Sun Standout Awards: Honorees shined on athletic field, in classroom (2024)

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Tuesday, May 21, 2024 | 2 a.m.

The words “National Champions” are hard to miss when walking into the football stadium at Bishop Gorman High.

A display documenting the championship seasons is in big letters at the top right corner of the program’s training center. The championship seasons are listed below.

Many people see it — including the players. Those players have a simple goal: add the current season to cement their legacy.

That’s exactly what the 2023 Gaels did, going undefeated with wins against notable schools from Utah, California and Florida to finish the season ranked No. 1 by USA Today and MaxPreps.

The program was the recipient of the Sun Standout Award of Excellence at Monday’s Sun Standout Awards at the South Point Showroom. The Sun’s annual high school sports awards show honors the best of the past high school season. That certainly describes the national champion Gaels.

“It looks awesome. It is so great to see — another addition to the wall,” Gorman linebacker Charles Correa said. “We look at it every day, and we wanted to put our number up there to leave our legacy. Getting it done was special.”

This was Gorman’s first national championship season since winning three consecutive and having a 55-game winning streak from 2014 to 2016.

Last fall, the Gaels outscored opponents 596-185. In the final seven games, they surrendered just 65 points.

Gorman’s lineup was elite. Take quarterback Micah Alejado, who was picked as the national player of the year after completing 77% of his passes for 2,700 yards and 35 touchdowns. He threw no interceptions. Alejado said the drive to be national champions was a constant theme in training. Players embraced the challenge during the initial workouts at the start of 2023.

“It started in January (2023),” he said. “This team had the determination to win the national championship. We had the dedication to go after our goals.”

Here are the rest of the award winners:

Team of the Year: Slam Nevada wrestling

Zach Hocker, the co-head coach of the Slam Nevada wrestling program, isn’t looking to be the state’s most dominating wrestling program. “Our goal is to be ranked in the Top 25” nationally, he said.

The Bulls’ schedule included challenging out-of-state events, where they competed against foes from California, Utah and Idaho. While the Bulls weren’t nationally ranked, the challenging schedule prepared them for another season of lopsided wins against Nevada schools.

Slam had seven wrestlers win individual state titles, helping the program record 252 points at state meet for a third consecutive championship; the second-place team had 153. They set a state record for pins with 389 and extended their win streak in local duals to 79.

“We never settle,” Hocker said. “This was the goal from the beginning — to be the most dominating program.”

The finalists:

• Bishop Gorman girls basketball: Gorman trailed by nine points in the state title game but rallied to end Centennial’s championship streak at eight seasons. With a young core, Gorman is primed to go on a streak of its own.
• Legacy football: Legacy’s win in the state championship over Galena was the first title in school history. It was also the first title by a North Las Vegas team since 1988. The Longhorns won for Southern Nevada, traveling to Reno and beating the hometown team in a driving rainstorm — weather conditions many Legacy players had never before competed in.
• Shadow Ridge flag football: The Mustangs captured a third state championship in a row thanks to their defense. In three playoff wins, they surrendered just 16 points. The ladies proudly boast another honor: They had the highest team grade-point average in the Class 5A to win the academic state championship.

Moment of the Year: This 3-pointer was meaningful for team manager

Jaylein Hudson’s favorite basketball player is Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. Many consider Curry the top 3-point shooter in the world.

In February, Hudson did his Curry impersonation by draining a long 3-pointer for Amplus Academy in its last home game.

Hudson, who is part of the special education program at Amplus, is the basketball team manager. And he loves his job.

He’s the type of manager every team needs, working tirelessly to ensure his teammates have everything they need.

Water — he’s got it covered. Someone to rebound during practice — Hudson’s got that on lockdown too. Someone to make you laugh and put a smile on your face — well, that’s Hudson’s specialty.

Hudson, a junior, loves his teammates. And he knows they love him, saying with a big grin that “everyone likes what I bring to the team.”

For the final home game, coaches decided to reward Hudson for his dedication by having him dress. He was put into the starting lineup.

Amplus won the tip and brought the ball up the court. Hudson got open and received a pass. He stepped into the shot and let it fly. Nothing but net!

Game of the Year: The Meadows volleyball beats rival in five-set thriller

The Meadows and Boulder City volleyball teams took turns at beating each other during the regular season. When they met in the state championship match, it was a similar narrative: The Meadows won the first set; Boulder City the second; The Meadows took the third, and, of course, Boulder City took the fourth to set up a winner-take-all fifth set.

