LEWISTON, Idaho – Nominees from Colton, Culdesac, Grangeville, Kamiah, and Lewiston high schools were named the overall winners at the seventh annual Warrior Athletic Association's High School Awards Banquet, held at the Lewis-Clark State College Activity Center on Wednesday night.
A record crowd of near 400 was on hand for the event, which honored outstanding high school athletes, teams, and supporters for their accomplishments during the 2012-13 school year. A total of 22 high schools in southeastern Washington and north central Idaho took part in the event.
"It was a great crowd and a great atmosphere," LCSC athletic director Gary Picone said. "What a great way to recognize the accomplishments of the high school student-athletes of our region."
The WAA, which is the booster organization for LCSC athletics, started the banquet in 2007 as a way to honor achievements by area high school teams and athletes.
Athletic directors at area high schools are asked each year to nominate a Female and Male Athlete of the Year, a Coach and Team of the Year, and a Meritorious Award winner. All nominees are honored at the banquet with a glass award that bears their name and their school.
"The event continues to grow in participation of schools and in attendance," said Picone. "So we're thrilled with the results of this year and will be looking for an even greater response in the future."
Prior to Wednesday's banquet, a panel composed of area media members and high school sports enthusiasts selected five finalists in each category and also selected the overall winners.
Colton High School's Kaitlin Druffel was selected as the Female Athlete of the Year. Druffel led the Colton Wildcats to the Washington Class 1B state basketball championship. She was named the State 1B Player of the Year following her senior campaign. In addition to her exploits on the basketball court, Druffel also excelled at volleyball and softball for Colton. She was named the Southeast 1B League MVP as a libero in volleyball and was a first team All-League selection in softball as well. In her Colton career, Druffel's teams won eight state championships – four each in basketball and softball.
The other finalists for the award were Kylie Gorton of Moscow, Amy Hasenoehrl of Lewiston, Brittney Heideman of Nezperce, and Shelby Cloninger of Kamiah.
Kevin Hill of Kamiah High School was honored as the Male Athlete of the Year. A three-sport star for the Kubs, Hill was a running back/safety on Kamiah's undefeated football team that captured the Idaho 1A state championship last fall. Hill ran for 1,541 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior, averaging 13.2 yards each time he carried the football. On defense, he led the Kubs with five interceptions, and was chosen as the 1A Division I Player of the Year. As a guard on the Kubs' basketball team, he helped Kamiah to the state championship game. In track and field, Hill swept the individual sprinting events at the Idaho 1A State Championships, winning the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes. He also ran on the title-winning 4x400 meter relay team and helped Kamiah to a state championship in the team standings.
The other finalists for Male Athlete of the Year were Zac Dwyer of Clarkston, Jake Straughan of Colton, Rafa Hewett-Steiger of Lewiston, and Austin Reisdorph of Pomeroy.
The Lewiston High School volleyball team was named the Team of the Year. The Bengals beat Madison of Rexburg in five thrilling sets to win the Idaho 5A state championship, their first-ever state volleyball crown. Without a senior on the roster, coach Kelly Harwick's team finished the season 30-4 and won both the semifinal and final matches in five sets, after going through the entire regular season without playing a match that went the distance. The Bengals also won a district championship prior to their state title.
Other finalists included Colton girls basketball, Kamiah girls basketball, Asotin track and field, and Logos cross country.
Coach of Year honors went to Walter "Skip" Hall, who led Grangeville's boys basketball and baseball teams to state championships. In basketball, Hall made a lineup change three-quarters of the way through the season that spurred the Bulldogs to their first state title since 1974. The team won their final six games of the season and finished the year with a record of 17-8. The Bulldog baseball team finished 21-6 en route to Grangeville's second title of the school year under Hall.
Other finalists were Clark Vining, girls basketball/football coach at Colton; Ryan Ball, football/boys basketball coach at Kamiah; Kelly Harwick, volleyball coach at Lewiston; and Dave Snodgrass, track and field coach at Nezperce.
The final category was the Meritorious Award, which honors a person in the community who has made a difference in athletics at the school. It is based on dedication and a sense of volunteerism and community spirit, and usually long-time loyalty and appreciation of what high school athletics means to a community and its high school.
The winner of the Meritorious Award was Marge Munsterman of Culdesac. Over the course of her 32 years of service to Culdesac High School, Munsterman wore many hats. She coached softball, junior high volleyball and drove school buses. She served as assistant athletic director for several years, as the school nurse, and as the school secretary. Munsterman is credited by school officials and anyone who knows her as having been a pillar of the school and one of the strongest supporters of Culdesac's students and faculty alike over the years. And now, even in her retirement, she continues to support the school as a volunteer.
The other finalists were Jeff Jones of Orofino, Jerry Morse of Colton, Don and Linda Burnside of Clearwater Valley, and Kayla Bott of Pomeroy.
The evening closed with the presentation of the Excellence Award, a new addition to the WAA High School Awards program that will be given for special accomplishments. The award was presented on Wednesday to the Colton High School girls basketball team and coach Clark Vining in recognition of the program winning its fifth straight Washington Class 1B state basketball championship, the most consecutive basketball titles in state history.
