Preps never fail to impress at Oregon Sports Awards

Every year since the Portland Tribune helped launch the Oregon Sports Awards in 2002, Authentic K.J. Wright Jersey it has been my pleasure, privilege challenge to comb through the lengthy qualifications of hundreds of high school athletes.

It makes you a believer.

Go through the resumes of these young people and you'll believe that they are going to do great things in life, long Jon Ryan Jersey after they hang up their uniforms.

My colleagues at the Oregon Sports Awards, who help put together our annual show at Nike's Tiger Woods Center, can attest to the prowess our state produces each year in high school athletics. We know how many hours and how much effort that high school athletes put into their sports, and how much support they must have from family, coaches and community.

The results are impressive.

Reading or compiling one Michael Bennett Jersey athlete's bio after another, the statistics and achievements alone are eye popping. Undefeated seasons. State titles. National titles. State or national records. World championship competition. Open. Scholarships to major colleges.

But, with many of these high school athletes, this is only part of the story. Most of them are busy outside of athletics and have maintained excellent grades, despite the time demands of Authentic Steven Hauschka Jersey sports.

The Oregon Sports Awards Brandon Mebane Jersey is our way of recognizing what they and the people around them have been able to achieve.

From specific criteria, including honors such as all state, automatic nominees Authentic Jon Ryan Jersey are determined in each Oregon Sports Awards prep category.

From those lists, semifinalists and then finalists and winners are determined by an expert panel and Jon Ryan Women Jersey statewide voting.

Every year, making Steven Hauschka Women Jersey cuts isn't easy. And our OSA voters will tell you that making the final choices can be very hard, too everyone in the field has outstanding credentials and is worthy of an award.

Just being a nominee or semifinalist takes exemplary accomplishments. For the calendar year 2012, for example, the list of those who just missed the finals included many with incredible stories talents such as Molalla High's Claire Thomas and Blanchet Catholic's Allie Butterfield, to name just two.

Thomas starred in track and field, soccer and basketball for 4A Molalla. She had the state's best marks (for all classifications) in the long jump (19 feet, 1 1/2 inches) and 300 meter hurdles (43.85 seconds). She has committed to run track at the University of Oregon.

Her other extracurricular activities include National Honor Society, student leadership council, Key Club, Anti Bullying Club, Art Club and volunteer work at a senior center and at blood drives, clothing drives and canned food drives.

A rival coach, Tom Crabtree of Summit High in Bend, was so moved by Thomas' performances that he wrote in support of her: "The first time I saw Claire run, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My jaw dropped when I saw her running the 100 meter high hurdles. I simply had never seen a high Authentic Brandon Mebane Jersey school kid exhibit such good form."

Crabtree noted that Thomas, who is listed at 5 5 Michael Bennett Women Jersey or 5 6, has to make up as much as 12 yards over the course of a 300 hurdles race competing against taller competitors with longer strides.

"But Claire does it, and makes it look easy," he said.

On top of all that, Crabtree remarked that "I have been impressed with Brandon Mebane Women Jersey how friendly she is with the other competitors."

Butterfield overcame a late season concussion to lead Blanchet Catholic's softball team to the 3A title in 2012. She is playing as K.J. Wright Jersey a freshman for Arizona State.

Her high school coach, Jerry Orlando, calls Butterfield Steven Hauschka Jersey "a natural leader."

He's coached seven players who went on to become college All Americans at various levels.

"Allie could be that eighth player," he says.

Ultimately, K.J. Wright Women Jersey though, the Oregon Sports Awards process reaches the finalist stage and then comes up with winners from the previous calendar year.

I'd like to share with you just Authentic Michael Bennett Jersey some of the notes we accumulated on these top student athletes of 2012 (with apologies to the winners and finalists not mentioned in this column):

is a quality mentioned frequently in regard to these high school stars.

In that respect and more, soccer player Ben Field, a finalist for the top male athlete in his sport, has left his mark at Riverdale High in Portland. Field had 21 goals and 11 assists in leading the Mavericks to their first state title in any sport. But he brought more than that to the team.

"A wonderful person and quality human being," Riverdale soccer coach Tendu Sherpa says . "He embodies qualities of a leader, projecting himself as a role model among his teammates. He acts to put others as a priority above himself; he embraces challenges and overcomes them. As a leader, he galvanizes others to rise to new heights."

of the high school candidates make their school or city a better place outside of competition.

Wil Cochrane made the three man finals for Prep Boys Tennis Player of the Year after graduating in 2012 from Phoenix High where he was the school's only tennis player. He is competing at Portland State.