Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Sun Standout Awards:

Rising Stars: Jaden Hardy of Coronado basketball and Paige Sinicki of Coronado softball

2019 Sun Standout Awards Finalists

Christopher DeVargas

Jaden Hardy, Rising Star Male winner.

Gone are the days when the junior varsity team was filled with underclassmen waiting for their turn to contribute to the varsity team.

In Las Vegas, many freshmen and sophomores are already making splashes on the big stage, and even dictating which teams win championships.

Take Coronado basketball player Jaden Hardy, a sophomore who averaged 25 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game to earn first-team all-state honors for the second consecutive year. ESPN ranks him as the No. 2 overall recruit nationally for 2021.

“What makes the game easy is my teammates. Once I get out there with them, I just let the game come to me,” Hardy said.

Click to enlarge photo

Paige Sinicki, Rising Star Female winner.

Coronado classmate Paige Sinicki is similarly celebrated. The sophomore is rated as the No. 14 prospect nationally for 2021 by Softball America. She has verbally committed to Oregon.

The shortstop finished the season with a .452 batting average to go with 11 home runs, 32 RBIs, 61 runs scored and 19 stolen bases.

“Work ethic and passion,” Sinicki said. “Those are the two important things to be successful in the game.”

Rising Star was the Sun Standout Awards’ most competitive category, with eye-popping numbers for every finalist.

Bishop Gorman volleyball’s Anjelina Starck, who is committed to Penn State, helped the Gaels win the state championship with 745 assists. Centennial’s girls basketball squad finished No. 3 nationally with the help of sophomore guard Taylor Bigby, the No. 19 overall recruit in the class of 2021, according to ESPN.

In the boys category, a pair of football players had breakthrough seasons. Centennial’s Gerick Robinson had three touchdowns on kick returns and caught 44 passes for 565 yards and four scores. In track, he helped the Bulldogs win the region championship. Liberty running back Zyrus Fiaseu rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and has scholarship offers from Oregon and Nebraska.

This won’t be the last you hear from this group.

“I know I have a target on my back,” Hardy said. “That’s why I’m always going to play my hardest and give it my all. I know nothing comes easy in this game.”

Female finalists:

Taylor Bigby, Centennial basketball. Named the state's Player of the Year by USA Today after averaging 12.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game to help Centennial win a fifth-straight state title.

Amani Felipe, Sierra Vista soccer. Scored 23 goals to go with six assists during her freshman season.

Cindylou Rasiang, Bonanza flag football. Led the state with 6,300 passing yards and 77 touchdowns.

Anjelina Starck, Bishop Gorman volleyball. Helped the Gaels win a state championship with 259 kills, 225 digs, 745 assists and 108 aces.

Male finalists:

Sergio Aguayo, Las Vegas soccer. Guided the Wildcats to a state championship with 25 goals on the year.

Amado Castellon, Cimarron-Memorial wrestling. Posted a 42-4 record as a sophomore and took second at the state championship meet.

Zyrus Fiaseu, Liberty football. Averaged 7.7 yards per carry with eight touchdowns as a sophomore despite dealing with injuries all season.

Gerick Robinson, Centennial football and track. Caught 44 passes for 565 yards and four touchdowns and added three kick returns for a score. In track, he was part of a 1,600-meter relay team that placed second at the state meet.