Gonzaga Prep sweeps junior SWABs awards

Unbeaten Gonzaga Prep football and girls basketball teams and coaches swept the 2015 Inland Northwest Sportswriters and Broadcasters youth awards honors, winning the trophies in six categories.

The awards are underwritten by SWABs, Arby’s, Ritzville Warehouse, Swinging Doors and Wildrose Graphics.

Evan Weaver, Bullpups football star and future California Golden Bear was voted Junior Male Athlete of the Year. The Bullpups finished the season 14-0 capped by the Washington Class 4A state championship to be voted Junior Male Team winner. Dave McKenna, architect of the season, is SWABs Junior Male Coach of the Year.

Prep’s Laura Stockton, the Associated Press Player of the Year, was the SWABS choice for Junior Female Athlete of the Year. The Bullpups swept through its second straight perfect season at 27-0 to claim its second straight State 4A title and Junior Team of the Year. Mike Arte was named Junior Female Coach of the Year as well.

Weaver, ostensibly a defender in Gonzaga’s two-platoon system, became a catalyst on offense as well. When called upon to carry the ball, he had four games where he rushed for more than 100 yards, piling up some 900 yards total including more than 400 combined in the Bullpups last three playoff games. Included was a 188-yard, 4-touchdown game in the semifinals (one on an interception return).

Stockton averaged 17.7 points, 5.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds as part of the one-two punch that carried Prep to a 51-1 two-year record, including 50 straight during the back-to-back titles.

The Bullpups football season opened with two close victories, one in overtime, had a relatively easy GSL run and blowouts in two of five playoff games that ended in a 31-16 over Skyline for the title.

The basketball team’s average victory margin was 24 points per game, although the winning streak was in jeopardy four times, including the state semifinals and finals when Stockton won the former with a 3-point basket in the game’s final nine seconds. It took two overtimes to claim the title.

Both McKenna, a Bullpups alum who also played in a title game as a player, and Arte have been longtime successful coaches who have guided their teams to the pinnacle and are so honored.