That’s when The Meadows prevailed 15-10 to win the championship and cap a match with many momentum swings. The atmosphere was downright electric in the gym that day, reaffirming the budding rivalry between the programs.

This was The Meadows’ third consecutive championship — but the other two came in Class 2A. Boulder City was the reigning Class 3A champions, and had a senior-dominated roster not willing to relinquish the crown, which helped to set up a drama-filled match.

“They obviously were the best team in our division,” The Meadows coach Raymond Fafard said. “They did very well in that division prior to us being in there. They were the ones to beat for us.”

The teams are used to traveling to remote Nevada cities for games as part of playing in a smaller classification. Oftentimes, the gyms are empty.

This game was different: The big stage of the state tournament brought a nice crowd to witness a classic match. The girls from the Meadows were happy to deliver.

Female Athlete of the Year: Iyonna Codd, senior, Centennial track

Iyonna Codd didn’t start running track until she reached high school. Four years later, she’s leaving as one of Nevada’s all-time best.

The Bulldogs’ sprinter won the 100-, 200- and 400-meter state championships Saturday for the second year in a row to pace Centennial to the team title.

Codd holds the state record in all three races — not bad for someone who focused on basketball during her childhood.

“My coaches kept saying you need to stop basketball and focus (on track) because you’ve got dollar signs all over your head,” Codd said. “I said, ‘What in the world are you talking about? I gave (track) a little try, and I was right there with girls training since they were kids.”

She’ll run in college at the University of Miami.

The finalists:

• Hunter Borgel, senior, Bishop Gorman soccer: The Class 5A Player of the Year had a valley-best 23 goals and 22 assists. Will play in college at North Dakota.
• Kacey Hu, senior, Coronado diving: Won a third consecutive diving state championship Saturday. Will dive in college for the United States Air Force Academy.
• Hannah Pemberton, senior, Coronado volleyball: The Mountain League’s Player of the Year had 931 assists, 253 digs and 44 aces to help Coronado to a state runner-up finish.
• Campbell Ricci, senior, Palo Verde tennis: Won the Class 5A singles title in leading the Panthers to the state championship. A top-30 recruit nationally, she’ll play in college at Tulane.

Male Athlete of the Year: Max Carlsen, junior, Palo Verde swimming

Palo Verde’s Max Carlsen is one of the nation’s best long-distance swimmers and verbally committed to compete at North Carolina State, a top collegiate program, especially for distance athletes.

His preferred race: the 1,000 meters, an event not offered in high school. That didn’t matter, because Carlsen still was the dominant performer over the weekend at the state meet.

He won the 500 freestyle at 4:21.37 — nearly 8 seconds faster than the second-place swimmer. The time was also a Nevada record, shattering the previous mark by 6 seconds. Carlsen also won the 200-freestyle and was part of a relay team that won state. Palo Verde won the team title — its 10th in a row — by 40 points.

“It’s nice to be part of the streak of Palo swimming wins,” he said. “High school swimming has been a lot of fun. Go out and have fun with the race.”

Swimming runs in the family. His older brother, Palo Verde senior Owen Carlsen, is committed to Utah.

The finalists:

• Brady Dallimore, junior, Palo Verde baseball: Batted .565 with five home runs, 35 runs scored and 32 RBIs to help Palo Verde win state; had just one error in 120 field chances.
• Andre Porter, senior, Liberty football, basketball and track: Had 33 tackles to lead Liberty football to a state runner-up finish. Averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds per game in basketball. In track and field — his first season in the sport — he took second at state in the shot put. Porter will play football for UNLV.
• Manuel Saldate, junior, Slam Nevada wrestling: Set a Nevada record for takedowns in a season with 203 on the way to winning a third consecutive state championship. Was ranked 15th nationally.
• Nathan Nations, senior, Sierra Vista cross country and track: He was the Class 4A state and Desert League champion in cross country, and a state qualifier in track.

Coach of the Year: Nicole Murphy, Durango volleyball

Nicole Murphy made sure her Durango girls volleyball team was playing a who’s who of opponents in the preseason. The philosophy was simple: To be the best, you have to compete against the best.

The Trailblazers lost a few matches early in the season, but they certainly got better. They won 13 in a row to close the year and win the Class 4A state title.

“Right now you might not see rewards,” she told the players early in the season. “But if you’re truly disciplined in being your best self ... good things will happen.”

