North Bay student-athletes celebrated at Press Democrat's All-Star Athlete Awards

High school competitors and their families, friends and coaches gathered Wednesday night at the Friedman Events Center in Santa Rosa to celebrate notable student-athletes at The Press Democrat's 29th annual All-Star Athlete Awards.

The newspaper recognized more than 60 athletes nominated for their achievements by high school athletic directors and coaches around the region. At the end of the evening, eight of the nominees were announced as recipients of $500 college scholarships from The Press Democrat.

"These are always very difficult decisions, which is a testament to how many standout student-athletes we have here in the North Bay," said Corey Young, sports director at The Press Democrat.

The awards ceremony included two guest speakers: Olympic gold medal swimmer Maya DiRado, a Maria Carrillo High School graduate, and Dr. Todd Weitzenberg, a sports medicine physician from Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa.

Weitzenberg opened the program with remarks emphasizing the importance of education and physical wellness, while happily reminding the audience that the student-athletes in attendance represent the future.

DiRado, who grew up in Santa Rosa, graduated from Maria Carrillo in 2010 and went on to win two gold medals, a silver and a bronze for Team USA at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, reflected on lessons learned during her career.

She encouraged the students not to be afraid of difficult situations in order to continue growing - not just as athletes, but as people. She also praised them for their successes so far.

"It was such an edifying, heartwarming 45 minutes to listen to how hard you are all working," DiRado said.

This year's scholarship recipients are Amelia Wickersham from Healdsburg High School, Diego Perez Herrera from Calistoga High School, Gabe Casanovas from St. Vincent de Paul High School, Owen Dawson from Analy High School, Johana Stone from St. Vincent de Paul High School, Alice Turner from Sonoma Valley High School, Jonah Bertoli from Cardinal Newman High School and Bailey Guerrero from Casa Grande High School.

Though the eight scholarship recipients were given special recognition, every student was celebrated with a hearty recap of their achievements before receiving a medal on stage.

"It's a great honor to be recognized not only for my academic efforts but also my athletic efforts," said Jolene Dominguez, a senior basketball player from Roseland University Prep.

In introducing each of the 63 nominees, Press Democrat journalists praised the students for successfully striking a balance between their classroom education and athletics.

Sophia Broadbent-Bell from Analy High School explained that for her, sports have been a way to escape from the pressures of school and grades.

Similarly, Montgomery High School's Marvella Cortes expressed the importance of group activities and the rapport built between student-athletes.

"Being a part of the sports community is really empowering," Cortes said. "It's really helped me cope with stress and anxiety."

Splitting their time across the fall, winter and spring seasons, many of the students nominated have played multiple sports for their schools.

One of the scholarship recipients, Calistoga's Diego Perez Herrera, juggled four sports during the school year. Despite his impressive resume, Perez Herrera remained humble.

"There are many great athletes in this room, many are going on to play college sports and just have many great accomplishments," he said. "It's an honor to be able to win this award."

For some, this wasn't the first time being recognized. Wrestler Bianca Moreno Barajas from Elsie Allen High School expressed gratitude for being nominated in back-to-back years.

"It's pretty cool to be here two years in a row," she said. "And now as a senior it's a nice little touch, like the bow on a present."

A packed room of friends and family members cheered on their students as each was recognized.

Scholarship recipient Owen Dawson's mother, Amanda Dawson, noted that her daughter had been nominated a few years ago, but the event could not be held during the pandemic. She was happy to be able to attend in person this time.

"This is really a pleasure and honor for us to be part of this in our community," she said. "We're so proud of all these student-athletes."

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