BY ERICK WALKER AND KRIS HILL

ewalker@kentreporter.com

khill@maplevalleyreporter.com

As much as we enjoy selecting an Athlete of the Year, it’s never an easy task and there’s seldom a cut-and-dry selection.

Kentwood High’s Max Manthou earned top honors this year for a multitude of reasons, most notably, however, is the fact that he came away with six state titles. In all of my years of covering prep sports, we had never seen a kid bring home so many crowns. But Manthou wasn’t just good, he was perfect, finishing with an unbeaten high school mark. That said, academics also played into the final decision and Manthou was just as dominant in the classroom, posting a nearly perfect 3.93 cumulative grade-point average.

Still, the final call wasn’t an easy one to make. We always take into heavy consideration athletes who compete in multiple sports.

When it was all said and done, however, Manthou seemed to be the obvious choice. That said, the other candidates, here in alphabetical order, deserve one final nod. I suspect we’ll hear from all of them in one form or another in the years to come.

THE NOMINEES

Nick Bayer, Tahoma: Three time state champion, it’s enough to put him into an elite category.

All he had to do was stick to his style of wrestling, then Bayer could put together a feat only three others have accomplished in school history — win a third state crown.

On Feb. 20, he did just that, winning the 189 pound state title at Mat Classic XXII when he put away Mitch Steed of Emerald Ridge with 10-5 decision in the final.

Bayer’s career record was 140-17. He won the 160 pound title as a sophomore then the 171 pound class as a junior. He finished his senior campaign with a 37-3 record.

“Sophomore year, we weren’t surprised he won it, but we were overwhelmed with, ‘Whoa, he actually did it,’” said Tahoma wrestling coach Chris Feist in February. “Junior year, there was a lot of pressure for him to repeat. We knew he could do it. This year … we knew that if he wrestled his style, stayed in position and pushed the pace that he would win a third.”

Bayer was also an SPSL North Honorable Mention in football. He was a tight end and linebacker for Tahoma.

Derek Eager, Tahoma: Don’t call it a comeback, call it domination.

Injuries plagued Eager’s track and field career previously but he bounced back his senior year in a big way, smashing records, winning titles and throwing his way to the top.

A broken leg slowed Eager down as a junior but his senior year was something special. He set the top mark in the state in javelin when he hurled it 229 feet, 5 inches. He then swept the throwing events at the South Puget Sound League and West Central District meets and wrapped up the season with gold in the javelin and discus to go along with a respectable second place in the shot put at the state championships.

He threw 207 feet, 10 inches to take the top spot in javelin.

“I have wanted to win state for a long, long time,” Eager told the Reporter after the state meet. “It was all good.”

Eager won the discus May 28 with a throw of 179-10. Despite a ferocious wind and rain storm, Eager won the event by more than 10 feet. He took the silver in the shot put May 27 hitting 56-10.75.

Eager said he did better in the discus than he thought he might throwing into a rain and wind storm.

“You have to be happy winning state,” Eager said.

He wasn’t finished at state, though.

On June 4, he competed in the Border Bash at Concordia University in Portland, Ore., where he won the discus with a new personal record throw of 190 feet, 6 inches, then took second place in the shot put with a throw of 56 feet, 1 inch. Part of the event was the Border Duel, which pitted the best of Washington against the best from Oregon, and he won discus and shot in that contest, as well.

Next up is the Junior Nationals June 24-25 in Des Moines, Iowa, his mother Sally Eager explained via e-mail.

Eager will be throwing for the UCLA track and field squad next year on a full athletic scholarship after signing a letter of intent on April 21.

Konner Knudtsen, Tahoma: A two sport standout, Knudtsen crushed opponents on the gridiron and the wrestling mat.

An outside linebacker who played on both sides of the ball, Knudtsen was named to the South Puget Sound League North division first team offense and defense in football as a senior. He racked up six sacks and 28 tackles during his senior season, including a three sack performance against Auburn Riverside.

Knudtsen placed at state all four years he wrestled, including a silver medal at 215 pounds his senior season, in addition to a regional title at the same weight class heading into Mat Classic.

He helped the Bears to a regional team title as well as a second place team finish at state.

He will be playing on the West team in the East-West All-Star football game on June 26 at Everett Memorial Stadium.

Ruben Navejas, Kentwood: Despite just falling short of repeating as state champion, Navejas is one of the best wrestlers in the state in the 103 pound weight class, having racked up an impressive record during his junior season which included a regional title in his weight class. Navejas could cound on one hand how many losses he endured during this past season with the toughest coming at Mat Classic XXII. Still, there is no doubt Navejas, who is also a national freestyle champion, will bounce back and make a charge at another title his senior year.

Austin Pernell, Kentlake: Here’s a kid you can expect to hear more from in the coming years. A sophomore, it’s tough telling which sport is Pernell’s best – football, basketball or baseball. A first-team All-SPSL North outfielder, few can track down a long drive with as much ease or have as much speed. But Pernell was nearly as good during football season, where he earned second-team all-league honors at wide receiver. He followed up with a solid basketball campaign, where he averaged 4.9 points per game.

Josh Smith, Kentwood: No prep athlete in the state altered the outcome of a basketball game more than Smith, Kentwood’s 6-foot-9, 285-pound center who averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots per game in leading the Conquerors to the Class 4A state title. The big guy started off slow, suffering a knee injury early in the season that cost him 10 games, and really didn’t hit full throttle until state. Once there, however, Smith owned the tournament, averaging 23.3 points, 15 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in being named the MVP.

Jackson High guard Brett Kingma summed up Smith’s impact to perfection: “They have Josh Smith. There’s nothing more you can really say. Obviously, he changes the game so much.”

Taylor White, Kentwood: There may not be a more unsung star on the Kentwood High baseball team’s roster. White, a first-team all-league catcher, didn’t just slow down the running game of opposing teams, he stopped it completely. That was never more evident than the Class 4A state semifinals against Federal Way, when White gunned down a pair of baserunners trying to steal. White also can swing the stick as his three home runs attest. A second-team linebacker in football, White will be playing baseball at the next level. He was being scouted by a handful of major league teams during the season.

Tyler Wright, Kentlake: Wright did it all for the Kentlake High football team – kick, run, catch … he even connected on 3 of 4 passes for 61 yards. The SPSL North’s All-Purpose Player of the Year, Wright was a first-team defensive back and second-team wide receiver as well. On offense, he scored caught four touchdowns and ran for four more, but he also was the team’s kicker and best defensive player. During a game against Auburn Riverside, Wright returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns. He also was a key part to KL’s basketball team for which he averaged 6.1 points per game.