By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club honored West Salem’s Jonah Munns (Boys Basketball), Sprague’s Chaya Palomo (Girls Wrestling), West Salem’s Jarrod Coy (Boys Swimming), Sprague’s Braxton Long (Boys Basketball), West Salem’s Braeli Martin (Girls Basketball), and North Salem’s Kamari Magana (Boys Wrestling) at this past Friday’s meeting.
Here’s the Press Release:
The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from West Salem Boys Basketball, is Jonah Munns.
Jonah is a freshman for the Titans, who are 8-7 on the season and 3-1 in Central Valley Conference play – in a three-way tie with South Salem and Sprague – and ranked 18th in Oregon 6A. He had 27 points in Tuesday’s back-and-forth 83-78 win over South. In the 65-55 win over McNary last week, Jonah scored 12 point while limiting McNary’s second-leading scorer to just 4 points. Coach Dean Sanderson says, “Jonah has been a big surprise for us and has shown toughness, composure and confidence. He’s a 14 year old freshman who has been very impressive and has been a great teammate.”
This is Jonah’s first Athlete of the Week honor.
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The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from Sprague Girls Wrestling, is Chaya Palomo.
Chaya, a junior, is a 3-year varsity captain for the Olys. At the “Kelso-Braided- 64”, the largest girls’ tourney in the US and one of the toughest tournaments on the west coast, she started out unseeded but came away with a 7th place finish. Earlier this season she took 1st at the War of the Roses, which is considered one of the toughest girls’ tournaments in Oregon. Chaya earned the 2024 16 and under triple-crown as Oregon State champion in all three wresting styles. “She’s one of the hardest workers in the room and leads by example. She wrestles year round and takes every opportunity to work on her craft”, says Coach Blaine Cote.
This is Chaya’s first Athlete of the Week honor.
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The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from West Salem Boys Swimming, is Jarrod Coy.
Jarrod is a junior for the Titans and one of the top swimmers in the nation. His best times in the 200 and 500 meters broke his own school records. And his best times in the 100 free and fly set new school records as well. Jarrod qualified for the OSAA State Swim Meet last year in the 200 and 500 freestyle and swam legs on West’s 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays. As a sophomore he placed 3rd at State in the 500 free with a time of 4.43.36.
Coach Dan Evans says, “Jarrod has only lost one race all season. Jarrod has been competing for his club team all over the nation and last weekend in Washington state he had a very successful meet, swimming his favorite races and [achieving the finals] in all his races, in one of the biggest meets on the west coast …”
This is Jarrod’s second athlete of the week award.
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The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from Sprague Boys Basketball, is Braxton Long.
Braxton, a senior, plays point guard for the Olys who are 11-4 on the season and 3-1 in the Central Valley Conference, in a 3-way tie for 1st with South Salem and West Salem, and ranked 8th for Oregon 6A. In the league opener, a 67-51 win over McNary, Braxton had 19 points, 5 boards, and 2 steals. Named 1st team all-league last year, Braxton broke Adam Masten’s 30 year old team assist record earlier this season when he recorded 18 assists in a game. Coach Jordan Graneto says, “Braxton is currently 6th all time in career assists at Sprague High School and is on pace to approach the top 5 by the end of the season. Braxton is a great young man …”
This is Braxton’s first SSBC AoTW honor.
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The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from West Salem Girls Basketball, is Braeli Martin.
Braeli, a senior, plays post for the Titans who are 8-9 on the season, 3-0 in the Central Valley Conference, and currently ranked #18 in the state. Braeli, one of the best softball pitchers in the state, played varsity basketball as a 9th and 10th grader, but took last year off to focus on softball. This season she’s back without seeming to miss a beat. In the first two games of conference play Braeli is averaging 17 points, 5 boards, 2 assists, and 3 steals.
Braeli will be attending Western Oregon University next year and pursuing her softball career.
Braeli was also honored as an AoTW for softball during the 2024 season.
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The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from North Salem Boys Wrestling, is Kamari Magana.
Kamari is a freshman for the Vikings. He is undefeated in Central Valley Conference duals and boasts an overall 10-4 season record. He took first at the 20-team Lebanon Invite last Friday. Coach Andy Pickett describes it: “He had one of the most exciting finals matches as he was down by one point with just 7 seconds left and starting ‘down’ in referee’s position. Without hesitation, off the whistle, Kamari started moving and [executed] a ‘Grandby roll’ [putting] his Wilsonville opponent on his back as time ran out.”
This is Kamari’s first AoTW honor.
