Hi-Liners Senior Athletes of the Year

Senior Athletes of the Year 2026 - Kadie Kocka & Derek Shape

Valley City High School has produced its fair share of outstanding athletes over the years, but few have represented the consistency, versatility, and competitive spirit of Hi-Liner athletics quite like 2026 Senior Athletes of the Year - Derek Shape and Kadie Kocka.

The two seniors were recently recognized as the top male and female Senior athletes in the Valley City athletic program after careers filled with championships, school records, state appearances, and countless moments that helped shape one of the strongest stretches in recent Hi-Liner sports history.

Derek Shape:

For Shape, the award is the culmination of years spent becoming one of the most dependable and explosive athletes Valley City had on the field or track.

A multi-sport standout in football and track & field, Shape leaves Valley City as the school record holder in career receptions and career receiving yards while also earning 2024 AA All-Conference honors and 2025 A All-Conference Honorable Mention recognition. But beyond the accolades, it was his consistency that separated him.

As Valley City head football coach Chad Smith explained, Shape became the type of player coaches never had to worry about.

“He was just a lockdown player for us,” Smith said. “I never worried about that side of the field on defense as a cornerback. Every week we knew Derek was going to make plays offensively, defend at a high level, tackle well, and do everything we needed him to do.”

One of Shape’s signature performances came against May-Port CG this past fall, when he exploded for two 80-yard touchdown receptions while also hauling in two interceptions, a tackle for loss and a sack in a dominant all-around effort.

“He flat-out dominated that game,” Smith added.

Track season only further cemented Shape’s athletic legacy. A state qualifier every season since 2023, Shape steadily climbed from “Most Improved” honors in 2023 to “Most Dedicated” in 2024 before ultimately earning team MVP honors in 2025.

His current marks include:

11.19 in the 100-meter dash
22.75 in the 200-meter dash
51.46 in the 400-meter dash
44.27 in the 4x100 relay
1:31.20 in the 4x200 relay

Shape also owns multiple indoor school records and currently ranks inside the top seven in Class B in the 100m, 200m, and 400m heading into the state meet.

While his athletic career at Valley City comes to an end, Shape’s future already appears bright. The senior plans to continue building his own landscaping and handyman business following graduation, bringing the same work ethic and discipline that made him successful in athletics into the workforce.

Kadie Kocka:

On the girls side, Kocka’s resume is almost difficult to comprehend.

A 10-sport athlete in an era where most athletes specialize in only one or two sports, Kocka became one of the faces of Hi-Liner athletics through relentless work ethic, competitiveness, and leadership across every season of the school year.

Whether it was volleyball, basketball, track and field, or countless hours spent in sports performance training, Kocka consistently found ways to elevate both herself and the teams around her.

“She’s ultra-competitive and one of the most consistent workers you’ll find,” Smith said. “I’ve watch her work ethic from the PA table and around the school last summer at our sports performace classes.”

Kocka’s volleyball career alone would have been enough to define a standout high school athlete. She surpassed both 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs while breaking Valley City’s single-match kills record and season kills record. She earned All-EDC honors, NDHSAA All-Region recognition, All-Tournament Team honors, and All-State honors while helping lead the Hi-Liners to a runner-up finish in the state championship match.

Her success continued onto the basketball court, where she played a key role on back-to-back North Dakota Class A Girls state championship teams in 2025 and 2026.

Though often viewed as a role player statistically, Kocka’s impact went far deeper. Her hustle, rebounding, defense, and ability to make timely plays helped provide stability and toughness to a championship-caliber roster.

“She did all the little things,” Smith said. “She defended, rebounded, hustled, and made shots when they mattered. She was a straight up hustler on the court. It was an honor to call her games and state title this winter.”

Track and field added yet another chapter to her remarkable athletic career. Kocka is a school record holder in pole vault, a two-time state placer in the event, and currently ranks sixth in Class B heading into the state meet. She also qualified for state competition in the 100m, 4x100 relay, 4x200 relay, and pole vault during the 2026 season.

This fall, Kadie will continue her volleyball career at Valley City State University, staying close to home while continuing the athletic journey she helped build at Valley City High School.

In many ways, Shape and Kocka represent the best of what Hi-Liner athletics has become — multi-sport competitors who embraced the grind, showed up daily, and became leaders through consistency rather than shortcuts.

In an era increasingly defined by specialization, both athletes built their legacies the old-fashioned way: by competing year-round, putting their teams first, and becoming athletes their coaches could always trust.