Griffin Crain, Lisa Raye top athletes at All-State Rhode Island High School Sports Awards

Griffin Crain of Bishop Hendricken and Lisa Raye of West Warwick won boys and girls athlete of the year honors, respectively, at the All-State Rhode Island High School Sports Awards on Thursday at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

Other boys finalists were Gabriel Bouyssou of Scituate and Camden DiChiara of Lincoln Senior High School. Other girls finalists were Eliza Barker of the La Salle Academy and Ava Porter of the Moses Brown School.

Why did Griffin Crain continue playing multiple sports? Simple answer — he enjoyed it.

He made a baseball verbal commitment to Louisville early in his high school career at Bishop Hendricken. But hockey was always part of his life growing up. Why stop on the ice just because his future is on the diamond? To think what he might have missed. Crain helped lead the Hawks to a third consecutive hockey championship in March. He was the top scorer in Division I with more than 40 points and helped his team to a sweep of East Greenwich in the quarterfinals, an overtime win against La Salle in the semifinals and a 6-2 victory over Burrillville in the championship game.

Crain’s last baseball season at Bishop Hendricken brought a first state championship of his career. The Hawks closed an undefeated season with a sweep of South Kingstown in the best-of-3 finals. Crain’s walk-off double won Game 1 and he tossed a complete game on the mound to help capture Game 2.

What is left to say about Lisa Raye that hasn’t already been said?

She was dynamic during the indoor season, winning gold medals and helping lead West Warwick to a state title. When outdoor season hit, Raye just got faster. More records followed as well as another team state title. Nationals followed and it was two weeks ago that Raye went from Rhode Island’s best-kept secret to a national name.

But what makes Lisa Raye the perfect choice for Female Athlete of the Year goes beyond her stellar performances on the track. It’s how she acts away from it. In an era of showmanship and clout chasing, Raye just runs. When she’s finished beating everyone, she’s quick to congratulate an opponent on a great time and in postrace interviews, is quick to credit their performance for helping push her to record times.

Lisa Raye is different, but her talent does not make her act that way. She wants to compete, have fun and get the most out of her high school career. And we’re all better for it.