Anyone who follows youth sports in Siskiyou County has likely heard of Paige Finley from Etna High School. What most people probably aren’t aware of is her complete sports resume. It is impressive.

I remember the first time I ever spoke to Paige. It was at a junior high school basketball tournament, and I was taking her picture for a publication I worked for at the time. She was getting what was then the equivalent of the SiskiyouYouth.com Impact Player Award. Paige is the only junior high school athlete to ever get the award.

I told her that it was just one of many awards she would receive during her athletic career. She flashed a shy smile and said, “thank you.”

Paige will be graduating from high school in a couple of weeks with a GPA of 4.0. She’s 16.

Among her athletic honors and achievements are:

College of the Siskiyous female high school Athlete of the Year

MVP of the Shasta Cascade League her junior year for basketball

SCL All-League for basketball as a senior

SCL All-League her junior and senior year for Softball

Pitcher on the NSCIF D-V softball champions her junior and senior year

Point guard on the SCL basketball champions her junior and senior year

Shared pitching duties on the SCL champion Lady Lions softball team her sophomore year

Has a career pitching record of 71-18, with 788 strikeouts

Led the North Section in wins her senior year (28-7) and was second in strike outs (367)

Lions All Star game selection for basketball and softball

Starter on Etna’s varsity volleyball team her sophomore (SCL champions) and junior year

Oh yeah, Paige is also a very good swimmer and ran a bit of cross country. And, of course, she has numerous all-tourney, and team awards.

So, how has Paige accomplished so much at such a young age? Part of it is natural physical ability. But, the even bigger part of it is a commitment to be being the best she can be. There are few, if any, athletes in Siskiyou County that work as hard as Paige in the off season. That’s the difference between athletes that just have physical talent, and those that truly excel. Hard work, there’s no substitute for it.

Paige will be fanning batters in the Golden State Athletic Conference the next four years, pitching for the Lady Eagles of Concordia.

The Impact Player Award is given on a monthly basis and goes to Siskiyou County high school athletes, male or female, that have had a significant impact on the success of their team. I select the players based on my own observations, sometimes in consultation with the player’s coaches.

Up to four awards may be given each month and are not school specific; they can go to a player at any school that Siskiyou Youth covers. Winners receive Impact T-shirts that were designed by Golden Grotto. The T-shirts and award are cosponsored by SiskiyouYouth.com and NorCal Classic Hits radio, KCWH, 102.3/101.7