Athletics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When David Hernandez crosses the La Porte High School graduation stage on May 28, he’ll still have some unfinished Bulldog business.

Hernandez, on June 12, will represent La Porte in the 2021 Bayou Bowl as an offensive lineman on the East team. The game is set to be played at Stallworth Stadium in Baytown.

The Bayou Bowl is an annual all-star game featuring senior players from across the Greater Houston area. It is sponsored by the Greater Houston Football Coaches Association. Interstate 45 is the dividing line for East and West squads.

Hernandez and other Bayou Bowl participants were selected by a committee of Houston area coaches.

“David is a natural leader that all of our kids gravitated to,” said Edward Freeman, assistant coach. “He is also an extremely hard worker who put in the time to make himself into a great high school football player.” 

The Bayou Bowl isn’t Hernandez’ first all-star accolade. He was on the 2020 9-5A All-District First Team as a guard. As a junior, he received an honorable mention nod on the 2019 21-6A All-District team.

For more information on the Bayou Bowl, visit bayoubowl.org.

Junior Nicholas Canales has become the first La Porte High School golfer since 1983 to qualify for the UIL state tournament.

With winds gusting to 38 mph and temperatures in the low 40s, Canales shot a 151 over two rounds at the April 21-22 UIL Regional Golf Tournament held at The Golf Club at Texas A&M.  It was good enough for third place in the region and an individual ticket to Georgetown, where the UIL State Tournament is set for May 17-18 at White Wing Golf Club.

Canales’ teammates, battling the same conditions, shot well enough for a ninth-place team finish in the regionals.

“These players battled terrible conditions on both days,” said Head Golf Coach Chad Forbus. “I’m very proud of their collective effort and success.”

Nicholas Murphy carded an 87-94 for a total of 181; AK Bhakta scored 96-95 for a 191; Jordan Perry shot 95-94 for a 189; and Aiden Kearns came in with a 94-91 for a 185 total. 
 

Seven Lady Bulldogs soccer players have been named to the 2021 22-5A All-District Team, and seven players earned Academic All-District honors for the 2021 campaign. 

Freshman goalkeeper Audrey Wilson, meanwhile, is the district’s Goal Keeper of the Year, as selected by 22-5A coaches.

“Our soccer players put in a lot of hard work this year – on the field and in the classroom,” said Head Girls’ Soccer Coach Chad Pruitt. “They are very deserving of these honors, and I am extremely proud of them.”

Academic All-District accolades are based on grade point average and student integrity, as well as athletic performance.

First Team All-District 
Audrey Wilson, freshman
Allie Theiler, junior

Second Team All-District
Celeste Gonzales, sophomore
Maddi Piatt, senior

Honorable Mention All-District 
Mackenzie Prigmore, freshman
Hannah Chavez, senior
Gabi Horta, sophomore

Academic All-District
Jazzy Bright, senior
Maddi Piatt, senior
Jayden Thompson, senior
Hanna Chavez, senior
Allie Theiler, junior
Alize Rodriguez, junior
Emma Thompson, junior

Eight La Porte High School student-athletes earned the chance to compete at the UIL Regional Track and Field Championships for their performances at the April 15 Area meet in Barbers Hill. 

The boys’ and girls’ track teams racked up several top three event finishes en route to top twelve and top five team finishes at the meet, respectively.  

Girls Regional Qualifiers 
Jalynn Lozano (1st - 3,200 meters) 
Noami Green - (3rd – 800 meters; 1st - 1,600 meters) 
Natalee Bergeron (4th - 800 meters; 2nd - 1,600 meters) 
Jada Greenidge (4th - triple jump) 
Dominik Puente, Jada Greenidge, Emily Lechuga, Sophia Ortiz (2nd – 4x400 relay) 

Boys Regional Qualifier 
Brady Axtell (2nd - 1,600 meters) 

Additional Girls Finishers
Kaylee Mericle (5th - discus)
Jada Greenidge (8th - long jump)
Sophia Ortiz (6th - 300-meter hurdles)
Emily Lechuga (8th - 300-meter hurdles)
Dominik Puente, Jada Greenidge, Desiree Barrera, Makayla Bellott - (6th 4x100 relay)

Additional Boys Finishers
Albert Regis (5th - shot put)
Terince Siaffa (7th - long jump) 
David Price (5th - 300-meter hurdles)
Matthew Guerrero, David Price, Terince Siaffa, Oscar Lopez. (5th - 4x400 relay)

 The boys’ and girls’ teams are coached by Jaime Arizpe and Carolina Rodriguez, respectively. The Region III-5A Track & Field Meet will be held April 24 at George Turner Stadium in Humble.  

The Lady Bulldogs are the 2021 22-5A District Track & Field champions!  After enduring all four seasons in one day -- heat, rain, cold and gusty winds -- La Porte scored 147 points to Friendswood’s 144 and Manvel’s 132.   

