Category Archives: Athletics

Lamar HS swimming coach earns lifetime achievement award

Stephen McDonald

Lamar High School’s swimming coach will be honored in September with the 2014 Theron L. Pickle Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association.

Stephen McDonald has been coaching swimmers at Lamar for eight years. In that time, the school has won eight girls’ swimming, six boys’ swimming and five water polo district championships. Ninety-seven team members have been named to the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association All-American Team. Continue reading →

Yates boys’ basketball team declared 2013, 2014 state champs

Yates High School celebrated a bittersweet victory on Aug. 15, after the University Interscholastic League (UIL) announced that Yates High School has been declared the 2013 and 2014 Conference 3A Boys Basketball State Champions. The announcement followed a forfeiture of the titles by Dallas Independent School District’s Madison High School.

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2,000+ students participate in Special Olympics field days

More than 2,000 Houston ISD students from more than 120 schools participated last week in the second annual field days hosted by the district and Special Olympics Texas.

The events were for students who have intellectual disabilities.

“It’s so important because it gives our children the opportunity to participate just as regular athletes do,” teacher Lynn Mayer said.

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Joe Tusa to be inducted into Texas HS Football Hall of Fame

Joe Tusa, who served as Houston ISD’s athletic director from 1965-1989, will be inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Tusa’s reign over the program saw many milestones, including the integration of schools in the late 1960s and the 1972 inception of Title IX, which prohibits educational institutions from excluding anyone from any activity on the basis of sex.

“It was absolutely rewarding,” Tusa told the Waco Tribune. “The thing that’s so great about sports is it’s based on a person’s ability and nothing else. That’s the way it ought to be.”

Before Tusa became the district’s longest-serving athletic director, he served as an assistant football coach at his alma mater, Reagan High School.

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Training the future trainers

(Houston Independent School District)Friday Night Football is king in Texas, and while Houston ISD is turning out top players heading to college, it’s also preparing students to keep athletes in top condition and to provide medical assistance during games.

The student athletic trainer program began this year. Eight students from Milby, Jones, Austin, Reagan, and Waltrip high schools meet with two of the district’s trainers almost daily.

“We started the program because we had students approaching us asking what it is that we do and how they can do it,” athletic trainer Evelyn Martinez said. “Many of them are under the impression that being a student trainer is the same as being a manager, and we wanted to show them that there is a difference.”

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2,000 HISD students to compete in Special Olympics field days

Nearly 2,000 Houston ISD students will gather at Barnett Stadium, 6800 Fairway Dr., next week to participate in field days hosted by the district and Special Olympics Texas.

The events are for students who have intellectual disabilities. This is the second year the field days have been held. More than 1,300 students participated last year.

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Injuries plague Lee soccer team in state title bid

The Lee High School’s boys’ soccer team’s first trip to the state tournament didn’t go exactly as players had hoped – but it was still a motivating experience. Lee lost 1-4 in the state semifinals against Pharr Valley View in Georgetown and ended the historic season with a 19-5-1 record.

“We’re blessed and honored to be here and represent Houston as a whole because it’s not just my team,” Coach Fidel Andrade told the Houston Chronicle. “There’s a lot of teams out there and a lot of coaches that sacrifice so much for a season like this. We’re happy.”

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Lamar HS mixed doubles tennis team headed to state playoffs

(Houston Independent School District)Two Lamar High School tennis players will go to Austin the last week of April for the state playoffs.

The mixed doubles team of Emily Chen and John Milstead advanced to the state quarterfinals after defeating a team from Spring Branch Memorial High School on April 16.

Emily and John’s quarterfinals game is set for Monday, April 28, at 12:30 p.m. at the Penick-Allison Tennis Center at the University of Texas in Austin. If they win, they’ll advance to the semifinals later that afternoon. The finals match will be played the following day.

Pep Rally planned for state-bound Lee Generals

Soccer program is district’s first to compete in UIL contest

In honor of the Lee High School boys’ soccer team’s trip to compete for a state title, the band and cheerleading team will host a pep rally at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17 in the school’s auditorium (6529 Beverly Hill Ln. 77057). The spirit-fest for a 19-4-1 team is icing on the cake for a history-making season. The soccer program is the Houston Independent School District’s first to compete in the state’s UIL tournament. The Generals will face Pharr Valley View (25-2) in the 4A Semifinals on Friday. The game is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be played at the Georgetown ISD Athletic Complex.

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Making history: ‘Humble, hungry’ Lee HS boys soccer team headed to state semifinals

Lee High School soccer team Lee High School’s boys’ soccer team has advanced to the 4A UIL state soccer tournament for its first time.

Lee (19-4-1) will face the team from Pharr Valley View (25-2) in Georgetown, Texas, on Friday. If they win that game, they’ll advance to the finals and play the winner of the semifinal game between Northwest Nelson and Frisco Wakeland.

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