Teresa Lewis and Paris Ramsey were named the Booster Club’s Boy and Girl of the year at last week’s senior sports awards banquet. The two were joined by Jeff Ecker and English teacher Ed Nieman for induction into the Sweet Home High School Hall of Fame. Nieman was selected from the Class of 1966.
Several other athletes were recognized at the banquet, held on June 3 at the Elks Lodge.
Among them, Nicole Starha and Brian Seward were named U.S. Marine Corps Distinguished Athletes.
Jamie Miller, with a GPA of 3.966 received the U.S. Army Scholar Athlete award for academic excellence, citizenship and athletics.
Jim Hagle presented the Greg Hagle Memorial Scholarship to Andrew Swanson. The award is given in memory of Greg Hagle, who died in a car accident in 1984. The Mid-Valley Youth League funded the scholarship until last year when the Boys and Girls Club of Sweet Home provided the funding. This year, the Hagle family along with United Parcel Service provided a $500 scholarship.
The Sweet Home Alumni Foundation’s second Norm Davis Scholarship was presented to Kyle Temple by Donna Davis. Throughout high school and his entire coaching career, Davis missed only one practice to attend a family funeral.
The Moe Award is given to students who may not necessarily receive other awards. Recipients are hard workers and always at practice, working to the best of their ability. Chris Phillips received the award.
Casey Baarson received the new Larry Johnson Sportsmanship Award. Johnson retired as athletic director last year. He constantly stressed good sportsmanship. The award is given to an athlete who shows outstanding citizenship and outstanding sportsmanship and also proves a positive mentor for younger athletes.
Hall of Famer Lewis earned 11 letters in three sports. She earned three in volleyball and four each in softball and basketball. Lewis earned numerous awards throughout high school. Honors her senior year included most valuable player and first-team all-league setter in volleyball. In basketball she was most valuable player, third-team all-league, named to the Capital Conference Defense team and named to the Linn-Benton All Stars. In softball, she was first-team all-league infield and most valuable player. She maintained a 3.79 GPA.
Ramsey was named most improved and first-team all-league in football this year. He placed first at district in the 200-meter, first in district in 4×100 relay, first at state in the 200-meter, second at state in the 100-meter and ninth at state in the 4×100 relay. He set the all-time 3A record in the 100-meter, 10.78 seconds. Ramsey went out for sports for the first time this year.
Ecker was co-captain of the water polo team and captain of the swim team. This year, he was outstanding upperclassman and the state champion in the 200 freestyle. He was on the state championship 400 relay team his junior year and district champion in two relays, the 100 back and the 200 freestyle. He was on the state championship swim team his freshman year and was named outstanding underclassman his sophomore year. He set a record at the Woodburn Invitational in the 100 back, 57.39, his junior year.
Nieman is a graduate of the Class of 1966. He wrestled and played basketball. He had perfect attendance in all 12 years of school. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 1970 with a degree in psychology and earned his master’s in 1971. He has taught for 31 years. He coached basketball at Sweet Home High School, leading the 1993 team to a state championship. No other member of the Class of 1966 has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Nieman retires at the end of the school year.
Oregon State University Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach Jualeah Woods was guest speaker at the dinner. She led Berkeley to a state championship in 1990 then spent four years as a small forward at the University of Southern California.
She started coaching at Santa Monica High School in 1994 and moved to the collegiate level in 1998 then to OSU in 2000.
She urged the athletes to set goals for themselves, to set them high then work hard to achieve them.
“It still hasn’t changed,” Coach Woods said. “It will never change. Always set goals for yourself.”
Coach Woods started playing basketball in the sixth grade when someone noticed how tall she was and said, “You need to play basketball. You’re tall. You’ll do good.”
It was mid season and “I didn’t know what a lay-up was,” Coach Woods said. “I said, ‘If you demonstrate it, I will definitely try it.”
She spent most of that season on the bench. She later learned that playing ball could put an athlete through school.
“I went out, and I practiced every day,” Coach Woods said. She became a “pretty good” basketball player and was able to attend college through her athletics.
She called the students at the banquet “elite athletes” and pointed out that they had to work hard to be where they were, how their passion drives them. She urged them to let that energy drive them toward their goals.
“When it gets tough, you keep on going,” Coach Woods said. “When things don’t seem like they’ll every go right, they will.… I made it because I never gave up. I’ve had times when I didn’t know where I was or what I was going to do.”
Outside of personal drive, she identified those around the students as another factor in success.
“Focus on others around you and helping them,” Coach Woods said. “That helps you grow.”
With family and community support, “you’ll never be alone,” Coach Woods said. “You’ll always have someone behind you.”