Sun Standout Awards spotlight Southern Nevada high schools' highest athletic achievers

The Sun Standout Awards at South Point Showroom closed out another banner year for Las Vegas high school sports. The ESPY-style ceremony—hosted annually since 2016 by the Las Vegas Sun—celebrated the best of the best: a bowler who reeled off 24 consecutive strikes, a McDonald’s All-American, and a soccer player who established a Nevada mark for goals scored. This year, we are proud to present exceptional recipients who set new standards for young athletes.

Sun Standout Awards of Excellence: Taylor Johns (Palo Verde softball) and Aaliah Spaight (Bishop Gorman basketball)

When Johns stepped to the plate for the Palo Verde softball team, a hit usually followed—more often than not, a home run.

Johns batted .662 while leading Palo Verde to a state championship, finishing with more home runs (21) than singles (16). The University of Georgia signee ranks second all-time in Nevada state history in home runs with 47 career home runs.

Johns was one of two recipients of the Sun Standout Award of Excellence, an honor reserved for the most extraordinary feats.

“Every (at bat), I want to get a hit. I am expecting it,” she said. “Put a good swing on a good pitch.”

Spaight of Bishop Gorman was equally dominant on the basketball court.

A McDonald’s All-American and five-star recruit, Spaight averaged 21.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 5.7 steals per game. She was named Nevada’s Gatorade Player of the Year and will play collegiately at powerhouse Texas.

Some call her one of the best performers in city history—a distinction that seems to have followed her most of her life. As a sixth-grader, Spaight dominated while playing on an all-boys club team.

“I’m a point guard,” Spaight said. “When I need to pass the ball, I’m going to pass the ball. But when I need to score, that’s what I’ll do.”

Hank Greenspun Lifetime Achievement (Pam Sloan, CCSD)

Sloan, the Clark County School District’s director of student athletics and activities, is retiring in June after 40 years in local prep sports. Her career—rooted in her days as a standout multi-sport athlete at Basic High—has been defined less by a job title than by a lifelong commitment to student participation.

Sloan excelled in volleyball, basketball and softball before going on to coach at Western, Valley and Silverado high schools.

It was at Silverado where veteran administrator Ray Mathis recognized her organizational talents and encouraged her to move into administration. She eventually followed Mathis to the CCSD central office, where the transition proved personally challenging.

“It was really hard because you lose that identity of being a coach,” she said. “I took a lot of pride in being a coach, and not being that was an adjustment.”

Her impact in the central office has been significant.

She helped launch girls flag football as a winter sport—once doubted, now a national model, with college scholarships now available to Las Vegas players. She also expanded athletic opportunities across more than 40 high schools and 60 middle schools.

Receiving the lifetime achievement award is a fitting tribute to a career built entirely around giving students a chance to compete, her colleagues say.

Game of the Year Bishop Gorman girls' basketball

The stakes couldn’t have been higher for Gorman’s girls basketball team in the state championship against Democracy Prep. Ranked in the top 20 nationally, the Gaels carried the weight of expectation and the brilliance of McDonald’s All-American Aaliah Spaight.

But nobody expected a blowout—not against Democracy Prep, the same team that knocked Gorman out of the state semifinals a year ago in overtime.

What transpired was pure poetry: a back-and-forth game not decided until double overtime in Gorman’s 79-76 win. The setting was perfect—Valley High School, a gym with brick walls, charm and not a single empty seat.

Then the second quarter happened. Democracy Prep outscored Gorman 26-9—including 10 points in the final minute—and walked into halftime up eight. An upset was brewing. But the Gorman girls never panicked.

The lead changed hands, momentum swung and big shot after big shot kept the crowd on its feet.

Spaight finished with 23 points, and fans carried her off the floor. Junior Addysen Carr added 16. Freshman Arianna Brewer iced it with two clutch free throws with 12 seconds remaining.

Moment of the Year (Ezekiel Trejo, Arbor View bowling)

Trejo, a freshman at Arbor View High School, was the first bowler in nine years of the awards show to be honored.

