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2019 LAS VEGAS SUN
STANDOUT AWARDS COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE
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SUN STANDOUT AWARDS 2019 THIS YEAR’S HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS HONOREES HAVE BRIGHT FUTURES
BY WEEKLY STAFF | PHOTOGRAPHS BY WADE VANDERVORT
Fourteen awards were handed out to the best and brightest in Southern Nevada high school athletics at the Sun Standout Awards on May 21 at the South Point showroom. Here are their stories.
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■ RISING STARS
JADEN HARDY CORONADO BASKETBALL | PAIGE SINICKI CORONADO SOFTBALL Gone are the days when the junior varsity team was filled with underclassmen waiting for their turn to contribute to the varsity team. In Las Vegas, many freshmen and sophomores are already making splashes on the big stage, and even dictating which teams win championships. Take Coronado basketball player Jaden Hardy, a sophomore who averaged 25 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game to earn first-team allstate honors for the second consecutive year. ESPN ranks him as the No. 2 overall recruit nationally for 2021. “What makes the game easy is my teammates. Once I get out there with them, I just let the game come to me,” Hardy said. Coronado classmate Paige Sinicki is similarly celebrated. The sophomore is rated as the No. 14 prospect nationally for 2021 by Softball America. She has verbally committed to Oregon. The shortstop finished the season with a .452 batting average to go with 11 home runs, 32 RBIs, 61 runs scored and 19 stolen bases. “Work ethic and passion,” Sinicki said. “Those are the two important things to be successful in
the game.” Rising Star was the Sun Standout Awards’ most competitive category, with eye-popping numbers for every finalist. Bishop Gorman volleyball’s Anjelina Starck, who is committed to Penn State, helped the Gaels win the state championship with 745 assists. Centennial’s girls basketball squad finished No. 3 nationally with the help of sophomore guard Taylor Bigby, the No. 19 overall recruit in the class of 2021, according to ESPN. In the boys category, a pair of football players had breakthrough seasons. Centennial’s Gerick Robinson had three touchdowns on kick returns and caught 44 passes for 565 yards and four scores. In track, he helped the Bulldogs win the region championship. Liberty running back Zyrus Fiaseu rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and has scholarship offers from Oregon and Nebraska. This won’t be the last you hear from this group. “I know I have a target on my back,” Hardy said. “That’s why I’m always going to play my hardest and give it my all. I know nothing comes easy in this game.”
FEMALE FINALISTS
■ Taylor Bigby Centennial basketball Named the state’s Player of the Year by USA Today after averaging 12.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game to help Centennial win a fifth-straight state title.
■ Amani Felipe Sierra Vista soccer Scored 23 goals to go with six assists during her freshman season.
■ Cindylou Rasiang Bonanza flag football Led the state with 6,300 passing yards and 77 touchdowns.
■ Anjelina Starck Bishop Gorman volleyball Helped the Gaels win a state championship with 259 kills, 225 digs, 745 assists and 108 aces.
MALE FINALISTS
■ Sergio Aguayo Las Vegas soccer Guided the Wildcats to a state championship with 25 goals on the year.
■ Amado Castellon Cimarron-Memorial wrestling Posted a 42-4 record as a sophomore and took second at the state championship meet.
■ Zyrus Fiaseu Liberty football Averaged 7.7 yards per carry with eight touchdowns as a sophomore despite dealing with injuries all season.
■ Gerick Robinson Centennial football and track Caught 44 passes for 565 yards and four touchdowns and added three kick returns for a score. In track, he was part of a 1,600-meter relay team that placed second at the state meet.
