By James Day
There is this familiar NCAA television advertisement which shows folks in judicial robes playing basketball and people in the garb of other occupations playing sports of some kind. The message the NCAA is trying to deliver is that most people who are involved in sports wind up in careers that have nothing to do with athletics.
Which is why what a person does in the classroom is almost always more important than what they do on the ball field.
Which is why I love reporting on the OSAA’s all-academic awards. It’s about athletes doing great things in class. Students deserve recognition for that.
Here are the numbers for the 2012-13 school year:
The Cascade girls basketball team led all Class 4A schools with a 3.81 grade-point average.
When asked for comment on why his squad performed so well in the classroom, Cougars coach Mark Stevens put the question to his players. Here is what they came up with: parent emphasis, coaches encourage self-discipline and good time management skills.
One other Stayton area team finished No. 1 in its class, Scio football, with a 3.61 that led Class 3A. The Logger’s GPA was the highest for any football team in the state, regardless of class.
Here is each school’s listing:
Stayton: The Eagles, who won their 11th consecutive OSAA dance and drill title, took fifth academically with a 3.39 GPA. Stayton squads above 3.0 but outside the top 10 included softball (3.20), boys golf (3.31), boys tennis (3.41), girls tennis (3.47), girls track and field (3.54), boys swimming (3.30), girls swimming (3.22), boys basketball (3.25) and girls basketball (3.35).
Cascade: The Cougars finished tied for eighth in softball (3.57), ninth in boys track and field (3.40) and fifth in wrestling (3.28). Cascade squads outside the top 10 were baseball (3.27), boys tennis (3.37), girls tennis (3.50), cheerleading (3.11), boys swimming (3.25), girls swimming (3.61) and boys basketball (3.29).
Regis’ top finish was No. 2 in Class 2A volleyball at 3.83, trailing only Tri-River Conference rival Kennedy. Top 10 finishes were softball (tied for sixth, 3.67), girls track and field (sixth, 3.67) and girls cross country (seventh, 3.78). Rams teams above 3.0 but outside the top 10 were baseball (3.11), boys golf (3.27), girls golf (3.22) and girls basketball (3.58).
Scio was fifth in boys basketball (3.62), fourth in girls basketball (3.78), fourth in volleyball (3.86) and tied for seventh in cross country (3.73).
Santiam’s best finish was a No. 4 in Class 2A girls basketball (3.78). The Wolverines finished tied for seventh in volleyball (3.62).
Regis was the highest Stayton-area finisher in the Oregonian Cup all-sports competition, taking seventh in Class 2A. Cascade was 15th and Stayton 33rd in 4A, Scio was 21st in 3A and Santiam was No. 26 in 2A.
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