Basin home to state champions
COLUMBIA BASIN — With the prep postseasons for fall sports rapidly approaching, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), Dairy Farmers of Washington, and Les Schwab Tires announced the academic state champions for the 2009 fall season Wednesday.
COLUMBIA BASIN — With the prep postseasons for fall sports rapidly approaching, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), Dairy Farmers of Washington, and Les Schwab Tires announced the academic state champions for the 2009 fall season Wednesday.
The Scholastic Awards Program recognizes the high school teams in each sport and classification with the highest grade point average, according to the WIAA.
When the WIAA announced the 2009 award winners, three Columbia Basin high schools and teams were recognized for their hard work and dedication in their classrooms.
The Othello Huskies football team wrapped up the 2A classification academic state championship with a 3.270 grade point average for 40 participants. Othello’s academic state championship is the first for the football program under head coach Roger Hoell and the first for the school since the boys cross country team earned the honor in 1996 with a 3.65 grade point average.
Odessa claimed the 1B classification football academic state championship with a recorded 3.430 team grade point average for 14 participants. The academic was the second academic state championship for the program under head coach Bruce Todd and the fourth football academic state championship for the school. The Tigers won the 2004 academic state championship with a 3.341 grade point average. Odessa also won academic titles in 1991 and 1989.
The Royal Lady Knights girls volleyball team earned their third straight academic state championship in the 1A classification with an impressive 3.919 team grade point average.
In addition to earning three consecutive academic state championships, the Lady Knights have the distinction of watching their team grade point average improve since winning their first title in 2007. The Lady Knights wrapped up the 2007 title with a 3.798 grade point average and they watched it improve to 3.825 on their way to the 2008 state championship.
With the announcement of the academic state champions, the WIAA, Dairy Farmers of Washington and Les Schwab Tires fall state championships will being next weekend with the boys and girls state cross country meet Nov. 7 in Pasco, Wash.
The fall state championships will wrap up the weekend of Nov. 27 and Nov. 28 with the football state championship games.