The 2025-26 academic year is in the rearview, but certain students will forever be remembered in Shasta County sports history for their athletic dominance. While some choose to specialize in one sport, many athletes across the Redding-area embraced a multi-sport schedule that kept them training and competing year-round.
Now, it’s time for the readers to select the Record Searchlight’s 2026 Boys Athlete of the Year.
The list of nominees has been narrowed down to 12 athletes, and each athlete must have competed in at least two sports during the recently completed academic year. Individual stats, accolades and team success each played a factor in selecting the 12 finalists.
Read about what each nominee accomplished during the 2025-26 year and cast your vote now. Voting is restricted to one vote per person per hour and will remain open until Thursday, June 16.
Vote here
Nominees
Bryce Owens, Sr, Red Bluff
In his senior year, Red Bluff’s Bryce Owens was selected to All-Eastern Athletic League teams for football, basketball and baseball and was consistently one of the top players on whatever team he competed for. However, Owens really stood out on the gridiron. Owens was selected to the All-Northern Section second team and helped lead the Spartans to an 8-3 record. Owens earned the Record Searchlight’s defensive player of the year award and was selected as the Record Searchlight-Redding Rotary-Seamans Family Foundation 2025-26 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Wyatt Shaw, Jr, Redding Christian
As Redding Christian’s starting quarterback, Wyatt Shaw broke the section records for most passing yards in a single season (3,231), most completions in a single season (225), most passing touchdowns in a single season (55), most passing touchdowns in a single game (8), most career completions (441), most career passing touchdowns (87), and he ranks fifth on the all-time passing yards leaderboard. He led the Lions to a perfect 15-0 record and a CIF state title.
Shaw also played with the Lions basketball team that won the CIF NorCal Regional title, and he helped the RCS baseball team reach the NSCIF championship game. Shaw was an All-League selection for both football and baseball and earned first-team All-Northern Section honors for football.
Brodie Ogden, Sr, Redding Christian
Brodie Ogden was a four-sport athlete for Redding Christian, and he excelled in each sport he competed in. Ogden helped the Lions win state championships in both football and basketball. As a defensive end, he finished with a section-best 21 sacks — no other player reached 15 sacks last season — and was named to the All-Section second team. He also earned All-League selections for football, basketball and baseball.
With the Lions baseball team, Ogden posted a 0.433 batting average, a 1.96 ERA and he finished in the top 10 for strikeouts after leading the Lions to the section championship game. Ogden also placed third in shot put at the NSCIF track and field championships.
Darren Goodman, Jr, Redding Christian
Standing at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, Redding Christian’s Darren Goodman is one of the most physically dominant athletes in the North State and a four-sport standout for the Lions. Goodman played tight end and defensive end for a team that went 15-0 and won a state title. Last season, he finished fourth in the section with 865 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. He also finished third in sacks (12.5) and earned a spot on the All-Section first team.
Goodman was also selected to the All-Section second team as a basketball player and helped the Lions win a NorCal regional title. In addition to basketball and football, Goodman was a standout on the Lions volleyball and track and field teams.
Alias Raby, Sr, Anderson
Alias Raby is one of the most gifted athletes the North State has ever seen. Despite only playing seven games with the Cubs football team, Raby finished 13th in NSCIF receiving yards. In a game against Central Valley on Oct. 31, Raby caught six passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns. Raby’s main sport, however, is wrestling. He dominated every local match he competed in en route to an NSCIF Masters title. Raby placed 4th at the CIF wrestling championships, marking his second consecutive top-five finish at the state level.
Gunner Church, Jr, West Valley
In his junior season with West Valley football, Gunner Church scored touchdowns as a quarterback, receiver, running back and defensive back. He snagged four interceptions, accumulated over 750 all-purpose yards and earned a spot on the All-NAL list.
As a baseball player, Church slashed .369/.488/.600 with 22 RBIs and 10 extra base hits in 65 at bats. Church was named the NAL MVP and earned a spot on the all-section first team after helping his team win the NSCIF Division III title for the second year in a row. Church was also selected to represent Team California at the High School Baseball National Championship Series.
Lane Carruth, Jr, West Valley
Lane Carruth is making history at West Valley as one of the top boys tennis players in the North State. In his junior season with the Eagles, Carruth went undefeated and won his third consecutive NSCIF title, becoming just the third player in section history to do so (Bob Brennan, Shasta 1969-71/Matt Lucena, Chico 1986-88). In three years of high school competition, Carruth has only lost one match. Carruth also competed with the Eagles cross country team that won an NAL title in 2025.
Carson Anderson, Sr, Foothill
Carson Anderson stood out as one of the most un-guardable receivers in Northern Section football last season. He finished his senior year with 787 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to an All-Section first team selection, and he took home the Record Searchlight’s offensive player of the year award. Anderson is known for his ability to make acrobatic contested catches. His highlight performance came in the first round of the postseason when he snagged six catches for 159 yards and three touchdowns. Anderson also competed with the Foothill boys volleyball team in the spring.
Drason Recio, Sr, Central Valley
Drason Recio is the type of high-character athlete coaches love to coach. Recio did everything on the field, court and diamond as a football, basketball and baseball player. He played multiple positions and succeeded in each one. As a football player, Recio recorded 673 receiving yards, 226 rushing yards and 509 return yards. He also hit 0.369 with 31 hits and 25 stolen bases for the Falcons baseball team and was named to the All-Section second team.
Ja’Kye Rawls, Sr, Enterprise
Ja’Kye Rawls was the heart and soul of a dominant Enterprise basketball team throughout the 2025-26 season. As the team’s starting point guard, Rawls averaged 15.6 points, three assists and 3.1 rebounds per game, and he reached 1,000 career points this past season. Everything ran through Rawls, and he consistently stepped up in the biggest moments. Rawls led EHS to the section championship game, and while the Hornets lost, Rawls hit a buzzer beater at the end of the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. Rawls also tied for second in high jump at the 2026 NSCIF track and field championships.
Jack Peterson, Sr, Shasta
Jack Peterson was a three-sport athlete competing for Shasta football, basketball and baseball. In the fall, Peterson led the Wolves football team as the starting quarterback and team captain. However, Peterson really stood out on the Wolves baseball team after slashing .371/.462/.435 with 23 hits and seven RBIs in 2026. Peterson recorded six multi-hit games and only committed two errors in 106 total chances (0.981 fielding percentage). Following the season, Peterson was selected to the All-Eastern Athletic League team.
Asher Williamson, Sr, U-Prep
U-Prep’s Asher Williamson competed in three different sports, including football, soccer and track and field. As a soccer player, Williamson led his team with six goals and 14 points. Williamson earned All-NAL and All-Section second team honors. As a sprinter, Williamson won nearly every race he competed in. He capped off his senior season with first-place finishes in the 100m and 200m races at the NSCIF track and field championships and competed in the state tournament. Williamson also scored a touchdown as a receiver with the Panthers football team.
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: Vote for the Record Searchlight’s 2025-26 Boys Athlete of the Year
Reporting by Brett Abrams, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By Brett Abrams, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
