Friday, May 22, 2009

Wood River's best saluted at Bob Shay banquet

Student-athletes singled out for 2008-09 honors


By JEFF CORDES
Express Staff Writer

Posing at the Jerome Forsyth Park diamond May 5 after pitching Wood River High School to the Great Basin Conference West tournament title is Wolverine senior pitcher Samantha Engel (center), with her proud parents Laurie and Matt Engel. Samantha won the U.S. Army Reserve Scholar-Athlete Award at Tuesday’s Bob Shay Most Inspirational Awards Banquet at the high school in Hailey.

Wood River High School saluted its "Best of the Best" during the 2009 Bob Shay Most Inspirational awards banquet Tuesday night in the commons area of the high school.

Top Wood River students in extracurricular activities received accolades and plaques during the two-hour ceremony presided over by recently named 4th District 5A/4A "Athletic Director of the Year" John Rade of Wood River.

Judged by a vote of coaches as "Most Outstanding Senior Athletes," for the 2008-09 school year were Angela Coleman and Michale Brunker.

This was the 12th year Wood River honored three-activity letter winners who are the backbone of the programs, Rade said.

Honored as three-activity varsity lettermen were Michale Brunker, Sean Bunce, Angela Coleman, Grace Lagodich, Juan Martinez, Kaitana Martinez, Cheyenne Swanson and Greg Wakefield.

The presentation of Allan Lee Patterson Memorial Awards to two outstanding senior students was a highlight of Tuesday's program.

Selected by the school's coaching staff, Patterson honors were given for the 32nd time in memory of Hailey's Allan Patterson, a 1975 Wood River graduate and promising alpine skier who died in 1977.

The Patterson winners were Aimee Evans and Greg Wakefield.

U.S. Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete awards were Hanna Gustafson and Luke McNees.

U.S. Army Reserve Scholar/Athlete honors went to Samantha Engel and Sean Bunce.

Allie Freund earned the Rose Bergin Memorial Award. It was given for the 29th time to the Wolverine girl who possesses the qualities of Bergin, a 1977 WRHS graduate and runner who died of cancer.

The fourth annual Monte Brothwell Unsung Hero Award, which honors the noted Bellevue runner and 1972 state cross-country champion for Wood River who has completed 46 marathons, was presented to Dale McLaughlin.

Given the 2008-09 "Wolverine Awards" were Kylie Anderson, Ashley Tolman and Kassie Ayala for spirit; Madison Deffe, Julia Bowman and MacKenzie Brown for leadership; Kaylee Baker, Will Drier and Jared Lavasseur for tenacity.

Former Wood River assistant boys' basketball coach Jim Boatwright announced Greg Wakefield as the $500 recipient of the third Dan Boatwright Scholarship, presented in memory of Jim's 26-year-old son who passed away in 2006.

Bob Shay "Most Inspirational" awards were presented to athletes in each of the school's varsity sports and to participants in activities such as drama, cheerleading and band.

The awards, once called Rick Hawkes Memorial, were given for the 20th time in honor of legendary coach Shay. Teacher/coach Jeannie Bradshaw gave a touching tribute to Shay, a 33-year Blaine County School District teacher and coach.

Shay "Inspirational" recipients are:

Fall sports—Jessica Hamilton in volleyball; Julia Bowman for a second straight year and Greg LeBlanc in cross country; Colter Brehmer in boys' soccer; Aimee Evans in girls' soccer; and Luke McNees in football.

Winter sports—Juan Martinez in boys' basketball; Samantha Engel in girls' basketball; and Tanner Orchard for a second straight year in wrestling.

Spring sports—Dale McLaughlin in boys' track; Lucy Paisley in girls' track; Tanya Greenwood and Alex Henning in tennis; Keven Abbott in baseball;

Crockett Stearns and Aimee Evans in golf; and Angela Coleman for a third straight year in softball.

Other activities—Kassie Ayala for a second straight year in cheerleading; Miles Hendrix in debate; Britton Stevenson in speech; Sydney Brower and Sam Schwab in drama; David Fox and Vanessa Hendricks in band; Oscar Fajardo and Logan Young in choir; Coleton Bailey and Hunter Thompson in orchestra.

Presented for the 20th time was the "Shay Cup," given to Wood River coaches/advisors in Bob Shay's name. This year's winners were cross-country coach Joel Zellers and softball coach Dale Martin. It was the second "Shay Cup" for Martin.

Principal John Blackman gave plaques of appreciation to outgoing athletic coaches Joel Zellers, Tyson Young (wrestling), Greg Gvozdas (girls' soccer) and Matt Phillips (boys' soccer).




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