‘Spokane ESPYs’ celebrate 2024-25 school year achievement in high school sports across Eastern Washington

The Spokane Youth Sports Awards, held annually at the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox, is the culmination of the high school sports season. It’s an opportunity to celebrate some of the most accomplished student-athletes in the city and region – from schools big and small.

For more than a decade, the awards ceremony has been a beacon of recognition for the remarkable dedication and unwavering determination of our local standout athletes and coaches.

The 11th youth sports awards were preceded by a red carpet entrance, earning the ceremony the nickname “Spokane ESPYs,” after the cable network’s annual award show. Even though everyone was dressed in their finest, no one seemed to mind the afternoon’s sweltering temperatures.

The awards are broken into two categories: “Region” awards were presented to schools from Class 1A, 2B and 1B; “Metro” awards went to Class 4A, 3A and 2A, encompassing the Greater Spokane League.

The “Against All Odds” award was renamed last year in honor of Dan Fitzgerald, the former Gonzaga basketball coach who helped put the Zags on the national map.

The awards will continue to be supported by a scholarship established at the Innovia Foundation. In honor of the legendary basketball coach, the “Fitz Committee” established this fund in May 2024. The designated endowment will distribute annually to Spokane Sports Commission for scholarships to graduating high school student-athletes from qualifying local high schools in Eastern Washington counties with demonstrated financial need and academic success, who have overcome social, economic and/or physical obstacles to achieve successful athletic performance.

Rogers all-league basketball player Treshon Green, who was diagnosed with autism as age 5, was one of the recipients of this year’s AAO awards.

“I honestly never thought people would be making this big of a deal about me,” Green said. “It feels great. When I first heard about it, I was on top of the world.”

University senior wrestler Libby Roberts, who won last year in the “Specialized Athlete of the Year” category, won Metro girls Athlete of the Year after capping her spectacular high school career with her fourth consecutive state championship – becoming just the fifth girls wrester in the state to accomplish the feat.

“I feel like that fourth state title, it’s really helped promote the sport over here for girls, which is really awesome,” Roberts said. “That’s my goal – to just grow the sport. And I feel like by winning that fourth state title this year, I really helped kind of break through with that.”

Central Valley senior football/soccer player Beau Butner was named Metro boys Athlete of the Year. He set the Greater Spokane League single-game rushing record of 366 yards this season and was all-league in soccer each of his four years.

“The collection of people that were here, it’s pretty insane. There’s so much going on around Spokane,” Butner said. “It’s such a cool experience with everyone dressed up and everything.”

Matty McIntyre, the Gonzaga Prep boys basketball coach who won his fourth state championship in 15 seasons, was named Metro Coach of the Year.

“I think we definitely surpassed expectations going into the season and to culminate it the way we did, it was pretty incredible,” McIntyre said. “This team wrote its own page in G-Prep basketball history.”

A replay of the broadcast will be available on June 28 and 29 on SWX.

Finalists

Winner in bold.

Region Coach of the Year: TJ Moulton, St. George’s track and field; Dave Ellis, Freeman girls soccer; Darin Reppe, Wilbur-Creston-Keller football.

Metro Coach of the Year: Whitney Abell, Ridgeline volleyball; Michael Lee, Lewis and Clark boys cross country; Matty McIntyre, Gonzaga Prep boys basketball.

Region girls Team of the Year: Freeman girls soccer; Northwest Christian girls basketball; St. George’s girls track and field.

Region boys Team of the Year: Almira/Coulee-Hartline boys basketball; St. George’s boys track and field; Wilbur-Creston-Keller football.

Metro girls Team of the Year: Central Valley girls basketball; Mt. Spokane slowpitch softball; Ridgeline volleyball.

Metro boys Team of the Year: Gonzaga Prep boys basketball; Lewis and Clark boys cross country; Mead boys wrestling.

Region girls Athlete of the Year: Kaidyn Maioho, Wilbur-Creston-Keller volleyball/basketball/track and field; Josie McLaughlin, St. George’s cross country/track and field; Rylee Russell, Freeman girls soccer/basketball/track and field.

Region boys Athlete of the Year: Shawn Jones, St. George’s cross country/basketball/track and field; Kallen Maioho, Wilbur-Creston-Keller football/basketball/golf; Preston Michel, Wilbur-Creston-Keller football/wrestling/baseball.

Metro girls Athlete of the Year: Dezlyn Lundquist, Mead gymnastics/track and field; Brynn McGaughy, Central Valley basketball; Libby Roberts, University wrestling.

Metro boys Athlete of the Year: Brayden Allen, Ridgeline football/basketball; Beau Butner, Central Valley football/soccer; Simon Rosselli, Mead track and field.

Specialized Athlete of the Year: Tianmei Dwyer, Dynamics Gymnastics Academy; Juliette Nau, Parasport Spokane.

Dan Fitzgerald Against All Odds: Cameron Frenk, Cheney cross county/track and field; Alaina Gott, Parasport Spokane; Treshon Green, Rogers boys basketball.