Murphy played collegiately at Bethel University in Minnesota. After graduation, she spent six seasons on staff as an assistant coach. A lot of her coaching philosophies were learned there.

“I have very, very high expectations in my gym,” she said. “I expect people to show up a certain way and perform a certain way.”

The finalists:

• Joseph Bedowitz, Sierra Vista basketball: The Mountain Lions won the school’s first basketball state championship by going on the road to UNR and defeating Northern Nevada schools in the state semifinals and championship game.
• DJ Campbell, Centennial football: Centennial won the Class 4A state championship for the program’s first title in 20 years of existence. Campbell, a first-year coach, led them to an 11-1 record — an amazing turnaround considering they had won just one game since 2019.
• Matt Nighswonger, Shadow Ridge flag football: Shadow Ridge won a third consecutive state title and posted a 22-2 record. More importantly, Nighswonger has helped take flag football to new heights in Southern Nevada by organizing an offseason league so athletes at all schools could continue developing their skills.

Citizen of the Year: Elaine Caballero, senior, Chaparral volleyball

Elaine Caballero did a little bit of everything to help make her east Las Vegas community a better place.

She makes sandwiches for homeless residents at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission and volunteers during the holidays at Opportunity Village’s Magical Forest.

She’s the student body and Key Club president at Chaparral, where she helped organize blood and clothing donation drives. She also helped organize the dance at her old middle school and read books to children at her former elementary school. Her motivation?

“I took it upon myself to get involved because I wanted to help our community be a better place,” she said. “It’s important to get more Latino representation in our neighborhood.”

After playing for Chaparral’s girls volleyball team, Caballero asked to help the boys program as its manager. Coaches rave about how she helps keep game day running smoothly, including staying after events to help get equipment put away.

The finalists:

• Sumner Bergenfield, Doral Academy, cross country: Bergenfield has a unique volunteer project: He performs stand-up comedy at senior centers and assisted-living facilities. He’s often the lone interaction residents receive, always seeming to make them laugh and put a smile on their face.
• Isabella Montenegro, Amplus Academy cross country and flag football: Montenegro volunteers heavily within her church community to feed the homeless and clothe the less fortunate. She’s the youngest of 11 children, all of whom learned charity from their parents. Mom coordinates relief society efforts for the church.
• Christian Thatcher, Arbor View football: Thatcher is a baseball buddy for the Miracle League and was the photographer for the Night To Shine Prom. He helped prepare food for families staying at Ronald McDonald House and served the homeless at Salvation Army. He’s active with Make a Wish Foundation and Cure 4 the Kids.

Rising Star (Female): Ayanna Watson, sophom*ore, Bishop Gorman volleyball

When Gatorade releases its state players of the year, the honor is usually awarded to a player who is a senior and about to head off to college. Every now and then, voters tab a junior as the best player.

It’s rare for them to pick a sophom*ore or freshman. Then again, Gorman’s Ayanna Watson is a rare talent.

The 6-foot-3 hitter had a state-best 605 kills to go along with 373 digs and 53 aces in helping Gorman win the state title.

“I just communicate well with the people around me,” Watson said. “I feel no matter who I’m playing next to, I feel like everything can look kind of fluid.”

Watson is carrying on her family’s legacy at Gorman.

Dad, CJ Watson, is one of the basketball program’s best all-time players and had his jersey retired by the school. It hangs in the gym where the retired NBA player’s daughter is making a name for herself.

“I’m not just C.J.’s kid,” she said. “They know me for me.”

The finalists:

• Akemi Higa, sophom*ore, Desert Oasis flag football: Passed for a state record 7,020 yards and added 121 touchdowns. Is part of the under-17 U.S. national team.
• Taylor Johns, sophom*ore, Palo Verde softball: Batted .483 with valley-best nine homers and 43 runs. Also had 34 RBIs.
• Aaliah Spaight, sophom*ore, Bishop Gorman basketball: The state player of the year averaged 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals per game.
• Mika Yoffee, sophom*ore, Slam Nevada wrestling: The state champion at 126 pounds, Yoffee was ranked as high as 15th nationally.

Rising Star (Male): Jett Washington, sophom*ore, Bishop Gorman football and basketball

Jett Washington is a rare talent in both football and basketball.

The 6-foot-4 safety had 37 tackles and two interceptions in Gorman football’s championship season. He has football scholarship offers from the likes of Florida, Georgia and Washington.

