At the culmination of each month, Boulder City Review spotlights an athlete of the month for each participating Boulder City High School varsity sport, highlighting their excellent play.
Girls golf: Freshman Emmerson Hinds
Highlights: A freshman phenom, Hinds brought home the 3A state individual title on Oct. 18, shooting a 141 at CasaBlanca Golf Club. Hinds swept the postseason, finishing as the 3A Southern Region champion on Oct. 10 at Mountain Falls Golf Club, shooting a 140 on the day.
Coach’s comments: “Emmerson’s a super nice kid who is dedicated to achieving her goals,” head coach Bobby Resse said. “She has put the time in that is needed and it showed. It was a very impressive showing, being under par both days. The sky is the limit for this young lady and I am just happy to be along for part of the ride.”
Girls’ tennis: Senior Julia Carmichael and junior Irene Fresneda-Rodriquez
Highlight: Sweeping postseason play, the dynamic doubles duo won both the state and regional championship in individual play, while helping the Lady Eagles bring home their first team championship in 3A play. Dominant at state, the duo defeated Truckee’s Naomi Park and Ava Phelan 6-2, 6-2 in the individual state final.
Coach’s comments: “Julia and Irene were able to jell immediately,” head coach Jami Pappas said. “They complemented each other beautifully. They walked out on the court like they owned the place. Their passion, desire and love of the game took over and the rest is history. They had one goal in mind and were determined to win.”
Boys’ tennis: Ike Pappas and Roman Rose
Highlight: The Eagles top doubles duo, Pappas and Rose finished second in the 3A state individual tournament, falling to Moapa Valley’s Aidan Johnson and Braden Leavitt in the finals 6-2, 6-3. In team play, Pappas and Rose were 3-0 in the state championship match, despite falling to South Tahoe 6-12 in the finals.
Coach’s comments: “Roman and Ike have amazing chemistry on the court,” coach Rachelle Huxford said. “They trust each other and know what each other is going to do. Most partnerships on their level take years to develop. Their success stems from a lifetime of friendship and trust outside of sports. I loved watching them play together, it was seamless.”
Football: Junior Easton Welbourne
Highlight: A key two-way star for the Eagles, Welbourne led the Eagles offense with 25 catches for 320 receiving yards and a touchdown in October, while making five tackles on defense with two interceptions. A key piece of the Eagles’ offense, the junior had two 100-yard games.
Coach’s comments: “Easton is just a football player by definition,” head coach Bubba Mariani said. “He is always cool, calm and collected and just goes out there and makes plays. On offense he always manages to find a way to get open and on defense he is a total ballhawk.”
Girls’ soccer: Junior Makayla Nelson
Highlight: A lethal goal scorer for the Lady Eagles, Nelson racked up 31 goals in nine games during the month of October, while dishing out four assists. Ending her season with a state-leading 56 goals, regardless of classification, Nelson set a new Nevada single-game record for goals with 11 against Sloan Canyon on Oct. 9.
Coach’s comments: “Makayla was an amazing striker with an absolute go-to-goal mindset,” head coach Arnold Oeland said. “She was tenacious about scoring at every game and it served her well at many games with some amazing high goal numbers.”
Boys’ soccer: Senior Zach Strachan
Highlight: Zach was one of the Eagles’ most consistent players during the month of October, scoring goals in three different games.
Coach’s comments: “I’ve coached Zack for three years and each year he became more of a threat on the field,” head coach Amanda Carducci said. “This season he proved himself to be a leader on and off the field. He is a great athlete and an even better teammate.”
volleyball: Senior JordynWoodard
Highlight: Leading the way defensively for the Lady Eagles, 178 of Woodard’s 498 digs came during the month of October. More than just the leader of the Eagles defense, Woodard leads all 3A players in the category and is second in the state, regardless of classification.
Coach’s comments: “I can’t tell you how fortunate we are to have Jordyn on defense,” head coach Chad Robinson said. “To be honest, I don’t even try to think of a game plan, knowing she’s there. She really goes out and gives it her all.”
Girls’ cross country: Junior Ellie Palmer
Highlight: The top girls’ runner for the Eagles, Palmer finished 22nd out of 57 runners on Nov. 4 in the 3A state meet at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park. At regionals on Oct. 27 at Veteran’s Memorial Park, Palmer finished seventh out of 34 runners.
Coach’s comments: “Ellie has been great for us all season,” head coach Mark Misuraca said. “She’s been our most consistent runner and had a great showing in the postseason. We’re excited to have her back next season.”
Boys’ cross country: Freshman Ezekiel Ford
Highlights: Coming on late in the season, Ford proved to be one of the Eagles top runners, finishing 37th out of 60 runners at the 3A regional meet on Oct. 27 at Veterans’ Memorial Park.
Coach’s comments: “Ezekiel really came in strong to end the season,” head coach Mark Misuraca said. “We were battling with some injuries to our key guys and Ezekiel stepped up at the right time to lead the way. I thought the regional meet was a great way for him to end his freshman season.”