Ten Fernley High School seniors will continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level next year, competing in football, basketball, softball, volleyball, and track and field.
The group includes state champions, school record holders, and some of the most accomplished athletes in school history.
Sheldon Jacobson, Oregon Tech basketball
Along with teammate Bryce Dunagan-Stephens, Jacobson finished his career as one of Fernley’s most accomplished basketball players.
He scored 1,474 career points, ranking fourth in school history, while adding 325 assists, third all-time, and 544 rebounds, fifth all-time.
A team captain, he helped lead the Vaqueros to a 38-2 record in Northern 3A East play during his four varsity seasons, including three league championships and two state runner-up finishes.
“I met the coaches when I was a freshman or sophomore,” Jacobson said. “I kept sending tape, and finally they took a look at it and then it kind of took off. It never went to the next step with any other college.”
Bryce Dunagan-Stephens, Yuba College basketball
Dunagan-Stephens graduates as Fernley’s all-time leading scorer with 1,562 career points.
He also ranks second in school history with 351 assists and 558 rebounds.
A team captain, he was part of three league championship teams and two state runner-up squads.
He also earned all-league honors as a quarterback in football.
Dunagan-Stephens said he knew Yuba College was the right fit after visiting the campus and working out with the team in April.
“I did very well and I liked the team, and the coaches,” he said. “It’s not too far away and my parents could come watch me.”
Although he received interest from NCAA Division III programs, he chose the junior college route with hopes of transferring later.
“I’d rather go for two years and grind and then transfer out,” he said.
He plans to study business.
Riley McCullar, University of Montana Western football
McCullar is a two-time state wrestling champion and the second-winningest wrestler in Fernley history with 183 victories.
He also played four years of varsity baseball and holds eight school career records, including hits (155), stolen bases (89), RBI (106), and runs scored (142).
Still, football remained his passion.
A three-year starter and team captain, McCullar earned all-league and all-state honors at wide receiver and safety.
“My love for the game has just been unlike any of the other sports I’ve played,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to go play football somewhere.”
McCullar plans to earn his real estate license this summer while pursuing a finance degree with a minor in business management.
Keeshawn Love, University of Montana Western football
Love leaves Fernley as the school’s all-time leader in rushing yards (5,948), touchdowns (51), and points scored (196).
A four-year starter and three-year captain, he earned first-team all-North honors three times and was named the 2025 3A All-North Offensive MVP and 3A State Offensive MVP.
Love said proximity to home played a major role in his decision.
“The one thing I like about Montana is that it’s close,” he said. “A couple of the other schools that offered me were so far away that my family wasn’t going to be able to visit.”
He plans to major in psychology.
“I want to turn that into social work and become a case worker,” he said.
Leeland Ketelaar, Lassen College basketball
Ketelaar made one of the biggest improvements in the basketball program in recent years.
After scoring just eight points as a junior, he scored 173 points as a senior and improved his shooting percentage from 33% to 48%.
He earned all-tournament honors at the Legacy Classic and credited offseason training and travel basketball for his development.
“It was definitely a focus of improving my skills over the summer and just trying to play against people that we don’t play against in the league, bigger people, taller, faster,” Ketelaar said.
“I’m going to try and perform really good in the two years I have there and try to transfer to a four-year college.”
Ketelaar plans to study business.
Joseph Perkins, Rocky Mountain College track and field
Perkins placed third at the state cross country championships and earned first-team all-state honors twice.
He holds Fernley’s school record in the 5K with a time of 16:20 and is a six-time state qualifier in track and field.
He graduates holding school records in the 800 meters, 1,500 meters, 4x800 relay, and 4x400 relay.
Perkins plans to compete in cross country and run the 400- and 800-meter events at Rocky Mountain College.
He chose the school because it offered both his desired academic major and athletic opportunities.
“I liked how the team was very close-knit and the coach is willing to work with me for whatever events I wanted to try and do,” he said.
“I’ve always had the dream of running in college and I started realizing that my sophomore year of track that I had a really good chance of going to college to run.”
Perkins plans to major in aeronautical science.
Taylor Tollestrup, UNLV softball
Tollestrup compiled one of the most decorated softball careers in Nevada history.
A member of Fernley’s 2025 state championship team, she was named Nevada 3A MVP in both 2025 and 2026 and earned first-team all-state honors three times.
She holds numerous Nevada and 3A career records, including hits (251), runs scored (246), doubles (59), triples (28), walks (91), and home runs (35).
Tollestrup said UNLV became her choice after the school offered her following a tournament in Southern California.
“I like the coaches down there and the campus was nice,” she said. “And it’s not cold down there.”
A shortstop at Fernley, she said she is willing to play wherever coaches need her.
“Just hopefully play,” she said.
Lauren Smith, Taft College softball
Smith helped Fernley win the 2025 state championship and the 2026 regional title.
She earned all-league honors as an outfielder and finished her career with 38 stolen bases.
“I always imagined myself playing for the high school because I’ve been playing since I was 5, but I never really thought it would go farther than that,” Smith said.
“So realizing that I could, like my junior year I started getting super excited. And committing really brought that dream to come true.”
Smith said Taft College immediately became one of her top choices after coaches reached out to her.
“When they contacted me, it was straight to the top of the list,” she said.
She plans to major in education and become an elementary school teacher.
Janessa Robinson, Grays Harbor College softball
Robinson played a key role in Fernley’s 2025 state championship season and the team’s 2024 state runner-up finish.
She earned first-team all-league and all-North honors in 2026 and ranks fifth in Nevada 3A history with 46 career pitching victories.
Robinson threw 783 postseason pitches during Fernley’s 2025 championship run.
She said years of preparation helped her handle that workload.
“My mom told me if I wasn’t going to put in the work outside of practice, then I couldn’t be pitcher,” Robinson said.
“So I had to pitch every single day at home just to work to where I am today.”
Robinson originally committed to a college in Alabama but later chose Grays Harbor because it was closer to home and reminded her of the environment she enjoyed at Fernley.
She plans to major in human services and become a sports psychologist.
Justice Artiaga, Rogue Community College volleyball
Artiaga finished her volleyball career with 356 kills and qualified for state competition eight times in track and field.
She competed in six events at the state meet and holds school records in the 100-meter hurdles and 4x100 relay.
She also helped Fernley’s girls basketball team reach the state tournament in each of her four seasons and earned first-team all-league honors as a senior.
Although most of her college opportunities came in track and field, Artiaga chose volleyball.
“I like the whole team aspect of volleyball,” she said. “When I went there, I stayed the night with a few of the girls at their apartments and it was just a very family-like team.”
She received interest from schools across the country but ultimately chose a school closer to home.
“Ultimately I wanted to stay closer to home, but far enough to where I didn’t have to see them every day,” she said.
Artiaga plans to study biology and hopes to become an anesthesiologist assistant.
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