Richland's Joshua Woodard is SBLive's WaFd Bank 4A/3A Senior Boy Athlete of the Year
After a tremendous senior basketball season in which he was named 4A/3A Mid-Columbia Conference most valuable player (again), then leading Richland High School to the WIAA Class 4A championship game, guard Joshua Woodard was in all-star circuit demand.
Woodward was invited to play in the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association (WIBCA) senior all-state game in March.
Even more impressively, he was asked to be a member of Team Washington for the annual "Northwest Shootout" showdown against the best seniors in the state of Oregon in April.
His response?
Thanks, but no thanks: It is baseball season.
"That is how I am, and always been," Woodard said. "If I am going to do something, I am all in. And I am not going to sell teammates short."
Woodard represents the true essence of what a multi-sport standout is.
"He has alwasy been a team-first guy ... who has played everything," Richland boys basketball coach Earl Streufert said. "His family raised him that way."
But, oh, what a senior season Woodard put together in football, basketball and baseball:
* Football: Woodard passed for a state-best and school record 3,984 yards and 46 touchdowns in leading Richland to the Class 4A tournament, losing to Graham-Kapowsin in the first round. He was also named the 4A/3A Mid-Columbia Conference offensive player of the year.
"My goal was to win league, which we did not do," Woodard said. "But we battled every single game, and never got blown out."
* Basketball: Richland won the league, found its groove at the right time - and advanced all the way to the Class 4A championship game, losing to Mount Si. Woodward nabbed league MVP honors for a second consecutive season.
"I knew we had the potental to win it all," Woodard said. "We had some ups and downs .... but overall I thought we did good. We got to state and started to play really well."
* Baseball: Clearly his third sport, it was also the team that netted a Class 4A title and undefeated season. And Woodard, who became the starting second baseman midway through the year, had a big postseason, including the crucial three-run double in the WIAA championship game against Puyallup.
"That bases-loaded hit in the second inning, I was not nervous," said Woodard, who did not turn out for baseball his junior year. "But closing out the game (pitching), people thought I handled it well ... but I had to channel a lot of nerves in the right way."
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JOSHUA WOODARD BIO
School: Richland.
Sports: Football, basketball, baseball.
Next step: On two-year LDS Church mission to Brazil, but plans to return to study dentistry.
Senior-year highlights: Was 4A/3A Mid-Columbia Conference offensive player of year at quarterback in football (254-371, 3,984 yards, 46 touchdowns; five rushing scores), leading Richland (8-3) to berth in WIAA playoffs, losing to Graham-Kapowsin in first round of Class 4A tournament. Was selected to SBLive WA’s all-classification all-state honorable-mention team. … Was 4A/3A Mid-Columbia Conference player of the year in basketball (16.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists), leading Richland to league championship, and Class 4A District 8 and WIAA runner-up finishes. Was voted to Class 4A all-tournament first team and also selected to SBLive WA’s all-classification all-state first team. … Returned to baseball after one-year hiatus, and was starting second baseman (.295 batting average; led team in playoffs with .333 BA) from midseason through run to Class 4A championship. Hit decisive three-run double and recorded final-inning pitching save in Bombers’ 4-3 win over Puyallup in WIAA title game to complete 27-0 season in Pasco.
Career accomplishments: Two-time all-4A/3A Mid-Columbia Conference football first-team selection (2022, 2023), passing for 6,401 yards and 76 touchdows, both school records. Richland advanced to WIAA playoffs in each of final three seasons. … Four-time all-4A/3A Mid-Columbia Conference basketball selection (first team in 2022-24; second team in 2021), including back-to-back MVP nods in 2023 and 2024. Scored 1,577 points, which ranks No. 4 all time at Richland. Also had 526 rebounds, 375 assists and 233 steals in 95 games played. Richland advanced to WIAA tournament in each of final two seasons. ... Was member of Bombers baseball team as sophomore that placed third at state in 2022.
School/community achievements: 3.97 GPA; volunteered as aid for special-needs students for district’s “Field Day” activities; volunteered for local hiking-trail cleanouts; volunteered for neighborhood leaf-raking and driveway snow shoveling; held job at Powell and Gunter Attorneys at Law.
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TODD MILES