This Tri-Cities team capped off stellar season with MCC all-league football team honors

Chiawana, which advanced to the Class 4A semifinals this fall, dominated this year’s Mid-Columbia Conference all-conference football team, winning all four of the major awards.

Scott Bond was named Coach of the Year, while senior Braxton Feldmann is Offensive Player of the Year.

Brian Kuhn, another senior, is Lineman of the Year; and senior Cooper MacPherson is MCC Defensive Player of the Year.

Kuhn, Feldmann and MacPherson were also first-team selections by the league’s coaches.

Feldmann made the first unit at three different positions: running back, defensive back and kick returner.

Kuhn anchors both sides of the line, offensive and defensively.

And MacPherson, who has signed with Eastern Washington University, leads the linebackers.

Five other Riverhawks also were named to the first team: freshman Cooper Cissne at defensive back, junior Tayten Cissne at linebacker, junior Morgan Dodson at kicker, senior Ethan Elward at defensive lineman, and senior Brooks Zaro at tight end.

Richland had seven players named to the first team, including three of the four wide receivers on the list in seniors Colson Mackey and Preston Bryant, and junior Brody Bocek.

Bombers sophomore Jackson Woodard was the team’s quarterback, while senior Jaxon Jones (offensive line), junior Sylen Kissel-Kauhane (linebacker) and senior Zach Rose (defensive back) were also first-teamers.

Kennewick, which made it to the Class 3A quarterfinals in November, had five first-team selections — including two-way standout and senior Tanner Larson at both tight end and defensive line.

Other selections for the Lions include senior offensive lineman Jose Cadenas, junior linebacker Cooper Neer, and senior defensive lineman Collin Willborn.

Kamiakin had five first-team selections, led by senior offensive lineman Landon Biglin. Also on the team are sophomore wide receiver Michael Kori, senior defensive back David Kuku, senior offensive lineman Baker Mundy, and senior linebacker Dominic Powell.

Southridge and Walla Walla each had one first-team player.

Suns junior Gabe Borisch, who led the MCC in rushing with over 1,700 yards, made the team at running back.

Blue Devils senior Kooper Shields was named first-team punter.

College cross country

Hanford High grad Mia Beightol, who won the women’s individual title in November at the Northwest Athletic Conference cross country championships, was named the NWAC women’s cross country athlete of the year recently.

Beightol is a freshman competing for Clark College in Vancouver, Wash.

College football

Gabe Tahir, a redshirt freshman who hasn’t played a down yet for the Boise State University football team, announced on Dec. 9 he was entering the transfer portal.

Tahir is a 6-foot-1, 200-pound safety and a Kamiakin High School graduate.

As of Dec. 20, Idaho State has offered Tahir a scholarship.

BSU has a 12-1 record and is playing in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

College baseball

Keep an eye on the Eastern Oregon University baseball team this coming spring.

There are seven Mid-Columbia athletes on the Mountaineers roster, starting with senior catcher Matthew Carlson, who played at Hanford High School and Blue Mountain Community College.

Third baseman Easton Espinoza, a junior and Chiawana grad, transferred in from Wenatchee Valley College; while senior right-handed pitcher Niko Wiltz (Kamiakin and Walla Walla Community College) will see action on the mound.

Also part of the pitching staff is junior RHP Tyler Harper (Tri-Cities Prep), redshirt junior RHP Ryan Etzkorn (WWCC), senior RHP Dalton Jones (WWCC), and redshirt senior RHP and infielder Tucker Zander (WWCC).

EOU opens its season on Feb. 6 at Park University Gilbert in Arizona.

Prep soccer

Prosser’s girls soccer team finished with a 14-4 overall record this fall, and the Mustangs were co-champions of the 2A Central Washington Athletic Conference, along with Ellensburg, with 7-1 records.

The Mustangs — whose season ended on Nov. 9 with a 1-0 loss to Pullman in the District 5/6 crossover playoffs — had four players who were named to the CWAC’s first-team all-conference squad, as selected by league coaches.

All seniors, defender Kammie Dunkin, midfielder Tessa Halfmoon, forward Soleil Hoefer, and goalie Abigail Jensen were named to the first team.

Ellensburg senior Jamison Philip was named CWAC Offensive Player of the Year; Selah senior Alejandra Salcedo was named Defensive Player of the Year; and Ellensburg’s Jim Engeland was CWAC Coach of the Year.

Girls basketball

Kamiakin senior Liv Whitemarsh leads the girls basketball team in scoring, averaging 16.7 points through games of Dec. 26.

So far, she has one college offer — from South Dakota School of the Mines — but the way she’s playing, I would expect more.

College basketball

Kamiakin grad Trey Arland was named the Northwest Athletic Conference Male Athlete of the Week for Dec. 9-15 after he led the Walla Walla Community College men’s basketball team to a 3-0 record for the week.

Arland averaged an astounding 39.0 points over the three games. He also averaged 6.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists; and 1.7 blocked shots.

Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Herald.