Moore, Noall named Athletes of the Year

Excelling in one sport is one thing, but excelling in three different sports is something rare.

Regardless of the athletic competition, Sutter High's Jessica Moore and Yuba City's Kevin Noall each turned in a year that could only be described as phenomenal. As a result, the two have been named the 2009 Appeal-Democrat All-Area Male and Female Athletes of the Year.

Noall showed the skill and toughness to star on the gridiron for the Honkers in the fall, was athletic enough to shine on the basketball court in the winter and displayed the mental strength to excel on the baseball diamond in the spring. In all three sports he was named to the A-D All-Area first-team during a remarkable senior year that will go down as one of the greatest ever seen in the Mid-Valley.

In an interview after being named head coach for the Lions' All-Star game, Marysville High football coach Cullen Meyer said that Noall was the most talented player his team faced all year, high praise considering he only played football as a freshman before friends and coaches persuaded him into playing his senior year.

The senior hauled in 30 passes for 546 yards and five touchdowns, ran for another score and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns as well for the Honkers, who just missed out on the postseason with a 5-5 overall record.

"He was big, strong, fast and smart," said Yuba City High athletic director and football coach John Ithurburn. "He had the athletic ability, but he also had the instincts you wouldn't think he would have. The catches he made this year were just unbelievable."

A former soccer player, Noall also kicked 15 extra points and a field goal while making 50 tackles, intercepting three passes and recovering a fumble on defense.

"There was a couple plays were it looked like they (opponents) would run for 30 yards, but Kevin just ran them down," Ithurburn said. "He's quiet, but he's a great kid and fun to be around. He has a great personality."

In the winter, Noall was the Honkers' second leading scorer on the basketball team with an average of 13.3 points per game. A gifted all-around athlete, the 6-foot-3 guard's ability to penetrate, shoot and rebound was a key to Yuba City going a perfect 12-0 in the Tri-County Conference.

He also played stifling man-to-man defense and averaged 4.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per contest, yet was still voted the Honkers' best offensive player.

But it was in the spring where Noall truly stood out. Playing center field and batting lead-off for the Honkers, Noall batted .519 with three home runs, 23 RBIs and 50 runs scored for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III champions. He also slugged .856 and his 54 hits set a single-season school record at Yuba City while earning TCC co-MVP honors.

Add to that his nine stolen bases in 10 attempts and error-free defense in the outfield and it's no surprise that Noall has garnered interest from the University of Oregon and Brigham Young University in Utah, where he plans to visit next week.

As great as Noall was in his three sports, Moore was just as dominant in volleyball, basketball and especially softball.

Named the Cal-High Sports small school player of the year in softball, Moore led the Huskies to a No. 1 ranking in Division IV and

back-to-back Northern Section titles by going 34-0 with 18 no-hitters and 29 shutouts, while posting a 0.17 ERA. She allowed just five earned runs in 210 innings pitched and of the 662 batters she faced, only 24 got hits — 504 went down on strikes.

At the plate, Moore batted .505 with a .942 slugging percentage, including eight home runs, six triples, nine doubles and 44 RBIs. She was named the Appeal-Democrat All-Area Player of the Year three years straight and became the first Northern Section player to be honored statewide for the small schools division.

In volleyball, Moore notched 253 kills for a 2.8 per-game average and had an 85 percent hitting percentage while being named the Butte View League's co-Most Valuable Player.

Lauded as the Huskies' "emotional team leader" by coach Ann Reynolds, Moore spiked the ball with such force that it made opponents cringe.

"I really enjoyed playing volleyball and I liked hitting the ball hard," said Moore, who accepted a full-ride scholarship to the University of Oregon after her sophomore year. "If I didn't have softball, I would've definitely wanted to pursue something in volleyball."

Of course, Moore also shined on the basketball court where her 13 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals per contest earned her another BVL and All-Area first-team selection.

"I'm really an aggressive person and I don't like sitting around and doing nothing so I played basketball," said Moore, a fierce competitor both on the court and on the diamond. "All of our teams have been close-knit and had good team camaraderie. They're all my best friends and they knew what kind of competitor I am."

Now the Sutter sensation will prepare to make the jump to the always tough Pac-10 Conference. But if this year's success is any indication, she should become a force in no time.

Top Female Athletes

• Kiley Herrick, Colusa, senior — soccer, softball

• Kayla Cuhna, Colusa, junior — basketball, softball, volleyball

• Kristy Nair, Colusa, senior — soccer, softball

• Erica Plasencia, Gridley, senior — basketball, softball, volleyball

• Brenna Gates, Lindhurst, soph. — basketball, soccer

• Rachel DeWitt, Live Oak, senior — basketball, tennis

• Alex Tanner, Marysville, junior — basketball, softball, volleyball

• Laura Wells, Maxwell, soph. — basketball, softball

• Hayley Thompson, RV, junior — basketball, track and field, volleyball

• Allie Koulaczuk, Williams, senior — basketball, volleyball

Top Male Athletes

• Jon Seipert, Biggs, senior — baseball, basketball, football

• Hayden Meyers, Colusa, junior — baseball, basketball, football

• Brian Johnson, East Nic., senior — baseball, basketball, football

• Jesse Gardner, East Nic., senior — basketball, football, golf

• AZ Sutton, Lindhurst, junior — baseball, basketball, football

• Tony Montes, Live Oak, sophomore — baseball, basketball, football

• Matt Horsfall, Marysville, senior — baseball, basketball, football

• John Davis, Maxwell, senior — baseball, basketball, football

• Cody Miller, River Valley, senior — baseball, football, wrestling

• Dariusz Ratajczak, Sutter, senior — baseball, basketball, football