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The 2024-25 high school sports season has wrapped up, and athletes from the Salem-Keizer area produced countless memorable performances this past school year.

Now it’s your turn to vote for who is the best.

Nominees for Statesman Journal boys Athlete of the Year are:

• Drew Bartels, Blanchet Catholic baseball
• Ty Cirino, Central cross-country and track and field
• Jarrod Coy, West Salem swimming
• Jay R Flores, McNary soccer
• Gabe Haines, Central football and track and field
• Gavin Hall, Western Christian basketball
• Kenya Johnson, Sprague football, wrestling and track and field
• Landon Knox, Cascade basketball
• Isaiah Koehnke, Regis basketball
• Carson Langford, Dallas wrestling
• Sawyer Nelson, South Salem baseball
• Derek Olivo, McNary track and field
• Addison Samuell, Stayton soccer
• Braxton Singleton, North Salem track and field and football
• Jarod Stanley, Sprague basketball
• Calvin Stewart, South Salem track and field
• Sawyer Teeney, Silverton football and basketball
• Cruz Veliz, Woodburn basketball
• Grady Wolf, St. Paul football and basketball
• Bo Zurcher, Silverton wrestling and football

Information about each nominee is listed below. Vote for the athlete you think is most deserving at statesmanjournal.com/sports. The poll closes at 11 a.m. Friday, July 4.

Drew Bartels, Blanchet Catholic baseball

The senior was named the Class 3A state player of the year and earned first-team all-state honors after helping Blanchet Catholic win its first-ever state baseball title.

Bartels, who has signed to play at Centralia College, threw a complete game, struck out 10 and allowed just one run in a 2-1 win over Taft in the state semifinals.

Ty Cirino, Central cross-country and track and field

The junior clocked a personal-best 5,000-meter cross-country time of 14 minutes, 35.4 seconds — the 19th-best time in the U.S. this season among high school runners — at the Rose City Championship Invite. Cirino went on to take fourth place at the Class 5A state championships at Lane Community College.

In the spring, Cirino placed third at the state meet in both the 1,500 (3:54.21) and 3,000 (8:21.04).

Jarrod Coy, West Salem swimming

The junior took second place in the 500 freestyle (4:40.19) and placed sixth in the 200 freestyle (1:44.76) at the Class 6A state meet at Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center in Beaverton.

Coy also swam the first leg of West Salem’s seventh-place 400 freestyle relay team.

Jay R Flores, McNary soccer

The senior was named the Central Valley Conference player of the year and earned Class 6A first-team all-state honors after leading McNary to the state semifinals.

Gabe Haines, Central football and track and field

The swept the Class 5A discus (156 feet, 5 inches) and shot put (52-2 3/4) titles at Hayward Field.

On the football field, he earned second-team all-state honors as a defensive lineman and honorable mention recognition on the offensive line. He is a Colgate University football signee.

Gavin Hall, Western Christian basketball

For the second year in a row, the senior guard was named the Class 2A state player of the year. Hall helped lead Western Christian to a second consecutive state title.

Kenya Johnson, Sprague football, wrestling, track and field

The Olympians’ versatile senior was a Class 6A first-team all-state running back, an honorable mention all-state linebacker and the Central Valley Conference offensive player of the year.

During the winter season, Johnson won his first-ever state wrestling title when he captured the 6A 190-pound crown by 5-2 decision.

In the spring, Johnson qualified for the state meet at 400 meters and ran a leg on Sprague’s seventh-place 4×400-meter relay team.

Landon Knox, Cascade basketball

The Cougars’ senior earned Class 4A first-team all-state honors and was named the Oregon West Conference player of the year after helping lead Cascade to a third-place state finish.

Isaiah Koehnke, Regis basketball

Koehnke set the Oregon career scoring and ended his Regis career with 2,664 points after helping his team reach the Class 2A state semifinals. He surpassed former Lake Oswego star and NBA standout Kevin Love (2,628).

Koehnke earned first-team all-state honors for the second consecutive season.

Carson Langford, Dallas wrestling

The Dragons’ freshman captured the Class 5A 190-pound state title by major decision at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.

Last June, Langford won 187-pound freestyle and Greco-Roman gold medals at the U15 Pan Am Championships in El Salvador.

Sawyer Nelson, South Salem baseball

The Saxons’ junior shortstop earned Class 6A first-team all-state honors and was named the Central Valley Conference player of the year after hitting .543 with 13 home runs, 63 RBIs and a 1.109 slugging percentage.

Nelson, who helped South Salem to the state quarterfinals, has committed to play at Loyola Marymount University.

Derek Olivo, McNary track and field

The sophomore won the Class 6A javelin state title (196-4) and took second in the discus (155) at Hayward Field in Eugene.

Olivo’s personal-best javelin throw of 202-1 at the Vic Downs Mac Invite on April 11 was the best in the state of Oregon this season.

