Two of my least favorite parts of my job are watching a team’s season come to an end and watching a senior end his career in a particular sport on a note of defeat.
I witnessed both on Tuesday night for the Lake Stevens boys basketball team.
I want to start by saying congratulations to all the senior ball players at Lake Stevens for a great season and a great team-effort throughout the Vikings playoff run.
But there is one player in particular that I want to extend a special congratulations toward — actually it’s more of a thank you.
I got into this line of work because I love to watch athletes compete. When I still had the capabilities to do so myself, I was once an athlete and my favorite part of playing any sport was always the competition. As a sportswriter, I love to watch athletes lay everything they have on the field, court or floor depending on the sport. I love to watch people who play with heart and who hate to lose, while at the same time exhibiting good sportsmanship.
This school year I have gotten the pleasure of watching one player, in two different sports, who I feel is one of the hardest working, competitive student athletes I have ever seen.
I first noticed Christian Gasca while covering the Lake Stevens football team’s run to the 4A state semifinals. I covered Lake Stevens probably six times during the football season, so I became quite familiar with the Vikings team and their coaching staff.
There wasn’t a moment where I didn’t like what I saw. Coach Tom Tri led his football team the right way, his players played — led by Gasca.
I watched Gasca make an unbelievable catch in the back corner of the end zone that beat Olympia in the playoffs. After the game, I spoke with him. It was the first time I had ever spoken to him — and I must say, I was quite impressed. He carried himself with humility but confidence and I walked away with a good first impression.
Then there was the heaping praise that his teammates, especially quarterback Jake Nelson always spouted about Gasca.
I recall interviewing Nelson after he was named The Herald’s Offensive Player of the Year this season at Lake Stevens High School. There was a point in the interview where he was talking about Gasca and how competitive he is and he told me, “I guarantee you, if you walk into that gym right now, he is coming in first every time they run lines,” referring to Gasca practicing with the boys basketball team.
It wasn’t long after that when I covered my first Lake Stevens basketball game of the season. Even more so than in football, because basketball is and has always been my sport, I was able to see Gasca’s passion. It was on display right away in a game against Arlington. Defensively, Gasca worked harder than any player I have seen. As a former player, I remember thinking, ‘I would not want that kid guarding me.’ Every loose ball, Gasca was in on the play and even if he didn’t come up with it, that never seemed to deter him from doing it again the very next time.
His facial expression on the court never changed — Gasca was always all business.
My respect for him continued to grow.
Last week, in Lake Stevens’ biggest game of the season to date, a district loser-out game against Edmonds-Woodway, Gasca scored 23 points and knocked down four 3s. He was all over the court.
I spoke to him after the team’s 57-51 victory. He remained business-like, knowing that the task at hand for the Vikings was not complete. They still had to beat Bothell to advance to regionals.
That play-in game to regionals ended just a few hours ago. Bothell defeated the Vikings 68-56, ending Lake Stevens’ playoff run. The Vikings fell behind by as many as 20 points, but Gasca never changed his approach. He remained aggressive on the defensive end and hustled for ever loose ball there was every minute he was on the floor. He and his teammates even made a run in the fourth quarter — they fell short, but if they would have had another three minutes, I think the Vikings could have pulled off the comeback.
When the game was finally out of reach, Vikings coach Mark Hein sent in a sub for Gasca and the rest of the Vikings seniors and Gasca walked off the court for the last time.
It was a classy move by Hein to take out his seniors, but not shocking at all. As I have gotten to know Hein throughout the season and Tri during football. It’s no secret why Lake Stevens has athletes like this. They are led by coaches who share that same competitiveness while doing it the right way.
I’m certainly not the first person to praise Gasca for his competitive spirit. But I felt the need to do so anyway.
So, Christian, I simply want to thank you. Watching players like you is the reason that I followed this career path. You are the epitome of what a high-school athlete should be. Your work-ethic is never in question and you leave everything you have out on the floor. As a sportswriter, that is fun to watch. Congratulations on a great career in both football and basketball, you should be very proud of your accomplishments.
Rest assured that there are many others out there just like me who have been inspired by the effort that you put out each time you step between the sidelines.
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