The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club honored Salem Academy’s Jordyn Copeland (Girls Basketball),North Salem’s Jesse Bechtel (Boys Basketball), West Salem’s Abby Evans (Girls Swimming),McKay’s Sebastian Romero (Boys Swimming), South Salem’s Emma Burlison (Girls Basketball) and West Salem’s Tyler Hawkins (Boys Basketball) at February 7’s meeting.
Here’s the Press Release
The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from Salem Academy Girls Basketball, is Jordyn Copeland.
Jordyn, a 9th grader, plays wing for the Crusaders who are 20-2 on the season, 13-0 in conference, and currently ranked #3. Over the last five games Jordyn has averaged 11 points while shooting a blistering 63% from the field. The consistent scoring is coupled with an average of 10 boards, 3 steals, a block and an assist per game. Coach Derek Imig says “Jordyn has played a key role in getting us to where we are today and we are excited to see where this season takes her.”
Jordan was honored as an Athlete of the Week for volleyball as well.
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The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from North Salem Boys Basketball, is Jesse Bechtel.
Jesse is a senior for the Vikings who are 2-5 in league and 11-8 on the season. Jesse helped lead North to their first 6A conference win in 10 years when they beat McNary 50-46 last week. The Vikings went back-to-back Central Valley Conference wins with a 90-78 victory over South Salem. Again, the first back-to-back wins in conference play for North in 10 years. Jesse has averaged 15 points in the last three games. Says Coach Hemingway Hguyen, “He hit big 3-pointers, made important free-throws, and had clutch defensive stands in the fourth quarters of both of our wins.”
This is the first Athlete of the Week honor for Jesse.
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The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from West Salem Girls Swimming, is Abby Evans.
Abby, a junior, is a returning team captain for the Titans who are undefeated in dual meets this season. In the Skip Rumbaugh meet in Albany, she scored 48 points for the team as the Lady Titans took 3rd with only 8 girls in what is the largest high school invitational in Oregon. Abby is on pace to become the all-time points leader in West Salem history. A seven-time varsity letter winner and three-time athlete of the week, she competes in cross country, swimming and track.
Coach Dan Evans says, “[Abby] continues to be the best swimmer at West Salem high school and one of the top swimmers in Oregon. She currently is ranked first in the 500, 200, and 100 free. Our relay teams are all ranked first in the district. She is undefeated in district meets and has only lost one race all season. She has been the MVP for all our meets this season.”
This is Abby’s third Athlete of the Week award for swimming.
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The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from McKay Boys Wrestling, is Sebastian Romero.
Sebastian, a junior, is a 3-year varsity wrestler for the Scots. He is ranked 3rd in the state in 5A with a 35-4 record on the season where 29 of his 35 wins have been wins by major decision, either technical fall or pin. Sebastian has placed first in three tournaments around the state this year.
“He was our 106 varsity wrestler for the last two years, and this year he has moved into the 113 varsity role only to accumulate a better record and set himself up for more success.”, says Coach Trevor Lofstedt.
This is Sebastian’s first Athlete of the Week recognition.
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The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from South Salem Girls Basketball, is Emma Burlison.
Emma, a junior and team captain, plays wing for the Saxons who are 13-6 on the season and 3-1 in conference. In the strong win over Westview of Beaverton, Emma had 21 points and 9 boards. Over her last 5 games she is averaging 12.4 points and 9.3 rebounds a game.
Coach Adrian Lewis says, “Emma is a big part of what we do and represent at South Salem. She is a captain and one heck of a leader…She is also a 4.0 GPA student who takes four IB courses. She is the true definition of what a student athlete is.”
This is Emma’s second Athlete of the Week honor for basketball.
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The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from West Salem Boys Basketball, is Tyler Hawkins.
Tyler, a senior and team captain, plays wing for the Titans who are 10-8 on the season and 4-2 in the Central Valley Conference. Tyler was clutch last week as he led West to two last-minute wins. In the 61-60 win over North Salem, Tyler finished with 27 points, hitting from beyond the arc with under 30 seconds remaining to pull the Titans within two of the Vikings. In the 71-66 upset over top-10 Sherwood, Tyler scored and got fouled with under a minute to go and down one – he finished the game with 19 points and 7 boards. He is leading the conference with 19.6 points per game.
Coach Dean Sanderson says, “Tyler is a wing who is in his 3rd year with the varsity, but just this year has received significant playing time. He is a team captain and has led West Salem to a surprising record at this point of the season.”