Let’s be honest: His feat is something we’d all like to accomplish.

At the state tournament, on the way to winning a state championship, Trejo rolled 24 consecutive strikes. Back-to-back perfect games. Not a single pin left standing.

He knew it was happening. He was aware of every frame, every strike—and yes, he was nervous. But there are moments in sports when an athlete enters a place beyond nerves, beyond pressure. He found that place that afternoon at the Orleans Lanes.

Unsung Hero (Steven Mull, Western)

There are moments when training and instinct converge—when everything a person has prepared for crystallizes into a single, decisive act. On a December morning at Western High School, that moment belonged to physical education teacher and baseball coach Steven Mull.

A 14-year-old boy was midway through PE class when he said it felt like he was having a heart attack—and then dropped to the ground. Mull was at his side in under 30 seconds. The boy had no pulse.

Mull called for help over his radio and began chest compressions. Colleagues Samantha Hunt and Kaylee Nagle sprinted a defibrillator to the field. It took two shocks to bring him back.

Within half an hour, word came that the boy had a steady heart rhythm. He was back at school within a month.

Medics said the swift response prevented what would have been a fatal outcome.

When asked about it, Mull is characteristically understated—he was just doing his job, he says, and it was a team effort.

Citizens of the Year (Brooke and Brenna Bollinger, Palo Verde)

The Bollingers don’t just talk about giving back—they live it.

The twins have volunteered countless hours at Lummis Elementary School, Summerlin Hospital and through organizations such as the Just One Project and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

They bring warmth and tireless energy to everything they do, never slowing down—even after the unexpected loss of their mother
last summer.

They say their kindness is a testament to the love of service their parents instilled in them.

“It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to give back,” said Brooke, a defender on Palo Verde’s soccer team. “It’s powerful to see the impact you can make on people.”

Brenna, a golfer, echoed this mantra, saying, “we had 17 wonderful years to learn from our mom. We are keeping our smile. (Giving back) is what she wanted.”

Female Athlete of the Year (Jaylani Palmer, Shadow Ridge flag football)

Palmer walked into the University of Nebraska’s facilities and felt it immediately—this was home.

Palmer recently committed to play flag football for the Cornhuskers, one of the program’s founding players as the sport makes its leap to a major conference stage. Few people have done more to get it there.

She was selected for the NFL FLAG Girls High School Showcase at the Pro Bowl Games, and some consider her the best player to compete in Las Vegas since the sport launched roughly 15 years ago.

At Shadow Ridge, she was simply unstoppable—racking up 1,886 receiving yards, 30 touchdowns and a state-best 23 interceptions en route to a state championship, playing every position along the way.

Most flag football players find their collegiate homes at NAIA or Division III programs. Palmer is helping change that.

As the sport climbs to the highest levels of college athletics, it makes sense that one of its defining players would be right there at the forefront.

“(Nebraska) is an unreal opportunity,” she said in describing the facilities. “I am going to make the most out of it.”

Male Athlete of the Year: Gavin Flickinger (Coronado soccer)

Flickinger cemented his place as the greatest goal-scorer in Nevada soccer history.

The senior was virtually unstoppable this fall, shattering his own state record with 67 goals—topping the mark of 60 he set just a year ago. He also rewrote the record books in assists, racking up 36 to establish yet another state mark.

That dominance helped fuel a Coronado squad that outscored opponents by a staggering 187-12 margin and earned a ninth-place ranking nationally, making the Cougars one of the best teams in state history.

“We have beaten every record, won state and were undefeated,” he said.

His 127 career goals rank second all-time in Nevada, behind only Will Wolford of North Tahoe, who tallied 165 goals from 1997-2000—though that mark came in Class 3A over four years. Flickinger accomplished his feat in just two years of high school soccer.

Teams frequently tried to neutralize him with double and triple coverage, but “that would open things for other people,” he said, explaining his assists record as much as his goal-scoring. Flickinger will continue his career at Fordham.