La Porte High School’s varsity Boys’ Bulldog Golf team will advance to the regional tournament for the second straight year after shooting its way to a 22-5A runner-up spot in the district tournament this week. 

Junior Nicholas Canales, meanwhile, was crowned the individual district champion after shooting a 138 over two rounds – one of three La Porte High School records broken on March 30-31 at Bay Forest Golf Course.  

A one-day team score of 316 was the lowest in La Porte High School history, as was the tournament total of 640.  The 2021 campaign also marks the first time in school history that the team qualified for back-to-back regional tournaments.   

The team consists of Nicholas Murphy, Akshat Bhakta, Jordan Perry, Aiden Kearns and Canales. Chad Forbus is the head coach. 

The regional tournament is set for April 20-22 at the Texas A&M Golf Club in College Station. 

La Porte High School senior Allen Bottego can easily lay claim to being among the state’s all-time elite divers.

Following a record-setting journey that earned him a fourth berth in the UIL State Diving Championship, Bottego took home third in a field of 16 of the state’s best one-meter divers, for his extraordinary ability to rip into the water.

He racked up a 536.20 composite score at the Feb. 27 championships – less than nine points from the runner up, and more than 40 points ahead of the fourth-place diver. It was the sixth highest 5A diving score in the history of the state meet.

“It has been a pleasure to work with Allen throughout his four years of high school,” La Porte High School Head Swim Coach Jacob Berg said. “He has superior work ethic that has allowed him to improve each school year.”

 

Bottego placed fourth, tenth and eleventh at State, in 2020, 2019 and 2018 respectively. He entered the 2021 5A finals as Texas’ top seeded diver. At the qualifying regional meet in Friendswood, his 630.65 composite score was good enough to break his previous (La Porte) record by more than 40 points; it was also a Friendswood Natatorium record, which he bettered by more than 140 points.

 

He is a relative newcomer to the diving scene. A former gymnast, Bottego began diving in May 2017. Since then, he has won four district championships, three regional championships; he also owns multiple top-five finishes in the AAU Red White and Blue Nationals.

Ten La Porte High School basketball players have been named to the 22-5A Girls’ All-District team, including one who garnered district superlative honors for her defensive prowess.

In selecting the all-loop team, district coaches picked Senior Tu’Myra Morant as the district’s 2020-21 Defensive Player of the Year. 

22-5A Girls’ First Team

Guard – Keely Cummings, sophomore
Guard – Koko Wooley, senior (committed to Texas A&M University for softball)
 

22-5A Girls’ Second Team

Post – Chloe Paul, sophomore
Guard – Payton Babineaux, junior
Forward – Makayla Bellot, sophomore

Academic All-District Team

Kamryn Gomez
Keely Cummings
Desiree Barrera
Makayla Bellot
 

Head Coach Elisha Thompson guided the 2020-21 Lady Dawgs to a 12-3 district record and an appearance in the Bi-District playoffs. 

Six La Porte High School basketball players have been named to the 22-5A All-District Team, including four first teamers who are juniors.

Led by first year Head Coach Kohl Neel, the Bulldogs finished the 2020-21 season with a 15-13 overall record, narrowly missing the playoffs.

22-5A First Team
Quevon Walley, junior
Cory Ruben, junior

22-5A Second Team
Chris Hodges, junior
Josue Pena, junior

22-5A Honorable Mention
Keagan Deeroff, senior
Terince Siafa, senior

Bulldogs Cross Country team, Lady Bulldog runner qualify for UIL State Championships

For the first time in the history La Porte High School’s storied cross country program, the boys’ team is advancing to the UIL State Cross Country Championships. Naomi Green, meanwhile, will be running individually in pursuit of a girls individual state crown.

Green, a junior, punched her ticket with a tenth-place finish on Nov. 9 at the UIL Region III Cross Country Championships in Huntsville. The boys’ team finished third at the same meet to make local history. The top three finishing teams qualify for the state meet, whereas the top 10 individuals who are not on a qualifying team advance.

The boys’ team in 2019 narrowly missed a trip to Austin with a sixth-place finish, but Ryan Schoppe set an individual record at the same meet on his way to a career-capping 6A state title.

This year marks the first time in four years that La Porte’s girls will be represented at the state meet. Kelsey Ramirez finished 84^th individually in 2016.

Ashley Stewart is in his first year as the boys head cross country coach; Carolina Rodriguez is the girls head coach.

The 2020 UIL Cross Country Championships are November 23 at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.  The girls and boys races are set for 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. respectively.

Eight La Porte High School tennis players have been named to the 22-5A All-District Tennis Team and Academic All-District Team, respectively.  All-District selections are made by 22-5A coaches.   

