Athletes, coaches and teams from Colton, Clearwater Valley, and Prairie high schools, along with a booster from Kamiah High were named the overall winners during the fourth annual Warrior Athletic Association's High School Awards Banquet, held at the Lewis-Clark State College Activity Center on Wednesday night.
A crowd of around 250 was on hand for the banquet, which honored outstanding high school athletes, teams, and boosters for the 2009-10 academic school year. A total of 22 high schools in southeastern Washington and north central Idaho took part in the event.
The WAA, which is the booster organization for LCSC athletics, started the banquet as a way to honor achievements by area high school teams and athletes.
Athletic directors at area high schools are asked to nominate a Female and Male Athlete of the Year, a Coach and Team of the Year, and a booster for the awards. All who are nominated are honored at the dinner with a plaque that has their name and school on it.
Prior to the banquet, a panel composed only of area media, picked out four semifinalists in each category and also selected the overall winner.
Colton's Kelsey Moser was selected as the Female Athlete of the Year. She was a first team all-District 9 B-League selection in volleyball, basketball and softball, and a first-team all-state pick in basketball. She helped her basketball and softball teams to Washington state titles and her volleyball team to a third-place finish at state. In basketball, she averaged 17.2 points and seven rebounds a game, and she led the softball team in hitting. Now attending the University of Washington, Moser earned numerous academic awards during high school, including the state designation of Presidential Scholar.
The other semifinalists for the award were Blake Jacobs of Kamiah, Jordan Levenseller of Pullman, and Kelly McCann-Smith of Clarkston.
Kyler Shumway of Prairie High in Cottonwood was selected the Male Athlete of the Year. He won his third consecutive Idaho state Class 1A title in the shot put in 2010 and did so with a regional-record throw of 61-feet 3-inches. He also finished second at state in the discus and eighth in the 100 meters. In football, he was a first-team all-state selection on both offense and defense. Thanks to his accomplishments in track and his academic achievements, which earned him a place in the National Honors Society, Shumway is currently attending Duke University on a full ride scholarship.
The other semifinalists were Klyntin Bott of Pomeroy, Dustin McConnell of Clarkston, and Justin Podrabsky of Lewiston.
The Prairie boys' basketball team also was honored as the Team of the Year. The Pirates brought home a state title for the first time in 28 years and finished the season with a 25-1 record. Besides the Idaho state 1A title, the team also was named academic state champs thanks to a team GPA of 3.59.
Also nominated for the award were the Clarkston girls' tennis team, the Clearwater Valley girls' basketball team, and the Colton girls' basketball team, all of which won state titles.
The Coach of the Year honors went to Krisi Pratt, girls' basketball coach at Clearwater Valley. Though her team was considered an underdog throughout the Idaho state Class 1A tournament, Pratt led the Rams to the title after a thrilling performance in the title game. Her team finished the season with a record of 16-4.
Also nominated were Pat Teichmer, girls' basketball coach at Lewiston, Dave Neumann, volleyball coach at Genesee High, and Clark Vining, girls' basketball coach at Colton High.
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 volunteer 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 Bob Olive of Kamiah, who has been involved with Kamiah High athletics for more than 50 years. He has run the football score clock since 1958, ran the basketball score clock for 25 years, was on the school board for six years, and has made countless other donations of time and money to the school. Besides volunteering as an umpire, referee and many other positions, Olive has been instrumental in the building of the football field, track, and softball field.
The other semifinals were Max and Peggy Bradley of Nezperce, Gail Foltz of Grangeville, Bill VanVogt of Pomeroy, and Mick Wimer of Lewiston.
