By Shaun Scott, Puyallup Tribal News
Track and field
Boarding a bus for a much-anticipated trip to Yakima is exactly where members of the Chief Leschi track and field team want to be in their final competition of the 2025 season.
Warriors coach Ahmad Agyapong, in his sixth season leading the team, said the goal is to advance as many competitors as possible to the Class 1B/2B state track meet from May 29-31.
“I tell them every day you have to have that mentality and set the bar high to reach it. Don’t set it low, set it high,” Agyapong said. “We have quite a few kids who are seniors this year and they all have the potential and ability to make it to state. We want to see our athletes there and we can do it.”
Agyapong believes confidence is the key to having athletic success.
“I always tell them, and some people think it’s corny to say this, but I tell them to tell themselves, ‘I love me some me.’ You’ve got to love yourself,” he said. “Once you truly love who you are and what you can do, there won’t be any self-doubt and you will always believe in yourself,”.”
Agyapong said athletes Olivia Wiley (100- and 200-meter runs), Annabelle Cruz (100-meter hurdles), Keyah Alexander (discus), Joey Earl (100- and 200-meter runs), Manuelito Delacruz (800- and 1,600-meter runs) and Tallon Leonard (sprints) have turned in solid performances in their respective events.
Earl, a football and track signee for the University of Puget Sound, said he is trying to enjoy every moment of his senior season with his friends.
“I came out for track (during the 2023 season) for the first time, just wanting to get faster, and then I found a family,” Earl said. “These are people I have really connected with.”
The camaraderie shared amongst his team is what Agyapong has strived for since landing the position six years ago.
“I do believe that we have changed the culture here when it comes to practice and being on time. We love the student-athlete experience with student always coming first,” Agyapong said.
Sometimes the win/loss column doesn’t tell the whole story.
The Chief Leschi Warriors softball team may have finished the season with an overall record of 0-13, but third-year coach Adrienne Nichols said her team consistently displayed growth since practices began in March.
“Practice makes permanence. We continued to grow and we continued to get better,” Nichols said. “We’ve had a lot of teams verbally tell us that we did really good this year and to keep up what we were doing. That is pretty cool to hear.”
Nichols said her team remained upbeat despite not experiencing the thrill of victory on the field this spring.
“These girls showed their resiliency and put the hard work in every time they were out there,” she said. “It was pretty cool they were able to face the disappointment (of not winning a game) with pride and still hold themselves up. They just powered through.”
Nichols admitted the hardest part of the season ending was saying goodbye to seniors Cecilia Dillon, Isabelle Runningwolf and Lailah Loucks. Nichols teaches science at the middle school and has known them for seven or eight years.
“It is pretty bittersweet because you see them grow up and then see them move on, but you always have those memories and remember those times from back in the day,” Nichols said.
Chief Leschi Warriors baseball coach Rick Rembert stresses the importance of accountability with his players.
“If I say practice is at noon, they better be here at noon. Discipline is No. 1 to me. You do for me like I’m going to do for you,” Rembert said. “We want to be a team that is going to be cohesive and who is going to work together and do what they’re supposed to do.”
Rembert said he relied on the leadership of players Jaevion Taraya (shortstop, second base), Issiah Kalama (pitcher, first baseman) and Sean Johnson (catcher, infield) throughout the season.
It was Rembert’s first season as coach, but he was the Warriors’ hitting and pitching instructor during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The 2025 roster consisted of 22 players.
“I don’t cut these kids. I want to give everybody a chance,” Rembert said.
The Warriors finished the 2025 season with an overall record of 0-13.
Rembert said he plans on staying with the Warriors baseball program for the foreseeable future and wants to see it thrive with success.
“Right now, we have no plaques or banners in the gymnasium. For baseball, they are empty. My goal is to get something up there before I leave. I’m pretty old, (so) we better hurry up,” Rembert said.