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SUN STANDOUT AWARD
BISHOP GORMAN GIRLS SOCCER most impressive performance in all ■ The of Southern Nevada high school sports this year came from the Bishop Gorman girls soccer team. Not only did the Gaels win the state title, they steamrolled their way through, going undefeated in 28 games with a plus-138 goal differential to finish seventh in USA Today’s national rankings. “It was a good mixture of club players finally getting the opportunity to play from one of the bigger clubs in town, and then the experience we gained from last year, returning a lot of those big players and getting to add a few more was a big difference for us,” coach Doug Borgel said. “We keep it very light, have a lot of fun.” Gianna Gourley (28 goals) and Jaden Terrana (21) were key returners from the 2017 state champion Gaels, who received a major boost from Vanderbilt signee Ashtyn Fink. The senior had only played club soccer until this year, when she had 33 goals and 16 assists in her sole high school season. “We ended up coming out of the chute just doing really well and winning a lot and scoring a lot of goals, and we just worked really well together,” Fink said. “The mentality was that every team was coming after us, so we had to be at the top of our game.” Gorman is still set up well for the future. Fink and Gourley are graduating, but Terrana is among 15 underclassmen looking for the three-peat in 2019.
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HANK GREENSPUN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD SAM THOMAS LAS VEGAS HIGH BASEBALL
one hour before the Las Vegas High baseball ■ It’s team is about to start practice, and coach Sam Thomas is feverishly at work. He appears to be in his element. The veteran coach is climbing a ladder with a tool belt strapped around his waist. It’s almost comical, because Thomas also has on baseball pants, a coach pullover and turf shoes. Thomas is installing new speakers at the stadium in another upgrade at the east Las Vegas program he has meticulously managed since the late 1990s. “If something breaks at your house, do you wait around for someone to come fix it?” Thomas asks. Thomas was the recipient of the top honor at this year’s Sun Standout Awards—the Hank Greenspun Lifetime Achievement Award, named after the Las Vegas Sun founder. Many remember Thomas as Greg Maddux’s catcher at Valley High School and Bryce Harper’s coach at Las Vegas. “I got out of the way,” he jokes of coaching Harper. Thomas, of course, is being humble. Harper’s two years at Las Vegas were successful in part because Thomas treated him like the other players in the program, said Derek Stafford, the school’s assistant
principal in charge of athletics. “Any coach who can do 20 years at one school and in one program is doing something right,” Stafford said. “He truly cares about the kids and not just the game. The game is a medium for him to teach and coach.” What many don’t see is Thomas on Sundays. That’s when he throws batting practice to players—anyone who wants to show up, regardless of school— and also manicures the field’s grass. It’s one of the greenest in town, so beautiful that Thomas has also begun taking the lead on maintaining the softball and football fields. Thomas tells a story about a reporter asking him his all-time coaching record. “We won today. I’m 1-0,” he answered. That, again, is Thomas being humble. It seemed only fitting that in Thomas’ last year of teaching, his Wildcats had their most storied season under his watch. They won the Mountain Region championship and played in the state tournament for the first time during his tenure. He’s retiring this month from teaching but still plans to coach at least one more season. All the work on Sundays will be hard to give up. There’s a speaker to install and batting practice to throw, and that way of life is all Thomas knows.
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UNSUNG HERO AWARD SYDNEY BIGGER DESERT OASIS
Bigger just wanted to be a part of her ■ Sydney sister’s basketball team. She became much more than that after taking on a role as the team manager. Diamondbacks coach Laurie Evans-Gygax called Bigger “the spirit of the season.” “She was super-emotional when we lost and super-happy when we won,” Evans-Gygax said. “She would even give speeches.” Bigger has Down syndrome, but according to Evans-Gygax, no one would ever know she had special needs from the outside. “She just walks around and has this great personality,” Evans-Gygax said. “She loves being part of what’s going on.” Evans-Gygax submitted Bigger’s nomination for the award as a way to thank her for all she contributed to Desert Oasis. One example that stood out came in a tight game when both sides became heated late in the first half. Bigger started dancing on the bench at halftime and lightened the mood. “She always brought [the team] back to reality. … You can’t help but remember it’s not always about basketball,” Evans-Gygax said. Bigger said her favorite
part about her role was cheering on the team and consoling them when they lost. “I feel sad, too … but I tell them, ‘It’s OK we lost; maybe next time we’ll win,’” she said. Bigger always kept the team grounded. “It makes you realize we are all here to learn,” Evans-Gygax said. “When you have someone on your team who consistently puts a smile on your face, it reminds you why you do what you do.” Olivia Bigger, Sydney’s sister, enjoyed getting to spend the season with her older sister. “She was really energetic on the bench,” Olivia said. “Everyone loved her.” Sydney plans to attend UNLV next year and study science. Olivia, a freshman, will miss having Sydney around the basketball team. Kelley Bigger, the girls’ mother, was ecstatic when she found out Sydney was up for the award. “I just thought it was really kind that her coach nominated her for that,” Kelley said. “I thought it was very sweet … just to know she thought so much of Sydney.”
