Foothill, Fall River and West Valley students share weekly sports awards
Targets were met and personal records were smashed by six athletes from Cottonwood, Fall River Mills and Palo Cedro.
Targets and clay pigeons were hit with precision by a Fall River High School sophomore, while two Foothill runners won first place in two separate races. A West Valley outfielder drove home runs for his baseball team while a West Valley softball player left her mark in two games against a local rival.
Here are this week's Shasta Family YMCA Athletes of the Week winners, including three sophomores and three seniors. Their performances encompass the period between April 24 and April 29.
Erin McKinnon
School: Foothill
Sport: Track and Field
Class: Senior
Team contributions: McKinnon's conditioning and pace was on point during the Foothill Top of the State Invitational on April 28. McKinnon took first in the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters races. McKinnon ran the 3,200 meters race in 13 minutes and 31.60 seconds and the 1,600 meters in 5:39.76. McKinnon was a top cross country runners in the CIF Northern Section and qualified for the state meet in Clovis. She'll compete in the Eastern Athletic League Championships hosted by Pleasant Valley on May 5.
Achilles Westlake
School: Fall River
Sport: Trap shooting
Class: Sophomore
Team contributions: Westlake struck targets with precision and speed during the Cup o' Cash Pacific International Trapshooting Association shoot held at the Redding Gun Club on April 28–30. Westlake hit 187 of 200 of his targets including 99 of 100 in one round. He hit 75 straight targets at one point and took first in the D-class division of the shootout.
Memma McDougal
School: West Valley
Sport: Softball
Class: Sophomore
Team contributions: McDougal, a utility infielder, left her mark during a three game series against Anderson on April 25 and April 27. McDougal went 5-for-8 at the plate, hit a home run and drove in two RBI as West Valley swept the season series against the Cubs. McDougal rose her batting average to .297 and has scored 10 runs in 2023.
Caden Rowe
School: Foothill
Sport: Track and Field
Class: Senior
Team contributions: The reigning CIF Northern Section 110-meter hurdles champion Rowe added impressive times during the Foothill Top of the State Invitational on April 28. Rowe set two personal records and won first place in both the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles events. He ran the 110-meter hurdles in 15.56, knocking .04 seconds off his old mark. Rowe ran the 300-meter hurdles in 39.92 seconds, breaking his old mark by .49 seconds. He owns the third fastest 110-meter hurdles and second fastest 300-meter time in school history. Rowe will compete at the Eastern Athletic League Championships at Pleasant Valley High School on May 5.
Nicole Weaver
School: West Valley
Sport: Track and Field
Class: Sophomore
Team contributions: Weaver has been gaining momentum as one of the top women's sprinters in the area. Weaver won the 100 meters in 13.13 seconds and 200 meters in 27.20 seconds at the Gary Burton Invitational in Corning on April 28. Weaver set the West Valley 100 meters school record on April 15 at the Kays Ostrom Invitational in Grass Valley.
Owen Russell
School: West Valley
Sport: Track and Field
Class: Senior
Team contributions: Russell's bat was a guiding force in two wins for West Valley over U-Prep last Friday and Los Molinos on April 27. Russell went 6-for-10 at the place with four RBI and scored six runs. His final at bat was a sacrifice fly that led West Valley over the Panthers 6-5, a game that went 10 innings and took over three hours to complete.
Each week, the Record Searchlight selects the girl and boy athletes who stand out based on merits from their performance in the prior week. Profiles highlight their accomplishments on the field or inside the gym and provide a glimpse into who they are as students. To make suggestions for R-S Athletes of the Week, email sports reporter Ethan Hanson at ethan.hanson@redding.com or go to bit.ly/3HuxlfW.
Ethan Hanson started working for the Redding Record Searchlight after four years with the Los Angeles Daily News as a freelancer. His coverage includes working the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in South Bend, Indiana, and writing about the St. Louis Rams' move to Los Angeles with the Ventura County Star. He began his career as a play-by-play broadcaster for LA Pierce College from 2011-2017. Follow him on Twitter at @EthanAHanson_RS.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Foothill, West Valley, Fall River students stand out as top athletes