 

All-District
Honorable Mention: Boys Doubles – Jon Barragan and Jeremiah Montgomery
Honorable Mention: Boys Singles – Jon Barragan, Ben Austin, Ryan Spacek
Honorable Mention: Girls Doubles – Lakin Osmus and Mia Garcia
Honorable Mention: Girls Singles – Dru Gandhi, Kaitlyn McBee

Academic All-District
Jon Barragan
Mia Garcia
Carly McCarthy
Kaitlyn McBee
Lakin Osmus
Alejandro Solis
Parker Stewart
Oliver Tercero

Six La Porte High School volleyball players capped the 2020 season with All-District honors, including one player who was named to 22-6A’s First Team. Eleven players were additionally awarded Academic All-District honors.

Kaydeun “Koko” Wooley garnered first team recognition; Jada Greenidge and Kera Arrington grabbed spots on 22-6A’s Second Team.

Honorable Mention honors went to Reagan Talley, Bella Ochoa and Avery Parrish.

 “I am extremely proud of every girl in my program – especially my varsity and my nine seniors – this  year,” head coach Mindy Stone said. “The girls started the season hopeful about making the best of the current situation and ended the season with a lot of hard work and dedication.”

2020 Academic All-District
Rylea Sandel
Payton Ankenbruck
Jenessa Morales-Garcia
Krystin Nelson
Bella Ochoa
Avery Parrish
Reagan Talley
Kera Arrington
Madison Guidry
Sophia Valdez
Madison Guidry

Nine members of the La Porte High School varsity football team have been named to the 2020-21 Texas High School Coaches Association Academic All-State Team.

The honor is bestowed upon student-athletes who exhibit good citizenship and excel in the classroom.

“It is a culmination of four years of hard work in the classroom and on the field,” Head Football Coach Anthony Renfro said. “They take into consideration your overall GPA, class rank, and SAT/ACT scores. In our program we constantly talk about academics and overachieving in the classroom.”

First Team
David Price

Second Team
Micha Stone
Thomas Shrader
Luis Santiago

Honorable Mention
Ian Gonzalez
Jordan Nester
Cooper Upshaw
Ti O’Daniel
Jordan Perry

To be nominated for Academic All-State, a student must be:

• an athlete, student trainer or manager in good standing with the team;
• of good moral character;
• a senior; and
• must have an overall grade point average of 92 or above (including courses from grades 9-11 and courses completed from grade 12).

“These nine young men are the type of Bulldogs we want representing our program,” Renfro said. “We are extremely proud of their efforts.”

Bulldogs grab 40 All-District, Academic All-District football honors
HBU commit honored as 9-5A superlative

Fifteen La Porte Bulldogs varsity football players have been named to the 2020 9-5A All-District Team, and 39 players earned Academic All-District honors for the 2020 campaign. 

Senior cornerback and Houston Baptist University commit Travis Greenawalt, meanwhile, is the district’s Special Teams Player of the Year, as selected by coaches across 9-5A.

“Our student-athletes work hard on and off the field, and this is a nice reward for them,” said Head Football Coach Anthony Renfro. “The All-District [and player of the year] honors are bestowed on them by other coaches in the district who have seen their abilities first-hand.”

Academic All-District accolades are based on grade point average and student integrity, as well as athletic performance. Unlike the Academic All-State Team, the district team may include freshmen, sophomores and juniors.

 

9-5A ALL-DISTRICT TEAM

Special Teams Player of the Year - #4 Travis Greenawalt, Sr

Offense

First Team Running Back - #20 Eric Bright, Sr

First Team Guard - #61 David Hernandez, Sr

Second Team Tight End - #86 Champion Traylor, Sr

Second Team Guard - #66 Zeke Tribble, Jr

Second Team Tackle - #74 Zane Hayman, Jr

Honorable Mention Center - #64 Jordan Perry, Sr

Honorable Mention Center Fullback - #81 Tucker Tettenhorst, Sr

Honorable Mention All-Purpose - #8 Cooper Upshaw, Sr

 

Defense

First Team Tackle - #44 Albert Regis, Sr

First Team Outside Linebacker - #12 Thomas Shrader, Sr

First Team Corner - #4 Travis Greenawalt, Sr

First Team Safety - #9 Justin Kay, Jr

Honorable Mention Outside Linebacker - #27 Hunter Anderson, Sr

Honorable Mention Center Inside Linebacker - #46 Dezmond Brodnax, Sr

Honorable Mention Center Safety - #10 Terince Siafa

Special Teams

First Team Kicker - #7 Levi Hilborn, Jr

9-5A ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT

First Team

#7 Levi Hilborn

#9 Justin Kay

#57 Luis Santiago

#12 Thomas Shrader

#6 Tristan Spears

#30 Shame Summers

#74 Zane Hayman

#17 David Price

#84 Kierson Spates

#87 Micah Stone

#8 Cooper Upshaw

 

Second Team

#24 Alex Duron

#15 Matthew Guerrero

#94 Elijah Hurtado

#64 Jordan Perry

#34 Patrick Teepe

 

Honorable Mention 

#98 Ian Gonzalez

#79 Decker Holden

#48 Jordan Nester

#45 Fabian Solis

#81 Tucker Tettenhorst

#86 Champion Traylor

#66 Zeke Tribble

#56 Landon Williams