Photo by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSpoprts.com – St. Bernard’s Madelyn Shanahan was the 2024 Humboldt Sports Little 4 Girls Athlete of the Year.

By Ray Hamill — It was another good year for Little 4 girls sports, with several teams and individual athletes all leaving their mark on the H-DNL and beyond.

The St. Bernard’s girls took home yet another North Coast Section championship in soccer and followed that with a first-ever Dick Niclai tournament championship on the basketball court with what was one of the most exciting moments of the year.

The Ferndale girls also enjoyed a memorable year on the basketball courts on their way to a Section crown, while the South Fork girls won the conference title in softball for the first time since 1990.

And that’s not all.

Northcoast Prep junior Lily Bazemore made some H-DNL history by becoming the first-ever league tennis player to win a North Coast Section championship in the sport.

The Hoopa girls also impressed, particularly late in the softball season.

Individually, there were several standouts in multiple sports, with Annie Lanning (volleyball), Sahara Tupua (soccer), Tinnley Pidgeon (soccer), Laila Florvilus (basketball) and Mackenzie Coleman (softball) all earning conference MVP honors.

And with all of that in mind, it’s almost time to name the 2025 Humboldt Sports Little 4 Girls Athlete of the Year.

The award is one of six we will be handing out, along with the Little 4 Boys Athlete of the Year, our High School Coach and Team and of the Year and our Big 5 Boys and Girls Athlete of the Year.

But first, we have to name our eight finalists for the L4 girls award, and as always just narrowing the field down was difficult with so many impressive athletes to choose from.

The field of finalists for the Little 4 Girls award included four student-athletes from St. Bernard’s and three from Ferndale.

Interestingly, five of the finalists are juniors and three are seniors, meaning the quality of Little 4 sports might be even better next year.

We’d also like to give a big shout out and thank you to the award sponsors, a group that includes The Humboldt Fence Company, DelReka Distributing, Mendes Supply Company and Bode Construction, all of whose support will help to pay for the trophies. 

HUMBOLDT SPORTS 2025 LITTLE 4 GIRLS ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

Michaela Ellsmore

Ferndale Junior

Soccer and Basketball

Ellsmore was a two-sport standout for the Wildcats, earning all-league honors in basketball, where she played a key role on her team’s march to an NCS title, as well as an all-conference honorable mention in soccer.

Laila Florvilus

St. Bernard’s Senior

Basketball and Track and Field

Arguably the greatest ever girls basketball player in SB history, Florvilus also enjoyed a stellar high school career in track and field. She will compete in both sports for Chico State next year.

Madison Gossi

Ferndale Junior

Soccer, Basketball and Softball

A team leader for the Wildcats in multiple sports, Gossi earned all-league honors in softball and an honorable mention in soccer and basketball.

Makinsey Lemley

St. Bernard’s Junior

Volleyball and Softball

Lemley grew in stature this year with big seasons in both volleyball and softball, earning all-league honors in both sports. She was arguably the Crusaders’ best and most player in the latter.

Harmony Nelson

Hoopa Senior

Volleyball and Basketball

A team leader for the Warriors in both of her sports, Nelson enjoyed big seasons in volleyball and basketball and was named all-league in both.

Tinnley Pidgeon

Ferndale Junior

Soccer, Basketball and Softball

The most versatile athlete on our list, Pidgeon was named conference goalkeeper MVP in soccer and all-league in basketball, and she would have been all-league in softball had it not been for an injury that sidelined her for much of the spring.

Sahara Tupua

St. Bernard’s Junior

Football, Volleyball, Soccer, Basketball and Softball

The busy Tupua incredibly played three sports in the fall alone, earning MVP honors on the soccer field and an all-league selection in volleyball. She is the only finalists to have competed in five sports this year.

Jocelyn Sundberg

St. Bernard’s Senior

Volleyball and Basketball

Sundberg was an all-league selection in volleyball and an all-league honorable mention in basketball, playing a particularly key role in the latter and helping to lead the Crusaders to an historic first-ever Niclai championship.