Athletes Honored At Banquet

DAYTON - Successful basketball and cheerleading winter sports seasons were highlighted last Monday at Dayton High School's awards banquet.

Head boys basketball coach Roy Ramirez was choked up with emotion Monday night as he said goodbye and thank you to five of his senior players who have been with them since they were in fifth grade.

"It was a heck of a year guys," Ramirez said.

The Bulldog boys went 23-1 in the regular season and made it to the state tournament in Spokane for the first time in nearly two decades. At state, they placed sixth.

Ramirez said last summer he had told everyone he thought his team would do OK this year. But, in the back of his mind, he was thinking they would do better than OK.

"In the back of my mind I was thinking 'we'd better go undefeated and go to the state tournament,'" Ramirez said with a laugh. "These guys played their tails off. Although we fell short to winning that golden ball, I still feel in my heart that you guys are the best basketball team in the state."

The team achieved not only a great season, but three players made first team All- League. Those players were Kroft Sunderland, Hayden Fullerton and Garett Turner. Colton Bickelhaupt was given an honorable mention. Turner was also named MVP of the league, named to the All- Tournament team for the state tournament and second team too.

The team collectively won a WIAA award for a team average GPA of 3.22.

For team awards, captains awards went to Turner and Sunderland. Most Valuable Teammate was Bickelhaupt, Most Inspirational was Sunderland,

Most Improved was Wyatt Frame, Most Valuable Player was Turner and Ramirez presented coaches' awards to all six seniors.

The girls basketball team was also honored for the unexpected growth it made through the winter season.

"Not many people other than the coach, out players and our fans, had much faith in them," Athletic Director Jack Smiley said of the Lady Dogs. "And they did themselves proud."

The Dogs made it into districts and regionals and ended with a 9-12 record. Head Coach Clayton Strong joked about the "speech" he gave to his players during a mid-season game when the Dogs were at 0-8. That speech helped turn the season around.

Strong congratulated his players for stepping it up and reaching goals.

"Thank you for not giving into that desire to give up," Strong said. "It took a lot for you to stick with it. You should be proud of yourselves."

The Lady Dogs earned the highest average GPA of the night of 3.66 collectively.

Shelby Smith and McKayla Bickelhaupt made the All-League Team

Strong presented an award for Most Supportive to Courtney Mings, who had not seen much playing time this season because of an injury.

Most Inspirational was Jessica Tate and Most Improved was Malia Frame. The Best Defensive Players were Nicole Lambert and Sarah Phillips. The Coaches' Award went to Jessica Tate and Sarah Phillips.

The 10 Bulldog cheerleaders were also honored Monday night for their hard work and dedication.

Head coach AJ Walker said his cheer squad members worked hard to learn cheers, chants and dance routines. They made it to new heights with their stunting and made sure all of the seniors were able to be on the top of stunts in front of the crowd.

"The girls bonded as a team and grew a lot over the season," Walker said.

Walker thanked Manager Gabe Garcia for helping out throughout the season and highlighted the trip to state as a great memory.

While in Spokane for the state tournament, the team visited the local children's hospital and did cheers for the kids.

"It was a lot of fun and a rewarding experience," Walker said.

The Captain's Award went to Colleen Delp, Chelsey Martin and April Davis. The Coaches' Award went to Caitlyn Robins.

The team was given a WIAA Scholastic Award for its 3.34 GPA.