Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — It’s that time of the year, where we get to hand out our high school awards to the best athletes, team and coach in the H-DNL during the 2021/22 school year.

Over the next 10 days we will be naming our finalists in all six categories and announcing all of the winners.

The categories include Big 5 and Little 4 Boys and Girls Athletes of the Year, as well as our High School Coach of the Year and our High School Team of the Year.

We’ll also be taking a look back at some of our favorite moments and achievements from the 2021/22 school year in sports.

And thanks to our awards sponsors — The Stove Doctors, Six Rivers Property Management and The Mendes Supply Company — we will be handing out plaques to recognize the winners in all six categories.

We’re going to kick things off with our six finalists for Little 4 Girls Athlete of the Year …

Kyla Albee, right, and Summer Contreras

Kyla Albee

Ferndale, Junior

Albee was a force in two sports for the Ferndale Wildcats this year, starring in both volleyball and basketball and performing at an MVP level in both.

She was named co-MVP of the Little 4 in volleyball and was arguably the best player on a very deep and talented Ferndale basketball team that won an NCS championship.

She likely would have been the L4 MVP in basketball too had it not been for the super-talented Lele Tanuvasa.

Savannah Colegrove

Hoopa, Senior

Few players in either the L4 or Big 5 performed as effectively on as many fronts this year as Colegrove.

The senior standout was named MVP of the Little 4 in softball last week, following her all-league first-team selections in both volleyball and basketball.

She also enjoyed plenty of success this year, leading the Warriors to a co-Little 4 championship in volleyball and a league and NCS double in softball.

Surprisingly, she is one of only two seniors among our finalists.

Summer Contreras

South Fork, Junior

Another multi-sport star who was consistently good for the Cubs on three sporting fronts this year, shifting seamlessly from one to the next.

Contreras was named first-team all-league in both soccer and softball and also received an all-league honorable mention in basketball.

Madelyn Shanahan

St. Bernard’s, Sophomore

Shanahan was named co-MVP of the L4 in volleyball after leading her team to a co-championship, and she followed that with a big winter in basketball, where she was named first-team all-league.

She also enjoyed an impressive spring in track and field, where she was arguably the best L4 athlete, placing first in the triple jump at the H-DNL championships and first in the discus at the NCS Class A championships.

She is the only sophomore on our list of finalists.

Lele Tanuvasa

St. Bernard’s Junior

Tanuavsa played just one full sports season this year, but what a season it was.

The junior standout is clearly the best girls high school basketball player in the area right now and was a very worthy Little 4 MVP.

The future is a bright one for the St. Bernard’s star, who should continue to develop and get better and better.

Emma Wilson

St. Bernard’s Senior

Wilson was a dynamic and industrious player in three different sports and is the third Crusader to make our list of six finalists.

After being named co-MVP in soccer and leading her team to a second straight NCS championship, she was named first-team all-league in softball and also received an all-league honorable mention in basketball.