Readers choose Koda King as Athlete of the Year
Spoiler warning. At the end of the famous film “Rocky,” Sylvester Stallone's lovable underdog sports tale, the “hero” of the story loses, subverting the traditional story of hard work resulting in the ultimate prize.
This film reflects the idea that while winning is important, an individual is not defined by whether they win or lose but more how they play the game. How they go the distance.
This is clearly one of the many reasons why voters from across the valley chose Ronan’s Koda King as the recipient of the inaugural Lake County Athlete of the Year award with a grand total of 246 votes.
King was one of four candidates, selected by athletic directors and voted upon by Leader readers. Nominees also included: Ryan Sharbono, St. Ignatius, with 104 votes; Samantha Rensvold, Polson with 93 votes; and GG Hawk, Charlo, with 87 votes.
While calling King an underdog like Rocky may be a bit of a stretch, nonetheless at the end of this past wrestling season – and despite his years of hard work and best efforts – King fell frustratingly short of achieving the state championship.
Clearly, King is a fierce competitor with a good head on his shoulders who acknowledged the loss and the effect it had on him while not straying too far away from the bigger picture.
“I’ve had the opportunity to go and compete and do that sport that I loved for so many years and be healthy,” he said.
In the tough times of his athletic career, King attributed his faith, family, friends and coaches for helping him get through.
"They would go to the end of the world just to see me reach my goals,” said King about his relationship with his parents Jennifer Rolfsness and Bill King
King’s resume goes far beyond the mat, where he also led his team to the 2025 Divisional Championship. In the 2024-2025 season, he also competed in track, where he took sixth in the javelin at the Western A Divisional, ran cross country and competed in tennis.
Many athletes across the valley compete in three sports, but it’s rare to have an athlete participate in four and excel like King.
“I didn’t want to look back on my high school career and have any regrets about not participating in any fun sports,” said King.
On top of his achievements as an athlete, King excelled in the classroom, earning the distinction of salutation for the Ronan High School class of 2025.
King's wrestling coach Dylan Kramer used words like “consistent” and “coachable” to describe his athlete while also highlighting King's ability to “control what he can control.”
Additionally, King’s mom, Jennifer Rolfsness described her son as a humble person who doesn’t talk about his achievements.
This humility was clear during our interview, with King reflecting on how cool it was to be recognized for an award like this while also giving credit again to his family, faith, and coaches for the ways they’ve helped him.
Next for King is a spot on the wrestling team at Eastern Oregon University where he hopes to study exercise science while also participating in the Army ROTC program with hopes of becoming an officer and serving his country.
Koda King in his stance ready to be on the attack against his opponent. (Christa Umphrey photo)