From the smiles on the players faces, the 27th annual Kiwanis All Valley All Star game was a success. The games were held on March 12 and are a fund raiser for the Kiwanis, who, in turn, give scholarships back to the valley. The games pitted teammates against teammates and gave the players an opportunity to play with someone they normally wouldn’t.
There was also a three point shoot out for both the boys and the girls. Hamilton’s Tanner Goligoski won the boys and Dani Zahn from Florence won the girls.
The highlight of the evening was the awarding of certificates and plaques for outstanding players in each sport. State team champions were also honored. Those teams were the Corvallis Boys State A track champions, Corvallis Boys State A tennis, and Florence Carlton State B softball champions. Individual state winners were Jake Jessop in the 400m, Ridge Albright in the high jump, Zach Jessop in the javelin, Calla Haldorson in the discus – all from Corvallis. In addition, Casey Ehmann of Darby was the Class C State champion in the 300m hurdles, and Spencer Jones of Florence was the Class B wrestling champion at 205 pounds.
Also awarded were players of the year in the year’s sports. For basketball, Tanner Goligoski and Hunter Omlid were the co-winners for the boys. Both are from Hamilton. For the girls, Calla Haldorson of Corvallis and Danielle Zahn of Florence were the co-winners for basketball player of the year. The volleyball player of the year went to Charlotte Powell of Corvallis. Soccer players of the year were Olivia Zepeda of Hamilton and Matt Cooper of Corvallis were the winners. Carson Rostad was named football player of the year. He’s from Hamilton. Lineman of the year was Garrett Brown of Corvallis. Brianna Hoffman of Florence was the softball player of the year. Golfers of the year were Tristan Hamilton and Zach Taylor, both of Hamilton. Macee Greenwood of Corvallis was the girls’ golf player of the year. Runners of the year were Megan Pendergast of Stevensville and Jake Jessop of Corvallis. Field Athletes of the year were Carrie Ann Kunkel of Hamilton and Zach Jessop of Corvallis. Tennis players of the year were Caleb Warnken and Gabe DeLeo, and Olivia Fehr. All are from Corvallis. Spencer Jones of Florence was awarded the Wrestler of the Year award.
The prestigious Athlete of the year went to Camron Rothie of Hamilton and Rilee Mangun of Florence and Casey Ehmann of Darby. The Stephanie Gonzalez Award is given to a player or student that shows good sportsmanship, helps out wherever needed or has overcome some sort of hardship and maintained a good attitude. Joey Janetski of Florence and Oscar Martinez-Dickerson of Hamilton were this year’s honorees.
Three coaches were honored as the coaches of the year from last spring. They are: Christopher Maul-Smith, the boys tennis coach from Corvallis; Spencer Huls, boys track and field coach from Corvallis; and Rob Ralls, girls softball coach from Florence. Also honored were Owen Burch who is a National Golf Coach of the Year finalist, and Joanne Cleveland who is a National Cross Country Coach of the Year finalist. Burch is from Hamilton. Cleveland is from Corvallis.