Mid-Columbia players named to all-state football teams

Scorebook Live Washington released its all-state football team last week, and there are plenty of players from the Mid-Columbia on the first or second teams.

The team was put together regardless of classification, and as far as I can tell, it’s the only organized all-state football squad named this year.

Kamiakin senior quarterback Henry Mercado earned a major award, being named Breakout Player of the Year.

Meanwhile, there were two other Kamiakin Braves and two Kennewick Lions named to the first team.

Kennewick linebacker Bronson Childs and running back Myles Mayovsky were first-team selections; Kamiakin’s Payton Graham was named first-team as an all-purpose player, while junior Gabe Tahir is listed at defensive back.

Royal’s Avery Ellis, who was also listed as the Class 1A MVP, is a first-team, all-state linebacker.

Seven more players made the second team.

Royal’s Derek Bergeson was listed at linebacker; Kennewick’s Ayden Knapik and Ashton Tripp took two spots on the offensive line; Sunnyside’s Myles Newhouse was listed as a running back; Richland’s Elijah Rodriguez is a defensive lineman; Kamiakin’s Luis Salgado is listed as a defensive hybrid player; and Southridge’s Lance Spaniel was the second team’s punter.

NWAC basketball

The Northwest Athletic Conference for community colleges put a hold on basketball competition for almost two weeks back in late December, hoping the move would stem the tide of the omicron variant.

For Columbia Basin College, that meant that both the men’s and women’s teams will have not had a game in almost a month.

The CBC men last played on Dec. 18, losing 92-81 to Chemeketa in an NWAC crossover game. The Hawks women also last played on Dec. 18, when they lost to Peninsula 76-65 in a crossover game.

Both teams were originally scheduled to open NWAC East region play on Jan. 7 against Treasure Valley.

Now their region openers is on Monday, Jan. 17, at home against Yakima Valley (women tip off at 2 p.m.; men at 4 p.m.).

Those games that were not played during the shutdown were added onto the back end of the Hawks’ schedule.

Prep wrestling

Holiday wrestling wrapup: There were 10 Mid-Columbia boys champions and eight girls champs in the Hanford Cup wrestling tournament on Dec. 30 at Hanford High.

In the boys’ portion of the tournament, Sunnyside took the team title with 270 points, and the Grizzlies were led with titles by Alejandro Fernandez (138 pounds), EJ Villanueva (145) and Leonardo Avalos (160).

Chiawana had three weight-division titlists.

The Riverhawks’ Davion Johnson won the 182-pound title, raising his season record to 19-0. Teammate Judah Bishop (16-1) took the 170-pound crown.

And Isaiah Medina (12-1) earned the 120-pound championship.

Kamiakin’s Juan Hoffman (126 pounds) and Jaxin McCallum (285) were also weight-class winners, as were Pasco’s Victor Godinas (132) and Richland’s Melvin Kreitzer (220).

In the girls tournament, Quincy came away with the team title with 153 points.

Chiawana had three individual titles — Lana Ali at 130 pounds, Alexia Fabian at 110, and Alanna Haney at 135. Fabian has a 13-0 record, while Haney is at 14-1.

Pasco added two champs in Mirella Morfin at 190 pounds, and freshman Elisa Sanchez at 105. Sanchez is now 14-2.

Other area winners were Warden’s Jada Hernandez at 115, Royal’s Alondra Morales at 145, and Hanford’s Selena Reyes at 155.

Notes

▪ Linebacker AJ Vongphachanh (Chiawana) finished his football season at Utah State with 2 tackles (one solo) and a fumble recovery in the Aggies’ 24-13 win over Oregon State in the LA Bowl on Dec. 18.

▪ While in Las Vegas, I had to take a look in the sports book at BetMGM.

The Seattle Mariners, along with the Los Angeles Angels, are tied with the seventh-best odds (out of 15 teams) to win the 2022 American League pennant at 15-to-1.

Their current odds (as of Jan. 3) to win the World Series is 25-to-1, which is better than the 40-to-1 chance they had when the sports book opened them recently.

Gonzaga still has the best odds for winning the NCAA Men’s Tournament in April, at 5-to-1. The Bulldogs are followed by Duke (8 to 1), Purdue (8 to 1), Baylor (10 to 1) and Kansas (11 to 1).

And for The Masters, Jon Rahm (9 to 1) is the favorite to win that coveted golf major. Rahm is followed by Dustin Johnson (12 to 1), Jordan Spieth (12 to 1), Justin Thomas (14 to 1), and a trio at 16 to 1: Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy.

Tiger Woods is at 40 to 1.

▪ Prosser High graduate Kellen Moore interviewed last week for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ head coaching job.

It’s the second year in a row Moore — currently the Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator — has been in the running for a head coaching job.

Last year, Moore was an attractive candidate for the head coaching job at his alma mater, Boise State University. But he ended up staying with Dallas.

▪ Prosser senior Halle Wright, who signed to play women’s basketball next season for Idaho State, scored her career 1,000th point last week for the Mustangs.