Wrestler, 3 basketball players, including one who hit 46 points, earn Athletes of the Week
One West Valley wrestler stood out with his pins and three local basketball players had scoring outbursts last week.
The freshman from West Valley made history during the final wrestling meet of the season. The basketball players are a sophomore from U-Prep who made layups and jump shots, a Fall River senior who led her team to a section title and a Redding Christian senior who led his team to a section title.
Below are the four Shasta Family YMCA Athletes of the Week. Their performances cover Feb 20-25.
JoAnna Warren
School: U-Prep
Sport: Basketball
Class: Sophomore
Team contributions: Warren scored 46 points against Pierce last Thursday in the CIF Northern Section Division IV semifinals. Both teams combined for 148 points on the night. Pierce would get the better of U-Prep, outlasting the Panthers 75-73 on the road to advance to the CIF Northern Section Division IV title game. U-Prep advanced to the state playoffs after being named one of the top four Division IV section teams. No. 11 seed U-Prep (20-9) travels to No. 6 seed Hillsdale of San Mateo (21-5) for the first round of CIF State Division IV playoffs. The game is scheduled at 5 p.m. on Tuesday 5.
Alias Raby
School: West Valley
Sport: Wrestling
Class: Freshman
Team contributions: Raby became the first West Valley wrestler in a decade to place at the CIF State Wrestling Championships last Thursday through Saturday. Raby finished in seventh place in the 132-pound division and won four of six matches during the tourney. He outpointed Benjamin Wimberly of San Clemente 5-2 in his last match. Raby was the only state placer from the CIF Northern Section in 2023.
Giselle Rodriguez
School: Fall River
Sport: Basketball
Class: Senior
Team contributions: Rodriguez continued Fall River's trend of dominance against Portola in the CIF Northern Section Division V title game. Rodriguez scored 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds and nabbed five steals to dismantle Portola 45-21 last Saturday at Shasta College. Rodriguez was efficient, shooting 8 of 17 from the field. Fall River (24-2) held Portola to single digits during each quarter and earned the top seed in the CIF State Division V tournament. Fall River hosts No. 16 Big Valley Christian of Modesto (21-7) at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Joey Casey
School: Redding Christian
Sport: Basketball
Class: Senior
Team contributions: Casey's offensive game and defense guided Redding Christian to its first CIF Northern Section Division VI title since 2019. Casey scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots against Etna last Friday at Shasta High School. No. 4 seed Redding Christian (17-12) hosts No. 5 seed Cornerstone Christian (23-6) of Antioch at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the CIF NorCal Division VI state playoffs first round.
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: Shasta County wrestler, 3 basketball players earn athletic recognition
