LHS senior Kinley Somerville finishes strong

Lassen High School senior Kinley Somerville recently earned the Ultimate Grizzly Award and the Varsity Girls Basketball Most Valuable Player Award.

Winning both is a rare accomplishment if not a first, but it is no real surprise for those who know her. She has been endowed with beauty, talent, intelligence and grace; and she has wasted nothing. She disciplines herself to excel on the basketball court and in all she does.

Somerville began playing basketball at an early age. She was blessed with natural athletic ability and loved the game. She trained hard and was an asset to every team she belonged to. By the time she reached high school, she was playing extremely well. As a freshman she played on the LHS JV team. She maintained a 4.0 GPA despite her busy sports schedule and ended the season being named the Most Valuable Offensive Player.

As a sophomore, Somerville began playing on the varsity team and took the MVP award, All Tourney for the Oroville Tournament, All Tourney for the North Valley Tournament and honorable mention from the Northern Athletic League.

Somerville continued her successful path as a junior gaining the Best Offense Award and the Northern All League Team Award. At the West Valley Tournament that year she made All Tourney. As a senior she made All Tourney at the Oroville Tournament.

Somerville has worked persistently to master essential basketball skills. She shoots well and was her team’s second highest scorer as a senior.

She led the team in assists the same season. Amazingly, she also led the team in rebounds as a point guard. K Somerville played aggressively on all ends of the court majoring in steals and deflections. She almost always played the whole game. Fans loved her whole-hearted competition on the court.

One said, “Something always happens when Kinley plays!”

Tough describes Somerville It has been said that the sky is the limit, and pain is just a mindset to her.

Coaches could always count on her. During her four years of LHS basketball the only time she missed a practice or a game occurred when she traveled to Illinois to attend her brother’s graduation from boot camp.

She adapted to every position her coaches assigned. She was a team captain and displayed exceptional sportmanship. A true team player, she valued her teammates, treating them respectfully and with warmth.

At the 2026 Basketball Banquet Somerville was awarded a certificate from LHS “for pursuing excellence and team spirit while on the court.”

Coach Laura Rotlisberger mentioned that K Somerville is one-of-a kind and will be irreplaceable (though she challenged upcoming players to rise to her standard).

At the same awards banquet, the California Interscholastic Federation Northern Section honored Somerville with the Individual Scholastic Achievement Award and the All Scholastic Team Achievement Award — celebrating “outstanding achievement in scholarship and athletics.”

A certificate from LHS recognized her maintaining a 4.0 GPA while succeeding in varsity basketball. The same evening she was selected for the Northern Athletic League All League Team.

Somerville has made the most of her high school years. She has been a highly successful volley ball player. She has won numerous Lassen County and state Future Farmers of America awards and degrees. She will wear agricultural honors cords at graduation and receive the Animal Science Pathway medal and the Agriscience Pathway medal.

In 2025 at the Lassen County Fair, she became the local FFA Advanced Showmanship Champion.

She is a born leader and has been an integral part of Future Business Leaders of America at LHS. Each year she has been a student body officer serving as student body president this year and last year.

Somerville plans to study ag science further and has committed to play basketball at College of the Redwoods in the fall.

Adventure and fun await this darling.