Coaches salute
"Best of the Best"
At Bob Shay activities banquet
Nothing like tipping your hat to "The Best
of the Best."
That’s what Wood River High School
athletic director Ron Martinez called the honorees at the 2003 Bob Shay Most
Inspirational awards banquet staged May 19 at Wood River Middle School in
Hailey.
A "Most Inspirational" winner for
baseball this year, Ryne Reynoso connects with a sweet southpaw swing during
a Wood River High School baseball game this spring at Hailey’s Founders Field.
Reynoso, who led the Wolverines to their first state hardball title, was a
first-team All-State selection as a pitcher. Through tryouts last Saturday, he
made the Idaho squad for the Northwest Senior All-Star Classic against Oregon
and Washington June 21 at Vancouver, Wash. Express photo by David N. Seelig
Top Wood River High students in
extracurricular activities received accolades in the ceremony. Coaches and
teachers praised Wood River athletes, team leaders and "Most Inspirational"
honorees.
Judged "Most Outstanding Senior Athletes,"
for the 2002-03 school year were Mikey Sinnott and Kelly Haisley.
Sinnott was a leader in soccer,
cross-country skiing and track. Haisley starred in soccer, basketball and
softball.
This was the sixth year that Wood River
honored its three-activity lettermen. Martinez announced a total of 15
three-activity student winners.
Three-activity honorees for the second
straight year were Jessica King, Matt Pruett, Joe Paisley, Matt Conover, Natalie
Green, Aubrey Kirtley, Chad Hayward, David Wood and Emily Smith.
Others in three activities were Kelly
Haisley, Casey Markwell, Josh Pejsa, Syringa Stark, Dylan Welcome and Dawn Bird.
Coaches were also honored during the
two-hour program. Martinez said four Wood River High coaches recently were
honored as "Coaches of the Year," by the Fourth District Activities Association.
They were Lars Hovey (baseball), Doug
Stouffer (girls’ soccer), Brian Daluiso (boys’ soccer) and Tim Richards
(volleyball).
Outgoing football coach John Blackman also
received a service award from the regional coaches association.
Other awards
The presentation of Allan Lee Patterson
Memorial Awards to two outstanding senior students was another highlight of the
program.
Selected by the Wood River coaching staff,
the Patterson honors were given for the 26th time in memory of Hailey's Allan
Patterson. Nicknamed "Tork" for his all-out attitude, Patterson was an
outstanding football player and top-level alpine skier for Sun Valley.
Patterson was a 1975 Wood River High
School grad who met an untimely death in 1977.
This year’s Patterson winners were Matt
Conover and Aubrey Kirtley.
U.S. Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete
awards were presented to Casey Markwell and Whitney Richards. Army Reserve
Scholar/Athlete honors went to Zach Bloomfield and Kelsea Ballantyne.
Olympic gold medalist Picabo Street, who
attended the banquet with her parents and said she was "stoked to be here,"
announced the winners of $1,000 Picabo Street grants. They were Joni Chatterton
and Kellen Chatterton.
Eva Bach, a cross country runner, earned
the Rose Bergin Memorial Award for the second year. It was given for the 24th
time to the Wolverine girl who possesses the student-athlete-citizen qualities
of Rose Bergin, a 1977 Wood River graduate who died of cancer.
Bob Shay "Most Inspirational" awards were
presented to athletes in each of the school's varsity sports and to participants
in activities like drama, cheerleading and band.
The awards, once called Rick Hawkes
Memorial, were given for the 14th time in honor of coach Shay. Shay
"Inspirational" awards went to:
· Fall sports—Whitney Richards in
volleyball; Molly Meyers and Matt DeCarufel (second straight year) in cross
country; K.C. Rivera in boys' soccer; Krista Burns for the second straight year
in girls' soccer; and Kellen Chatterton in football;
· Winter sports—Tory Haavik in
boys' basketball; Kelly Haisley in girls' basketball; and Duane Miller in
wrestling;
· Spring sports—Dylan Welcome in
boys' track; Kelsea Ballantyne in girls' track; Patrick Brennan and Kiette
Tucker for a second straight year in tennis; Paul Tinker and Ryne Reynoso
(second straight year) in baseball; Britt VanPaepeghem (second straight year)
and Alex Bliss in golf; and Joni Chatterton in softball.
· Other activities—Ashley Washburn
in cheerleading; Reinet Behncke in speech; Kyle Risner in debate; Manny Santiago
(second straight year) and Erica Freestone in drama; Matthew Sloan and Aubrey
Kirtley (second straight year) in band; Casey Markwell and Lyndsey Cheslik
(second straight year) in choir.
Presented for the 15th time was the "Shay
Cup," which goes to a Wood River coach/advisor in the name of Bob Shay.
The "Coach of the Year" recipient was
James Foster, who has guided a resurgence in the cross country running and track
programs over the past four years of his involvement.
Past "Shay Cup" winners:
Football coach John Blackman; baseball
coach Lars Hovey; softball coach Chris Cey; tennis coach Nancy Williams; boys'
soccer coaches Brian Daluiso and Craig Roth; band and choir teacher Bart Bailey;
speech arts teacher Tim Neville (twice); volleyball coach Dave Neumann;
wrestling coach Tom Goicoechea; boys' basketball coach Norm Cook; girls'
basketball/track coach J.C. Nemecek; girls' soccer coach Tizz Strachan; cross
country/track coach Bill Martell; and boys' soccer coach Erik Larson.