Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part series. Tomorrow’s edition of the Kent Reporter will feature the year’s Male Athlete of the Year. Today’s edition focuses on the male athletes who were in the running for the year’s top honor. Next week, the Kent Reporter will turn its attention toward the female student athletes in the Kent Valley.
I’ve lost sleep and pulled out plenty of hair since the prep season officially came to a close May 28.
Why, you ask?
It all boiled down to our choice for the Kent Male Athlete of the Year. In the end, Kent-Meridian High’s David Jones won out.
A two-sport star (track and football), Jones narrowly edged the competition. And when I say narrowly, I mean by the slimmest of margins. I’ve been putting together year-end honors for more than a decade. During that time, there have been several close calls and lengthy debates with colleagues.
This year’s debate takes the prize. It’s not because Jones wasn’t deserving – clearly, he is. However, an argument could be made for a number of local athletes. I take this decision seriously. A lot of time — more than some realize — goes into it.
There’s no set-in-stone criteria for the eventual winner. However, a few key traits do come into play. After all the statistics are boiled down, I look at how many sports each individual competed in. Those who compete in three sports always gain a slight edge over those who may have participated in just one. In addition, character and leadership play a paramount role, as do the opinions of local coaches.
All told, this process is considerably more complex than simply flipping a coin — though my sleep pattern of late makes part of me wish that I had done just that.
In the end, Jones was the man. He not only did it all in two sports at K-M, but he did it with a level of humility and class that I haven’t seen from many 18-year-olds during my time in the profession. That said, the year-end honors are about more than recognizing a single athlete. Many of our local stars have stepped forward during the three prep seasons.
As such, here’s a list (in no particular order) of those who were in contention with Jones, and what they accomplished during the year:
1. Gary Bell, Kentridge
There wasn’t a better basketball player in the state than Kentridge’s Bell, who averaged 28.5 points and seven rebounds per game in leading the Chargers to a sixth-place finish at state. The MVP of the South Puget Sound League North Division, Bell also was named Mr. Basketball for the state of Washington, and was the Gatorade Player of the Year. In his four years at Kentridge, Bell scored a school record 2,222 points. No doubt, the kid can shoot, which was never on better display than when he lit up Arlington for 31 points in a first-round state playoff victory. Bell scored 19 of those points during a second-quarter shooting spree, when he drained four consecutive 3-pointers. But what I will remember most about Bell, who will play at Gonzaga University next season, is his humble attitude and how he made his teammates better. No doubt, we haven’t heard the last of Mr. Bell.
2. Derrick Daigre, Kent-Meridian
The long and lanky (6-5, 156) Royal continued to have a huge impact in cross country and track. In the fall, he grabbed a 20th-place finish on the state cross country course. But Daigre’s biggest moments came at the Class 4A state track and field meet, where he snagged a second-place finish in the 800 meters in a school-record time of 1:50.26. That also was one of the fastest times in state history. But Daigre wasn’t done. He went on to take second in the 400 with a time of 49.37 and ran a leg on Kent-Meridian’s fifth-place 4 x 400 relay team.
3. Chase Bublitz, Kentridge
The freshman phenom burst onto the swim scene this year with a reputation as a kid who could make an immediate impact. Bublitz delivered immediately, too. He picked up a pair of silver medals at the state meet, touching out in the 50 free in 21.41 seconds and finishing the 100 free in 47.54. Along the way, the Charger was a key cog in helping Kentridge win the SPSL North title with an 8-0 mark, which pushed the program’s unbeaten streak in league to 47 straight wins
4. Ruben Navejas, Kentwood
One of the finest wrestlers to ever come out of Kentwood High, Navejas won the 112-pound state championship this past winter. The title, however, doesn’t fully show how dominant Navejas was on the mat last season, when he posted a perfect 42-0 overall record. He became Kentwood’s second four-time state placer and first two-time state champion since Brandon Hunter (2002-2003). Navejas completed his prep career with an impressive 162-7 overall record.
5. Brandon Harris, Kent-Meridian
One of the most versatile athletes in the area, Harris shined on both the football field and on the track. Last fall, Harris earned first-team All-SPSL North accolades at wide receiver, where he pulled in 20 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns. He also starred on defense, earning All-SPSL North honorable mention at defensive back. Harris’ biggest moment, however, came this spring, when he took third in the triple jump (45-6), fifth in the long jump (22-6.5), and sixth in the 100 (11.09) at state.
6. Austin Pernell, Kentlake
One of the few true three-sport stars, there weren’t many better athletes in the area — or the state — than this versatile Falcon. In the fall, Pernell helped Kentlake advance to the football postseason for the first time since 2003. The SPSL North’s Defensive Back of the Year, Pernell also was a first-team All-SPSL North selection at wide receiver, pulling in 27 receptions for 597 yards and seven touchdowns. But he was just getting started. Pernell went on to earn honorable mention accolades in basketball and first-team recognition as an outfielder on the baseball diamond. A junior, something tells me we’re just scratching the surface here with Pernell.
7. Jason Boyce, Kentwood
The senior Conqueror continued his evolution as an all-around athlete and leader, shining on the football field during the fall and on the basketball court in the winter. On the football field, Boyce proved to be a big play waiting to happen, pulling in 19 receptions for 431 yards and six touchdowns on the way to earning first-team all-league honors. On the basketball court, Boyce became Kentwood’s go-to guy, leading the Conquerors in scoring at 13.7 points per game, which helped Boyce earn first-team all-league honors.
8. B.J. Arceneaux, Kentwood
There aren’t many faster athletes in the state than Kentwood’s Arceneaux, who grabbed a fourth-place finish in the 100-meter dash (10.90) at the state track meet, and was well on his way to a high finish in the 200 before falling down with a leg injury. Arceneaux’s highlight, however, came in the long jump, where he uncorked a mark of 24 feet, 2 inches at the state meet, giving him a second-place finish. Yet, the Kentwood senior wasn’t all about track. In the fall, he earned all-league honors on special teams of the football field, where he blocked a school-record five punts.
9. Shad Hall, Kentlake
Hall came within an eyelash of stunning the field in the 300-meter hurdles at the state meet in May, earning a silver medal by recording a personal-best time of 38.91 seconds. Hall spent the final fraction of a second during his run skidding along the Mount Tahoma turf as he dove to the finish line in an attempt to pass eventual champion Wes Bailey of Mead (38.89). A determined competitor, Hall graduated with Kentlake’s top individual performance of the year regardless of sport, establishing a new school record and coming up with a scraped knee and shoulder in the process.
10. Jeff Seid, Kentridge
The rough-and-tumble Charger junior continued his ascension as one of Kent’s top athletes, earning second-team all-league honors as a linebacker on the football field, where he ranked second in the league with 12.5 tackles for loss. Seid added another strong wrestling season to his resume’, qualifying for the state meet for a second straight year. The 171-pounder won SPSL North and regional titles as well, cementing himself as one to watch in the coming year.
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