Addison Samuell, Stayton soccer

The senior was named the Class 4A state player of the year and the Oregon West Conference player of the year after scoring 40 goals — tied for seventh-most in state history for a single season, regardless of classification.

Samuell helped lead Stayton to the state semifinals.

Braxton Singleton, North Salem track and field and football

The junior captured the Class 6A 110-meter hurdles state title with a personal-best time of 14.77 seconds at Hayward Field in Eugene. One week earlier, at the district meet, he took down a school record in the same event that had stood for 63 years.

On the football field, Singleton earned first-team all-conference honors as a defensive back and earned second-team recognition as a wide receiver.

Jarod Stanley, Sprague basketball

The senior was named the Central Valley Conference co-player of the year, earned Class 6A honorable mention all-state honors and helped Sprague place fourth at the state tournament at the Chiles Center in Portland.

Stanley has committed to play at Western Oregon next season.

Calvin Stewart, South Salem track and field

The junior claimed the Class 6A state high jump title with a winning mark of 6-7 3/4 at Hayward Field in Eugene.

Stewart’s personal-best leap of 6-9 3/4 at the April 5 Oregon Relays was the second-best in the state of Oregon this season.

Sawyer Teeney, Silverton football and basketball

The senior quarterback earned Class 5A second-team all-state honors and was named the Mid-Willamette Conference co-offensive player of the year after throwing for 32 touchdowns and just two interceptions while passing at a 73% clip.

In the winter, he earned honorable mention all-conference honors on the basketball court.

Teeney, who helped Silverton to the state semifinals, is a University of Idaho football signee.

Cruz Veliz, Woodburn basketball

The Bulldogs’ senior earned Class 5A second-team all-state honors, marking the fourth season in a row that he has earned either first- or second-team recognition.

Grady Wolf, St. Paul football and basketball

The senior was a Class 2A first-team all-state quarterback and first-team defensive back. He ran for a team-high 125 yards and a touchdown in St. Paul’s 28-20 win over Oakland in the 2A state title game at Cottage Grove High School.

Wolf earned honorable mention all-state recognition on the basketball court.

Bo Zurcher, Silverton wrestling and football

The Foxes’ senior won the Class 5A 165-pound wrestling title in thrilling fashion, landing a takedown with just eight seconds left in the third round to earn a 5-3 victory at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.

In the fall, Zurcher earned all-state honorable mention recognition at linebacker after helping Silverton football to the state semifinals.

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The boys of summer have captivated baseball fans for generations with sweet swings, savory hot dogs and a welcome escape during the sweltering months. But what if, for a few weeks of the year in a handful of ballparks across the country, they became the boys under the black lights?

Cosmic Baseball offers an electric new take on America’s pastime that features UV-reflective neon balls and fluorescent jerseys, and is played before screaming fans and children lucky enough to score tickets.

The first half of the game generally looks like a regular matchup, with a few quirks like pitchers in helmets and players running the bases backward. But after a brief intermission, there’s a cosmic “transformation” for a completely new nocturnal game.

“For us, it’s how big of an environment can you create,” said Chris Martin, the creator and co-founder of the league. “And how many memories can you bring when the black lights go on?”

Martin says about 80%-85% of the players who make up the two teams — the Cosmic Chili Peppers and the Glow Mojis — are former professionals who competed in either the minor leagues or abroad and wanted to be a part of something breaking new ground.

With a huge smile, he added, “You’re going to see something and go, ‘This is absolutely insane.’”

Martin founded the Tri-City Chili Peppers a few years ago as part of a summer collegiate league. He told NBC News that one day a lightbulb went off in his head during a glow stick and ’80s night — what if they tried to play the game in the dark?

Martin said he initially was rebuffed by lighting companies tasked with trying to pull it off.

“We met with a group and they said, ‘It doesn’t exist,’” Martin recalls. “You could put 300 black lights out and it’s still probably not going to illuminate, because there’s nothing that’s in existence that’s going to have that much spread play on a field like this.”

Fast-forward six months with some heavy-duty R&D, and the same company called him back to let Martin know they’d cracked the code.

“I got a text message saying, ‘Hey, your black lights are ready,’” Martin said. “I was not expecting that. … I thought [that vision] was over.”

Far from it.

In its second season, Cosmic Baseball has been flooding social media feeds and currently boasts a 300,000- to 400,000-person waitlist.

The Cosmic Chili Peppers and Glow Mojis — selling attractive merchandise and swag that generate long lines at stadiums — play at Shepherd Stadium in Colonial Heights, Virginia, with a seating capacity of about 2,000 people.

But the game’s immense popularity has already led to an expanding summer schedule, with the teams taking their act on the road to larger parks in cities like Nashville, Tennessee; Sugar Land, Texas; and Durham, North Carolina.

