Darrell Moody: Reid one of Northern Nevada’s top scholar athletes

Carson High track star Corey Reid has been named one of the top-10 Northern Nevada scholar athletes in the NIAA.

Five boys and five girls are selected each year, and each receive a $500 scholarship. The Southern Nevada Toyota dealers help sponsor the award along with Lifetouch Sports Photography.

Besides Reid, McQueen’s Kai Benedict, Incline’s Jack Couthier, Lowry’s Beau Billingsley and Manogue’s Stephen Osborne were honored. Kelsey Beattie (Wooster), Abigail Bolt of Galena, Tara Gallant of North Tahoe, Baleigh McCuskey of North Valleys and Alexandria Tedford of Fallon were the female honorees.

Several factors come into play, including class standing, test scores (ACT and SAT), community involvemen and athletic achievements. Each of the 40 candidates who applied wrote letters on why they deserved the award.

Consider Reid’s achievements:

• On the club side, he’s been a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a members of Skills USA for three years, and a member of the CHS Honor Society for three years.

• He has done foreign mission and aide work around the world, including performing at school asemblies in China. he’s done sports camps for orphans in Russia and Thailand along with work projects in Germany. He also has worked with the Wylie Animal Rescue Foundation, building dog houses and cat condos that are given out when pets are adopted. He has tutored at Fritsch Elementary as part of the varsity football team’s training. Reid has assisted in coaching field events at Eagle Valley Middle School where his mother, Julie, teaches. He has helped with organizing, collecting and distributing items needed in the community throughout the year such as clothing, toys and food, and he’s also assisted with the CHS blood drives.

He is, without question, in the top-five of athletes at Carson High.

Reid put Carson City on the map when he won the decathlon at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational. He’s one of the top 400 runners in the nation, and he’s looking to defend his state 400-meter title in Las Vegas in mid-May.

He has lettered in track for four years and football for two.

I’ve been covering high school athletes for a long time, and he’s certainly one of the best runners I’ve seen, and I predict big things for him at the next level.

•••

Former Carson High and University of Nevada star Colby Blueberg is starting his second season of organized baseball in the California League with the Lake Elsinore Storm, and his debut was a tough one unfortunately.

The right-hander pitched 1.2 innings, allowing four earned runs and three hits earlier this week.

Blueberg, after signing last spring, compiled a 3-0 record with a 0.50 ERA with the Eugene Emeralds and Fort Wayne. Batters hit just .211 against him and he had a 0.98 WHIP (walks to hits to innings pitched ratio).

When he went to spring training, Blueberg figured he would go back to Fort Wayne, which was where he finished the 2014 season, though he was hoping for Lake Elsinore because it was closer to home and his friends and family could watch him play.

The California League has three franchises within easy driving distance of Reno — Modesto, Stockton and San Jose. So, if Blueberg spends any time at all in the California League, people are going to have an opportunity to watch him play.

Blueberg did throw a bit for the Padres’ Double-A team in spring training, and according to reports, threw pretty well.

He’s one of the top 30 prospects in the Padres’ organization based on his performance in 2014.