A training session this week lit up Allen Anderson’s face.
The primary reason? For the first time in over a month, the W.F. West High School boys soccer team was as healthy as it has been this spring. Only junior defender Riley Carter is done for the season.
Yet having Colin Bradley, Devin Canfield, Adrian Jaimes and others be on the pitch in preparation for the playoffs was a needed bright note.
“It is nice to get everyone gelling again,” Anderson, the Bearcats head coach said.
The injury bug, for now, has been sprayed away. And Thursday may have been a reminder to what a fully healthy W.F. West group is capable of.
Senior Moises-Sanchez Hernandez, playing out of position, netted a hat trick and the third-seeded Bearcats never let their foot off the gas en route to a 5-0 victory over sixth-seeded Washougal in a Class 2A District 4 pigtail match in Chehalis.
All five goals came within the first 50 minutes of the contest.
“I saw a lot of the offensive play come back from last season,” Bradley said. “We’re not just a possession or a defensive team, we can be an offensive team.”
W.F. West (8-8) gets a familiar foe in Saturday’s quarterfinal game in the GSHL runner-up Hockinson. It marks the third straight season the two play in districts, but the last two meetings have been winner-to-state games.
The Hawks were 11-2 as of two weeks ago, but have dropped two of their last three affairs.
“I think it is going to be another tightly contested match,” Anderson said. “They look sharp, they look good.”
It wasn’t just short-term, nagging injuries that hampered the Bearcats. Bradley was out two-plus weeks, Canfield lost a similar amount of time and Jaimes fought through a lower-leg ailment. That’s two starters and a stalwart senior that were not 100 percent.
Those three slowly worked their way back individually and Bradley returned in the regular season finale versus Tumwater.
“I love going out there and talking to all the guys and bringing the energy,” he said. “Set the tone for the aggression.”
The senior put the Bearcats ahead in the 15th minute, starting his run off a free kick onside and firing a shot to the bottom left corner for the 1-0 lead.
Sanchez-Hernandez scored in the 18th, 21st and 50th minute. He’s played more winger this season compared to last, for the simple fact that W.F. West is loaded at center-mid.
It has forced Anderson to move some guys around and, coupled with the injuries, has seen different formations. Having Sanchez-Hernandez out wide has been a welcome sight.
“He’s naturally a six, but to see him have success out on the wing is awesome,” Anderson said. “He has great instincts; such a special kid.”
Alex Mathuzima scored 20 seconds into the second half to up the margin to 4-0. W.F. West emptied the bench in the final 15 minutes, capping the highest-scoring game of the season and ending with 11 of its 13 shots on frame.
“It was huge,” Bradley said. “It is a mindset thing. Every single guy on our team can take a shot and find the back of the net.”
The Bearcats now turn their attention to the quarterfinals, sitting at minimum two wins away from back-to-back trips to the state tournament. They feel that Thursday will serve as a momentum boost for the rest of the postseason.
“You know your team is capable of it the entire season, so it is nice to see everything come together,” Anderson said. “We haven’t put together a full 80 minutes; tonight we did.”