In Gorman’s state-champion basketball season, he averaged 13 points and eight rebounds a game, including pouring in 33 points during a showcase event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Many say he was the best player at the event.

Washington says his favorite sport is the one he is currently playing. He also says his college future is likely in football — a path that could have a more lucrative professional ceiling. And he stresses the sports complement each other, especially weight training for football.

“They’re both equal, because you put in so much work in both,” Washington said of the balancing act.

The finalists:

• ​Dylan Flores, sophom*ore, Coronado soccer: The all-state selectee had 18 goals and 19 assists in leading the Cougars to the Class 5A state title.
• Thaddeus Thatcher, freshman, Arbor View football and basketball: A leukemia survivor, Thatcher passed for 942 yards and eight touchdowns. In basketball, he averaged 4 points and 4 rebounds per game to help the Aggies reach the state semifinals.
• Prince Williams, sophom*ore, Bishop Gorman football: Williams had 96 tackles — including 25 tackles for loss — and 10 sacks to help Gorman to a championship season. He was a second-team sophom*ore All-American.
• Mikael Vela, sophom*ore, Cheyenne wrestling: The state champion at 106 pounds, Vela was so dominant that other teams often didn’t have a wrestler for his weight class. He competed in higher classes and went 29-6.

Scholar-Athletes of the Year: Nathan Sherrard (Mojave) and Lynzee Zrebiec (Southeast Career and Technical Academy)

Lynzee Zrebiec grew accustomed to “long, long hours” that saw her wake up at 4 a.m. to prepare for the school day and not finish practices and homework until 9 p.m.

It wasn’t easy, she said. But she wouldn’t trade the experience.

Zrebiec was a star at Southeast Career and Technical Academy in the classroom with a 4.8 weighted grade-point average. She was also a star on the flag football field, catching 92 passes for 1,237 yards and 17 touchdowns. She additionally played four years of varsity soccer.

In the community, she is a Gold Award recipient — the highest achievement given by Girl Scouts of the USA — for a project she led assisting homeless teens in Las Vegas. She’ll attend Marist College in New York, initially studying abroad in Italy.

Nathan Sherrard, the valedictorian at Mojave with a 4.9 grade-point average, won a pair of state championships with the Rattlers’ basketball team. In volleyball, he played three times in the state tournament.

Whether it was conditioning at the end of practice or long nights studying for an exam, being a successful student-athlete required dedication, he said. It also required a great support system, something he said was possible because of his teammates, coaches and teachers at Mojave.

Sherrard is also a standout in the community, regularly volunteering to feed the homeless with Salvation Army, working daycare at his church, and coaching youth sports. He’ll play basketball at Wheaton College in Illinois.

Unsung Hero: Edgar Thomas

Edgar Thomas works security at events for the Clark County School District. He’s become so popular that schools jockey for him to work their events.

Thomas, 56, has a mantra: Treat everyone with kindness.

“We are going to take care of those kids so they can make it home to their parents,” he said. “I’m not going to let down those kids.”

The finalists:

• Rennica Gonsalves, Desert Oasis supporter: Gonsalves is the team mom for the football team, preparing weekly team meals and running the concession stand. She no longer has children attending the school.
• Emely Portillo, Bonanza cheer coach: The volunteer coach coordinated camps for the cheerleaders and made sure they were ready to perform on Friday nights. She became a trusted adult figure in their lives.
• Nicholas Talbott, Shadow Ridge trainer: Talbott spent a few days in the hospital over the summer but was determined to not miss a beat in coordinating care for his athletes. He spent hours on the phone from the hospital arranging coverage.

Hank Greenspun Lifetime Achievement Award: Marc Ratner, commissioner Southern Nevada Officials Association

Marc Ratner is retiring this month as commissioner of the Southern Nevada Officials Association, stepping away from a post he’s proudly served in since the early 1990s. He’s the liaison between game officials and the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, the Clark County School District and local high schools.

“After all these years, I still get excited going to the games,” Ratner said. “Above all else, I’ve always been a high school sports fan.”

He takes his position seriously, all while balancing duties as the UFC’s vice president for regulatory affairs. He formerly was head of the Nevada Athletic Commission.

If there’s an ejection in a prep game, he determines the penalty. When it’s time for a state championship game, he picks the referee crew. When there’s a meeting with officials from CCSD or the NIAA, he’s at the front of the table to give input.

“High school sports are a big part of my life,” he said. “I’m proud of my contributions.”

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