By Brock Tyrrell
CCAISD AD
As the Van Horn Lady Eagles and Eagles wrap up the first semester of sports and head into the second, we have quite a few athletes to recognize and teams to be proud of. At the end of each sport, coaches gather with their peers from the district to select the standout athletes from each team in their respective sport.
The first team that finished their season was our cross country team. Freshman Bryce Virdell qualified and advanced to the regional cross country meet in Lubbock, TX. He competed against 180 other runners in the 2-A division and finished in the top half of the region! We look forward to his return next year!
The Lady Eagle Volleyball Team was the next team to finish. Our Lady Eagles had a great season and claimed the 2019 District 1-AA Championship! Upon meeting with the rest of the head coaches from throughout the district, the following Lady Eagles stood out among the rest of the competition: 2019 District 1-AA 1st Team All-District nods went to Senior #26 Destiny Rivera, Senior #2 Isela Bermudez and Junior #3 Iris Urias. 2019 District 1-AA 2nd Team Team All-District selections went to Junior #5 Clarissa DeLaO and Sophomore #8 Alex Fodge.2019 District 1-AA Honorable Mention athletes selected were Senior #7 Myra Ramirez, Senior #14 Daisy DeLaO, Senior #25 Giselle Hernandez and Senior #1 Annika Corralez. There are 5 Superlative Awards that are given to the top 5 athletes in the district. 3 of our Lady Eagles brought one home. The 2019 New Comer of the Year for District 1-AA was Freshman #4 Ivette Bermudez. The 2019 District 1-AA Defensive MVP was Senior #10 Jadyn Corrales. The 2019 District 1-AA Overall MVP award went to Junior #12 Amaya Garibay. But wait, there’s more. The district and state also recognize those athletes that perform not only on the court but in the classroom as well. We had 4 Lady Eagles receive Academic All-District Awards, Those awards went to Senior #1 Annika Corralez, Senior #2 Isela Bermudez, Senior #14 Daisy DeLaO and Junior #12 Amaya Garibay. The Texas High School Girls Coaches Association also recognizes those outstanding seniors on the court and in the classroom as well. Wrapping up the volleyball awards are these 3 seniors with 2019 THSGCA Academic All-State Awards, #1 Annika Corralez, #2 Isela Bermudez and #14 Daisy DeLaO.
The next team to finish their season was the Van Horn Eagle Football Team. They finished as district runner ups as well as 2019 Bi-District Champions! They defeated Seagraves in a hard-fought battle 8-6. As with Volleyball, the Football Coaches all get together to hash out who stands out among their peers at the district level. The football team had 11 different athletes claim 2019 District 1-AA All-District Selections. Senior #3 Jonathan Corralez received 1st Team Receiver, 1st Team Secondary and Academic All-District Selections. Senior #74 Elian Balcazar received a 2nd Team Offensive Line Selection. Junior #50 Alexis Flores was selected 2nd Team Center. Senior #88 Jorge Dominguez was selected 1st Team Kicker and 1st Team Outside Linebacker. Junior #72 Emilio Tarango III was selected to the 2nd Team Defensive Line. Senior #1 Aaron Urias was selected to 1st Team Utility Back and 1st Team Secondary. Senior #65 Cory Schuller received a 1st Team Offensive Line Selection and a 1st Team Defensive Line Selection. Senior #5 Timothy Virdell claimed a 1st Team Outside Linebacker selection. Freshman #25 Ethan Hinojos was selected as a 2nd Team Linebacker. Senior #7 Rudy Estrada was selected to 2nd Team Runningback and 2nd Team Secondary. Rounding out the All-District Selections was senior #10 Josh Mendez. He was selected to 1st Team Running Back and 1st Team Linebacker. We had 3 seniors whose talents this season earned them recognition throughout West Texas and The Permian Basin. Seniors #1 Aaron Urias, #10 Josh Mendez and #65 Cory Schuller were selected to the 2019 All Permian Basin Team. This team is a combination of 1A-6A athletes! Every year the Associated Press (AP) selects top athletes from around the state for their all-state football team. This year we had 1 senior selected to the 2019 Associated Press All-State Football Team. That senior was #65 Cory Schuller.
As we look back on our success this first semester, we can’t help but look forward to the ones to come in the 2nd. It is a lot of fun to celebrate the success and accomplishments of our teams and individuals. If it wasn’t for the team then there would not be any individuals to earn the awards. It is all a group effort that our Van Horn Eagles and Lady Eagles excel at together. Teamwork! Hard work pays off!! Keep an eye out for these teams and individuals when you see them around town. Pat them on the back and let them know how proud of them you are. We know how proud of them we are.
Thank you for your continued support of Van Horn Eagle Athletics. We are blessed to be apart of such a great community and look forward to seeing you in the stands as we begin the next semester of school. Eagle Pride Never Dies!
