A year ago, the Redding Christian boys basketball team suffered a devastating two-point loss to St. Bernard’s in the CIF NorCal Division VI championship game.
However, that loss set off a chain of events that would forever change the trajectory of the Redding Christian athletics program.
To learn how to win, you first must learn how to lose. The Lions learned how to lose, and they didn’t like the feeling.
So, in the fall, six of the players on that 2024-25 basketball team took what they learned and translated it into 15 straight weeks of dominance on the gridiron.
On Saturday, Dec. 13, the Lions football team capped off an undefeated season by taking down Woodbridge 16-0 to win the Class 7-AA CIF state title — the first state championship in program history.
It was a statement win from a tiny 150-student school hidden in the deep north of California. The Lions proved that it doesn’t matter how big the roster is or how many coaches are on staff. As long as you have a group of athletes that know how to play together, anything is possible.
But those athletes weren’t satisfied. Three days after defeating Woodbridge, 11 players on the football team joined coach Todd Dwyer on the basketball team as they kicked off the 2025-26 season against Hamilton.
The plan was simple: avenge the loss from last year and bring another state title back home.
“We had it last year, but I thought after football season, there just was this mentality like, ‘We’re not scared of anybody, we want to compete against the best, and we want to win,'” Dwyer said. “It didn’t matter if we were playing (Pleasant Valley) or Foothill, it was a humble respect, but it was just like, ‘Let’s play. Let’s challenge ourselves.’”
The Lions (28-3) stood up to the challenge, and on Tuesday, March 10, they found themselves right back in the NorCal Division VI state championship game. This time around, the result was completely different.
After 32 minutes of perhaps the best ball they’ve played all season long, the Lions defeated St. Vincent de Paul, 74-37, to win yet another state title, this time in basketball.
Job finished.
“It’s awesome. It’s been their goal all year,” Dwyer said. “We didn’t say a whole lot because I knew how much pressure that could potentially put on them. It felt like everyone sort of had this assumption that we were just going to easily get back, and it was a struggle, but I’m so proud of them.
“They’re great kids and they’re deserving championships.”
Junior Micah Skinner notched a touchdown reception and an interception in the football state title game. The recently-named Five Star League MVP rose to the occasion yet again with a game-high 27 points to lead the Lions against the Mustangs (23-11).
“It means the world. I got to thank the coaches, teammates, everybody behind us,” Skinner said. “We got it done in football, and we were like, ‘basketball’s next.’ That was the end goal in mind. We just had to keep checking those boxes.”
The Lions immediately came out hot. They knocked down five three-pointers in the first quarter, three from senior Collin Matos, and it opened up the floor for Skinner.
“As soon as I could get my guys going, I knew it was going to be my turn at some point,” Skinner said. “I stepped up for the team earlier than I was supposed to, and I just kept riding the wave.”
Skinner has been the distributor all season long, but on Tuesday, he led the team with perhaps his best scoring performance of his career. Skinner scored 19 points in the first half to help the Lions jump out to a 22-point lead by halftime.
“I’m surprised he doesn’t do that every night,” Matos said. “He’s amazing in practice; he does that all the time. It’s awesome that he could do it in the game to show everybody how good he is.”
Matos has been the primary recipient of Skinner’s elite court vision all year. It helped him become the Northern Section’s leading three-point shooter with 134 made threes at a 46.4% clip heading into the championship game.
He didn’t have to carry the scoring load on Tuesday, but he still finished with 16 points in the win over St. Vincent de Paul — 15 of those points coming from behind the arc.
It was a stark contrast from the Lions semifinal win over Mendocino on March 7. Sure, Redding Christian ended up defeating the Cardinals 40-25, but it was one of the team’s worst shooting performances this season.
“I thought our guys would respond,” Dwyer said. “(Micah) and Collin both apologized to me Saturday after the game and just said, ‘Coach, I’m sorry we didn’t play well.’”
From that conversation, Dwyer knew his star duo would rise to the occasion. Dwyer was right, and they combined for 43 points in the championship win.
With just over two minutes left in the game, the Lions holding an insurmountable lead, Dwyer sent junior Josiah Burbank and sophomore Tucker Goodman to relieve Matos and Skinner from their on-court duties.
The crowd greeted them with a standing ovation, and Dwyer was the first to embrace the pair once they reached the bench.
“It was really special to have that moment and to share it with them,” Dwyer said. “That was the dream; That was what I was hoping to do, just to let them get their love from the fans and to thank them. I really wanted them to experience it and be able to call themselves champions because they deserved it.”
It’s a moment Skinner and Matos will never forget.
“It’s an insane feeling,” Skinner said. “Just joy, excitement for the future and knowing that what we did is going to leave a lasting stamp.”
Skinner, a junior, will be back with the Lions next year as they defend their title.
Matos, a senior, will graduate this spring.
“I told the coaches today that I’m not thrilled that I’ll never get to coach Collin again,” Dwyer said. “But, three section championships, a state championship in football, one in basketball; He’s established himself as an all-time great.”
It’s a storybook ending for Matos’ high school career. He’ll leave the program as one of the most decorated athletes in Redding Christian history.
“It’s been a great experience; I never thought I could win a state championship, so two in one year is amazing,” Matos said. “It’s everything you dream of.”
(This story has been updated to include video highlights from the game)
Brett Abrams is a sports reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. He covers high school and local sports in the Redding area. Reach out to Brett with any sports tips or news on X (formerly Twitter) @brabrams_ or by email at Brett.Abrams@Redding.com. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Redding Christian basketball wins state title months after football championship
Reporting by Brett Abrams, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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