Major League Baseball has been backing the initiative, as well, pumping up the exhibition games that could someday be played in a host of minor and even major league parks.

“I think the biggest piece for us is, how do you create a family environment?” said Martin. “And everybody walks up to us at the end of the day and says, ‘This is built for families.’”

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Ali Krieger retired from professional soccer two years ago after winning the 2023 NWSL Championship with Gotham FC, but that doesn’t mean she’s stopped playing.

And it definitely doesn’t mean she’s stopped winning.

The two-time World Cup winner joined her former teammates, as well as some new faces, to form the US Women’s team at The Soccer Tournament (TST) in Cary, North Carolina, earlier this month. A goal from the U.S. Under-23 and University of North Carolina midfielder Evelyn Shores, assisted by Krieger’s former national team teammate Heather O’Reilly, earned the group a second consecutive title at the seven-on-seven tournament and the $1million prize.

“It was incredible,” Krieger told The Athletic, describing joining O’Reilly and other former teammates such as Jo Lohman, Carli Lloyd, as well as former Arsenal defender and girlfriend Jen Beattie. “It’s just enjoyable to play with my former teammates again, who I’ve won championships with over the years, and then just to see the young talent rise.”

Sitting in 100-degree heat in the heart of Manhattan, Krieger spoke to The Athletic while getting ready for another short-side match. This time it was to play in a five-on-five charity match called Showdown, organized by her friend, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and soccer enthusiast Steve Nash, via his eponymous foundation. The mini-tournament featured former and current professional basketball and soccer players to raise money for children in need.

“I miss the game so much, so kind of dabbling in it one weekend at a time every year is enough for me,” Krieger told The Athletic on Tuesday ahead of the event.

The hunger to grow the game hasn’t left her. And while she’s no longer lacing up her boots at the highest level, she is expanding her investment portfolio to give back and stay in the game.

Earlier this year, Krieger invested equity in League One Volleyball (LOVB). She said she sees women’s sports not just as a place where she used to compete, but as an ecosystem worth investing in.

“I’d love to get into women’s hockey as well as basketball, and of course, I want to keep expanding my role in the NWSL,” she said, and not only as an analyst, a job she’s had with ESPN since 2024.

“I want to be an owner and invest fully in an organization so that I can have more of an impact on the day-to-day side of things,” Krieger said.

She’s part of a growing wave of former U.S. women’s national team players betting on women’s sports, particularly on the league they bruised their legs for many years. After retiring from the team, Alex Morgan became a minority investor in the San Diego Wave FC, the club where she closed out her playing career and where her jersey will be retired in the fall. Lauren Holiday joined the ownership group of the North Carolina Courage, while Abby Wambach and Mia Hamm are both part of the high-profile investor group behind Angel City FC. Aly Wagner is part of the Bay FC ownership group, together with Brandi Chastain, Danielle Slaton, and Leslie Osborne.

Krieger retired from professional soccer as the NWSL was hitting a major inflection point, when investors were lining up and franchise valuations were soaring into the double-digit millions. Today, her vision includes helping shape where the game goes next. While the NWSL has announced new expansion teams in Boston and Denver, Krieger believes there’s more fertile ground in the U.S.

“I think Las Vegas would be amazing,” she said. “Arizona, Atlanta, Austin, these are all amazing cities for soccer.”

One close to the Virginia-native’s home is Philadelphia, and she thinks it deserves a team. She also sees room for another team in the New York area, where she finished her career.

“I’d love to see another team in New York someday,” she added. “Rivalries matter. They grow the game.”

But rivalries alone won’t sustain the next phase of women’s soccer. For that, Krieger thinks it’s time for the NWSL teams to think and act like clubs.

“It would be great to have that model, just like it is in Europe, where you start at the youth level and you move through the ranks. That consistency breeds elite talent. It’s not just kids coming to play; there is a structure, but it’s going to take some time.”

Ali Krieger finished her professional career with Gotham FC in NWSL. (Ira L. Black – Corbis / Getty Images)

That development also involves the national team players, like her former TST teammate, Shores, who benefited from a half-year of camps dedicated to developing the under-23 age group.

“That pathway hasn’t always been smooth. (U.S. head coach) Emma (Hayes) is fixing that,” Krieger said. “Giving these young rookies a real chance? It’s exciting. And they deserve it if they’re showing up in the league.”

The development adds a level of competition, too, Krieger believes. “No one is guaranteed a spot, and that’s how it should be.”

As for Krieger’s role, she’ll continue to do what she can from the sidelines, even as that desire to be in the middle of the action remains.

“When I’m not playing, I’m more nervous,” she admitted. “You can’t control anything. On the field, at least you feel like you can help. Off it, you’re just watching, and yelling doesn’t do much.”

(Top photo: Marleen Moise / Getty Images)