By Ray Hamill — It was another exciting year in local high school sports, and with that in mind it’s almost time for the Humboldt Sports end-of-year high school sports awards.
We will announce the winners in all six categories within the next week, including our Little 4 Boys and Girls Athletes o the Year, our Big 5 Boys and Girls Athletes of the Year, our Team of the Year and our Coach of the Year.
This week we will be announcing our finalists in all six categories, beginning with the Little 4 Boys Athlete of the Year finalists.
As always there was no shortage of worthy candidates and all nine finalists made their presence felt in the H-DNL over the past 12 months
All of this year’s finalists were multi-sport standouts and this year’s list is senior heavy, showcasing the impact the experienced athletes had this past year, with just one junior included.
Many of them will also continue their playing careers at the next level, having committed to college programs in various (or multiple) sports..
Here then, in alphabetical order, is our list of finalists for 2026 Humboldt Sports Little 4 Boys Athlete of the Year finalists.
2026 Humboldt Sports Little 4 Boys Athlete of the Year Finalists
Kohlton Hall,
St. Bernard’s, Senior
Hall got his final year of high school sports off to a flying start on the football field, where he dominated at defensive end on his way to earning an all-league selection.
The SB senior, who will play football and compete in track and field at College of the Redwoods next year, also was a league runner-up on the wrestling mats and a North Coast Section champion in track and field.
Tyler Hinrichs
St. Bernard’s, Senior
The second SB senior on our list of finalists, Hinrichs had a year for the ages, excelling in three different sports.
Hinrichs, who will play football at Simpson University next year, was one of the best kickers in the NCS this past fall and was named Big 4 co-MVP. He also played a key role defensively for a dominating St. Bernard’s boys basketball team on his way to earning an all-league honorable mention, before closing out his high school career with an MVP campaign on the baseball fields.
Allen Kane
Hoopa, Senior
One of two Hoopa seniors in our finalists, Kane was a consistent bright spot for the Warriors this past year, starring for the school in both football and baseball and receiving All-League honors in each.
More importantly, Kane provided some key leadership on both of his teams and grew in stature as a team leader in his final year of high school sports.
Prescott Langer
Ferndale, Senior
The always impressive Langer, who was the Humboldt Sports L4 Athlete of the Year as a sophomore, once again starred for the Cats in multiple sports.
After earning conference co-MVP honors on a history-making Ferndale football team, Langer also was named All-League in both basketball and baseball.
Tanner Pidgeon
Ferndale, Senior
Another three-sport star for the Cats, Pidgeon was named co-MVP of the L4 in football along with Langer, and followed that with an All-League selection on the basketball court.
But Pidgeon was far from done, and in the spring he played like a player who did not want his high school career to end, earning his second L4 MVP award of the year on the baseball fields.
Brian Richards
Hoopa, Senior
Like Kane, Richards also played an integral role on his Hoopa teams and he was a consistent bright spot for the Warriors throughout the entire year.
The Warriors standout earned all-league recognition in three sports, including All-League selections in football and basketball and an honorable mention in baseball.
Shawn Schmidt
South Fork, Senior
Schmidt is another senior who closed out his high school career in style, capping four impressive years competing for the Cubs.
He got his final high school year started with a big fall on the football fields, earning All-League honors in the North Central III, and he followed that with an All-League season in basketball.
Travis Way
South Fork, Senior
Travis “T-Bone” Way was named South Fork’s Boys Athlete of the Year after starring for the Cubs in three sports.
The impressive senior earned All-League honors in NCL III football and would close out his high school career with a big spring on the baseball fields, adding another All-League selection.
Angel Zaragoza
Ferndale, Junior
The only junior among our nine finalists, Zaragoza had two outstanding seasons for the Wildcats this past year.
After starring on both lines for the Cats in their historic football season and earning All-League honors for his efforts, Zaragoza followed that with a very impressive winter in wrestling, where he won a league championship in the heavyweight division in his first year competing on the high school mats.
