UPPER LAKE >> Known for their losing ways for many years, two Lake County teams, both from the same high school, busted out in a big way during the recently completed sports season.
And one senior played a huge roll in the success of both squads.
Isaac Nevarez, who graduated a little more than a week ago from Upper Lake High School, is a candidate for the Lake County Record-Bee’s 2015-16 male Athlete of the Year award based on his performances during the 2015 football season and the ensuing varsity boys’ basketball season.
Nevarez earned All-League first-team honors times two for the Cougars. A standout wide receiver and defensive back, he helped Upper Lake win a share of the North Central League III title in football, and his 20.5 points-per-game scoring average led all of Lake County in basketball while helping the Cougars post a 15-11 overall record and a 8-6 mark in the NCL II.
A stable influence for both teams, Nevarez also did well in the classroom.
In football, Nevarez helped the Cougars reel off six straight victories during one stretch as they finished league play with a 7-1 record. They went on to lose to Anderson Valley, a team they had earlier beaten, in the season-ending Redwood Bowl that brings together the top two finishers in the NCL III standings.
“He is very much a team leader, more by example and his work and play,” Upper Lake assistant head coach Mike Smith said. “He has a very good sense of humor as well. He enjoyed his teammates.”
In basketball, Nevarez scored 450 points in 22 games. A playmaker, he relied more on his ability to create points than on an outside shot.
Nevarez also was active in the community as he helped out with relief activities during the Rocky and Valley fires last summer, volunteering at the Moose Lodge in Clearlake Oaks.
The Record-Bee will profile female and male candidates for the Athlete of the Year award leading up to the naming of the 2015-16 winners. Coach of the Year winners in boys’ and girls’ sports also will be honored.
Athlete of the Year candidates must be junior or seniors who play at least two varsity sports and are in good academic standings with their respective schools.
