TUMWATER — Quiet and shy. That’s how Moises Sanchez-Hernandez is described by his W.F. West High School boys soccer teammates. Heck, even captain Adrian Jaimes admitted his classmate felt like an outcast early on. There was even a worry the Bearcats’ center midfielder wasn’t going to play this season. “It took all of us to convince him,” Jaimes said. Quiet and shy? Not in these playoffs. After a hat trick in the pigtail match of the Class 2A District 4 tournament, Sanchez-Hernandez rose up for a header and found the back of the net in the 90th minute, lifting W.F. West to a 2-1 double overtime triumph over Tumwater in a district semifinal on Tuesday night at Tumwater District Stadium. Sanchez-Hernandez was mobbed on the field, then hoisted on the shoulders of his teammates. He cracked a smile or two and posed for photos. Almost instantly, he put his backpack on and was walking towards the exit. Quiet and shy? It’s just his personality. “I felt like it was very important,” Sanchez-Hernandez said through a translator. “I was motivated by my last game and it encouraged me.” For the first time in perhaps program history, the Bearcats (10-8) will play for a district championship against the GSHL’s regular season champions, Columbia River on Thursday night in Vancouver. Head coach Allen Anderson, an alum of the program when he played in the 1990s, believes they never played for a district title ever in his prep career, nor pre or post 90s. That is, until 2025. “We’re hitting our stride at the right time,” Anderson said. “I’m really proud of the effort they put in. Some people may think it is a surprise for us to be here, but I’ve known what this team is capable of all year long.” The record may only read two games above. 500, but the Bearcats have always felt their record was deceiving. They’ve battled the injury bug and changed formations. They’ve mixed and matched positions to find the best fit. Once the postseason began, so too did the injury luck. And they haven’t skipped a beat in three postseason victories. “We made it this far,” Jaimes said. “We needed that one goal to change the mindset.” Tied at one after regulation, the two five-minute overtime periods went in opposite directions. Tumwater (11-7) had two free kicks from Gavin Cuoio that sailed just over the crossbar in the first OT frame. W.F. West countered with three shots in the final five minutes. Jaimes had the initial shot that led to Sanchez-Hernandez’s head being the game-winner. He’s scored five goals in his last three contests. “As soon as I got the first one, I felt like I could keep going,” Sanchez-Hernandez said. “He’s on fire right now, so we’re gonna keep riding that,” Anderson added. The Thunderbirds were left in disbelief. “Nothing I say to you right now is gonna make you feel any better when you lose 30 seconds away from (penalties),” their head coach John Hayes said. “You got two evenly matched teams going at it and we just didn’t clear it at the end.” In the first two league meetings, Tumwater walked into the halftime intermission with a lead. The same instance happened on Tuesday. Cuoio cut to the outside, dribbled by his defender and slotted his hot near post in the 38th minute for the 1-0 advantage. The senior captain was placed more on the wing in the second half, but the chances towards him were minimal. He had a breakaway that was stuffed by Bearcats keeper Noel Montenegro and another free kick that sailed high. Jaimes netted the equalizer for W.F. West in the 53rd minute after a cross from Colin Bradley into the box led to a tiny scrum. It finished with six corner kicks and Montenegro recorded four saves. It moved Uzi Lopez Cruz back to the six and created passes through the middle with Gage Grisham playing up. “It helped us improve a lot,” Jaimes said. “You see Tumwater defenders, they're quite big. It took one of us to get physical and get the ball rolling.” Even with a state spot locked up, the Bearcats still have a chance to leave with a trophy. Columbia River, who upended R.A. Long in the other semifinal 3-1 and has won 17 straight matches, is standing in the way. “We’re gonna be very motivated and do well,” Sanchez-Hernandez said. Tumwater will host Ridgefield on Thursday night in a winner to state match at home. It's the second straight season the Thunderbirds will play on their home turf for the right to play in a state tournament game. “If we’re on and they bury their chances, we’re a tough team to beat,” Hayes said. “Big time players gotta step up in big time games.”
CONTINUE READING
