Jeannie Bradshaw, introducing last Wednesday’s Bob Shay Most Inspirational awards banquet at Hailey’s Wood River High School, spoke eloquently with anecdotes about her former coach.
Shay, an educator and coach for 33 years in the Blaine County School District, had “the unique ability to bring the best out of students and athletes,” said Bradshaw, a Wood River graduate and longtime high school teacher.
Top Wood River students in extracurricular activities accepted accolades and plaques before an audience of teachers, coaches, family and friends during the 2014 Bob Shay awards ceremony.
Wednesday’s winners were:
Judged by a vote of coaches as “Outstanding Senior Athletes,” for the 2013-14 school year were Cooper Bailey and Janel Passey.
Named the “Outstanding Seniors of Performing Arts” were Caleb Garvin and Sarah Arters.
This was the 17th year WRHS honored three-activity letter winners who are backbones of extracurricular programs.
Honorees were Eron Bates, Amy Cantrell, Michelle Casas Garcia, Taylor Douthit, Irving Gonzalez, Connor Hayes, Michelle Mason, Andrew Morse, Ciceley Peavey, Mary Petzke, Blair Radford, Kenya Schott, Nathan Stouffer, Samantha Sutton and Kyle Weller.
Accepting the second Jim Boatwright Memorial Award were Eron Bates and Alexandra Taylor. Minico High School All-State basketball star Boatwright had a distinguished career in college and professional basketball and taught at Wood River for 10 years before passing away in Feb. 2013.
Allan Lee Patterson Memorial Awards were presented to two outstanding seniors. Selected by the coaching staff, Patterson honors were given for the 37th time in memory of Hailey’s Allan Patterson, a 1975 Wood River High graduate and alpine skier who died in 1977.
The winners were Stephen Pfeiffer and Mariah Stout.
Recipients of Wood River High Scholar/Athlete honors were Andrew Morse and Mary Petzke.
Shelby Barnes earned the Rose Bergin Memorial Award. It was given for the 34th time to the Wolverine girl who possesses the qualities of Bergin, a 1977 WRHS grad and runner who died of cancer.
Jacob Halopoff received the eighth annual Monte Brothwell Unsung Hero Award honoring the Bellevue runner and 1972 state cross country champ for Wood River who has completed 46-plus marathons.
Given 2013-14 “Wolverine Awards” were Lauren Jacobs, Gisel Guzman and Ilse Reyes Orozco for spirit; Chase Hutchinson, Andrew Graves and Chloe Lichtenberg for leadership; and Emilia Bingham, Tyler Spence and Finn Isaacson for sportsmanship.
Foreign exchange student Yara Jabbour Al Maalouf earned the Tim Neville Award named after the Wood River speech arts teacher who enjoyed success at winning state championships prior to retiring.
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.
Shay award recipients were:
Fall sports—Cooper Bailey in football; Sadie Dawson and Sydney Thomsen in volleyball; Janel Passey for a second straight year and Alexis Gonzalez in cross country; Eron Bates in boys’ soccer; and Rory Cole in girls’ soccer.
Winter sports—Eron Bates for a second straight year in boys’ basketball; Rory Cole in girls’ basketball; and Cooper Bailey in wrestling.
Spring sports—Alexis Gonzalez and Janel Passey, both for the second straight year in boys’ and girls’ track; Stephen Pfeiffer for the second straight year and Haley Cutler in tennis; Adrian Rojas in baseball; Tyler Spence in boys’ golf; Mary Petzke for a second straight year in girls’ golf; and Ashley Hicks in softball.
Other activities—Illiah Pfau in debate and speech; Hayden Mann and Caroline Scarbrough in drama; Illiah Pfau and Miriam Bingham in band; Sam Brown and Mary Petzke in choir; Luke Verst and Alexa Browne in orchestra; and Yamilex Mendez in cheerleading.
Shay Cup to Susan Worst
Presented for the 25th time was the “Shay Cup” to Wood River coaches in the name of Shay, an educator and coach for 33 years in the Blaine County School District.
This year’s winner was fourth-year debate coach Susan Worst.
At Boise’s Borah High School March 14, Worst’s debate students captured the Idaho High School Activities Association State Class B debate championship by a single point over defending champion Bonneville of Idaho Falls.
It was Wood River’s first state debate championship in 10 years.
Past “Shay Cup” winners:
Football and girls’ basketball coach Kevin Stilling; girls’ basketball coach Mendy Benson; tennis coach Vicki Johnston; wrestling coach Shawn Huntington; cheerleading and track coach Jeannie Bradshaw; cross country and track coach James Foster; football coaches John Blackman and Mike Glenn; baseball coach Lars Hovey; softball coach Chris Cey; softball coach Dale Martin (twice); tennis coach Nancy Williams; cross country coach Joel Zellers; boys’ soccer coach Brian Daluiso (twice); and band/choir teacher Bart Bailey;
Speech arts coach Tim Neville (three times); 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.
Offering tributes to three retiring coaches, vice principal Dan McGee thanked outgoing wrestling coach Shawn Huntington, girls’ soccer coach Jenni Conrad and cross country/track coach Heather Miller for their hard work and commitment to Wolverine athletics.
Among the Wood River students honored at Wednesday’s Bob Shay Most Inspirational awards banquet was the Wolverine boys’ doubles team of, from left, Wolverine leadership award winner Andrew Graves and Allan Patterson Memorial recipient Stephen Pfeiffer. Photo by Roland Lane
