And the candidates are...
The Signal presents its annual year-end awards
Before we give away our annual Signal Sports Awards, we figured we’d introduce the finalists to you.
More athletes were considered for these awards than are listed below.
But, in our opinion, these are the best of the best:
Newcomer of the Year
The Camacho twins
West Ranch added double the talent to its football and baseball rosters this year with Jovan and Ryan Camacho. The identical twins were All-Foothill League in both sports.
Moises Haynes
Valencia’s Haynes became one of the premier running backs in the Foothill League this season, rushing for a league-best 1,682 yards and 22 rushing touchdowns.
Aly Kaneshiro
She burst onto the scene as a freshman this year, playing catcher and hitting .439 with a team-high 48 RBIs for Hart softball. She was also a factor on the varsity basketball team.
Solomon Strader
The Trinity freshman advanced farther than any other track and field athlete in the Santa Clarita Valley, reaching the podium at the state meet after a sixth-place finish in the 400-meter dash.
Coach of the Year
Steve Calendo
Calendo kept busy this season as a lawyer and the Hart softball coach. But he still managed to lead his team to a CIF-SS Division 3 title game.
Seth Groller
Groller dealt with some serious pressure this postseason with the Cents boys soccer team winning two games in double overtime and another in penalty kicks. Saugus became the league’s second-ever CIF finalist in boys soccer.
Jerry Mike
In his 19th year as head coach of Valencia girls basketball, Mike harnessed the talent of his senior class to earn the program’s first ever CIF title.
Sara Soltani
In her first year as a coach at West Ranch, she took the boys cross country team to its first state meet in seven years (third place) and led the girls track and field team to its first-ever Foothill League title.
Most Exciting Player
Jalin Lewis
He broke the Grizzlies’ records for single-season receiving touchdowns with 11 and singleseason receiving yards with 1,122 in his junior campaign.
Nick Moore
No one could bounce back from an ACL tear better than Hart football’s Moore. He threw for 2,154 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions and rushed for another 709 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Taylor Scott
Scott scored two game-winning goals for Hart girls soccer in the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs. On the season, she scored 14 goals and tacked on eight assists.
Tanner Olson
The CIF-SS Division 1 meet record in the 100yard breaststroke was broken by this Saugus swimmer, who will compete with Texas A&M in the coming year.
Male Athlete
Gabriel Coronado
Coronado filled two very different roles for the Grizzlies this season. In track and field, he reached the state meet in discus after a thirdplace finish at the CIF Masters Meet. In football, he went 45-for-47 on PATs and 7-for-10 on field goals.
Chase Farrell
The Foothill League Pitcher of the Year posted a 1.43 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings this year with the Vikings.
Tanner Olson
The possibility of a record going down existed every time this Saugus senior dove into the pool.
Aaron Thomas
He led Valencia football to an eighth straight Foothill League title and the CIF-SS Division 2 semifinals by throwing for 3,136 yards, 29 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Female Athlete
Mariah Castillo
In cross country, the Saugus runner placed fifth at the CIF State Cross Country Championships. During track season, she had league-best times in the 1,600 and 3,200.
Kayla Konrad
She became Valencia girls basketball’s all-time leading scorer, capping her varsity career with 1,897 points. In her senior campaign, she averaged 21.1 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists. She also played lacrosse and volleyball.
Nikol Popov
Popov, a Valencia swimmer, earned a CIF title in both the 200-yard individual medley and the 100 breaststroke in addition to setting the Foothill League all-time record in the 200 IM.
Gabby Sanchez
Sanchez won a CIF title in the discus at the CIFSouthern Section Division 2 finals, setting a new Canyon record in the process. She was also a starter on the Cowboys’ CIF-finalist girls basketball team.
Ally Shipman
In her junior year with Valencia softball, she didn’t strike out once. She stole 14 bases on 18 attempts and scored 40 of Valencia’s 45 runs. She hit .613 with 15 homers and 39 RBIs.
Team
Valencia girls basketball
The co-Foothill League champions beat Canyon High for the CIF-SS Division 1AA crown, the first CIF title for the program. The Vikings’ run ended in the CIF State Division 2 regional semifinals.
Saugus girls cross country
After winning their 11th consecutive league title, the Cents took second in Division 2 at the CIF state meet.
West Ranch boys cross country
The Wildcats came in third place at the CIF State Cross Country Championships, their highest-ever finish. It was their first state meet in seven years.
Valencia football
Eight Foothill League titles in a row and a trip to the CIF-SS Division 2 semifinals showed that the Vikings continued to be the most dominant football team around.
Golden Valley football
The Grizzlies won their first-ever playoff game and advanced to the CIF-SS Division 7 semifinals. They were the only team from GV to make the playoffs.
Saugus boys soccer
The Cents reached the Division 4 championship, making them the first team in program history to play in a CIF final. They were the second boys soccer team in Foothill League history to make it to a final, too.