By Ray Hamill — It was another fun year in Big 5 sports with several athletes and teams making their presence felt and no shortage of excitement.

From the opening weekend of the fall sports seasons to an impressive conclusion to the track and field season, the best student-athletes in the Big 5 entertained and thrilled us along the way, with several of them stepping up.

And so with that in mind, it’s almost time to announce the 2026 Humboldt Sports Big 5 Boys Athlete of the Year.

The B5 athlete of the year is one of six awards we’ll be handing out this summer, along with our Big 5 Girls Athletes of the Year, our Little 4 Boys and Girls Athletes of the Year, our Coach of the Year and our Team of the year.

As always, a big thank you to our award sponsors, Bode Construction and Mendes Supply Company, longtime sponsors of the awards.

So here then are our finalists for the 2026 Humboldt Sports Big 5 Boys Athlete of the Year.

Kavi Bolden

Fortuna, Senior

Bolden closed out his high school career with a bang, while making his presence felt on the football fields in the fall and on the track in the spring.

The Huskies standout, who was named Fortuna’s athlete of the year at the school’s annual Husky ESPYs, was an All-League selection in football and a three-time league champion in track.

Skyler Collenberg

Arcata, Senior

Collenberg capped an outstanding high school career with a pair of monster seasons, starring for the Tigers in football and track and field.

After earning another All-League selection for his play in the trenches in the fall, Collenberg was the best track and field athlete in league with his dominating performances in the shot put and discus and qualified for the state meet for the second straight year.

Xavier De La Rosa

Eureka, Junior

Arguably the best player on the history-making Eureka boys basketball team, De La Rosa followed that with a standout spring in track and field, earning a pair of top three finishes at the league championships.

But it was basketball where he really made his presence felt, leading the Loggers to a first-ever section championship in the sport and earning All-League honors.

Tyson Evanow

Fortuna, Senior

Another Fortuna senior to make our list of finalists, Evanow starred for the Huskies in football and wrestling, enjoying impressive seasons in both sports.

After receiving an All-League selection on the football fields, Evanow was even better on the mats in the winter, winning a league title and earning Most Outstanding Lower Weight Wrestler at the H-DNL Championships.

Luke Lemke

Arcata, Senior

One of the most exciting athletes on the North Coast for the past three years, Lemke was as good as ever this year, playing key roles for the Tigers in both football and basketball.

The Arcata senior earned All-League selections in both sports after playing at an MVP level in each, and he was a player opposing teams always had to account for and build their game plan around.

Mako Limon

Fortuna, senior

The third Huskies senior on our list of finalists, Limon was equally impressive as his Fortuna peers in his final year of high school sports.

A league MVP in football in the fall, Limon showcased his overall athletic ability with a big spring in track and field, including a pair of top-two finishes at the league championships.

Ryder Mitchell

Eureka, Junior

The second Loggers junior on our list of finalists, Mitchell enjoyed outstanding campaigns in both basketball and baseball and seemed to grow in stature as each season went along.

Mitchell played a key role in leading the Loggers to the historic NCS crown in basketball, and followed that with a big spring on the baseball fields, where the Loggers placed second to McKinleyville in both the Big 5 and Charles Lakin Tournament.

Jason Murphy

Del Norte, Senior

Murphy was a two-sport standout for the Warriors in his final year of high school and enjoyed big seasons in both football and track and field.

The Del Norte linebacker was named to the Big 4 All-League team in the fall, before taking home a league title in the boys pole vault, placing third at the North Coast Section Redwood Empire Championships and qualifying for the prestigious Meet of Champions.

Kanyon Starkey

Del Norte, Senior

Starkey was named Del Norte’s athlete of the year after impressive senior seasons in three different sports, including football, basketball and baseball.

Starkey was named All-League in football and received an honorable mention in baseball, while also providing some all-important leadership on all three teams he played with.