Beacons event shines bright
Nearly 600 people attended the awards at the historic Elsinore Theatre
Nearly 600 people crowded into Salem’ historic Elsinore Theatre Saturday night for the Beacons annual awards ceremony honoring top athletes of the year for Salem-Keizer Schools, as well as Beacon designation for longtime coaches, staff, and volunteers who have contributed to the local sports community. The 2 ½ hour event also included top awards from the Salem Sports and Breakfast Club.
The Beacons—individuals who have made significant contributions locally to support local youth sports—included nine total honorees. Six of them represented the six high schools in Salem-Keizer, while the other three were from the community at large.
McKay: Gus Envela, who won sprint titles (100m 200m, 400m) three straight years at the OSAA Track and Field Championships, as well as appearing in the Olympic Games from 1984 through 1996—representing his home nation of Equatorial Guinea.
McNary: Jerry Lane, the Celtics’ long-time wrestling coach, who guided his squad to a state title in 1975, and a runner-up trophy in 1976—as well as developing a long list of individual state titlists during his time in Keizer.
North Salem: Steve Chambers won a state hurdling title his senior year in 1962, and has continued to serve as a coach in a long list of sports. He has also coached 22 straight hurdlers to state medals during his five-plus decades as a coach for the Vikings.
South Salem: Scott McCormick was a two-sport all state player at Taft High School in basketball and baseball, McCormick moved on to be an outstanding elementary PE teacher and the winningest softball coach in Oregon prep history, with state titles at McNary and South Salem High Schools.
Sprague: Robin Hill served as head football coach at Sprague High for 25 years, recording the most wins in Olympian football history, with two state championship football game appearances, including a 2004 title victory over Lake Oswego.
West Salem: Susi Armstrong was a multi-sport athlete at Pacific University in Forest Grove who transitioned into a successful volleyball coach, starting up the West Salem program from scratch and taking the team deep into the state playoffs twice in her long career.
John Black: A three sport athlete at North Salem High School, Black graduated from Oregon College of Education and became an elementary PE teacher. He also spent more than 50 years as a prep sports official in football, basketball and baseball, appearing in numerous state championship events.
Wes Ediger: A talented athlete at Dallas High School, Ediger moved on to play college football at Oregon State—and later pro football in both the NFL and the Canadian Football League. He later returned to serve as a teacher, coach, counselor, and high school administrator—moving on to head up the Oregon School Activities Association for eight years prior to his retirement.
Terry Williams: A basketball and baseball athlete both in high school and at Western Baptist College, Williams was a community developer of youth sports in Salem and Keizer, while also serving as a top women’s basketball coach at Western Baptist (now Corban University), and at West Salem High School.
Top sports athletes awards for 2023 were also presented by the Beacons. Winners in each category were:
Football: Zach Wustigg, South Salem
Volleyball: Kayleigh Carpenter, South Salem
Girls’ Soccer: Maggie Lapray, South Salem
Boys’ Soccer: Diego Garibay, McKay High School
Girls’ Cross Country: Nelida Dalgas, North Salem High School
Boys’ Cross Country: Jack Meier, West Salem High School
Girls’ Wrestling: Mariko Sonis, North Salem High School
Boys’ Wrestling: Max Blanco, McNary High School
Boys’ Swimming: Mika Oprea, West Salem High School
Girls’ Swimming: Mia Piexoto, West Salem High School
Girls’ Basketball: Lizzy Bennett, West Salem High School
Boys’ Basketball: Jackson Leach, West Salem High School
Softball: Rowan Thompson, South Salem High School
Baseball: Brandon Stinnett, Sprague High School
Girls’ Track and Field: Isabel Zamora, McKay High School
Boys’ Track and Field: Mihaly Akpamgbo, West Salem High School
Boys’ Golf: Colby Sullivan, McNary High School
Girls’ Golf: Emily Keel, Sprague High School
Girls’ Tennis: Tirzah Tarbox, Sprague High School
Boys’ Tennis: Adam Son, South Salem High School
Coach of the Year (all sports): Juan Llamas, Boys Soccer, McKay High School
Also presented were end-of-year awards from the Salem Sports and Breakfast Club, involving not only Salem-Keizer Schools, but Salem Academy and Blanchet High Schools as well.
Boys Athlete of the Year: Jimmy Lathen, West Salem High School
Girls Athlete of the Year: Aly Herber, Salem Academy
Jack Bull Community Service Award: Mark Gilman, KBZY Radio
Saturday’s gathering was the fourth Beacons Awards event hosted by the Salem-Keizer High School Sports Booster Club. The Club, under the name Beacons, uses the awards ceremony to raise money to eliminate obstacles for athletes to compete in the Salem-Keizer School District. The Beacons are dedicated to helping remove any financial barrier to athletic participation faced by a student-athlete, be it participation fees, purchase of gear for a particular sport, or other needs such as participant physicals. At the conclusion of the ceremonies Saturday night, the Beacons announced payouts of $2000 to each of the six high schools for the purpose of increasing or insuring athletic participation.
Congratulations, Mark! You deserve it.