WCHS hoops holds awards banquet
|
In all, 18 members of the Pioneer and Lady Pioneer teams received awards, beginning with presentations from coach Carl Curtis of the Lady Pioneer freshman team.
?We had high hopes for this team coming in, and they didn?t disappoint,? Curtis said during his remarks to the players, parents and supporters gathered in the WCHS auditorium. ?We got some good wins, and the girls were never satisfied with where they were as players; they always wanted to get better.?
Receiving this year?s freshman awards were Lady Pioneers Tessa King, who won the team?s Offensive Award, and Kassidy Kominos, recipient of the Defensive Award.
For the freshman boys, a team ballot was used, with players selecting their own teammates as award recipients. Pioneer coach Alan Smith said this year?s Pioneer freshmen jelled as a team early, and continued to get better as the season progressed.
?This was a tremendous group of young men to work with,? he said. ?Freshman year in this count is sometimes difficult, because they?re coming in from completely different systems. But this team competed night in and night out against some of the best players in the state, and they got better throughout the year.?
Dakota Taylor earned the team?s Hustle Award, while the Most Improved Offense award went to Logan Seamons. Mark Harvey shared a pair of awards with his teammates, as he was named co-recipient of the Most Improved Defense award with Jacob Hall, and shared the Leadership Award with Dylan Blair.
For the varsity girls, Lady Pioneer head coach Ann Eades praised her team for its strong work ethic and positive attitude, despite a less-than-stellar win-loss record, injuries and inexperience.
?We knew this season we were going to be very young, and we?ve had a lot of injuries over the years,? she said. ?But the one we had this year (to senior post Elizabeth Lavoie) was crushing to me, and to this team.
?But through it all, these young ladies? attitudes were superb. There were times they could?ve folded, but they played hard and worked hard every day. This is just an awesome group of young ladies.?
Seniors Lavoie and Kasey Owens were recognized with special awards, while Brittany Frazier was named the Lady Pioneers? Offensive Award winner and Brooke Bowman earned the team?s Hustle Award. Freshman Sarah Roller, who spent much of the season at the varsity level, earned the Top Newcomer Award.
Pioneer varsity coach Ryan Smith also praised his team for its consistent work ethic and character through a season of struggles.
?We knew we?d be a little inexperienced, and that leads to struggles at first, but we gained experience as the year went on, and I thought that they handled it all very well,? he said. ?This team went through a lot of adversity, and it was tough. But they fought through it, and that?s a testament to their character.?
Seniors Jared Vanatta and Brett Simmons earned the Most Improved Player and Coaches Awards, respectively, while Chris Weitzel and Donta Weir were named Co-Offensive MVPs and Chase Officer received the Defensive Award. The Pioneers? Hustle Award went to Ryan Daniel.