream coaching job.
When not coaching she is a Math teacher at Jane Addams Middle School and enjoys traveling and being the “fun auntie” to her seven nieces and nephews.
Welcome, Alicia! Thanks for the quick intro!
| Team photos c/o and follow @ballardcheer | | | |
Jam the Dam | Tuesday, Dec. 16
Unified Basketball
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Mark your calendars for Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 5 p.m. in the Ballard High School Main Gym as Ballard Unified Basketball (a partnership with Special Olympics) takes on Lincoln High Unified. This spirited evening celebrates inclusion, teamwork, and school pride.
Highlights:
- Special appearances by Bucky the Beaver, the BHS Cheer Team, and the BHS Band
- Sweet treats from Salt & Spoon Ice Cream Truck (3:30–6 p.m.) and
- Game-day energy led by announcer Coach Nick Thornton-Jack
Let’s pack the gym, cheer loud, and make Jam the Dam a night to remember! Thanks to Unified Basketball Coaches Randall Hanna and Jeff Hanson.
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Behind the leadership of new Head Coach Ani Garaventa, the Beavers have a 2-0 start in league (2-1 overall). This early-season record includes double-digit victories over Holy Names and Nathan Hale. Team captains are Mae Piercy and Kyli Meyer (pictured).
Looking ahead, Ballard visits Ingraham Friday, with tipoff at 7 p.m. The Beavers will finally get to play at home, before the Beaver Brigade, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17 versus Cleveland. (Last week's home opener against the Eagles was postponed due to a mechanical issue in the gym.) They'll also have a second home contest at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19 versus Rainier Beach.
Schedule. Follow the team @ballard_girls.basketball
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Under the guidance of new Head Coach Carlos Shay, the Beavers blazed out to a 3-0 start, before coming up just short against Nathan Hale, 53-50, on Tuesday.
Looking ahead, Ballard is visiting Ingraham Friday, with tipoff against the Rams at 8:30 p.m. They'll also visit Cleveland at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17.
The team will finally enjoy a home matchup 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19 against Lakeside. (Last week's home opener was postponed due to a mechanical issue in the gym.) Make sure you come out and cheer for Beaver Basketball!
Schedule. Follow the team @ballardbball
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The Beaver gymnasts started off winning their season opener versus Holy Names, Ingraham, and West Seattle last Friday.
The team was led by Mari Puckett winning beam and placing 3rd all around, Lola Saleeba placing 2nd on bars, and Aspen Pfeiffer placing 3rd on vault and 4th all around. With no seniors this year, this is a young team that is excited to see what's ahead!
Schedule. Follow the team @ballardgymnastics
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Though their games have moved to the Southwest Athletic Center (SWAC at Chief Sealth High School) due to the renovations at Memorial Stadium, the Flag Football team is again bringing the spirit of hustle and competition.
Behind the leadership of new Head Coach Tui Vaeena, the team already has three games under their belt, and has a double-header on Saturday, Dec. 20 against Eastside Catholic (11 a.m.) and Roosevelt (1:30 p.m.).
Schedule. Follow the team @bhs_girlsflagfootball
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Boys Swim and Dive opened the season with a loss to the Garfield Bulldogs 100-75, December 6, at Medgar Evars Pool. The team is looking forward to competing in their own lanes for their next two meets as they host Lincoln on Friday, Dec. 12 and Eastside Catholic on Friday, Jan. 9. Both meets begin at 4 p.m., make sure to catch the excitement at Ballard Pool!
The Beavers are also looking forward to competing at the Kentridge Invitational Swim Meet at the King County Aquatic Center starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 10. The invitational includes 26 teams from around the state.
This year's Senior Captains are Tristan Olesnsky, Matteo Montague, and Cove Brammer; and Junior Captains are Ben Graczyk, Olin Douglas, and Owen Skinner.
Schedule. Follow the team @bhsboys.swim
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The Brawlin' Beavers opened their 2025 season with a 1–3 duals record against Chief Sealth, West Seattle, Roosevelt, and Seattle Academy. Leading the charge are team captains Ben Kildal (pictured celebrating a victory at Roosevelt), Lloyd Berkule, Harper Peters, and Elsa Deux-Pancera.
At the Return of the Seahawk Tournament, last Saturday at Chief Sealth, Harper and Elsa both took 1st place, with Oliver Villanueva and Will Garnett earning 4th place finishes. Next up: the Fife Tournament this weekend, and home duals starting at 6 p.m. on Dec. 17, and Jan. 14 and 21. Come cheer on your Beavers!
Schedule. Follow the team @ballard_wrestling_
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Ultimate Frisbee just started its Mixed (co-ed) season. Sixty players (29 female and 31 male) attended team placement tryouts.
Varsity captains are Alton Naumann, Daisy Williams, and Sadie Jessup. JV captains are Anne Talbot and Diego Merino Perez. Mixed Varsity played against Lincoln Red in its first game on Dec. 6. Ballard Varsity fought hard but couldn't get the result they wanted. JV played against Northwest JV and earned their first win.
Varsity Schedule | JV Schedule. To learn more, check out ballardultimate.org. Follow the team @bufballard
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The Bowling team is once again making their long drive to West Seattle Bowl for their home and away games. The team is now led by the ever-enthusiastic Coach Zach Wurtz (also Ballard's Volleyball coach).
Upcoming matches include Chief Sealth at 3:15 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12 and Lincoln at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17. Schedule.
Follow the team @ballardgirlsbowling
| | Registration Open for Girls Lacrosse | |
Registration is OPEN for Ballard Girls Lacrosse - register HERE! We are gearing up for another great season at the Dam! It's a no-cut program with both Varsity and JV, welcoming athletes of all experience levels.
The spring season runs from February to mid-May, with tryouts starting Feb. 23 and games kicking off March 8. Scholarships are available. And great news, Coach Rachel Moody is back!
For more details, visit the team's website and follow @ballardgirlslacrosse.
| | BALLARD ATHLETIC BOOSTER CLUB | | | | |
