The Alaska Sports Hall of Fame announced the finalists for the 2020 Trajan Langdon Youth Award.
Judah Eason, Ninilchik – Eason, a Native Youth Olympics champion from Ninilchik, has been a youth leader in Native sports since his first competition. He would rather be coaching than competing, but knows that through friendly competition he can be an example by demonstrating leadership, integrity and sportsmanship. He also learned to overcome adversity after suffering a broken leg from a bad landing in the one-foot high kick at the 2017 NYO.
Brandon Gall, Anchorage – The Service High all-conference basketball player also is a manager at McDonalds, while also being a certified basketball referee. In his off time, Brandon volunteers his time coaching boys and girls basketball at Hanshew middle school, and a local 6th grade team. He served as class president as a junior and student boy president as a senior. After high school, Brandon hopes to continue to play basketball while pursuing a degree in Business Management.
Houston High School Football Team –After a year of fires and earthquakes, Houston rose above it all and won the D3 state championship. The Hawks completed a perfect 10-0 season for the first time in school history with a 41-8 victory over Barrow at Anchorage Football Stadium, avenging a semifinal loss to the Whalers the previous year. Houston finished the year averaging 42 points a game while only allowing 7.
West High School Hockey Team – With more cheerleaders than skaters, the short-handed Eagles carved up the competition by going 24-1-1 and beating defending champion South 4-3 in double-overtime to win the state championship. Dressing just 13 skaters and two goalies, West trailed twice by two goals and tied the game with less than two minutes left in regulation before Matthew Patchin scored the game-winner.
The winner will be announced May 6 at 2 p.m. ADT by Alaska Sports Hall of Fame executive director Harlow Robinson via Facebook Live on the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame Facebook page.
The Trajan Langdon Youth Award recognizes leadership, sportsmanship and inspiration, and is given to a youth or group of youths who best demonstrated integrity during the past year and positively influenced and inspired others to be better sportsmen or sportswomen.
Past winners included Soldotna’s Brenner Furlong in 2018 and the South Anchorage High boys basketball team in 2019.