LEWISTON, Idaho – Nominees from Colton, Lewiston, and Prairie High School were named the overall winners at the eighth annual Warrior Athletic Association's High School Awards Banquet, held at the Lewis-Clark State College Activity Center on Wednesday night.

A crowd of 350 was on hand for the event, which honored outstanding high school athletes, coaches, teams, and supporters for their accomplishments during the 2013-14 school year. A record 23 high schools in southeastern Washington and north central Idaho took part in this year's program.

"It was another great night for the Warrior Athletic Association and all those in attendance," said LCSC athletic director Gary Picone. "The event provides a very unique opportunity for the college to connect to 20-plus schools throughout our region, and we're very excited to see it continue to grow."

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.

Prior to Wednesday's banquet, a panel composed of area media members and high school sports enthusiasts selected finalists in each category and also selected the overall winners.

"Each year there are a many success stories in our area high schools of outstanding athletes, coaches, teams, and volunteers," Picone said. "We're happy that the High School Awards has become a forum where such stories—which sometimes go relatively unnoticed—are told and celebrated."

Lewiston High School's Emilee Schlader was selected as the Female Athlete of the Year. Schlader excelled in multiple sports, but she performed her best on the volleyball court where she guided the Bengals to a 35-1 record and a second consecutive state championship at the 5A level. The Bengals' outside hitter finished the season with 328 kills, 20 blocks, 307 digs, 19 aces and a hitting percentage of .259. In addition to winning the Inland Empire League's Player of the Year, Schlader netted the Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year, which goes to the top player in the state regardless of classification. In basketball, she averaged 12 points and six rebounds per game while earning All-IEL First Team honors. In the spring, she placed fourth in the shot put and sixth in the 100-meter hurdles at the Idaho Class 5A state track and field meet. She accomplished all of these athletic feats while maintaining a 4.0 grade point average. 

The other finalists for the award were Mickenzie Mullins of Asotin, Jenna Moser of Colton, Carli Taylor of Kendrick, and Kyndahl Ulmer of Prairie.

Male Athlete of the Year went to Jake Straughan, a three-sport standout at Colton High School. Straughan was an All-League quarterback and defensive back on a Colton squad that went 9-3 and advanced to the Washington Class 1B state playoffs. Straughan threw for 2,500 yards, rushed for another 1,000 and accounted for 50 touchdowns before breaking his leg in the Wildcats' playoff game. When his leg healed, he helped the Colton boys' basketball team capture its first state championship with a dramatic postseason run that included wins in four elimination games. Straughan averaged 24 points per game for the Wildcats, earning the Class 1B Player of the Year award. He also led Colton to state a championship last baseball season. An all-league selection, Straughan hit .495 while tallying a 9-1 record on the mound. Straughan finished high school with a 3.97 grade GPA and was his class salutatorian. He is currently attending the University of Idaho on a basketball scholarship. 

Other finalists for Male Athlete of the Year included Chandler Teigen of Asotin, Ryan Adams of Clarkston, Paul Ryan of Logos, and Alex Lewis of Moscow.

The Prairie High School boys basketball team received Team of the Year honors. Few teams were as dominant during the 2013-14 campaign as the Prairie boys' basketball squad, especially during the postseason. The Pirates finished 24-1 and cruised to the Idaho Class 1A Division I state championship, winning all three of their tournament games by an average margin of 28 points. They won their opener against Glenns Ferry by 32 points before downing league foe Genesee by 18 in the semifinals. They then stomped Challis by 35 in the finals to claim their first state title since 2010. 

Other team finalists for the award included Colton boys basketball, Genesee volleyball, Lewiston volleyball, Orofino baseball, and Pomeroy boys track.

Coach of the Year honors went to Kelly Harwick, who led the Lewiston volleyball team to its second consecutive state championship. Harwick's Bengals won their first 24 matches of the 2013 season, stretching their two-year winning streak to 34 matches in a row. The Bengals breezed through the Idaho Class 5A state tournament, sweeping three of their four matches, to finish with a 35-1 record. She was named Coach of the Year in the Inland Empire League.

Other finalists were Brad Nilson (Colton softball), Pete Crowley (Genesee volleyball), Jeff Wilson (Orofino baseball) and Lori Mader (Prairie girls basketball).

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 as well as length of service.

The winner of the Meritorious Award was Ingrid Mader of Prairie. Regardless of how many games the Pirates win or lose, Mader shows up to support each team every season and she's been doing this for the past 36 years. She's worn a number of volunteer hats for Prairie in the past, and today you can still find her at midcourt serving as the official stat keeper at most basketball games. She and her husband, Fred Mader, not only faithfully followed and supported every sport at Prairie for nearly four decades, but they also started the youth sports program in Cottonwood and were instrumental in beginning a number of other community programs that are still running strong.

The other finalists were Pat Holman of Clarkston, Don and Margaret Grieser of Genesee, Carolyn Frost of Kamiah, and Earl Vicory of Orofino.

A new addition to the banquet's format was a spirit award given to the school with the largest and most enthusiastic following in attendance. Judges named Orofino as the winner and it was awarded a $500 scholarship to Lewis-Clark State College. 

Wednesday's banquet was hosted by the WAA, the booster organization for LCSC athletics, and was sponsored by a number of local businesses, including major sponsors Lewis & Clark Orthopaedic Institute, Kendall Chevrolet, the Pepsi Bottling Company of Lewiston, and P1FCU.