It wouldn’t be two weeks (and four days) at Walls without the SWW Sports Report. Fall sports continued these past two weeks, along with usual Sports Information Club WhatsApp drama and some Instagram story trigger-happy underclassmen. Without further ado, let’s dive into it.
Girls soccer walked over the Bell Griffins and Coolidge Colts. In the two games, the Penguins combined for 20 goals and allowed none. Sophomore Nadia Lytle led the charge against the Colts, adding a hattrick of her own to the myriad of other goals. The squad demonstrated similar dominance in a 3-0 statement win against DCI, but found themselves in a much tighter game against the GDS Hoppers. Walls trailed 2-3 in the final minutes, before sophomore Kylie Emanuel tied the game with a majestic free kick from near half field. It was a similar script against Bullis. The Penguins dropped the Bulldogs 3-2 behind 2 goals from Emanuel. Emanuel has carried Walls’ goal-scoring weight in what has been a dominant sophomore campaign. Safe to say, lotts of eyes are on her as she leads DCIAA in every offensive category. The girls won 4 games and scored 29 goals in their most impressive stretch yet. When asked to comment on their successes, four seniors declined to comment, suggesting a lack of player leadership on the team. Nonetheless, Walls is heading towards playoffs with a head of steam and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.
The boys soccer team had mixed results against the toughest segment of their schedule. The Penguins started with a 0-0 tie against Bell. They failed to find the back of the net, but seven saves from goalie Van Harllee kept them in the game. The Penguins came up scoreless again against Roosevelt. An early strike was called back due to a technicality, and the Penguins couldn’t convert again. Despite another elite performance from Harllee, the Rough Riders were able to score once, handing the Penguins their second DCIAA loss of the season. Walls bounced back with a 1-0 win against the Cardozo Clerks. Lucas Campbell scored the boys’ only goal of the last two weeks in the win. The strong performance was dampened by an injury to Harllee, who dislocated his shoulder making an impressive save. Walls finds themselves in a similar situation to last year, when an injury to starter Mark Martinez gave Harllee his first chance to shine. This could be a similar situation for backup Skylar Elsner. “As much as it hurts to watch from the sideline, I have unconditional faith that Skylar and the boys will make me proud,” said Harllee about the injury. The team continues to get stronger as playoffs draw nearer.
Girls volleyball continued their dominance against DCIAA opponents. The Penguins took down Roosevelt and HD Woodson in straight sets. The girls have cruised past public school opponents, but private schools have given them more trouble. In addition to the wins against Roosevelt and Woodson, volleyball lost recent matches to Georgetown Prep and Maret. The team continues to gel as DCIAA playoffs draw nearer. A top seed awaits Walls when the postseason arrives.
Cross country was strong in their recent meet. The girls finished first in DCIAA and the boys took second. Senior Ryanne Barstow placed second, breaking the girls’ school 5k record with her 20:34 time. Senior Tess Buckley came in third, finishing just five seconds behind Barstow. Sophomore Elijah Lott led the guys’ squad, finishing in 17:45.
2022 has proved to be an exciting year for Walls athletics. Playoffs for fall sports are approaching, and the Penguins need your support more than ever. Show your Penguin pride and come out to support our athletes. If you can’t make it, score updates, player features, and other amazing content is always posted on @swwpenguins on Instagram.

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