Tri-Cities players dominate the all-conference football team

Chiawana, Kennewick and Kamiakin dominated the 2019 Mid-Columbia Conference all-conference football team, voted on by MCC coaches and released this week.

Chiawana, which finished the season last Saturday by losing 46-21 to Mount Si in a 4A state football first-round playoff game, had two of the five major awards handed out.

Senior defensive lineman Bridger Feldman was named the MCC Defensive Player of the Year.

The Riverhawks, who ended the season with a 9-2 record, had the top defensive unit in the MCC.

Head coach Steve Graff was named MCC Coach of the Year.

The other major awards went to: Kamiakin junior running back Tuna Altahir for MCC Offensive Player of the Year; Kennewick senior Baylor McElroy was named MCC Lineman of the Year; and Pasco junior Des Licon was named MCC Special Teams Player of the Year.

Altahir led the MCC in rushing, carrying the football 188 times for 1,406 yards for an average of 7.5 yards per carry. He found the end zone 20 times to lead the MCC in scoring.

McElroy was part of a big offensive line for Kennewick — still alive in the Class 3A state playoffs — that pushed defensive units all over the football field this season.

While the Lions were the No. 3 offensive team in the MCC, behind Hanford and Kamiakin only, they led the MCC in rushing yards this season.

Pasco’s Licon was third in the MCC in all-purpose yardage with 1,462. He returned a couple of kicks back for touchdowns for the young Bulldogs.

Chiawana had seven players named to the first team.

Besides Feldman at defensive end, other Riverhawks defensive first-teamers include sophomore defensive lineman Isaiah Anderson, junior linebacker Cameron Brier, senior linebackers Riley Cissne and Roy Colvin, senior defensive back Dion Lee and junior defensive back Aiden Mason.

Kamiakin also had seven first-team selections.

Senior Kelen Rutz was a two-way selection at defensive back and wide receiver.

So was: senior Tanner Sullins as a defensive lineman and offensive lineman; Altahir at running back; junior Woodley Downard at wide receiver; and sophomore Luis Salgado at linebacker.

Kennewick had four first-team selections: senior Jagger Childs at defensive lineman; sophomore Myles Mayovsky at running back; and the McElroy twins, Baylor and Baiden, on the offensive line.

Pasco’s Licon was a three-way first-teamer for the Bulldogs. The junior was named first team at wide receiver, defensive back and as a returner.

Hanford had three first-team selections: senior offensive lineman Casey Moddrell; junior kicker Xavier Uvalle; and junior quarterback Easton Wise-Hyde.

The three remaining first-team selections each come from a different team: Hermiston senior offensive lineman Chase Bradshaw; Richland wide receiver junior Ben Fewel; and Walla Walla junior punter Seamus Hall.

• Here is a list of the second team by school:

Chiawana: Dion Lee, senior, WR; Gabe Schilz, senior, RB; Aarloh Valdovinos, junior, DB.

Hanford: Michael Chvedov, senior, OL; Payten Collins, senior, OL; Kamari Durmas, senior, RB; Jaxen Farrah, junior, WR; Konner Oberman, senior, LB.

Hermiston: Trevor Wagner, junior, P; Garett Walchli, senior, WR.

Kamiakin: Henry Mercado, sophomore, QB.

Kennewick: Arnaldo Cabrera, senior, DB; Simeon Howard, sophomore, DB and Returner; Bryson Knapik, senior, DL; Cody LaFontaine, senior, LB; Austin Schoffstall, senior, OL; Kaleb Stevenson, senior, LB.

Pasco: Isaiah Arline, junior, DL; Nic Gutierrez, senior, OL; Nathan Torres, junior, LB; Francisco Valle, junior, K.

Richland: Elijah Rodriguez, sophomore, DB; Sam Stanfield, senior, DL.

Walla Walla: Dylan Ashbeck, senior, WR; Cole Schmidt, senior, DL and OL.

• Other all-conference teams of all fall sports will be printed in the Herald in the coming weeks.

Auto racing

Kennewick’s Brittney Zamora finished fourth out of 13 drivers in the NASCAR K&N Pro West Series’ NAPA/ENEOS 150. It was presented by West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame at Kern County Raceway Park in California on Oct. 26.

And in the Nov. 9 season finale in Avondale, Ariz., Zamora placed sixth out of 25 drivers in the Arizona Lottery 100.

That finish gave the rookie 490 points and fifth place in the final drivers point standings. She was 101 points behind her Bill McAnally Racing teammate Derek Kraus, who ended up being the season champion.

College update

• Senior midfielder Israel Gonzalez (Grandview, CBC) finished the season three goals and one assist for the 8-9 Humboldt State University men’s soccer team.

• Navy lost the Collegiate Sprint Football League title Saturday, falling to Army 13-0.

The Naval Academy finished the season with a 7-1 record, and Adam Weissenfels (Richland) played defensive back for the Midshipmen. A sophomore, Weissenfels had four interceptions, six pass breakups and was in on 22 tackles this season.

Sprint football is a lighter version of college football, with the rules the same. But to play sprint football, players must not weigh more than 178 pounds and have just 5 percent body fat.

There are 10 colleges and universities who have teams in the CSFL.

• The Pacific Lutheran University’s women’s soccer team lost 2-1 in overtime on Saturday, Nov. 16, to Trinity, Texas, in the first-round of the NCAA Division III women’s soccer tournament.

PLU, which ends its season with a 16-3-2 record, won the Northwest Conference title.

The Lutes won a school record 15 games in a row this season and have four Kennewick-area athletes on the team: Junior midfielder Kelly Brown (Southridge), junior midfielder Savannah Brown (Southridge), senior defender Sarah Burns (Kamiakin), and senior defender Brianna Hunting (Southridge).

Hunting was named the Northwest Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, and was a first-team all-conference selection.

Kelly Brown was a NWC honorable mention selection at her position.

She, Burns and Hunting were the team’s captains this season.

Tri-City Americans

The Ams just had one game last weekend, a 4-3 home loss to the Spokane Chiefs.

Spokane’s Adam Beckman scored the game-winner with just 50 seconds remaining in regulation.

Bryan McAndrews, Nick Bowman and Blake Stevenson each scored goals for Tri-City.

The Ams have a busy upcoming weekend: a 7:05 p.m. Friday home game against Winnipeg; a 7:05 p.m. Saturday home game against Kelowna; and a Sunday road game to Everett that begins at 4:05 p.m.

That’s two games in less than 24 hours between Saturday and Sunday’s contests.