Local athletes feted at Everett School District banquet

Published 1:19 pm Friday, June 3, 2016

EVERETT — It was a Seagull sweep at Cascade High School Thursday night.

Less than a week after Nick Blair won a state shot put title and Sydney Taggart won the final softball game of her high school career at the 3A state tournament, the pair was recognized as the athletes of the year at the Everett School District Athletic Awards Night sponsored by Dwayne Lane’s.

“It’s definitely a fun way to go out. It’s a great night,” Blair said. “It feels like, right now, this is kind of stacking up with winning state. That, now this, it’s really a great time in my life.”

The annual event, which began as the Walsh-Platt award in 1962, honors four seniors from the three schools that make up the Everett School District: Jackson, Cascade and Everett. Two athletes of the year are selected and receive a $2,500 scholarship and plaque recognizing their achievements.

The banquet also honors coaches, parents and three-sport athletes from the three schools.

Blair was a three-year letterman in football and four-year letterman in track. He won a state title in the shot put at this year’s 3A state meet and finished fifth in the discus.

The senior was a big part of the Seagulls’ success on the gridiron this season, being named first-team all-Wesco at offensive line.

Blair said the people are what made his experience at EHS so special.

“I would say the people and the culture of Everett High itself,” Blair said. “You get so many old-timers that come through and are like, ‘I went to Everett. Go Seagulls!’ It’s great to see how much everyone loves Everett. And I’m a part of that tradition — that family at Everett.”

He was also excited to see Everett sweep against district rivals Cascade and Jackson for athlete of the year.

“It’s always great when Everett does something good,” a smiling Blair said, “especially when they sweep it against those two.”

Blair, who boasts a 3.61 grade-point average and spends time serving food to the homeless, will continue his football career at Eastern Washington.

Taggart was a four-year varsity softball and basketball player at Everett — she also spent two years on the volleyball team. Taggart was The Herald’s Softball Player of the Year as a junior and helped lead the Everett team to the semifinals of the 3A state tournament two years in a row, where the Seagulls placed second and third.

The Everett senior has a 3.89 grade-point average, helped with the EHS softball and basketball kids camps for four years and volunteers in the Tutoring Center at Everett High School.

“I don’t really sleep. Sleep is not in my schedule,” Taggart said with a laugh. “You find some time here and there — maybe in class a few times.”

Being a nominee for Everett and winning the athlete of the year award was a longtime goal for Taggart.

“It’s something that I’ve always really wanted to get. I’m really proud,” Taggart said. “It’s just kind of the finale. I see it as one of the top awards — top athlete, top student out of all three schools in Everett.”

Taggart plans to continue her softball career at Pacific Lutheran University.

She hopes to become a teacher and coach, perhaps even one day taking over for Everett softball coach Mike Millar at her alma mater.

“I think that would be pretty cool,” Taggart said. “I like teaching, I really like coaching and I like sports so I think that would be a really good fit.”

Along with Blair and Taggart, Erin Gordon and Sean Underhill were the honorees for Everett. Jackson was represented by senior scholar-athletes Dylan Roy, Colton Faddis, Drew Locknane and Michal Jones. Cascade’s nominees included Cameron McGrath, Vy Nguyen, Cassidy McGhehey and Brennen Hancock.

The event also honored two student-athletes from each school with the Cliff Gillies Award, named after the longtime local administrator. The 2016 Cliff Gillies Award winners for Everett were Ulises Aceves-Castaneda and Emily Ness; Candace Han and Faddis won for Jackson; and Kirsten Syberg and McGrath received the honor for Cascade.