Keep an eye on these 10 athletes for the rest of high school spring sports

With high school spring sports just a few weeks into the season, here’s a quick look at 10 area athletes fans should keep an eye on through the end of May:

1. Jonathan Allen, Hanford track and field. Allen is just a sophomore. But his pole-vaulting talents are undeniable. In February, he cleared 16 feet, 6.75 inches in the indoor season. Last month, in his first outdoor meet of the year, Allen cleared 16-5. There is plenty of time to go higher.

2. Anderson Brown, Royal boys soccer. The Knights’ senior is so good at soccer that the University of Washington offered him a scholarship before school even started last fall. Despite that, Brown turned out for the football team so he could play with his friends. He helped lead the team to another state football crown.

3. Kate Berg, Kamiakin tennis. She’s just a sophomore, but Berg has plenty of on-court talent. Last year, as a freshman, she was named the Mid-Columbia Conference girls tennis player of the year.

4. Brycen Calderon, Tri-Cities Prep baseball. The junior shortstop is just one of many standouts on the Jaguars’ top-ranked baseball team. Calderon is hitting over .500 for Prep, which is 10-0.

5. Miguel Cruz, River View track and field. One of the best shot putters in the state, Cruz won the 2025 2B state title in that event last May, winning with a mark of 59 feet, 4.75 inches. He also placed second in the 2B state discus finals with a throw of 164-8.

6. Ali Evans, Richland softball. The Bombers sophomore is tearing up the MCC as both a hitter and pitcher. She’s batting over .800 (yes, .800) and is 5-0 as a pitcher.

7. Naly Khamlue-Pratt, Richland track and field. The senior who is headed to the University of Nevada has incredible sprinting speed, and she has anchored the Bombers’ relay teams for three years. Expect her to contend for state 4A titles in the 100 and 200 meters too.

8. Michael Revell, Richland baseball. The big guy was a key part of the Bombers’ 2024 stat championship team. Now, he’ll be a leader on this year’s team as the pitcher ace. Already committed to Grand Canyon University, where he’ll be stretching this fall.

9. Bella Rogel, Liberty Christian softball. Rogel has been a pitcher for the 1B Patriots for four seasons, helping the team win a state title back as a freshman. Now a senior, the ace has hopes of leading her team to another state title. Three months ago, Rogel committed to pitching for Jackson State University.

10. Zach Vega, Kamiakin baseball. He was last season’s top pitcher in the Mid-Columbia Conference. The senior — who has committed to Gonzaga Uniuversity next season — is currently the Braves’ ace. But he’s also the top hitter in the conference too.

College football

Central Washington University picked up two local athletes from the transfer portal recently.

Former Kamiakin defensive lineman Devin Crow comes over after playing a couple seasons for NAIA school Western Montana.

Crow, a redshirt sophomore, was named second-team All-Frontier Conference after the 2025 season. The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder had 34 tackles, 6.5 quarterback sacks and 2 forced fumbles.

Also coming in will be ex-Chiawana standout Cooper MacPherson.

He spent this past season as a redshirt at Eastern Washington University, and he will be competing as a freshman this fall.

The 6-2, 210-pound linebacker was an all-state player his senior season in 2024 for Chiawana. He was named the Defensive Player of the Year for the Mid-Columbia Conference.

They are joined by two incoming freshmen who signed letters of intent in the past few months: Kennewick offensive lineman Ben Edwards, and Richland defensive end Sylen Kiesel-Kauhane.

The Wildcats will have a new head coach this fall after long-time coach Chris Fisk was hired by Portland State on Dec. 12.

By Dec. 30, Central brought in former CWU star Scott Power, who spent the 2025 season as the defensive backs coach at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

One of Power’s assistant coaching hires is Kimo von Oelhoffen, who has made his home in the Tri-Cities for years. Von Oelhoffen is a Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he’ll be the CWU defensive ends coach.

Youth football fundraiser

The Columbia Basin Youth Football is holding a fundraising golf tournament on Saturday, May 2, at Zintel Creek Golf Club in Kennewick.

The proceeds go to the CBYF’s No Kid Left Out program to ensure those kids whose families are unable to afford the fees to play during the upcoming season can participate.

Costs to play are $250 per person, or $800 for a team of four.

There will be chances for golfers to win over $250,000 in prizes for such things as holes-in-one.

For more information, go to CBYFfundraiser.com. Limited spots are available.

College hockey

Former Tri-City American defenseman Jackson Smith was named second team All-Big Ten for his first year playing hockey at Penn State.

Smith, who was drafted last summer by the NHL’s Columbia Blue Jackets, made the decision to leave the Americans good after the draft to play at Penn State.

He scored 11 goals and 15 assists (for 26 points) for the Nittany Lions, who finished the season with a 21-14-2 record.

Smith was also named to the Big Ten all freshman team.

Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.