Scholar Athlete of the Year, Female (Angelina Carrillo, Chaparral flag football, softball and volleyball)

Carrillo is ranked No. 1 in her graduating class with a weighted GPA of 4.925. That alone would be remarkable.

But Carrillo isn’t just a student—she’s also a three-sport athlete, competing in volleyball, flag football and softball in earning nine varsity letters.

Carrillo is a leader in the school’s Key Club, where she has organized canned food drives for Three Square, fundraisers for March of Dimes and an initiative to send sympathy cards to pediatric cancer patients.

“It’s all about time management and trying to get all of your work done in class,” she said.

Carrillo will study pharmacy science at Nevada State College.

Scholar Athlete of the Year, Male (Tyrus Worley, Basic Academy volleyball)

Worley also ranks first in his graduating class with a 4.95 grade point average. He genuinely cannot remember the last time he brought home anything lower than an A.

Worley serves as the libero, or back row defender, for the Basic Academy volleyball team. This spring, he helped lead that program to 22 wins and a playoff run.

Worley regularly gives his time to the Henderson community, choosing to invest in others even when his schedule is filled with obligations.

When asked about his success, Worley credits time management and his teachers who have pushed him to be his best.

“Our teachers challenge us,” he says. “They get the best out of you.”

Worley will attend the University of Florida.

Coach of the Year (Rachelle Huxford, Boulder City tennis)

Few coaches can claim a state title in a season. Huxford claimed two. Last fall, her Boulder City boys and girls tennis teams each captured the Class 3A crown—a feat that pushed her all-time championship count to 11, spanning four volleyball titles and seven in tennis.

It’s a legacy that traces back to 2011, when Huxford joined the school to fill a void on the girls volleyball staff. She never left—and she never stopped winning.

Her reason for coaching is simple: “It’s about being part of something bigger than yourself.”

Rising Star, Female (Charli Taylor, Liberty flag football and softball)

Taylor lives for softball. It’s her hobby, her passion—the thing that pulls her across state lines for competition and keeps her in the batting cage long after most players have gone home.

The dedication showed during her first season at Liberty. She led the team with a .472 batting average, eight home runs, 16 doubles and 24 RBIs—numbers that would have made for a remarkable debut on their own.

But that might not have been her most impressive feat.

Taylor also quarterbacked the Patriots’ flag football team to the district semifinals, completing 70% of her passes for 4,306 yards and 61 touchdowns. She entered the season as the backup, earned early playing time and simply never stopped finding the end zone.

Not bad for an offseason hobby.

“Football helped build my confidence,” she said. “Meeting new people and learning new lessons—all of that translates to softball.”

Rising Star (Aaron McMorran II, Desert Pines basketball)

McMorran is obsessed with basketball, spending much of his free time watching highlights and offensive sets on social media.

That affinity for the nuances of the game is unmistakable when he steps on the court with Desert Pines. At times, the sophomore guard looks less like a player and more like a coach—directing traffic, reading the defense and positioning teammates.

And then, of course, he scores.

McMorran led Class 5A with 23 points per game last season, rounding out his stat line with six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

His feel for the game isn’t the only thing that’s grown—he added 25 pounds of muscle since his freshman year, bulking up from 130 to 155 pounds, a physical leap that shows in how he plays.

The 6-foot-4 guard already holds scholarship offers from Murray State and Cal State Bakersfield.

“There is more to the game than scoring,” he said. “The more I understand the game, the better playmaker I can become to help my team.”

Team of the Year (Palo Verde Softball)

Nevada’s best softball team proved it belongs among the nation’s elite—for the second year in a row.

Palo Verde captured its second consecutive state championship on May 16, closing out the season with a 24-1 record and outscoring opponents 231-57 along the way.

It mirrors what the Panthers accomplished a year ago, when they went a perfect 25-0 and outscored their competition 237-43.

The team was led by shortstop Taylor Johns, who clubbed 21 home runs and batted .662.

Senior Ava Koenig was equally dominant, hitting .561 with five home runs while overpowering hitters in the circle—striking out 81 batters across 61 innings with a stingy 0.79 ERA.