By Ray Hamill — The new high school sports year is up and running and it’s been a great start to the fall seasons for a number of local student-athletes.
Most notably, a pair of seniors who have been stepping up for their respective teams in more ways than one.
St. Bernard’s CJ Figas is enjoying an outstanding start to her final year of high school sports, both with her play and leadership, as has been the case with Fortuna senior Will Shaw.
And that makes them our choices for our first Athletes of the Week of the new school year.
Shaw was one of many outstanding performers for the Huskies in their season opener against St. Helena on Friday night, reaping the rewards of his hard work this summer.
“The experience of being a second-year guy, you can’t put a price on that,” Fortuna head coach Mike Benbow said of Shaw. “He’s our leader. He’s been our leader all summer long. On both sides of the ball he’s coming into his own.”
Shaw accounted for three of his team’s four first-half touchdowns in a dominating 41-6 win.
He ran in for a TD, passed for a TD and had a scoop and score on defense, and he took full advantage of a dominating night by his offensive and defensive lines.
Shaw finished the night with 68 yards on the ground on 13 carries and also completed 3 of 6 passes for 31 yards.
It was a great start to the new campaign for the Huskies and their fans, including Shaw who looks poised for a big fall.
So too does Figas.
The outstanding SB multi-sport senior was involved in all three of her team’s goals in a. 3-1 win over McKinleyville earlier in the week and continued to impress in a statement win over league rival Ferndale in the Upper Lake Tournament semifinals on Friday evening.
Figas, who has established herself as a much-needed team leader on a very young Crusaders team that has featured seven starting freshmen early in the season, netted two second-half goals as the Crusaders broke a 1-1 halftime tie on the way to a 3-1 victory.
“CJ was the player of the match,” St. Bernard’s head coach Brandon Amis said. “She was all over the field.”
And that’s not all for Figas.
The SB girls soccer team is also the Humboldt Sports Team of the Week.
Amis and his players are off to a 4-0 start, with impressive wins over Del Norte, Fortuna, McKinleyville and Ferndale.
After losing all five of their matchups with the Wildcats in the fall of 2025, the Crusaders look like they could be the team to beat this year, with several of the younger players quickly adjusting to the high school level.
But the veteran players on the team are also playing key roles, including Figas, who enjoyed a good junior season but has taken her game to a whole new level this year.
The experienced Carli Baum, Malia Massayos and Paula Bullock have each also impressed for the team early in the new campaign.
It’s still early, but it looks like it could be a great season for the Crusaders.
