3 Chiawana players named to WA all-star football team + more from Tri-Cities region

The Washington State Football Coaches Association just released its all-state teams.

The WSFCA released them by classification, and there is a strong representation of Mid-Columbia talent on them.

Chiawana had three players on the Class 4A team, led by running back Braxton Feldmann. Riverhawks offensive lineman Brian Kuhn and linebacker Cooper MacPherson also were on the list.

Joining them were two players from Kamiakin: offensive lineman Landon Biglin and defensive back David Kuku. All five players are seniors.

Kennewick had one player on the Class 3A team. Senior Tanner Larson was named as a tight end.

Prosser had three on the Class 2A team, all seniors: wide receiver Landon Bailey, defensive back Aaron Gonzalez, and quarterback Jacob Rainer.

Royal, the state champion, dominated the Class 1A team.

Senior Lance Allred — a standout at both quarterback and linebacker — was named Class 1A Overall Player of the Year.

Senior linebacker Ben Jenks was named 1A Defensive Player of the Year.

Other Royal Knights named to the team are senior offensive lineman Asher Garnick; senior defensive back Jackson Larsen; senior returner Santana Luna; sophomore defensive lineman Orlando Santillan; and junior defensive back Shea Stevenson.

Tri-Cities Prep had three players on the Class 2B team: junior defensive lineman Carsten Seeliger; senior running back Jacob Sherfey; and senior wide receiver Bryson Wilde.

And state runner-up Liberty Christian of Richland was well represented on the Class 1B team.

Senior running back Charlie Branning was named the state Offensive Player of the Year. But Branning was also named to the team at defensive back.

Three other LC seniors were on the list: TE/WR Hunter Cole; TE/WR Joey Isley; and offensive lineman Peyton Privatsky.

College basketball

Madeline Gebers is off to a hot start in her senior season for the Northwest Nazarene University women’s basketball team.

The Nighthawks are off to a 6-4 start, and Gebers is the team’s No. 2 scorer at 11.1 points a game.

Gebers — who also throws the javelin for the women’s track and field team — leads the squad in assists (28), steals (18) and blocked shots (6). She’s also third in rebounds with 39.

Gebers is solid from the outside, shooting 23 for 63 from the 3-point line.

Prep cross country

In November, Kamiakin senior Ezra Teeples completed his high school cross country career by placing fourth at the WIAA state high school championships at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.

Teeples was the Class 4A state champ back in 2023, but he said a down week leading up to the state finals in November didn’t help him this time around.

“Sometimes you can’t have a perfect race,” said Teeples. “I’m not disappointed.”

That’s because Teeples knows he has a bright future ahead of him. He recently committed to running for Boise State University.

Meanwhile, Teeples was named the Mid-Columbia Conference Runner of the Year by the conference coaches. Hermiston’s Troy Blackburn was named Boys Coach of the Year.

Joining Teeples on the first team are Kamiakin teammates Noah Thomas and Chase Kennard (both seniors), as well as Braves sophomore Ty Judi.

Thomas placed sixth in the 4A boys state race, while Kennard placed 11th. Sunnyside senior Andrew Garcia finished 20th.

Hermiston had three MCC first-teamers in senior Jaysen Rodriguez, sophomore Gabriel Anderson, and freshman Leroy Lozano Mejia. Walla Walla senior Ian Lash rounded out the first team.

Outside of Kamiakin’s Teeples and Thomas, Hermiston’s Rodriguez had the best finish among Mid-Columbia runners at the state meet. He placed seventh in the boys 3A race, while teammate Lozano Mejia finished 12th, Wa-HI’s Lash was 20th, and Hermiston’s Anderson finished 29th. There were 194 runners in the 3A boys race.

On the MCC girls side, Pasco senior Valerie Siebol-DeRuyter was named Runner of the Year, while Richland’s Bruce Blizzard is Coach of the Year.

Seven of the nine MCC schools had a runner on the MCC’s first team, and all of them are seniors, led by Pasco’s Siebol-DeRuyter.

Chiawana’s Emma Gis, Walla Walla’s Macy Eggart, Kennewick’s Morgan Thompson, Richland’s Lily Robertson, Hanford’s Ava Beus, and Kamiakin’s Meredith Stavenger were all first-teamers.

College soccer

Defender Taryn Demers, who helped lead the Columbia Basin College women’s soccer team to the NWAC Final Four in early December, has signed a letter-of-intent to play next season for the Northwest University women’s team next fall.

Hockey

Back on Nov. 7, the NCAA Division I Council approved a measure that allows players in the three Canadian Hockey League junior leagues — Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and the Western Hockey League — can now play NCAA hockey starting Aug. 1, 2025.

As long as the players were not compensated above the actual and necessary expenses prior to enrolling in college, they are eligible to play. Before this ruling, the NCAA considered all CHL players as professionals.

Already, three players tied to the Tri-City Americans have taken advantage of this situation.

Team captain Jake Sloan, a 20-year-old forward, recently committed to Bowling Green State University, and he’ll play there starting in the 2025-26 season.

Another 20-year-old forward, Carter MacAdams, committed to Northern Michigan University for the 2025-26 season.

Finally, the Americans signed 17-year-old goalie Ryan Grout on Dec. 5 on a scholarship and development agreement, and he is one of three goalies on the current roster. Grout is already committed to the University of New Hampshire when his WHL eligibility has expired.

Volleyball

Kamiakin graduates Rylie Dolven and Peyton Arland will be inducted into the Kamiakin High School Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, Jan. 10.

The two volleyball standouts will be honored at halftime of Friday’s boys home game, which tips off at 7:30 p.m.

Dolven just finished her freshman season playing at North Idaho College, while Arland completed her first season at Bushnell University.

Interesting note, regarding Dolven: she will be the third family member to be inducted into the hall of fame there.

Her father is Heath Dolven, a standout basketball player in his day; and her grandfather is the late Randy Dolven, the school’s former athletic director and boys basketball coach. The Kamiakin gymnasium is named for Randy Dolven.

This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM.