Summer lurks around the corner. But first 11 athletes rang out their spring seasons at PCHS Sports Awards Night on Wednesday, May 22.
Tom Donaldson presented Raul Rincon and Presley Burrows with the Larry Donaldson Memorial Basketball Awards. Burrows, a freshman, and Rincon, a sophomore, have several sports seasons ahead of them. The rest of the awards went to graduating seniors.
Principal Tom Brooks spoke about the sportsmanship awards.
“These awards go to the senior athletes who, in the judgment of their coaching staff and principal, have demonstrated the highest quality of sportsmanship during their athletic careers,” he said
The Susie Smith Sportsmanship Award went to Ashlyn Lusby. Dylan Hultenschmidt earned the Sean Ward Sportsmanship Award.
The coaches named Kati Rae Cerini the Lisa Christofferson Most Improved Female Athlete. Davis Murphy is the Block P Most Improved Male Athlete. Murphy is also an NIAA Top 10 student athlete.
Maria Jimenez and Axel Gonzalez received personal achievement awards for overcoming obstacles to their success in athletics.
The Peter Thomsen Outstanding Female Athlete Award went to Faith Happy and Colbey Wanner.
“We could not separate the two,” said Brooks. “What they’ve meant to their teams has been amazing.
Joaquin Wanner won the Corky Mendenhall Memorial Award for the Outstanding Male Athlete. Principal Brooks noted that Wanner won six state championships during his high school years.
“Joaquin has always represented the school with the finest effort,” he said. “He fought back through some bad injuries and has always been a leader.”
After the ceremony, the award recipients lingered for photographs with their loved ones. Soon, they’d walk across a larger stage wearing the red and black caps and gowns of PCHS graduates.
