Sports
B1
HALL OF FAMER JERRY RICE
WILL BE FEATURED SPEAKER
PETE MARTINI
STATESMAN JOURNAL
N
ABOUT THE EVENT
The first-ever Mid-Valley Sports Awards,
to be held June 7 at the Salem Conven-
tion Center, will be like no other Salem
event.
Tickets are available for what promises
to be an unforgettable evening for area
high school athletes and their friends,
family and fans.
The stars of the gala will be the truly
outstanding athletes of the Mid-Valley,
the best of the best, young women and
men brought together under one roof
for the first time.
Students selected as finalists for any of
the awards, and all Statesman Journal
Athletes of the Week from the 2015-16
school year, will each receive a compli-
mentary ticket. Tickets for the event
are $65, and can be purchased at
tickets.statesmanjournal.com.
FL Hall of Fame wide receiv-
er Jerry Rice, who set a stan-
dard of excellence during his
career, will be the featured speaker
at the Statesman Journal’s first Mid-
Valley Sports Awards banquet on
June 7 at the Salem Convention Cen-
ter.
Rice is the most accomplished
wide receiver in the NFL history,
and to many, he is the greatest foot-
ball player of all time.
He is rated the No. 1 player of all
time by NFL Network as the
league’s career leader in receptions,
receiving yards and receiving
touchdowns.
During his 20-year career, Rice
scored 208 touchdowns, more than
any other player in NFL history. Em-
mitt Smith is second on the list with
175.
Rice was drafted by the San
Francisco 49ers in 1985 with the 16th
overall pick. The legendary former
49ers coach Bill Walsh was seeking
a dynamic offensive threat to add to
Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Mon-
tana’s arsenal.
For 16 seasons in San Francisco,
Rice lived up to Walsh’s vision as he
established himself as the best re-
ceiver of all time.
Rice’s biggest season came in
1987 when he was named league
MVP after scoring 22 touchdowns in
a strike-shortened 12-game season.
The next two seasons, in 1988 and
1989, Rice helped the 49ers win
back-to-back Super Bowl champion-
ships, beating the Cincinnati Ben-
gals and Denver Broncos, respec-
tively.
Rice was the MVP of Super Bowl
XXIII, which featured the 49ers’
memorable late game-winning
drive, which was capped by Mon-
tana finding John Taylor in the end
zone. In that game, Rice caught 11
passes for 215 yards and one touch-
down.
After Montana went down with
an injury in the NFC Championship
Game on Jan. 20, 1991, Rice teamed
up with another Hall of Fame quar-
terback, Steve Young.
With Young and Rice leading the
way, the 49ers won their fifth Super
Bowl championship after the 1994
season. It was Rice’s third ring.
In 2001, Rice and the 49ers parted
See AWARDS, Page 3B
Local athletes to be honored at event
More than 100 athletes will be hon-
ored at the Mid-Valley Sports Awards
program, including a selected top athlete
from each of the 19 OSAA sports, a
female and male Athlete of the Year,
Coach of the Year and the biggest award,
the Capitol Cup, which will honor one
school's excellence across the entire
school year.
Four awards, which will be voted on
by the community, will recognize ath-
letes who exhibited exceptional charac-
ter and leadership.
» The Courage Award will recognize
the intersection of athletes and life. This
award will recognize an athlete who ex-
hibited leadership during difficult or
sensitive times.
» The Heart and Desire Award will go
to the athlete who leads on and off the
field. These types of leaders often are
not starters or even stars of the team.
» The Comeback Player Award will
honor an athlete who returned to compe-
tition from an injury or other situation
that forced him or her to miss significant
playing time.
» The Fan Experience Award will rec-
ognize the area's most outstanding
school sports environment, shining a
spotlight on the bands, cheerleaders,
dance squads and fans.
All of the school year's Athletes of the
Week winners, announced each Friday in
the Statesman Journal, will be recog-
nized at the Mid-Valley Sports Awards.
This Capitol Cup will honor sustained
success throughout the school year.
Schools will earn points toward the Capi-
tol Cup based on how each team finishes
the season. Points are awarded for con-
ference titles, playoff appearances,
playoff wins and state titles.
Local Athletes to be Honored
Several students from Silverton High
School, Stayton High School and Cas-
cade Senior High School are currently
set to be honored at the event.
Player of the Year Finalists:
Girls Soccer: Baylie Cameron, Silver-
ton; Brooklynn Petterson, Cascade
Girls Basketball: Alia Parsons, Silver-
ton; Halle Wright, Cascade
Girls Cross Country: Maddie Fuhr-
man
Boys Soccer: Freddy Navarro and
Ivan Navarro, Stayton
Football: Garrett Coffey, Cascade
Heart and Desire Award: Tess Hen-
dricks, Stayton
Courage Award: Kyle Schwarm,
Stayton
Athletes of the week:
Silverton: Julian Downey, Alex Mol-
loy, Parsons. Stayton: Madison Ander-
son, Alyssa Lindeman, Ivan Navarro,
Schwarm. Cascade: Lucas Bjorklund,
Cameron Molan, John Schimer, Alyssa
St. Peter, Coffey