■ Emani Frink Clark High football Called “the glue of the team” for fulfilling multiple roles including team manager, equipment manager and water girl.
■ Jean Rees Spring Valley cross country and swimming Headed a pair of service projects in Honor and Remember the Flag, which publicly recognizes fallen U.S. soldiers, and 4Ocean, which cleans trash from the sea. ■ Shana Stott Eldorado High athletics Advised student-athletes at her alma mater, an at-risk school, for the 20th straight year doing everything from providing meals to helping them apply for colleges.
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MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AARON ROBERTS DESERT OASIS BASEBALL
There certainly hasn’t been a better baseball player in Southern Nevada this year, and there might not be a single athlete who has performed as well as Aaron Roberts. The Desert Oasis senior infielder/pitcher batted .476 this season with 13 home runs and 58 RBIs to lead his team to a state championship. On the mound, he posted a 1.32 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 43 innings. “Being on the caliber of team I’m on, it just helps push myself even more to get better,” he said. “Seeing all these guys around me, my USC-commit teammates, Oregon, UNLV … they just push me to make myself better each and every day, and I push them. “It’s a never-ending loop of greatness.” Roberts is signed to play at California but could garner attention in June’s MLB Entry Draft and forgo a collegiate career altogether. The Golden Bears recruited him as both a pitcher and a hitter. He can’t decide which he likes better. Roberts has been a strong player throughout his high school career, but he’s taken it to another level this season. He said a commitment to focus was the key: “making sure that I keep my goals in check and don’t get distracted by outside things.”
FINALISTS
■ Christian Franklin Valley cross country and track Recorded Nevada’s best 3.1-mile course time this season—16 minutes, 22 seconds— to win the state championship, his ninth victory out of 11 races entered this season. ■ Jalen Hill Clark basketball Won the Gatorade Player of the Year award after averaging 17.5 points and five rebounds per game in his senior season and committing to Oklahoma. ■ Kyu Kelly Bishop Gorman football and track Won state championships in both sports and committed to Stanford as a defensive back. ■ Scott Solan Palo Verde volleyball Made the U.S. Youth National Team, won a state championship with 279 kills on the season and committed to play at Pepperdine next year.
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FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AUDREY BOCH-COLLINS CLARK TENNIS Boch-Collins just keeps winning, and winning, and winning. In three years at Clark, she hasn’t even entertained the thought of losing a match—in fact, she hasn’t dropped a single set in her high school career. That streak continued through the 2018 campaign, as Boch-Collins rolled to her third consecutive state championship with her perfect individual record intact. Her 6-0, 6-1 triumph in the 2018 state final not only made BochCollins a three-time champ, it put her in position to do something no other Nevada prep player has accomplished: win four straight titles. If anyone can complete the high school grand slam, it’s BochCollins. In addition to taking private lessons and attending classes at a charter school, she also makes time to practice with the Clark team during the week. This is the second straight year Boch-Collins was honored at the Sun Standout Awards; she earned the Rising Star award a year ago.
FINALISTS
■ Dan Barnson Arbor View football Surpassed 100 career wins and secured his first regional title in his final season.
■ Kapua Pulotu Sunrise Mountain track and field Claimed state championships in the shot put and discus, with the winning throw in the latter coming in 12 feet farther than the second-place finisher.
■ Ashtyn Fink Bishop Gorman soccer Won the Desert Region Offensive Player of the Year award after scoring 33 goals and recording 15 assists for the state champion Gaels.
■ Aimee Garcia Boulder City swimming Won four races at the state championship, posting a time in the 500 freestyle that was 32 seconds better than her closest competitor.
■ Eboni Walker Centennial basketball Averaged 11.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game to help her team to a fifth-consecutive state championship.
