MIHS football players score with community service project

For the second consecutive year on the same day — Aug. 1 — the Mercer Island High School (MIHS) football team banded together through its participation in a vital community service project.

Last year, the squad of volunteers landscaped, cleaned and packed hygiene kits for residents in need at the YMCA University branch in Seattle.

This time out, approximately 25 footballers teamed up with parents and coaches to take part in a massive cleanup project on literally their own doorstep: at MIHS Islander Stadium. Throughout the day, the group cleaned the field, track, bleachers and walls along with pressure-washing the walls and bleachers and weeding the grounds.

“As a program, we inspire our youth to be well-rounded players, focusing on building character on and off the field while emphasizing community service and leadership and this is just one example of our commitment to give back,” said parent Ellen Kuo.

Kuo’s son, Jonah Battema, is a member of the varsity football team and joined his teammates in making the project a success.

“Seeing how much work we did as a team is one more thing we can look back later and be proud of,” he said of the team bonding project.

Leading the way in organizing the project and pushing it in a triumphant direction were MIHS track and field head coach Amy Posner Wolff, football booster club president Jeff Weiss, head football coach Victor Gamboa and booster club social media coordinator Amanda Stoffer.

Posner Wolff thanked the players, coaches, parents, Mercer Island School District facilities director Tony Kuhn and Plantscapes members for donating their time and power tool expertise during the day.

“As the head track coach, I spend a lot of time on the track, the field and the stadium. Each season, I always tell myself I’m gonna show up with a rake and gloves and do a cleanup in the summer,” said Posner Wolff, adding that her son suggested the cleanup project. “I don’t think our community realizes we only have two maintenance people on staff to do all the district’s maintenance and extra projects.”

While witnessing the players working hard on Aug. 1, Posner Wolff said the “Karate Kid” movie flashed through her mind.

“Wax on, wax off. The project had nothing to do with football, but the outcome was team bonding, collaboration, problem-solving, hard work and pride. ChatGPT can’t do that,” she said.

Gamboa, who will lead the Islanders from the head coaching spot for the first time this fall, said the field is set for all the MIHS fall teams in the coming months.

“The (cleanup) event was one that proved to be more valuable than originally imagined. This gave the kids and the coaches an opportunity to take pride in where we play and prepare the stadium. It was awesome to see the team and a couple of community members come together outside of the lines to work with a purpose and have fun doing it,” he said.

After serving as the MIHS defensive backs coach and defensive analyst the last three seasons, Gamboa has taken the Islander reins and said he was ready to get things rolling in a Reporter article in June.

“(I’ve) kind of moved my way up, got to know these kids, got to know the community, just enjoyed being a part of this entire program and even the school,” said Gamboa, who played ball at Eastern Washington University and for the British Columbia Lions and Ottawa Redblacks in the Canadian Football League.

MIHS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Aug. 29: Jamboree vs. Interlake, Mountain Rainier and Life Christian Academy at MIHS, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 5: LINCOLN (SEATTLE), 7 p.m.

Sept. 12: at Stadium, 7 p.m.

Sept. 19: LIBERTY (RENTON), 7 p.m.

Sept. 26: HAZEN, 7 p.m.

Oct. 4: at Newport, 1 p.m.

Oct. 10: at Renton, 7 p.m.

Oct. 17: INGLEMOOR, 7 p.m.

Oct. 23: at Redmond, 7 p.m.