Athletic Banquet (Part 2) (4-26-2016)
Lady Mule basketball coach,
Carey Sudduth, invited the varsity Lady Mules to the stage.
“The Muleshoe Lady Mules had
a great year in basketball at all levels,” said Sudduth. “First, we would like
to recognize the ninth grade and JV teams. These two teams improved every week
and it was a lot of fun to watch them grow and learn to compete on the floor.”
“I want to thank Coach Edie
Niblett and Coach Sheri Veazey fro their dedication and hard work with these
players. We are expecting great things
from them in the future.”
“The varsity Lady Mules also
worked hard every day and competed with determination and class. They ended the
year with a 15-14 season record and were 5-5 in one of the toughest districts
in the state.”
“We had several big wins over
ranked teams, were able to play in a tournament final for the first time in
several years and made the playoffs for the second consecutive year,” continued
Sudduth. “Our year ended before we were ready but that has just fueled lots of
hard work already this spring.”
“We would like to say thanks
to our senior class. These girls have been part of our program for six years
and set a great example for the young kids coming behind them.”
“Three Lady Mules were named
to the District 2-3A team. They are Sadie Sudduth, Conley Niblett and Sydnie
Sudduth.”
“We played several different
defenses this year and would like to recognize a player who was always in the
middle of the action. Her motor never stops and she truly led our defense. The
Defensive Player of the Year Award goes to Conley Niblett.”
“Every team needs a player
that can do it all. Make a shot, grab a rebound, handle the ball under
pressure, defend anywhere on the floor and say the right thing in the huddle.
We had one of those players, our Most Versatile Player Award goes to Sydnie
Sudduth.”
“We ran a variety of plays on
offense as well as several different defensive sets. We needed someone to
always keep us organized and where we needed to be. She made big plays all year
and was the leader every day in lots of ways. Our Most Valuable Player Award
goes to Sadie Sudduth.”
Mule basketball coach, Clay
White, was next to the stage and invited the Mule varsity to join him.
“The freshmen Mules were
coached by John Jay. This squad had an impressive year finishing with a record
of 11-6 and tied for the best record in district with only one loss. They were
known for being coachable and playing sound team basketball.”
“Bryan Loera coached the JV
Mules and ended their season with a winning record of 13-8 and were 6-4 in
district. They were known for offensive execution and taking charges on
defense.”
“They finished second in the
Abernathy Antelope Tournament and there is no doubt our program is in good
hands with these two groups of young men.”
“With all the success in
football Mule basketball was a little late to the party. It took us no time to
find success as we won the Abernathy Tournament with a decisive victory over
the Wall Hawks.”
“The Mules continued to
gather momentum into district play by winning six straight games that included
home wins over Littlefield and Shallowater. We finished second in a competitive
district and fell just short of a district championship in spite of some
untimely injuries.”
“The momentum extended to the
Texas State Basketball Playoffs with a Bi-District Championship over Spearman,
58-35. The Mules fell to the state ranked Kermit Yellow Jackets, continued
White.”
“The Mule had four players
receive All-District honors. Dagen Dunham was the Defensive Co-MVP, Daniel
Campos was named to the first team All-District. Jesse Leal and Beto Diaz were
named as Honorable Mention. Dunham also earned All-Region honors.”
“The Mules will graduate a
special group of seniors in Tony Castillo, Aaryn Ross, Antonio Vasquez, Gabriel
Reza and Daniel Campos. We are grateful for their contributions to the program
and to the school.”
“As we now recognize our
award winners, let us remember that these individual honors are made possible
through successes and sacrifices of the team.”
“The Iron Man Award belongs
to a player that demonstrates toughness on and off the floor and understands
the value of sacrifice. Two Players earned this gritty title. The first
overcame a serious knee injury and trained relentlessly to recover and help his
team.”
“The next is known for his
self-sacrifice by taking charges, diving for loose balls and suffocating defense.
The Iron Man Award goes to Jason Florez and Tony Castillo.”
