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