Kentlake High School’s student production of “Damn Yankees” last spring has won rave reviews from the pros.

Seven nominations – two of them resulting in wins – were heaped upon “Yankees” during in the 5th Avenue High School Musical Theatre Awards.

In what has been dubbed the state championship of high-school musicals, Kentlake walked away with awards for Outstanding Scenic Design and Outstanding Program Design for “Damn Yankees” at the awards ceremony June 9 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle. The program honored top high school musicals from the 2007-08 school year.

Kentlake’s other nominations were for Outstanding Choreography, Outstanding Scenic Design and Outstanding Lobby Display. And Keenan Ward earned an honorable mention for his performance as Mr. Applegate – the devil.

The “Damn Yankees” set included a stadium with a baseball diamond, a locker room with working shower effects and a replica of a giant television screen measuring 25 feet by 16 feet. The set was designed to glide on and off stage quickly and to rotate. Getting it ready for the March production took about 10 weeks and the work of 20 crew members.

“Damn Yankees” is about a baseball fan in the 1950s who sells his sould to the devil in hope of leading his baseball team to victory.

About 2,500 drama students, their parents and teachers from nominated high schools attended the sixth-annual 5th Avenue event, which was staged Tony Awards-style in 21 categories. Some individual nominees performed songs from their shows.

During the past school year, the 5th Avenue sent a team of theater professionals to evaluate school productions. Categories for nominations ranged from overall musical production to lobby display.

Woodinville High School, for “Good News,” received the most nominations (15) and most awards (three). Kentlake and another Kent School District school, Kentridge (which had a combined 14 nominations for “Little Me,” “She Loves Me” and “Mack and Mabel”), were among five schools winning two awards apiece.