“The Defender Award belongs
to a special type of player that takes pride on the defensive end. To call him ‘pesky’
and ‘annoying’ to the opponent would be an understatement. Opponent ball handlers
tremble at the mention of his name. Jesse Leal earns this year’s Defender
Award.”
“The MVP Award is given to a
player that is both highly skilled and driven to make the team better. The
Mules were fortunate to have two players that fit the bill. They led the team
in blocks, rebounds and points. Both were forces to be reckoned with in the
paint and were also tenacious defenders.”
“This year’s MVP Award goes
to Daniel Campos and Dagen Dunham.”
Muleshoe power lifting coach,
Albert Lopez, brought all the Lady Mule and Mule Powerlifting team to the
stage.
“This year’s team worked
extremely hard in the weight room to increase personal records and overall
totals,” said Lopez. “The experienced lifters did an outstanding job of leading
this team at practice and at the meets. This is a hard working group that
competed well and improved every week.”
“Our Regional Qualifier was
Evan Paez and being named to the Academic All-State 2016 First Team was Eric
Vela.”
“The Girl’s MVP Award goes to
Noa Rojas. The Boy’s MVP Award goes to Eric Vela.”
Muleshoe High School tennis
coach, Jody Wood, brought all 48 members of the tennis team to the stage.
“I want to introduce this
year’s Medalist from the District Tournament,” said J. Wood. “Our varsity
medalist is Cassidy Cage. She won the bronze medal in Girls Singles.”
“The JV Medalist include Luke
Leal with the gold medal in Boy’s Singles, Yavet Elizalde won the silver medal
in Boy’s Singles. Sophia Sianez won the gold medal in Girl’s Singles and Laura
Chavez earned the bronze medal in Girl’s Singles.”
“Lily Barrera and Conley
Niblett won the gold medal in Girl’s Doubles, Noemi Herrera and Jackie Rayas
earned the silver medal in Girl’s Doubles and Anghy Avilez and Xiomara Regalado
took the bronze medal in Girl’s Doubles.”
“Dezzy Gutierrez and Antonio
Vasquez won the gold medal in Mixed Doubles and Rachelle Whitworth and Izaiah
Perez earned the bronze medal in Mixed Doubles.”
“This large group worked hard
and were fun to coach,” continued J. Wood. “We competed in six tournaments and
played approximately 459 matches.”
“The tennis awards go to
these players. The Tennis Fighting Heart goes to Luke Leal. The Tennis MVP
Award goes to Cassidy Cage.”
The Muleshoe High School golf
coach, Carey Sudduth asked the Lady Mule and Mule golf teams to the stage.
“The Mules golf team competed
all year,” said Sudduth. “Several of these guys are just getting started and
they were coachable and made progress every day. Conner Harrison played two
very solid rounds during the district
competition and won his third individual District Championship.”
“He played in the Region I
golf tournament in Abilene. He followed a tough first day with an excellent
round of 77 on the second day to finish fifteenth out of 96 golfers.”
“The Lady Mules golf team had
a successful season,” continued Sudduth. “They earned medals at two
invitational tournaments and finished second at the district meet. This earned
them a trip to Abilene’s Region I golf tournament.”
“The girls had a tough first
day in the Region I tournament. They responded the second day with much better
scores and were able to come back to finish tenth in the team standings. It was
a great experience for all the girls.”
“The Boy’s Golf Award goes to
Conner Harrison. The Girl’s Golf Award goes to Sydnie Sudduth.”
Lady Mule track coach, John
Jay, invited the Lady Mule track team to the stage.
“I would like to recognize
Coach Edie Niblett and the JV Lady Mule track team,” said Jay. “For several
years we have not had enough girls to have a JV team but that streak was broke
this year. The Lady Mule track program had 43 girls participating and
competing.”
“The JV girls went to three
meets and placed third in the District Meet. The coaches asked most of these
girls to compete in event that were not their favorite but they were still
willing to run. This is a reflection of their unselfish attitudes and their
desire to run any race to help the team to win.”
“The varsity girls won first
place at the Dimmitt track meet and finished fourth in the District meet,”
continued Jay. “Each athlete competed extremely hard and contributed in their
own way to help the team.”
