By DAVE BELCHER
The Progress
Special recognition
The Gatorade Company has announced Preston Humes, 2021 graduate of Moapa Valley High School, as its 2020-21 Gatorade Nevada Boys Cross Country Player of the Year.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, also recognizes the academic achievement and outstanding character demonstrated on and off the course.
This award recognizes Preston as Nevada’s best high school boys cross country runner. He won the Class 3A Southern Regional championship this past season with a time of 16:31.5. Humes was not beaten during the season. He finished the season with the fastest time in the state of Nevada, being the only high school runner to post a time under 15 minutes in a three mile race, 14:57.
Due to the COVID shutdown there was no state cross country meet this year. Therefore no one could compete for a state championship.
Humes finished seventh at the Class 3A state meet as a junior the year before.
“Preston Humes exemplifies everything that I expect out of a cross country athlete,” said MVHS boys coach Gary Watkins. “He set the team culture of winning, sportsmanship, camaraderie and excellence.”
Preston also worked hard in the classroom as he graduated with a 4.14 GPAl. He will attend Southern Virginia University after completing a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints.
All-region Teams named
The 2020-2021 Flag Football, Baseball and Softball regional teams were announced last week.
MVHS Flag Football was the only CCSD school to compete in the flag football season this year. The team finished with an undefeated season closing out the careers of the senior class who won the state title.
Seniors Skotlyn Hill, Hanna Watson, Madi Fairchild and Bailee Andrew; along with junior Alexis Gould and sophomorePaige Fairchild; were voted to the All Region team by the coaches.
Baseball recognized the All League and All Region Teams from this past season. The All mountain league had Gavin Hadley, Gunner Redd, Tyson Staheli and MVP of the Mountain League Rylan Evans named to the All-Region team for Moapa Valley.
Virgin Valley had Bridger Toone named to the team as well. Waite Stratton was pitcher of the year while Moapa Valley head coach Justin Williams was named coach of the year.
Rylan Evans and Bridger Toone were selected to the Southern Nevada 3A All-Region team.
In the softball All-Southern Nevada team Virgin Valley Pitcher Riley Price, a sophomore, was voted to the team. She finished with a 9-1 record allowing 1.11 earned runs a game with 102 strike outs. She also hit .556 with four doubles, a triple and five home runs scoring 25 RBI’s leading her Bulldogs to the southern 3A regional championship.
Upcoming fall sports info
The fall season sports will be starting at the beginning of August. Football can start Heat Acclimation practices on August 2-3. Non-contact practice will take place on August 4-6.
The rest of the fall sports maystart practice as early as Saturday, August 7.
The high schools will put out information on their official start times as the season gets closer. All athletes who wish to play must fill out the “Register My Athlete” packet and get a physical examination using the forms available online. Students cannot practice without this paperwork being completed.