■ Adam Schwartz Mojave basketball Improved the program by 18 wins in his first season, as the Rattlers went 22-8 overall after a 4-22 campaign a year ago, and reached their first state tournament since 2007.
COACH OF THE YEAR CHRIS MARTINEZ CENTENNIAL CROSS COUNTRY In his fourth year at Centennial, Martinez had the Bulldogs running at peak efficiency all season. The boys and girls teams both placed first at the UNLV Invitational, then proved they could hang with national competition at the Nike Portland Invitational, where the girls placed ninth and the boys finished 13th. Martinez’s charges capped off the campaign with dominant victories at the state championships, claiming twin 4A titles—the first time in Nevada history that one school won the boys and girls crowns in the same season. Martinez credited his runners for putting in the work. “There’s a lot of preparation and dedication,” Martinez said. “Taking care of your body, nutrition, hydration—there’s so much that goes into it besides just going out to run.”
■ Chris Walker Canyon Springs basketball Coached the Pioneers to their best season in school history with a 25-5 record and first-ever state tournament appearance.
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FEMALE SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR MACKENZIE CARCELLI
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TEAM OF THE YEAR
CENTENNIAL GIRLS BASKETBALL The Bulldogs captured a fifthstraight state championship and became the only team that has garnered recognition at each of the first four Sun Standout Awards. Senior team leaders like Arizona State-bound Eboni Walker and UNLV-bound Melanie Isbell have secured their place in Southern Nevada high school sports lore. “Playing at Centennial, that’s the expectation,” Walker said. “It doesn’t matter what year it is, who is there. [Championships are] our goal all the time. For me, I felt like this is my last time, so I wanted to go out with something a little more.” Centennial managed a little more, arguably even surpassing expectations during one of the best seasons in the powerhouse program’s history. The Bulldogs went 31-2 overall, with the only losses coming against national programs. They won every game against in-state competition by at least 27 points.
SPRING VALLEY Mackenzie Carcelli accomplished so much at Spring Valley High, she ran out of room on her letter jacket. The Class of 2019’s valedictorian played three sports in each of her four years—soccer, basketball and track—and made the NIAA’s All-State Academic team. “I’ve had to stay focused and have my goals in mind,” Carcelli said. “I’ve never been honored like this in such a big way. To me, it’s like all the hard work has paid off.” Carcelli has earned a full scholarship to UNLV, where she plans to study criminal justice beginning in the fall semester.
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MALE SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR ANJELO VIGILIA WESTERN Ever since elementary school, Anjelo Vigilia believed he possessed a different level of competitiveness. Many young athletes are determined to be the best on the playing field, but few carry the same motivation to also beat all of their peers in the classroom. Vigilia always wanted both. “I’m self-driven,” he said. “I want to be the best in everything I do.” One of the area’s top wrestlers, Vigilia supplemented a fourth-place finish at this year’s state tournament with a sixth-place showing at the junior nationals in his 106-pound weight class. He also lettered in cross country, led Western’s ROTC program and posted a 4.6 weighted grade-point average.
FINALISTS ■ Boulder City girls swimming Dominated all of its meets throughout the season en route to a seventh straight 3A team state championship, in addition to a handful of individual state titles.
■ Coronado girls tennis Put together a second straight undefeated season and was rarely challenged, even in the state championship, where it defeated Palo Verde 15-3.
■ Shadow Ridge girls bowling Posted a 142-2 record and never trailed in a single game at the state tournament.
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GAME OF THE YEAR Everyone expected Democracy Prep boys basketball to roll through the Class 3A playoffs this season. Chaparral had other ideas. The Cowboys, who were 16-7 on the year, eliminated the Blue Knights, who were undefeated in league play, in an 82-80 overtime win in the Southern Region semifinal in February. Meshach Hawkins hit a gamewinning shot in the final minute of
CITIZEN OF THE YEAR BROOKE BYKOWSKI FOOTHILL VOLLEYBALL When it comes to giving back, Bykowski gives it her all. The senior is involved in so many charities that it’s hard to list them all: the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada, Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada, Families for Effective Autism Treatment Camp and the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation are just some of her endeavors. Bykowski is heading to the University of Arizona on an academic scholarship, and she plans to continue her charitable work there. Her reason for putting so much into helping others is simple. “I just love seeing the smile on people’s faces when you help them,” Bykowski said.
