Friday — May 21, 2004

Top student athletes honored at Shay banquet

Activities ceremony in Hailey

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Wood River High School saluted its "Best of the Best," during the 2004 Bob Shay Most Inspirational awards banquet Monday night in the commons area of the new high school.

Top Wood River High students in extracurricular activities received accolades in the two-hour ceremony. Coaches and teachers praised Wood River athletes, team leaders and "Most Inspirational" honorees.

Judged "Most Outstanding Senior Athletes," for the 2003-04 school year were Matt Pruett and Natalie Green.

Pruett was a leader in football, basketball and track. Green excelled in volleyball, basketball and band.

This was the seventh year that Wood River honored its three-activity lettermen. Athletic director Ron Martinez announced a total of 12 three-activity student winners.

Three-activity honorees for the third straight year were Jessica King, Matt Pruett, Joe Paisley, Natalie Green and Emily Smith. Syringa Stark was honored for the second straight year.

Other lettermen in three activities were Jenni Borda, Amanda Moulton, Nikki Calzacorta, Rachael Richards, Max Kessler and Chris LeBlanc.

 

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 27th time in memory of Hailey's Allan Patterson.

Nicknamed "Tork" for his all-out attitude, 1975 Wood River High graduate Patterson was an outstanding football player and top-level alpine skier for Sun Valley. He met an untimely death in 1977 at age 20.

This year’s Patterson winners were Tate Mills and Jessica King.

U.S. Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete awards were presented to Alex Hamlin and Lindsay Niedrich. Army Reserve Scholar/Athlete honors went to Chris LeBlanc and Emily Smith.

Maddie Thies, a cross country runner, earned the Rose Bergin Memorial Award. It was given for the 25th 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 15th time in honor of coach Shay. Shay "Inspirational" awards went to:

• Fall sports—Koree Hawkes in volleyball; Lindsay Niedrich and Jack Harris in cross country; K.C. Rivera (second straight year) in boys' soccer; Ashley Mardian in girls' soccer; and Max Kessler in football.
  
   
• Winter sports—Jeremy Selcho in boys' basketball; Natalie Green, Jessica King and Emily Smith in girls' basketball; and Duane Miller (second straight year) in wrestling.
  
   
• Spring sports—Abel Grimaldo in boys' track; Rachael Richards in girls' track; Whit Harbaugh, Hadley DeBree and Amanda Smith in tennis; Joe Paisley in baseball; Brady Bever and Adriana Maniere in golf; and Camey Anderson in softball.
  
   
• Other activities—Cassie West in cheerleading; Reinet Behncke (second straight year) in speech; Ryan Chandler in debate; Nick Purdy and Jessica Rice in drama; Matt Sloan (second straight year) and Amanda Moulton in band; Colin O’Donnell and Kodi Parsons in choir.

 

Shay Cup to Daluiso

Presented for the 16th time was the "Shay Cup," which goes to a Wood River coach/advisor in Shay’s name. And the "Coach of the Year" winner for the second time in his eight years was boys’ soccer coach Brian Daluiso.

Daluiso, who has retired as soccer coach, led his Wood River teams to six state championship game berths and won three state titles including the latest, in 2003. Presenting him with the award was his former assistant coach, Craig Roth, who is moving to Florida with his wife Stacey.

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.