After leading Corvallis High to a 26-2 record and a second-place finish at the state tournament, Spartans coach Greg Garrison has been named 5A Coach of the Year.

"It feels good obviously," Garrison said Wednesday night. "I'm flattered my peers would vote me, but this a reflection of the whole program."

CHS went 14-0 in Mid-Willamette Conference play to claim its second straight conference title. The Spartans advanced to the state tournament at McArthur Court where they narrowly lost to Jefferson in the championship game.

"We didn't set goals to win league or state," Garrison said. "We just wanted to get better every day and let the wins take care of themselves. With our talent and commitment, that gave us a chance."

Garrison said this season was was one of his most enjoyable because the players bought into what the coaching staff was trying to do and treated each other the same.

"The kids responded well because of that," Garrison said. "They could be real serious, but at the same time they knew there were opportunities to keep it light and jovial. It was definitely a fun year."

Joining Garrison as all-state honorees were senior point Nadav Heyman and senior forward Nick Eason. Heyman earned his second consecutive first-team selection, while Eason was named to the second team.

"We haven't had a player win this back-to-back recently," Garrison said of Heyman's accomplishment. "He had a remarkable career for the Spartans and was definitely deserving of this."

Heyman was also the MWC player of the year for the second straight season, while Eason joined him on the first team.

"Nick was a non-starter his junior year and now he's an all-state player," Garrison said. "That proves he worked his tail off for us all season. I can't think of anyone more deserving."

Eason credited the CHS coaches with his improvement. They spent a lot of time with him in the offseason working on his moves and his conditioning. Eason said the all-state selection is something he can look back on fondly.

"It's definitely a personal goal," Eason said. "You always want to make all-state. In the future, when I am talking about my glory days, now I can say, 'Back in my day . . .' It's a nice honor, but I couldn't have done it without my teammates."

Philomath senior David Sturner made the 4A first team after averaging nearly 21 points and 15 rebounds this season. The 6-foot-7 Val-Co League Player of the Year helped lead the Warriors to the state tournament at Gill Coliseum for the first time in four years.

On the girls side, CHS junior Gabe Johnson was a second team selection. She led the Spartans to a fourth-place finish at the 5A tournament in Portland. Johnson was co-MWC Player of the Year with Silverton's Julianne Bazzi.