Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

By Ray Hamill — Despite her incredible success in H-DNL sports over the past few years, St. Bernard’s senior Laila Florvilus knows she is facing a whole new challenge after recently committing her future to one of the top schools in CCAA sports this past weekend.

On Saturday, the Crusaders three-sport standout announced that she will be taking her talents to Chico State after graduation this year.

Florvilus will compete in both basketball and track and field for the Wildcats.

But she’s not complacent and she knows the hard work is far from over.

“You’ve got to earn your playing time,” Florvilus told Humboldt Sports this week. “Whatever you put in, you’re going to get.”

That attitude is a big reason Florvilus has left an indelible mark on H-DNL sports in recent years, and why she’s not done doing so just yet.

Florvilus was a three-time Little 4 MVP and a two-time Humboldt Sports Player of the Year on the basketball courts, while also being named CalHiSports Division-4 State Player of the Year as a junior and leading the Crusaders to a state championship that season.

She finished her playing career with 1,903 points and helped the Crusaders win a remarkable 59 games over her final two seasons, including a first-ever Dick Niclai tournament title this past winter.

And that’s far from all.

This spring, Florvilus is back on the track and looks like the best girls athlete in the H-DNL.

She headed into Wednesday’s league meet at McKinleyville with the sixth best mark in the high jump in the entire North Coast Section (5’ 4”) and seventh best in the 100 meter hurdles (15.61 seconds).

Last spring, in her first full season competing in high school track and field, Florvilus not only won the league championship in the 100m hurdles, but went on to win the event in both the NCS Class A and Meet of Champions, setting a PR of 14.95 seconds at the latter.

She also was the 2024 NCS Class A champion in the high jump.

Laila Florvilus in action for the Crusaders in track and field this spring.

Submitted photo – Laila Florvilus and her St. Bernard’s teammate Madelyn Shanahan after they both qualified for last year’s state championships in track and field.

For Florvilus, the decision to commit to the Wildcats was a relatively easy one despite receiving multiple offers, including a scholarship offer to compete in track for Division-I Sacramento State.

“I’ve taken a few visits throughout the year, just trying to see what felt right,” she said. “And when I got on campus (at Chico), I really loved (basketball coach Brian Fogel). He has a very good program and you could see it. All the girls are super sweet and he has a good connection with them. And the same with the track coach (Oliver Hanf).”

Florvilus admits the hardest part about heading on to the next level will be “leaving home” and her younger siblings, Maliya, Trae and Kamdyn, but she feels that Chico is the perfect fit in many ways.

“It’s far enough where I can be independent, but not so far I can’t come home,” she said.

The multi-sport athlete, who also was a part of a very successful St. Bernard’s girls soccer program, has been described by St. Bernard’s basketball head coach Matt Tomlin as “the greatest player in St. Bernard’s girls basketball history” and the best player in the H-DNL this past winter.

“She dominated games with scoring, defense, rebounding and anywhere else our team needed her,” Tomlin said earlier this year.

Laila Florvilus and her senior teammates Jocelyn Sundberg and Aliyah Vigil after the Crusaders won a first-ever Dick Niclai tournament championship in basketball earlier this year.

In her final season with the team, Florvilus averaged 19.6 points on 47 percent shooting, as well as 8.8 rebounds and a remarkable 5.2 steals.

But the impressive stats only tell half the story.

It was her clutch performances at crucial times of pivotal games that really set her apart, including huge nights in the Dick Niclai semifinal and championship games, where she carried her team over the finish line with incredible second-half performances.

Florvilus’ high school track coach, Rikki Larsen Cortopassi, believes she has all the necessary tools to succeed at the next level.

“Laila is a fierce competitor — plain and simple,” Cortopassi said. “Whether she’s approaching the high jump bar or attacking the hurdles, she brings an intensity and focus that’s rare, especially at the high school level. 

“What makes her stand out isn’t just her natural athletic ability, but her relentless drive to win. 

“She doesn’t back down from challenges — in fact, she thrives on them. That kind of mentality is exactly what it takes to succeed at the college level, where every athlete is talented, but not everyone has Laila’s grit.”

Submitted photo – Laila Florvilus during her middle school playing days.

Submitted photo

For Florvilus, competing in sports in high school was about far more than the incredible success she enjoyed.

“It was a lot of fun,” she said of her time at SB. “What I’ll remember is all the connections I made. I never had a relationship I didn’t like at St. Bernard’s. I made a lot of good memories.”

She modestly described her time competing for the Crusaders as a “pretty good few years with sports,” adding that “it’s been fun.”

As for the next chapter in her life, Florvilus says she is looking forward to the new challenges.

“I’m extremely excited,” she said, while also admitting that moving away from home for the first time will be tough. “It’s definitely going to be a change.”

As for the biggest influences in her career, Florvilus is quick to name some of her coaches — Tomlin, Cortopassi and DJ Snowton — as well as her parents, Ashley and Frank, and St. Bernard’s school principal/president, “Mr. (Paul) Shanahan.”

“Honestly, everybody that’s been a part of my journey,” she said.

And many of those who have seen her become a dominating high school athlete have enjoyed the journey just as much.

“As her coach, watching Laila grow has been incredibly rewarding,” Cortopassi said. “She’s left a permanent mark on our program. She’s a leader, an inspiration and the kind of athlete that reminds you why you love to coach.

“I have no doubt she’ll make an immediate impact at the college level, and I can’t wait to see how far she’ll go.”