Category Archives: Athletics

Six HISD schools recognized by Touchdown Club for demonstrating good sportsmanship

TouchdownClub2016_800Six high school campuses in HISD were honored recently for their athletes’ consistent demonstration of good sportsmanship during competitions. Austin, Kashmere, Lee, North Forest, Waltrip, and Westbury high schools were all named finalists for the Touchdown Club Houston’s annual Sportsmanship Awards.

“The annual gala rewards high schools for doing things the right way,” said HISD Senior Athletics Program Administrator André Walker. “Squads are judged based on their actions on the field, the actions of the support personnel in the stands, the number of personal fouls and unsportsmanlike fouls, and respect for the American flag.”

The schools were formally recognized during the Touchdown Club’s 11th annual luncheon held on Jan. 28.

UIL realignment means less travel time for HISD athletes

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) released its district realignments for 2016–2018 on Feb. 1, 2016, at all Regional Service Centers across Texas.

The day was huge for athletics programs across the state, as both schools and school districts learned who they will be competing against for the next two years in football and basketball.

“HISD faired quite well,” said HISD Athletics Director Marmion Dambrino. “We are excited that in our 6A, 5A, and 4A conferences, all of the schools are within our district.”

In the last realignment, Navasota, Sealy, and LaMarque ISDs were included in the Houston ISD district competition schedule.

“When you involve other school districts, it becomes challenging due to the number of teams we have and the weekly long-distance travel for students,” said Dambrino.

Please see the UIL website for specific alignments.

HISD National Signing Day ceremony to recognize top student athletes

Ninety of HISD’s top performing student athletes will commit to taking their academic and athletic talent to the college level on Wednesday as part of National Signing Day.

The HISD ceremony aims to recognize the students’ formal commitment to continue their education and sports careers at colleges and universities around the country. During the event, students will sign symbolic certificates of intent to continue their careers in baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling.

Traditionally, National Signing Day has been reserved for senior high school football players completing their letters of intent with colleges and universities. But, for the past seven years, HISD has included both female and male athletes from all sports to showcase the district’s athletic talent. Additional athletic commitments also are expected after Signing Day.

The event is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, at The Pavilion, 7525 Tidwell Road located on the Forest Brook Middle School campus.

Seven student athletes honored by Sugar Land Skeeters

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Seven HISD juniors from three different high schools were recognized recently by a professional baseball team for their skill on the field.

The Sugar Land Skeeters honored Elizabeth Castillo, Julissa Duenas, and Marcus Mack (Bellaire HS), Courtney Taylor, Mary Tindall, and Jimmy Winston (Lamar HS), and Richard Bailey (Waltrip HS) during the organization’s fourth annual Hot Stove Banquet on Jan. 21.

The girls are members of the 2016 All-Greater-Houston Preseason High School Softball Team, while the boys are members of the 2016 All-Greater-Houston Preseason High School Baseball Team.

To see a list of all the honorees this year, please visit the Skeeters’ website.

 

Bellaire HS coach inducted into Athletics Hall of Honor

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Coach Granvil “Wayne” Tedder has been guiding HISD athletes to greatness for more than 30 years, but on Jan. 22, district officials and students took time out to honor him, with a special ceremony held at Bellaire High School to induct him into the HISD and Houston Coaches Association Hall of Honor.

“It is quite an honor to be recognized by your peers, players, and friends,” said Tedder. “No one in my family graduated from high school except me. But I had coaches who helped me out, so I have dedicated my life to giving back what was given to me: love, knowledge, and commitment.”

Continue reading →

Starting next fall, college-bound athletes must ‘earn 2.3 or take a knee’

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has changed its initial eligibility requirements to play Division I and II sports, and college-bound high-school athletes will need to take note so they don’t end up on the sidelines warming the bench.

“The biggest change is to the minimum grade point average (GPA) requirement for core courses, which will increase from 2.0 to 2.3 as of the fall of 2016,” said HISD Director of Athletics Marmion Dambrino. “That means students who are on the edge in those areas will really have to buckle down to be eligible to participate in athletics programs or receive athletic scholarships as freshmen in college.” Continue reading →

Westside HS senior chosen to participate in U.S. Army All-American Bowl

Jordan Elliot, a senior at HISD’s Westside High School, was recently selected by the U.S. Army to participate in its 2016 All-American Bowl.

Jordan is one of about 90 students to be chosen from across the nation, and the only one from HISD schools. He is also the second Westside senior to be selected for this honor. Westside graduate Frank Ileanacho (Class of 2014) played in the 2015 bowl. Continue reading →

Upcoming HISD football games to be rescheduled due to weekend storms

Four Houston Independent School District varsity football games planned for this weekend are being rescheduled as a result of schedule conflicts caused by the recent storm. The schedule conflicts were created when two games on Saturday, Oct. 24 — Yates vs. Davis and Washington vs. Wheatley — had to be moved to Monday, Oct. 26 because of inclement weather. Continue reading →

Scarborough HS football team makes a comeback

It took 60 games, but the Scarborough High School Spartans finally broke their five-and-a-half-year losing streak on Sept. 4, 2015, when the football team defeated the KIPP Sunnyside Senators with a score of 18-14.

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The victory was particularly gratifying to Scarborough Coach Keith Alex, who is only in his first year as coach of the Spartans. “We are just delighted to get that monkey off our back,” he said. “It’s giving the kids such a huge momentum boost. We’re really excited.” Continue reading →

Hogg MS to start offering students P.E. credit in squash

Principal Angela Sugarek celebrates the opening of new squash courts at Hogg MS with some of her students on Aug. 29.

Principal Angela Sugarek celebrates the opening of new squash courts at Hogg MS with some of her students on Aug. 29.

Hogg Middle School recently became the first public school in the U.S. to house squash courts on its campus and the first in Texas to offer in-school squash courses for physical education credit.

Principal Angela Sugarek and dozens of her students celebrated this milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new in-house courts on Aug. 29.

The state-of-the-art squash and education facility — which was built in partnership with Mission Squash — was constructed out of an existing but underutilized gym at no cost to the school. The renovated space now houses three internationally sized squash courts, a multipurpose learning center, locker rooms, and an academic lab with a full-capacity classroom and multimedia education tools. Continue reading →