RECOGNITION: Riverside Poly’s finest male and female athletes, Haley Finn and Dixon Stith, were selected as Athletes of the Year in the Citrus Belt area.
By Jack Weggeland, Staff Writer
On Tuesday, May 12, the Citrus Belt Area Athletic Directors Association (CBAADA) recognized and honored an outstanding male and female athlete from each high school within the area. Joined by their Principal and Athletic Director, these leaders from our athletic community received both a certificate and a patch to memorialize the occasion. Riverside Poly’s football captain and star wide receiver Dixon Stiths (12) and softball captain Haley Finn (12) were awarded this honor.
These two special athletes were awarded the honor due to their extreme athleticism and leadership roles on their respective teams. “Both of them in their own unique way have really demonstrated the P.R.I.D.E. acronym that we at Poly High School continue to hit home: Passion, Respect, Integrity, Determination, Extraordinary,” Principal Dr. Michael Roe stated.
When she arrived at Poly in 2012, Finn made an immediate impact as a freshman on the girls’ varsity softball team. Now in her senior season, she continues to lead the team to victory with a .446 batting average, 21 hits, one double, one triple and five home runs. Similarly, her good friend and counterpart, Dixon Stiths, had a remarkable year on the football field as he averaged 13 receptions and 92.0 yards per game, tallying a grand total of 1012 receiving yards and accumulating 13 touchdowns on the year.
However, one statistic that is not included on the stat sheet is their role on the sidelines. Both fine individuals are respected by teammates and coaches alike as they are role models to look up to with their outstanding leadership skills and abilities to unite their teams and lead them to victory. “Both athletes are not centered only on what they can get out of the program at Poly but what they can contribute to it. They did a lot to develop other players around them, making others better too. To me, that is a sign of a real athlete,” Roe stated.