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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (June 13, 2018)
Appeal Tribune ܂ WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2018܂ 1B Sports STATESMAN JOURNAL MID-VALLEY SPORTS AWARDS Honoring the best in the Mid-Valley Statesman Journal Mid-Valley Sports Awards winners join Clyde Drexler on stage on June 4 at the Salem Convention Center. MOLLY J. SMITH / STATESMAN JOURNAL NBA Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler addresses student athletes at ceremony Pete Martini Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK The best high school athletes from the Mid-Valley came together Mon- day for a celebration not only of their efforts, but the people who helped along the way like parents and coaches. The third edition of the Statesman Journal Mid-Valley Sports Awards had a local flavor, with special guest speaker Clyde "The Glide" Drexler, an NBA Hall of Famer who played more than 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. "(High school sports) are the foundation for everything else you're going to do," Drexler said. "High school sports set the tone — you find out who you are, and what you're made of." Drexler finished his career with the Houston Rockets, where he won the NBA championship in 1995. Drexler also was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic men's basketball team known as the "Dream Team," and considered by many to be the greatest collection of basketball tal- ent ever in the sport. "The first one was special because special guys made it special," said Drexler, who helped that team win the gold medal. "To be a part of that was surreal. You got to play for your country. Looking back at it, it was a great moment in history." Drexler had a message to high school athletes who are beginning the recruiting process and choosing a college to further their athletic ca- reers. "Find the college that's good for you," said Drexler, who played col- lege basketball at the University of Houston, a group known as "Phi Sla- ma Jama" for their exceptional dunk- ing abilities. "It might be across the world, but find one that you're going to feel comfortable at, and one where you can thrive." Drexler also told the athletes that it's important to listen to their par- ents because they've already been through many of the experiences that they are facing. The honored athletes were able to get pictures taken with the basket- ball legend before the start of the cer- emony. "I think my parents, and the peo- ple who were around when (Drexler) played are more excited than I am, but this is awesome," said North Sa- lem's Maliyah Thompson, who won girls track athlete of the year. "it's such a cool experience. I'm with my family and my friends. This is awe- some." There were two schools that stood out as big winners on Monday night at the Salem Convention Center — Kennedy and West Salem. Kennedy won the Capitol Cup, awarded each year to the school with the best overall performance in sports. The Trojans had six teams finish in the top four in the state — volley- ball, boys basketball, girls basket- ball, girls track and field, baseball and softball, including OSAA Class 2A state championships in girls bas- ketball and softball. Kennedy's Peter and Kerry Hall also took home the Coach of the Year award for guiding the girls basketball team to its second state title in three seasons. West Salem had a big night in the individual awards, bringing home six of them, more than any other school. South Salem and Sprague also were big winners Monday night, with the Saxons winning five individual awards, and the Olympians taking home four. The top two individual awards up for grabs were Male Athlete of the Year, which was won by West Salem junior Anthony Gould, and Female Athlete of the Year, won by Salem Academy senior Sydney Brown. Gould was the Greater Valley Con- ference's co-Offensive Player of the Year in football, and he helped the Ti- tans win the OSAA Class 6A boys team state championship in track and field as a sprinter. Brown was the PacWest Confer- ence Player of the Year in volleyball, and PacWest Conference co-Player of the Year in basketball. Among the community awards given out was the Scholar Athlete Award, which comes with a $5,000 scholarship for college, and it went to West Salem's Bailey Hand. Sports Awards winners Fall Season ܂ Football winner: Alex Hurlburt, West Salem ܂ Volleyball winner: Selbie Christensen, South Salem ܂ Boys soccer winner: Kevin Her- nandez, Stayton ܂ Girls soccer winner: Maggie Roth, Silverton ܂ Boys cross country winner: Giovanni Bravo, Woodburn ܂ Girls cross country winner: Kaylee Mitchell, Sprague Winter Season ܂ Boys basketball winner: Kyle Greeley, West Salem ܂ Girls basketball winner: Halle Wright, Cascade ܂ Wrestling winner: Ein Carlos, North Salem ܂ Boys swimming winner: Colby Evenson, Sprague ܂ Girls swimming winner: Anna Despain, South Salem Spring Season ܂ Baseball winner: Aaron Zavala, South Salem ܂ Softball winner: Ashton Phil- lips, Scio ܂ Boys track and field winner: See AWARDS, Page 2B North Santiam State Rec Area a prime fishing spot Fishing Henry Miller Guest columnist Confirmation bias is defined by the Oxford Dictionary online edition as “the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs.” Boy did I get a large dose of confirma- tion bias the past weekend when I talked to the Sloan brothers, Joe and Ty- son, about the appeal of North Santiam State Recreation Area. The park off Highway 22 about 26 miles east of Salem on the North San- tiam River has been a personal favorite since I first visited it during a Salem fishing club’s annual get-together at the group picnic shelter several decades ago. The Sloans have been visiting the park since both were kids growing up in Mill City. The past Sunday they were introduc- ing Joe’s son, Ryder, 6, and Tyson’s son, Jackson, 7, to fishing, one of the park’s chief attractions. “Just bringing the kids out to mess around, just catching some trout,” Joe Sloan said about the day trip. Ryder piped in, “Jackson had one, but it came off.” The park features nine first-come, first-served walk-in/bike-in/boat-in primitive campsites with picnic tables and grills, several woodsy short-loop hiking trails, several free-range picnic tables, the aforementioned reservable group picnic shelter with adjacent horseshoe pits, a bathroom with flush toilets and a gravel boat launch. According to the sign at the pits, loaner horseshoes are available from the nearby volunteer campground hosts. Campsites ($10 a night, $7 for an ex- tra vehicle) are open from May 1 through Sept. 30, and most spots fill early for weekends. Reservations for the group picnic shelter (800-452-5687) are $50 for up to 50 people, plus $1 a person from See MILLER, Page 2B You can chill out and take in great views of the North Santiam River, or try your hand at fishing at the North Santiam State Recreation Area 26 miles east of Salem off Highway 22. HENRY MILLER/SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL