By Jeremy McDonald

jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com

The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club honored South Salem’s Mackenzie Scott (softball), Blanchet Catholic’s Alexis Jensen (softball), South Salem’s Lydia Stuart (Girls Track and Field), West Salem’s Tyler Rock (Baseball), South Salem’s Chris Bedard (Boys Tennis) and Sprague’s Milano Cedillo-Rodriguez for the Week of May 6.

Here’s the Press Release:

The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from South Salem Softball, is Mackenzie Scott.
Mackenzie, a junior, catches for the 13-6 Saxons. In the 8-4 win over Sprague Mackenzie, the Saxons leadoff hitter, was the catalyst going 2-5 with 1 run, 1 RBI, and a stolen base. In this week’s 10-6 win over West she was 3 for 5 with 3 runs, 2 stolen bases while also catching a runner attempting to steal. On Wednesday South traveled to Bend to play two 3 games against Summit that only went 3 innings. The Saxons won both games, 15-0 and 16-0 respectively, while Mackenzie was 3-5 with 4 runs and 2 RBIs.

Congratulations Mackenzie from the Salem Sports and Breakfast Club!

The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from Blanchet Softball, is Alexis Jensen.
Alexis, a senior and captain, is a catcher for the 5-5 Cavaliers. In the 15-5 win over Amity Alexis was 3 for 3 with a homerun, a double, and a single. She also had two walks and had four RBIs.

Congratulations Alexis from the Salem Sports and Breakfast Club!

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The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from South Salem Girls Track and Field, is Lydia Stuart.

Lydia is a senior for Saxon Track and Field. A league leader in the pole vault, she is ranked 2nd in state and is the current SSHS record holder at 12’0″. She is also ranked 2nd in the Mountain Valley Conference in the 100 meters and a member of the 2nd ranked MVC 4×100 meter relay together with Brooksie Isham, Mya Fry, and Sevyn Watson.

Coach Tyson Gilmour added, “She is a fierce and focused competitor. She is also a member of our Girls 4×100 relay that ran a very quick 50.37 at the Oregon Relays. [She] plans to pole vault for San Diego State and major in Environmental Science and Sustainability.”

Congratulations Lydia from the Salem Sports and Breakfast Club!

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The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from West Salem Baseball, is Tyler Rock.

Tyler, a junior, is a pitcher and infielder for the Titans. Last week he went 6-10 with 6 RBI’s, two doubles, and a homerun while scoring three runs.

Coach Blair added, “Tyler is a very positive and respectful young man. He works hard both in the classroom and on the field and we as coaches would consider him what we call a “program” guy. He does everything that is asked of him and is willing to ask questions in order to learn and grow. Tyler is quiet by nature and has always just gone about his business as a player. He has always been very coachable and is open to suggestions and feedback from his coaches. Over the past couple weeks, Tyler had really struggled at the plate. At one point his playing time had been reduced significantly. Without hesitation, Tyler continued to be that same hard working and positive young man. He was first to pick up a clip board, pick up his teammates as they came off the field, continued to be engaged in the game during practice/games, and continued to be a good teammate in this unfamiliar role. Well, that mentality and character paid off tremendously as Tyler took advantage of an opportunity to play again. He had a breakout game against McNary and from there continued that trend throughout the week. Working through that adversity and then being rewarded with something like this is a true testament to Tyler’s character. Tyler is very deserving of this recognition. Very proud as a coach to see this come full circle. What a great kid!”

Congratulations Tyler from the Salem Sports and Breakfast Club!

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The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from South Salem Boys Tennis, is Chris Bedard.

Chris, a senior, is a co-captain for the Saxons. Chris is hard to beat. This season he is 11-0 with 5 matches having been won 6-0, 6-0. Overall his in-season record from 2020 through 2022 is 19-0.

Coach James Heyen wrote, “I’d like to begin by describing his junior year on the team. Chris and his fellow teammate Pranav Ramesh were about equal in their games at the beginning of the season, and with Pranav being the senior, I deferred to him to play in our number one spot. As the season went by, Chris continued to improve and had surpassed Pranav by mid-season. When I suggested that Chris challenge Pranav to see if he could take over the number one spot, he wasn’t willing to do so. Not only did Chris want Pranav to finish his senior year playing in the number one spot, but they were also good friends. Chris deferred to Pranav out of generosity, and continued playing at the #2 spot where he racked up an undefeated season, losing to the number one seed in the semifinals of districts. Chris exhibited a great deal of character in deciding to defer to his good friend.

This year, Chris is having another exceptional season at number one. He’s still undefeated, and has not lost a single set – either in-conference or out. In many of his matches, he’s faced opponents who simply don’t play at nearly the same level. Even in defeating them 6-0, 6-0, his opponents most often still leave the court with smiles on their faces because Chris is gracious, complimentary, and kind. Chris supports his teammates and leads by example with his fellow co-captain, Marc Nickel. Chris is going to attend Grand Canyon University in Phoenix Arizona next year to pursue a degree in nursing and play for the men’s team.”

Congratulations Chris from the Salem Sports and Breakfast Club!

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The Salem Sports and Breakfast Club Les Schwab Athlete of the Week, from Sprague Boys Track and Field, is Milano Cedillo-Rodriguez.

Milano is a senior for the Olys. Milano set the top mark in the Mountain Valley Conference for the 800 meters of 1:58.46 at the Dean Nice Invitational at Gresham HS on Friday. He is currently 11th all-time at Sprague in the 800. He is also the anchor leg in the 4×4 relay that is currently ranked 2nd in the Conference.

Congratulations Milano from the Salem Sports and Breakfast Club!

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​High school sports matter.