Mineola sports successes celebrated

Posted 5/20/21

Mineola High School conducts three sports assemblies in the school year. The athletes for fall sports, winter sports and spring sports are separately recognized in the gymnasium before parents and …

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Mineola sports successes celebrated

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Mineola High School conducts three sports assemblies in the school year. The athletes for fall sports, winter sports and spring sports are separately recognized in the gymnasium before parents and fellow students.  

A typical class 3A-D1 school, Mineola student-athletes participate in cross country, volleyball, football, soccer, powerlifting, basketball, baseball, softball, golf, tennis and track and field. When adding up varsity and junior varsity team numbers, it is clear that student-athletes at Mineola High School represent a huge percentage of the school population.

At last week’s spring sports assembly, these numbers became pretty obvious as the teams were called to take to the gym floor for recognition. But that is not what stood out at the sports assembly. Among the many team members recognized, Most Valuable Player (MVP) awardees and special awardees, there were a few stories.

Nearly each individual coach told a short story about one or more of their charges. They weaved comments about leadership and overcoming challenges into their brief remarks. 

A few of those short stories may shed some light on what makes the athletic department at Mineola High School tick. 

Senior outfielder Alana Galaz was recognized for stepping up to pitch for the softball side this year (she had not pitched since little league). Nathan Rojas spurred a comment regarding the marathon four-hour match he battled through in the area tennis tourney.

Long-distance runner Hannah Zoch drew praise for the remarkable improvement in her competitive times over the previous season. Kobe Kendrick was recognized for running with the track team as part of his work-out regime prior to playing football next fall at Trinity Valley. 

The fact that Brittany Pickle, having just recovered from a traumatic sporting injury, volunteered to play third base for the softball team – and concluded the season with a fielding average of well over .900% – was publicly noted. David Amador’s personal commitment to long-distance running throughout his scholastic career was also called out.

All these short “asides” shared at the assembly by various coaches provide a little insight to the environment within Mineola athletics and the character of the student-athletes. Those characteristics combined this year for an incredibly successful athletic record in 2020-21.

Spring sports MVPs were Jaycee Smith, Kenleigh Aguirre, Lauren Simmons, Brittany Pickle and Alana Galaz (softball); Abeni Kratzmeyer, Jaxon Holland and Morgan Waggoner (track and field); Nathan Rojas (tennis); and Oliver Barnes and Ava Johnson (golf).