“The qualifiers for the
Region I Meet are: Lili Martinez, Kyndal Miller, Conley Niblett, Mireya
Ruvalcaba, Jasmin Arellano, Blanca Ramirez, Natali Elizalde and Reina Regalado.”
“The Newcomer of the Year
Award goes to Kyndal Miller. The Best in Field Events Award goes to Conley
Niblett. The Most Improved Runner Award goes to Marilyn Melendez. The Workhorse
Award goes to Blanc Ramirez and Mireya Ruvalcaba. The Track MVP Award goes to
Lili Martinez.”
Mule track coach, Wes Wood,
brought the varsity Mule track team to the stage.
“I would like to recognize
the JV boys track team,” said W. Wood. “These young men finished in first place
and were the District Champs in the JV Division. There were man first place
finishes in multiple events and races. These guys won nearly every meet they
went to even with three or four of them getting bumped to varsity. I appreciate
their hard work.”
“The varsity team competed
extremely well all season and almost came away with a district championship.
They finished as the runner-ups in a very competitive district. It is
definitely a season for the record books.”
“The Region I qualifiers,”
continued W. Wood. “Are as follows: Danny Campos, Beto Diaz, Dagen Dunham,
Cesar Olvera, Evan Paez, Yoel Reyes, Aaryn Ross, Tre Villa and Joe Waggoner.”
“Honorable Mentions for track
awards are Tre Villa, Beto Diaz, Dagen Dunham and Danny Campos. The Newcomer of
the Year Award goes to Yoel Reyes. The Best in Field Events Award goes to Cesar
Olvera. The Most Improved Award goes to Joe Waggoner. The Workhorse Award goes
to Evan Paez. The Track MVP Award goes to Aaryn Ross.”
The Mule varsity baseball
team along with their coach, Wes Boatmun, were invited to the stage and the JV
Mule baseball team were asked to stand.
“These young men have
practiced hard and competed well all year long in spite of the restrictive
rules inherent in the game of baseball which, especially with a group so large
as this, always compromise playing time,” said Boatmun.
“When these guys came to us
in January, their hearts were full, but it seemed that it was going to take a
great amount of work to get their heads caught up to where those hearts were.
So we set to on their baseball brains, covering everything from how to throw to
when to know not to throw and everything in-between.”
“They have come such a long
way in what now truly seems such a short amount of time. Please help me in
congratulating these young men on their hard work this season.”
“Have you ever eaten one of
those chocolate-covered pretzels? You know, the ones that are sweet and salty
at the same time? And occasionally, they’re even anointed in caramel, or
nougat, or some other glory. And then they get stuck in your teeth, and you
wish you hadn’t eaten them, but you’re glad, at the same time, that you did?”
“Those wonderful little
explosions of flavor! How should you describe them? As a rule, are they sweet,
or are they salty? Are they chewy, or are they crunchy? And, at the end of the
day, and more importantly, are they good for you, or are they not?”
“Well I have decided that our
team is like a pretzel,” continued Boatmun. “Why? Well, where better to begin
than with the obvious? In the beginning, we were a little twisted. We were
certainly a mystery, and try as we may, we couldn’t seem to get on the same
page on the same day.”
“At times, it seemed as if
this team, myself included, was trying to wear its shoes on the wrong feet,
backwards, even. Perhaps we paid too much attention to making sure our shoes
were tied and not enough to making sure they were the right fit.”
“Well , it’s not much fun to
play any sport with sore feet, so we’ve searched for ways to straighten
ourselves out to maximize our production and best benefit our team. At times,
we have competed at the highest of levels against some of the best competition
that the state has to offer. And at times, we have don also the reverse.”
“We have learned much about
ourselves, too, along the way. Our experiences have given us a better idea of
who we are, and what we actually have inside of us. As the season is coming to
a close, and with a little more perspective, I still think we resemble a
pretzel, but not because we are twisted.”
