A8
FRIDAY
April 22, 2022
Spring Sports
SeasideSignal.com
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
Lilli Taylor, Seaside
Sports: Soccer (all-league), basket-
ball (all-league), track
Favorite sports moment: My favor-
ite sports moment has to be every
home game at the old Seaside High
School, when the girls basketball
team would cheer the fi ght song
before going out on the court. It re-
ally meant a lot because singing the
song as a team brought the feeling
of unity and got us in game mode.
Where you see yourself in fi ve
years: I hope to be graduated
from college, exploring the fi eld of
environmental science and going
on fun adventures.
Favorite road trips: My favorite
road trip was to High Life (Adven-
tures) with my basketball team after
my junior season. Hands down that
was one of the best adventures
ever.
Most infl uential coach or teacher:
It’s a tough decision, but I would
have to say it was my AAU (Amateur
Athletic Union) coach, Frank Luzaich.
From fi fth to eighth grade he was my
fi rst Portland traveling coach, and he
is the one that helped me truly fall in
love with the game of basketball. He
helped me build my confi dence as a
player and helped elevate my game
and the way I see the court.
Advice for young teammates: Even
if there’s a practice you just don’t
want to be at, or feel like you can
skip that day, don’t. Playing high
school sports doesn’t last forever.
There is a clock on how many times
you get to lace up your cleats or
step on the court. Never take it for
granted or think there is always next
season, because if COVID has taught
us one thing, it’s that nothing is
guaranteed.
Katherine Lacaze
Eager participants get prepped during the countdown to the start of the Egg Hunt for
9- to 10-year-olds at the annual Community Egg Hunt hosted by Sunset Empire Park and
Recreation District.
Egg hunt: Activities featured
Easter Bunny, treasure dive
Continued from Page A1
2020, the district did a drive-
through-only event in lieu
of any gathering, manager
of marketing and special
events Melissa Ousley said.
As the event resumes
its normal operation, she
added, it was pleasant to feel
the joy and sense of com-
munity among the crowd,
as well as the district staff
and volunteers from Seaside
High School and Seaside
Middle School who are piv-
otal to pulling it off .
“There was some nice
energy,” she said. “Every-
body was super excited.”
The ‘bunny bouncer’
SPRING SPORTS ROUNDUP
Track: Gulls host
three-way meet
Seaside hosted its one and only home
track meet of the season last Thursday as
the Gulls brought in Tillamook and Valley
Catholic for a three-way dual meet.
The only win for the Lady Gulls came
from senior Elise Seppa, who set a personal
best of 12 minutes, 12.16 seconds for fi rst
place in the 3,000 meters. Teammate Lilli
Taylor was second in the 400 (1:09.98).
On the boys side, Seaside’s Brady Jack-
son swept the sprints, winning the 100
(11.72) and 200 meters (24.76).
Valley Catholic runners won the 400, 800
and 1,500, while Seaside sophomore James
Roehr took fi rst in the 3,000 in 10:38.84.
Elsewhere, Seaside senior Ryan Smith
had a personal best 42-foot, 4-inch toss to
win the shot put, and he also had the win-
ning mark in the discus (107-9).
Seaside’s Cole Biamont was a double
winner in the pole vault (10-0) and long
jump (18-0 ½).
Baseball: Seaside falls
in the Clash, 5-1
Seaside had six hits to Astoria’s fi ve, but
the Fishermen took advantage of four errors
on the Gulls to post a 5-1 win last Thursday
afternoon in Clatsop Clash baseball action
at CMH Field.
Niko Boudreau went the distance on the
mound for Astoria, striking out eight with
no walks. Jake White had three of Seaside’s
six hits.
Astoria scored three runs in the bottom
of the fi rst on a walk, a single and an error.
Seaside pitcher Tanner Kraushaar kept
the Fishermen scoreless in the second, third
and fourth innings, before the Fishermen
tacked on two in the fi fth on run-scoring
hits by Boudreau and Sven Johnson.
Softball: Bruney bash
helps win the Clash, 14-3
In the fi rst Clatsop Clash softball game
of the season, Astoria pounded out seven
extra base hits to highlight a fi ve-inning,
14-3 win over Seaside, last Thursday at
Broadway Field.
The Lady Fishermen led 6-2 after two
innings, adding eight runs over the fourth
and fi fth innings.
Astoria’s freshmen led the way, as
Shelby Bruney was 2-for-3 (double, home
run), scored three runs and drove in three.
Pitcher Maddie Wilkin scattered four hits,
with 10 strikeouts and one walk. Ten-
ley Matteucci drove in four runs with two
doubles.
Seaside’s Tara Lair was 2-for-3 and
scored two runs.
Browning originally was
solicited as the Easter Bunny
chaperone about fi ve years
ago, in part because of her
ability to project her voice
and capture the crowd’s
attention.
“All of the kids can hear
my countdown,” she said.
Ousley added, “She’s one
of those really outgoing peo-
ple that’s able to get every-
body involved.”
However,
Browning
plays the part gladly. “My
favorite would have to be all
of the kids getting to see the
Easter Bunny, and how they
absolutely love it.”
She referenced one little
toddler, maybe 2 years old,
who kept running up to the
bunny’s legs and hugging
him throughout the egg hunt.
“Most of the kids are
excited and happy,” she said.
In addition to get-
ting photos with the Eas-
ter bunny at a photo booth,
children received tokens to
ride the carousel in Seaside’s
downtown Carousel Mall.
Some of the plastic eggs also
contained golden tickets to
claim plush bunnies donated
Sunset Empire Park Recreation District’s Amanda Browning
and former director Mary Blake led games during the
district’s annual Treasure Dive.
by Rascal’s and Easter bas-
kets from Bruce’s Candy
Kitchen.
After the egg hunt, the
district hosted its annual
Aquatic Treasure Dive,
which Browning also has
led for about 13 years. She
assumed the helm from for-
mer general manager Mary
Blake.
“She kind of left me the
legacy of playing,” Brown-
ing said.
This year, about 75 chil-
dren ages 7 to 17 partici-
pated in the treasure dive.
During the fi rst part of the
program, they played a vari-
ety of fun and engaging
games. Browning keeps the
whole thing fl exible, tailor-
ing activities to the general
mood and interest of the kids
who participate from year to
year. Some enjoy more com-
petitive games, while others
tend toward collaborative
group activities.
“I very much do a
go-with-the-fl ow thing,” she
said.
After the games, they
moved into the treasure
dive, with students looking
for keys among a collec-
tion of coins on the bottom
of the pool. One special key
opened the treasure box with
the grand prize. The other
keys were good for a candy
bar.
This year, Blake came
back to join Browning in
leading the dive, which
was a special treat for all
involved.
“I love playing with
Mary,” Browning said. “You
never grow old around that
woman.”
Both the treasure dive
and egg hunt draw families
from throughout Clatsop
County and beyond. Some
are out-of-state visitors who
come to town to celebrate
Easter with their families.
“They always come and
say ‘hi’ to me, and they get
excited to do it,” Browning
said.