FINALISTS ■ John Howard Bobo Basic baseball Fundraised $1,500 per year for the past three years to cover the expenses of a special needs baseball team, drawing inspiration from a health scare he survived as a child.
■ Zachary Kriethe Sierra Vista baseball Volunteered to a number of charities, including the Angel Tree Program, which helps prisoners and their families celebrate Christmas.
■ Frankie Pelton Durango football Sacrificed a chance to play college football to follow his heart and sign up for the U.S. Army, where he intends to become a combat medic.
CHAPARRAL BASKETBALL PULLS OFF MASSIVE PLAYOFF UPSET
overtime to secure the victory. “We were supposed to lose that game by 20, I think they said,” said Hawkins, who had a team-high 22 points. “It was joyful. My coach, he hugged me and I started crying and he started crying.” Democracy Prep outscored opponents by 24.6 points per game in the regular season to roll to a Sunset League title, while Chaparral grabbed
the No. 2 seed in the Sunrise League. Chaparral trailed by double digits in the game but grabbed the lead late in the fourth quarter before Democracy Prep tied it. The overtime win sent the Cowboys to the state tournament for the first time since before Hawkins was born. “That’s what the goal was, to go to state,” Hawkins. “No Chap team did it in so long.”
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MOMENT OF THE YEAR RICHARD CURRY SCORES FOR BONANZA HIGH FOOTBALL
FINALISTS ■ Democracy Prep football stuns Coronado to open season Defeated a school with four times the enrollment despite only dressing 26 players, moving up to the 3A level for the first time and surrendering a game-opening kickoff return for a touchdown.
■ Eldorado boys soccer knocks out CimarronMemorial in penalty kicks Pulled off a major upset against the team heavily favored to win the state title by holding them scoreless through regulation and overtime before winning a 4-2 penalty-kick shootout.
■ Green Valley flag football beats Bonanza in final seconds of state championship Succeeded on a two-point conversion attempt with less than a minute remaining, scoring from 10 yards out to win the game instead of going for the safer five-yard extra point to force overtime.
Coaches were putting the finishing touches on plans for the annual “senior walk” when Dion Lee came up with the idea to honor his program’s most popular member. Senior manager Richard Curry would dress for the final home game when seniors are announced and take the field with family during a pregame ceremony. “It dawned on me that his parents would be surprised to see him dressed,” Lee said. That night against Faith Lutheran turned out to be more than uniform and pads for Curry, who is autistic. On the final play of the game, he scored a touchdown on a 26-yard run in a moment coordinated by coaches of both teams. Curry rarely spoke when Lee approached him a few years ago and asked him to join the team as the ball boy. It was a job he mastered. “He took pride in that job and got confidence because the kids accepted him,” Lee said. Before the game, Lee and Faith Lutheran coach Vernon Fox coordinated to allow Curry to have his moment—but only if the game was out of hand. Curry, with Bonanza trailing by six touchdowns in the final minute, entered the game not knowing what to expect. Soon, he was in the end zone and at the center of a massive celebration. In an unscripted move, players from both teams jumped up and down to celebrate. Video of the moment was captured and went viral. “The aftermath we didn’t plan,” Lee said. “That was the excitement of the game. That’s the thing about kids—they care about each other.” Curry is no longer reserved. Being part of a team, even if it is in a supporting role, has helped his development. The touchdown was an added bonus. “He is the man on campus. All of the kids gravitate to him,” Lee said. That includes the Faith Lutheran players. What made the touchdown so memorable was the joy the opposition shared. “That’s what sports and high school sports are all about,” Fox said. “At the end of the day, it didn’t matter what the score was. What mattered most was making that moment special for Richard.”
RAY BREWER, JUSTIN EMERSON, KELCIE GREGA, MIKE GRIMALA & CASE KEEFER CONTRIBUTED TO THIS STORY.
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