“Rather, because we are
together, tightly-wound, and working faithfully to keep ourselves that way. We
have no egos on this team to compromise the team. What we do have is a
wonderful chemistry of personalities, sort of like salt and chocolate, that
blend together and complement one another as well as any team that I have ever
been a part of.”
“I am proud of the
selflessness of these guys, and, in spite of our record, they are one of the
funnest (sp), most optimistic, most together groups I’ve ever had the pleasure
to coach. We look forward to our continued development as a team, and to our
journey in the playoffs.”
“At this time, we would like
to honor a few special players with the presentation of individual awards.”
“The Offensive Player of the
Year Award goes to a young man who led the team in multiple categories,
including batting average, extra-base hits, RBI’s, and fewest strikeouts. With
runners in scoring position, there was no one you’d rather have at the plate
than Danny Campos. Congratulations, Danny, on a stellar season at the plate.”
“The Defensive Player of the
Year Award goes to a young man who led our team in fielding percentage, and who
finished second only to our catcher in put-outs. When the ball went into the
air in his direction, it was as good as guaranteed to be caught for an out.
Congratulations to Bryce Mauricio, our defensive player of the year.”
“The Pitcher of the Year
Award goes to a young man who has the lowest ERA of any pitcher on our team. He
actually has the lowest ERA of any Muleshoe pitcher for as long as I can
remember. And we’ve had some good ones. You pitcher of the year is Jason
Florez. Congratulation, Jason, and, by all means, keep up the good work.”
“The New-Comer of the Year
Award goes to a young man with a unique skill set that allows him to fill a
variety of roles. This one, in particular, shows the most plate discipline of
anyone on our team, and leads our team in runs scored and walks drawn. Congratulations
to JoJo Rejino, our 2016 New-Comer of the Year.”
“The Most Improved Player
Award goes to a young man who has worked day-in and day-out to better himself,
and who has shown the most growth of any player on our team. This young man has
stayed the course where others may have not, and has slowly and surely worked
his way into a starting role in our line-up. Our Most Improved Player is Jaxon
Lee.”
“Our Team MVP Award goes to
the best all-around player in our program. This year’s recipient can hit, can
pitch, and can play defense better than most player out there. He makes the had
plays look easy; he excels at the mental game. He has been a great student and
a mainstay of our program.”
“He also has a future in
baseball, should he decide to pursue it. I can hear those pipes calling, Danny,
but I’m not sure what they’re saying. Is it football? Or is it baseball? Either
way, send me some free tickets. Please help me in honoring Danny Campos, our
2016 Team MVP.”
“Coach Sturdivant and I wish
to express a special thanks to our players for their commitment and hard work,
our fellow coaches for their help, consideration, and sharing, and the player’s
families for their continued encouragement.”
Coach Ryan Miller and the
Lady Mule varsity softball team were the final team to the stage.
“The JV Lady Mules are
coached by Sheri Veazey and they improved over the year,” said Miller. They
finished the season with a record of 6-3-1. I am proud of the effort and growth
of this team and I am excited about the future of the Muleshoe Softball
Program.”
“The varsity faced some
really tough teams in our pre-district play that helped us prepare for
district. One of those teams being Forsan, which turned out to be one of our
favorite memories of the season. We were down 15-4 early in the game and came
back to win the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with a game winning
double by senior Sasha Esparza.”
“Our current record is
7-7 with a district record of 4-2. We
will be playing Childress in the Bi-District round of the playoffs Friday and
Saturday in Hermleigh.”
“I want to thank our three
seniors for their hard work and it has been a privilege to be your coach. You
will be missed greatly in seasons to come. I also want to tell Coach Veazey
thank you for being a positive role model for our kids and making my first year
in Muleshoe a great one.”
“I would be remiss if I did
not thank Coach David Wood for answering countless questions and for his
support of the softball program. Also the maintenance department, who have
spent countless hours working on our field to give us the best playing surface
possible.”
“We could not have had a
softball season without any of these people and the softball team is truly
blessed to have such a support team. We are not handing out awards at this time
but will wait until our season ends.”
Sergio Leal lead the crowd in
the benediction.
