Meet 6 students who earned Shasta Family YMCA Athletes of the Week (Feb. 27-March 4)

Ethan Hanson, Redding Record Searchlight
·3 min read
U-Prep senior guard Khamron Price (top right), Shasta sophomore snowboarder Stella Hightower (middle right), Anderson sophomore pitcher Elisea Wiegand (bottom left), U-Prep junior snowboarder Owen Asbill (bottom right), U-Prep junior goalkeeper Allyson Littau (bottom left) and Foothill pitcher Elijah Rheem were named the Shasta Family YMCA Athletes of the Week.

Six athletes from Shasta County had outstanding performances in state playoffs for basketball, soccer and alpine sports while the baseball and softball season started last week.

Pitchers and goalkeepers from U-Prep and Foothill delivered shutouts while another two athletes lit the scoreboard up with their hitting and shooting in softball and baseball.

Alpine athletes from Shasta and U-Prep each earned spots at a national race in Colorado.

Meet the top six students from U-Prep, Foothill, Anderson and Fall River who earned the Shasta Family YMCA Athletes of the Week award. Two seniors, two juniors and two sophomores combined for these performances between Feb. 27 and March 4.

U-Prep’s Khamron Quincy Price (20) goes up for a jump shot against Colusa’s Seth Kalisuch (22) in the first quarter of the Division IV boys basketball championship game on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023.
U-Prep’s Khamron Quincy Price (20) goes up for a jump shot against Colusa’s Seth Kalisuch (22) in the first quarter of the Division IV boys basketball championship game on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023.

Khamron Price

School: U-Prep

Sport: Basketball

Class: Senior

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ethan Allen Hanson (@ethan_a_hanson)

Team contributions: Price led the U-Prep boys basketball team to its deepest run in the state playoffs last week. Price scored 22 points against Weed on Feb. 28 in the CIF State Division V first round and 21 points against Cloverdale last Thursday in the quarterfinals. Price poured in 14 points in a tightly fought 61-58 loss to Ripon Christian in the semifinals last Saturday.

Anderson sophomore pitcher Elisea Wiegand is one of the top players to watch in the North State.
Anderson sophomore pitcher Elisea Wiegand is one of the top players to watch in the North State.

Elisea Wiegand

School: Anderson

Sport: Sophomore

Class: Softball

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ethan Allen Hanson (@ethan_a_hanson)

Team contributions: Wiegand is quickly becoming one of the rising stars in Shasta County's deep softball tradition. Wiegand clubbed two home runs on offense, struck out 16 batters and allowed just one earned run to beat Colusa 9-8 at home last Thursday. Anderson has four games scheduled this week against Pierce, Woodland and Orland.

U-Prep junior goalkeeper Allyson Littau (right) is congratulated by junior defender Kassidy Conway (left) after leading the Panthers to a 1-0 shutout in the CIF NorCal Division IV state first round against Placer on Feb. 28, 2023.
U-Prep junior goalkeeper Allyson Littau (right) is congratulated by junior defender Kassidy Conway (left) after leading the Panthers to a 1-0 shutout in the CIF NorCal Division IV state first round against Placer on Feb. 28, 2023.

Allyson Littau

School: U-Prep

Sport: Soccer

Class: Junior

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ethan Allen Hanson (@ethan_a_hanson)

Team contributions: Littau maintained her team's early lead and led U-Prep 1-0 against Placer in the CIF NorCal State Division IV Regional first round on Feb. 28. Placer fired 19 shots but couldn't get a ball past Littau. Littau recorded eight saves.

Shasta sophomore Stella Hightower races down a slope at Mt. Shasta Ski Park on Monday, Feb. 27.
Shasta sophomore Stella Hightower races down a slope at Mt. Shasta Ski Park on Monday, Feb. 27.

Stella Hightower

School: Shasta

Sport: Snowboarding

Class: Sophomore

Team contributions: Hightower was one of the top three girls alpine athletes in the North State this year. Hightower placed top five in the final women's snowboard slalom race on Feb. 27 at Mt. Shasta Ski Park. Hightower qualified for the United States of America Snowboarding and Freeski National Championships at Copper Mountain, Colorado, which are scheduled to start on April 8.

U-Prep junior Owen Asbill was the top male slalom snowboarder from the North State in 2023.
U-Prep junior Owen Asbill was the top male slalom snowboarder from the North State in 2023.

Owen Asbill

School: U-Prep

Sport: Snowboarding

Class: Junior

Team contributions: Asbill won first place in men's snowboard giant slalom during the final races of the season at Mt. Shasta Ski Park on Feb. 27. Asbill won five of six races this year and qualified for the Five Star alpine races in Lake Tahoe, which begin on Wednesday. Asbill also qualified for United States of America Snowboarding and Freeski National Championships at Copper Mountain, Colorado.

Foothill senior left handed pitcher Elijah Rheem throws consistently in the mid 80s and shutout Chico for five innings at Big League Dreams in Redding on Friday, March 3, 2023.
Foothill senior left handed pitcher Elijah Rheem throws consistently in the mid 80s and shutout Chico for five innings at Big League Dreams in Redding on Friday, March 3, 2023.

Elijah Rheem

School: Foothill

Sport: Baseball

Class: Senior

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ethan Allen Hanson (@ethan_a_hanson)

Team contributions: The left handed pitching Rheem sliced through hitters last Saturday at Big League Dreams. Rheem threw four no-hit innings and struck out eight against Chico High School. Rheem had zero offensive support against Chico and added runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh inning to beat Foothill 7-0.

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.

Shasta Family YMCA Athletes of the Week.
Shasta Family YMCA Athletes of the Week.

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: 6 students in 5 sports earn Shasta Family YMCA Athletes of the Week