Each year, fewer and fewer athletes are able to compete at the varsity level in three different sports, but that trend does not hold true for one special talent at Yoncalla High School. Douglas County Sports Online is proud to shine the Avista Athlete Spotlight on senior Will Shaw.

Yoncalla has seen its share of exceptional athletes over the years, but Will may be the last of a dying breed. As the term three-sport star slowly fades away in high schools across the country, Shaw is a rare type of athlete who has the talent and work ethic to shine in three arenas, whereas most others are now focusing on just one or two sports.

"Will is the ulimate competitor and I always believed as long as he was on the field, we had a shot at winning," head football coach Matt Bragg said. "He's a great kid and I've never seen him treat anybody badly, he's a true school leader."

It all began in the fall of 2012 when Shaw played his first season of varsity football for the Eagles and it didn't take long for fans to take notice.

"One of my fondest memories was a game during my freshman year against McKenzie," Will said. "I started at quarterback and passed for over 400 yards and had more than 600 all-purpose yards, but we still lost 81-80."

Shaw went on to finish his football career as the school's all-time leader in touchdowns, rushing yards and total offense. During his final season, he was named the league's top offensive player and set school records for touchdown passes and passing yards. The Eagles also made three consecutive trips to the OSAA state playoffs, including quarterfinal appearances in 2014 and 2015.

"Will was our team leader and he had the ability to put the others on his back when we needed it," coach Bragg said. "I believe he's the best all-around quarterback at the 1A level and one of the state's top linebackers."

The Yoncalla basketball program has been equally successful over the past few years making back-to-back playoff appearances. Last season, Shaw and the Eagles made it all the way to the 1A state tournament in Baker City and took home the fourth-place trophy.  
 
With all of the accolades Will has earned in football and basketball, it may be shocking to learn that his true passion is played during the spring and summer.

"Baseball has always been my favorite sport," Shaw said. "There's something about it; I just love it." 

Will helped lead Yoncalla to the playoffs in 2015 and has set his sights on getting back to the postseason in his final year. He also plays American Legion baseball in the summer and hopes to make the final cut and play for Roseburg's Dr. Stewart's in 2016. 

Shaw also plans to play baseball at the collegiate level, but has not decided on a school just yet. He will major in criminal justice and sociology with hopes of becoming a game warden. 

"The programs weren't the best when I got to high school, but we were determined to turn this around," Shaw said. "I've busted my butt and every year we've gotten better. I've been lucky to have an amazing career."

To win a state championship, it takes more than just star power. Every team has a difference-maker who does the little things it takes to win and there's no better example than the 2016 girls basketball team at Sutherlin High School. Douglas County Sports Online is proud to shine the Avista Athlete Spotlight on senior Megan Bradley.

The Sutherlin-native has always enjoyed competition and played a number of sports in high school. Megan was a two-year starter in both soccer and softball, but it was basketball where she earned the most recognition. The class of 2016 included Bradley, Kayce Mock, Samantha Tilley, Taylor Klein and Cassidy Bell.

"We were talking about it recently and from the 7th grade on, we lost only a couple of games," Megan said.

Bradley was a starter on the junior varisty team, but could not crack the varsity line-up until her senior year. The Bulldogs won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015 behind two-time state Player of the Year Miranda Mendenhall. Those teams also had plenty of other talent including Olivia Gulliford, Ricki Mock and Baylee Merrifield. It wasn't until the winter of 2015 when Megan finally got her chance to start.

"I wasn't expected to score a lot, so my main function was to screen and get our scorers open," Bradley said. "We all had our spots on the team and even though I wasn't in the spotlight, I had an important role."

Sutherlin returned only one starter in 2015-16 and lost guard Cassidy Bell to a season-ending injury. However, Megan and the other seniors stepped-in and with help from junior Taylor Stricklin and sophomore Harlee Baker the Bulldogs surprised the so-called experts and rolled to a 27-1 record and a third consecutive Class 4A title.

"I didn't get to play in the championship game because I broke my wrist in the semifinal, but winning state is defintely my best high school memory," Bradley said. "People doubted us from the beginning and didn't give us a chance and we beat the odds."

"Megan was a key piece to our title run this year and without her effort and sacrifice we definitely would not have won the state championship," head coach Josh Grotting said. "As her coach and as a school, we are honored to have Megan represent us and truly show what it means to be a first class citizen and student-athlete."

Megan's playing days are now over and her focus has shifted to the future. She plans on attending Umpqua Community College and working toward a degree in neonatal nursing.

Even though this three-sport athlete didn't grow up in South County, there is still plenty of Myrtle Creek blood pumping through his veins. Douglas County Sports Online is proud to shine the Avista Athlete Spotlight on South Umpqua senior Shawn Rigsby.

Shawn was born in Roseburg, but spent the majority of his younger days in California and Nevada before moving back to Douglas County at the beginning of his 8th grade year. It turned out to be a fairly easy transition for the family because both of Rigsby's parents graduated from South Umpqua High School. In fact, Shawn's dad, Kelly, was quite the athlete in his day earning varisty letters in three sports. He was a first team all-state defensive end for the Lancers and went on to play football at Eastern Oregon State College in La Grande.

"It was always the plan to come back home," Rigsby said. "I was able to make a lot of friends at school and by my freshman year in football realized my class had some really good athletes."

As a sophomore wide receiver, Shawn gained valuable experience playing behind a pair of quality seniors in Marcus Loper and Kristian Evans. He would get his chance to start for the Lancers in the fall of 2014 and made the most of it earning first team all-league and honorable mention all-state honors while helping lead South Umpqua to the quarterfinals of the Class 4A state playoffs.

"One of my favorite memories was our first round win over Philomath and this year's team has set a goal to make it back to the playoffs and go further than last season," Rigsby said. "We have a a bunch of leaders on this team, plus we're a lot quicker." 

"Shawn is a hard working and very smart young man with the ability to play at the next level," SU head coach Steve Stebbins said. "It's been my pleasure to coach him the past four years."  

Once the football season concludes, Shawn will move into basketball and is expected to battle for the starting job at point guard. Then, it's off to spring baseball where the senior shortstop will be one of the top returning players in the entire Far West League.

"I love playing baseball and I've loved it my whole life," Rigsby said. "It's always been my favorite sport to play and when I was younger I was part of a little league team that won the Nevada state title."

Local American Legion fans are also looking forward to Shawn's return to the starting lineup next summer. He was one of Dr. Stewart's top hitters leading the team in batting average during the 2015 season.  

"Shawn hit in the high .300's out of the lead off spot all while learning a new position by playing the outfield and he did a great job," Doc's head coach Scott Shaver said. "He was a key component in a 34-win season and his greatest asset is that he always wants to be better."

Rigsy is a true student-athlete maintaining a 3.4 grade point average with his sights set on playing baseball at the college level. Right now, Shawn is leaning toward Linn-Benton Community College where he plans to major in business management.