Simmons Superlatives - under-the-radar athlete

First, if you missed yesterday’s Simmons Superlatives, I named my top 5 newcomers in both girls and boys high school sports. Click the links and you can get to them for free thanks to our tremendous sponsor Security Federal Savings Bank.

Now, let’s get into today’s list – the top under-the-radar high school athletes in Warren County. The began as “most underrated,” but then I changed it to under-the-radar high school athletes because I was getting paid by the word at some point apparently.

In reality, this is a tough category because in some aspects, if anybody on this list is worthy of major recognition, it should’ve been incumbent on me to give it to them. After all, the Main Street Journal is where you have to go for local journalism, so this is almost an apology list to kids who I may have overlooked throughout the season.

That’s not always the case though. Sometimes, as you’ll see on this list, it’s not that these kids didn’t get their flowers, it’s just that they have some super-talented teammates who often get the spotlight. They earned it, of course, but it doesn’t mean these kids should be swept under the rug either.

So, with the long-winded explanation out of the way, let’s get on with honoring local athletes.

Keyton Reno, WCHS basketball and track

A lot of Pioneer Nation clicked on this column after thinking, “He can’t possibly be saying Keyton Reno – the human po-go stick – is under the radar?” Yep, I’m still saying that.

Other than his highlight-reel dunks – which do make him almost instantly recognizable – what do you know about his career though? Did you know his was All-District 9-4A for the basketball team, an honor he earned for much more than dunking? What about his subsectional championship in high jump?

Reno’s under-the-radar nature isn’t that he isn’t known – he may be one of the 4-5 most recognized athletes on the WCHS campus. It’s that he probably doesn’t get mentioned in the list of top Pioneer athletes nearly enough.

Granted, a lot of that is because he shares the court with the District 9-4A MVP (Devin Fish, who more than earned his recognition) and, in track, Reno’s subsectional championship came the same day Luke Saldana also was atop the podium in shot put. A week later, Saldana punched his ticket to the state tournament as well.

There are many reasons to think the Pioneer basketball team has another step it can take next winter. If it does, it’ll be because the king of dunks shows he’s much more than that. He’s also one of the best athletes in the Midstate who could easily average a double-double.

Kristopher Robledo, WCHS football and basketball

I’m a middle child myself, so I know what it’s like to be in the footsteps of your brother. I even had a teacher in high school give me an award entitled, “the bigger, but not necessarily better brother,” the year after by older brother Adam was a standout in the same class.

For Kristopher, the highlights are already there on the gridiron. And his time to shine is coming too.

The only thing is (and I know it doesn’t bother him or his family) he has to share the spotlight with his older brother Isaiah for at least one more year.

The Robledos combined to score EVERY touchdown for the Pioneers last fall. Kristopher ended the season with a bang, scoring a long catch-and-run play against Father Ryan at home.

He’s a name to watch for the next two seasons in red, white and blue. Opponents may get tired of hearing the name ‘Robledo’ (and I know opposing PA staffs dread seeing it or trying to pronounce it), but Pioneer Nation is going to love seeing No. 4 and No. 8 run around again this fall.

Gabriel Cordova, WCHS soccer

 You don’t get to a top-2 seed and 10 wins without some stars on the pitch. For Pioneer soccer, Gabriel Cordova was a man on a mission and a huge bright spot this spring.

Cordova was so good for the Pioneers he parlayed it into a major award at the end of the season. The junior was named the District 9-3A Midfielder of the year, a nod to his splendid play and ability to be at the heart of action for his squad.

The best part for the Pioneers: Cordova should be back next year to help captain Warren County to even more wins.

Jaylan Clayton, WCHS wrestling

Want to know how stacked the WCHS wrestling team is? It’s almost to the point where in the lower weights – particularly 106, 113 and 120 pounds – the Pioneers could have multiple state qualifiers battling it out to just get in the lineup on a nightly basis.

Granted, it seems like a safe bet coach Josh Harris will find spots every night for Clayton (a 120-pound state qualifier), Jakoby Odineal and Burgess Galligan next winter, but what an embarrassment of riches it is for the team to have three guys in the low weights who can challenge each other in practice all year.

Clayton felt like he came out of nowhere last year to qualify for state, but it still feels like he’s only scratching the surface on what he can provide to the Pioneers in the future.

Jordin Mitchell, Boyd cross country, basketball and soccer

The only thing that slowed down Mitchell during the 2024-25 year was a stress fracture in his leg. And even then, he was named to the TSIAA all-conference team for having so many low times in the 5K last fall, even when he ran a few of those on what wound up to be a major injury in his leg.

Even after the diagnosis, it turned out to be a minor speed bump for the blossoming sophomore. Mitchell ended up returning from the injury quickly and earning major minutes on the basketball team, positioning himself as potentially the next 1,000-point scorer for the Broncos.

And in the spring, he started running again, only this time he had to kick a ball occasionally too. Mitchell’s help on the pitch allowed Boyd to finish second in the MTAC conference.