Eastern WA football standout to play in one of the top 4 conferences in the U.S.

Kamiakin graduate Tuna Altahir spent the last four years of his life in Cheney, attending Eastern Washington University and playing for the school’s football team.

Altahir also got his degree, majoring in criminal justice.

But with one more season of eligibility, he felt it was time to make a move. He didn’t know what was out there, but the 6-foot, 217-pound running back wanted to find out what opportunities were available.

So he entered the transfer portal on Dec. 28.

“I had a really great time at Eastern, but it was time for me to move,” said Altahir. “I made a ton of friends — my teammates, other students, my professors, my coaches.”

It wasn’t long until a few schools came calling, and eventually a match came out.

On Sunday, Altahir announced he was committing to Stanford University.

“I had some other opportunities and was planning on some visits,” he said. “I went down and visited with the coaches on Thursday.”

He liked the visit, the campus, and the program so much, he canceled the other visits and announced his commitment to the Cardinals on Sunday.

“They have a really young running backs room,” said Altahir. “They want an older guy in there to push the room.”

Also, Altahir is starting his master’s program in criminal justice, “and you can’t really pass up Stanford with its academics.”

What Altahir has done at Eastern has been impressive, and you can’t really appreciate it until you look at what he’s accomplished for the Eagles.

The last three seasons, Altahir led the team in rushing — including 718 yards rushing on 140 carries (5.1 yards per carry) with three touchdowns. He also caught 9 passes out of the backfield for 45 yards and two more scores.

His total stats for his Eastern career (with 7 carries for 30 yards and a TD in his true freshman season before being redshirted) includes 1,702 rushing yards and 20 total touchdowns.

Altahir heads down to Stanford in March.

College cross country

Kennewick High grad Johan Correa completed his college cross country career by earning All-America status at the NCAA Division 2 Championships in Sacramento on Nov. 23.

Correa, competing for Central Washington University, placed 36th overall in the finals, covering the 10,000 meters in 30 minutes and 28.4 seconds.

WHL hockey

A rollercoaster ride.

That’s how best to describe this season so far for the Tri-City Americans.

If the season were to end today, the Ams would make the Western Hockey League playoffs as a No. 6. They would play No. 3 Spokane in the first round of the playoffs.

Other highlights included a 12-game win streak that spanned from October into November.

Two losses to open the mid-November Eastern road swing, were followed by a 5-game win streak. And the team went 4-2 on that long Eastern road trip.

Currently, the Americans have 45 standings points — with 21 wins.

But the team has struggled lately, going 2-8 over its last 10 games.

Last weekend, the team had consecutive games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday — going 1-2.

For the second consecutive weekend starting this Friday, Jan. 17, the Americans have three games in three days. The following weekend will be another three games over three days

It probably couldn’t come at a worse time.

The Ams have been stifled by injuries and suspensions over the last 10 days.

Left winger Carter MacAdams, who has provided some scoring punch, was suspended 4 games after being called for a charging major in a 10-2 loss to Wenatchee on Jan. 5.

Last Friday, in a 6-5 win over visiting Seattle, defenseman Austin Zemlak and center Grady Martin both got hurt and missed the rest of the weekend.

And during Saturday’s 6-2 loss to visiting Victoria, Ams captain Jake Sloan was pulled with an injury during the second period.

Right now, Tri-City head coach Stu Barnes and his staff are trying to patch the lineup together.

The Ams also made a move at the WHL deadline on Jan. 7, sending forward Jordan Gavin and defenseman Merrek Arpin to Brandon for defenseman Charlie Elick and a 2026 WHL draft pick.

Elick was a second-round draft pick last summer by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL draft, and the move solidifies the team’s back end with Elick, Terrill Goldsmith, and Jackson Smith.

However, the loss of Gavin’s offensive production means the rest of the team needs to pick things up on the attack.

Example: while Tri-City has the No. 3 penalty kill percentage among the 22 WHL teams, with 81.6 percent, the team ranks a dismal 20th in power-play success at 15.9 percent.

There is still plenty of time to get back on track, with over two months left in the regular season.

It picks back up this coming weekend, with road games at Vancouver on Friday and Wenatchee on Sunday. Wenatchee visits the Americans at 6:05 p.m. Saturday.

The Ams also host Lethbridge at 7:05 p.m. this Wednesday.

Western Hockey League

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. Everett 30 wins-5 losses-3 OTL-3 SOL, 66 points

2. Prince George 24-12-3-2, 53 points

3. Spokane 27-14-0-0, 54 points

4. Victoria 23-11-3-4, 53 points

5. Portland 23-14-2-1, 49 points

6. Tri-City 21-14-2-1, 45 points

7. Vancouver 20-16-5-0, 45 points

8. Wenatchee 15-20-3-1, 34 points

9. Kelowna 15-19-2-1, 33 points

10. Kamloops 15-21-3-0, 33 points

11. Seattle 13-25-2-1, 29 points

Jan. 10

Everett 4, Spokane 2

Kamloops 5, Vancouver 4 (OT)

Kelowna 6, Prince George 3

Portland 6, Brandon 3

Tri-City 6, Seattle 5

Victoria 5, Wenatchee 2

Jan. 11

Kamloops 6, Prince George 3

Portland 7, Regina 3

Seattle 5, Everett 4 (SO)

Spokane 12, Wenatchee 2

Vancouver 6, Kelowna 4

Victoria 6, Tri-City 2

Jan. 12

Everett 4, Tri-City 1

Jan. 14

Portland at Prince Albert, 6 p.m.

Jan. 15

Brandon at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

Lethbridge at Tri-City, 7:05 p.m.

Portland at Saskatoon, 6 p.m.

Spokane at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.

Jan. 17

Brandon at Everett, 7:05 p.m.

Kamloops at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.

Lethbridge at Wenatchee, 7 p.m.

Portland at Moose Jaw, 6 p.m.

Prince George at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.

Seattle at Kelowna, 7:05 p.m.

Tri-City at Vancouver, 7 p.m.

Jan. 18

Kamloops at Victoria, 6:05 p.m.

Kelowna at Seattle, 6:05 p.m.

Lethbridge at Spokane, 6:05 p.m.

Portland at Swift Current, 6 p.m.

Prince George at Everett, 6:05 p.m.

Wenatchee at Tri-City, 6:05 p.m.

Jan. 19

Brandon at Vancouver, 2 p.m.

Tri-City at Wenatchee, 4 p.m.