A pair of Rainier standouts, Mollee Schwegler and Brandon Cataldo, were named Most Valuable Players in girls and boys basketball, respectively, in the Lewis and Clark 3A League following a recent vote of the league’s coaches.

Schwegler, a senior guard, was joined on the first team by Clatskanie’s KayLee Taylor, Warrenton’s Lauren Dove, Brooklyn Campbell and Jordane Marxer, and Sierra King of Portland Adventist.

Second-team picks included Rainier’s Kayla Nagunst and Clatskanie’s Teauna Hughes, and named to the honorable mention team were Maria Nolan of Clatskanie and Rainier’s Amanda Schwegler.

Warrenton’s John Mattila was named the girls’ Coach of the Year.

Cataldo, a junior center, was joined on the boys’ first team by Clatskanie’s K.C. Taylor, Cody Patterson of Warrenton, Vernonia’s Byron Schorzman, Ryan Polk of Portland Adventist and Juan Hernandez of Oregon Episcopal.

Second-teamers included Rainier’s Jake Drabandt and Ethan Andrews of Clatskanie. Rainier’s Daryl Paddock made honorable mention.

Rainier’s Joe Neill was named the boys’ Coach of the Year.

Naselle trio are first-teamers

Naselle seniors Nathan Sultemeier and Conor Smith, and junior Austin Burkhalter, who led the Comets to the Pacific 2B League title, earned first-team all-league honors in boys basketball after a vote of the league’s coaches.

Rounding out the first team were North Beach players Jamaal Lind, Russel Alfaro and Derek Moore, Ocosta’s Kaylan Forbis and Richard Graham, Danny Xaysy of Raymond, Robbie Groeschell of Northwest Christian and South Bend’s Ryan Vonmixay.

Naselle’s Nick Hines was named to the honorable mention squad, and Northwest Christian won the Sportsmanship Award.

David Lorton of South Bend was named the league’s Most Valuable Player, with John Peterson of Willapa Valley and Larry Moore of North Beach sharing Coach of the Year honors.

Locals in all-state series

Mark Morris volleyball players Rebecca Haight and Tara Anderson, and Castle Rock’s Heather Shulke and Emmy Dolan were selected to play in the Washington State Coaches Association’s 23rd annual All-State Volleyball Series.

The contests will be held July 19 at Fife High School, with the Class 1B/2B match at 4 p.m., followed by the 1A/2A game at 6 and the 3A/4A match at 8.

Players are selected based on all-league recognition, their team placing in league and at the state tournament, team awards, experience in club volleyball, the overall strength of their league, scholarship offers and grade point average.

Haight and Anderson will be joined on the 2A team by Centralia’s Jonika McMillan, and Tumwater’s Alex Sele and Amanda Warner.

Joining Shulke and Dolan on the 1A team will be Stevenson’s Kelsey Penner. Castle Rock’s Lacey Seidl was selected an alternate.

Players competing on the Class 4A team include Alivia Fields and Michaela Mareva of Heritage, and Skyview’s Jenna Watson and Leanna Ludes.

Anthony hired at Evergreen

Former Las Vegas-area prep coach Charles Anthony was recently hired to coach the Evergreen High School football team beginning this fall.

Anthony replaces Tom Smythe, who left Evergreen after two seasons. Smythe decided to return to Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego, where he previously served as head coach.

In five campaigns at Cheyenne High School in North Las Vegas, Anthony led the Desert Shields to a 42-12 record, which included a berth in the state semifinals in 2008. Despite his success, Anthony was fired as the school’s coach at the conclusion of the season.

OSAA fines three schools

The Oregon State Activities Association recently fined Crater High School of Central Point a record $3,100 after it was revealed that the school’s wrestling coach had committed several violations of the state athletic code.

Crater joins Banks and Hermiston, which also were required to pay fines to the OSAA for misconduct.

Besides the fine leveled against Crater, the OSAA placed the program on two years probation and banned the coach from team activities through the end of the 2009-2010 school year. The fines and probation are based on the actions of wrestling coach Greg Haga, who entered an academically ineligible wrestler in a tournament in Hawaii under a false name, among other violations.

Central Point School District 6 superintendent Randy Gravon, whose jurisdiction includes Crater High School, said the school’s athletic department doesn’t have enough money to cover its fine, forcing the district to use funds from its operating budget.

High school associations of California, Nevada and Idaho also use fines to punish violators, but the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, which governs prep activities, does not.

Money from fines goes into the OSAA’s operating fund, and a portion is redistributed to member schools each year to reimburse them for part of the cost of participating in OSAA playoffs and championship events.

Banks received a $1,000 fine from the OSAA for violations involving its wrestling program, with the fines to be paid from the contingency fund in the school’s athletic budget.

Hermiston was fined $200 when a football player made physical contact with an official during a game last fall. The fine could have been $1,000, but in this case the OSAA determined that the player had no malicious intent toward the official.

The school won’t be held responsible for paying the fine. Each Hermiston athlete and coach is required to sign a code of conduct, and places the burden of paying a fine on the individual whose actions are penalized. The football player who made contact with the official paid Hermiston’s $200 fine.