Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
The South Houston area is loaded with talented athletes who give it there all in their respective fields of play.
Welcome to the VYPE Playmakers powered by UTMB Health, where we’re highlighting five standouts from this past week who stole the headlines.
Here are the just some of the Athletes, Teams, and Coaches of the Year, who enjoyed exemplary performances throughout the 2023-24 season.
Coach David Rogers -- Pearland Baseball
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
The Oilers have picked up right where they left off a year ago, as they have dominated within Class 6A throughout the entire Spring, which has carried over into the postseason.
Pearland now prepares to make back-to-back appearances in the UIL State Tournament, marking the program's seventh overall, with a rematch of last year's State Final against Flower Mound on the docket.
After being named the GHBCA 6A Coach of the Year in 2023, fifth-year head coach David Rogers has continued to cultivate a championship culture within the Oilers' organization, which is also a testament to the dedication of his staff and players.
Rogers and company have their eye on claiming the team's first state title since 1980, and it all begins this Friday (4:00 pm) at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
Hitchco*ck Boys Basketball
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
Under the direction of coach Christopher Jordan-Foster, the Bulldogs proceeded to claim their second-consecutive UIL-3A state championship this past Winter, with their 53-49 victory over Ponder at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Hitchco*ck featured a bevy of stars, particularly TABC All-State selections Damien McDaniel (UIL-3A State MVP), Lloyd Jones III (District 24-3A MVP), and Elijah Sherwood (District 24-3A Offensive MVP), who propelled the team to a historic finish in March.
While McDaniel has since graduated, it will be up to the aforementioned Jones III, Sherwood, as well as all-district selections Kamari McNeal, Maleek Clark, and Kelshaun Johnson to uphold the standard of this exceptional program in 2025.
Iowa Colony Girls Track & Field
Photo acquired via Twitter (@ICPioneersTF)
2024 was a banner year for the Iowa Colony track & field program.
Following stellar performances at the UIL State Meet in May -- primarily from the likes of Ashtyn Lewis, Bailee Wilturner, Arius Williams, Aysha Mitchell, and Adriana Murry -- coach Rachel Easley would see her team claim the school's first-ever state championship, since its establishment in 2022.
The Pioneers accumulated 58 total points to end up in the No. 1 spot, which also featured gold finishes from sophom*ore Lewis in the 400m Dash (54.31 s), in addition to the relay team, which placed first in the 4x400m.
Similarly, coach Aundra Long's boys team would also walk away with the UIL-4A title to complete an extraordinary precedent set by the budding Iowa Colony organization.
Tony Laurito -- Friendswood Swimming
Photo provided by Friendswood Coach Craig Sikkema
Coach Craig Sikkema's squad has become a staple within the realm of Texas high school swimming, and this past season was indicative of that fact.
Friendswood wound up placing second overall at the UIL State Meet, with a combined total of 183 points by the end of February's competition at the Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin.
This was thanks, in large part, to the efforts made by senior Tony Laurito, who took gold in the 200-yard IM (1:48.13) and 100-yard Backstroke (49.04 s), individually, while also playing a key role in the team's top finishes in the 200-yard Medley (1:31.54) and 400-yard Freestyle (3:07.46) Relays.
Laurito will now ascend to the collegiate level, where he'll continue his swimming career at the University of Tennessee.
Mackenzie Collins -- Shadow Creek Track & Field/Volleyball
Matthew Ogle (VYPE)
Dual-sport super-star Mackenzie Collins is making herself well-known among the bevy of prolific athletes that comprise Houston-area high school sports.
The incoming Shadow Creek senior made her mark at the last month, where she won the Class 6A title in the 300m Hurdles (41.59 s) event, while also contributing a pair of crucial performances for the Sharks' relay team, which took silver in the 4x100m and 4x400m Relays.
When all was said and done at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Shadow Creek would end up being named the UIL-6A State Runner-Ups.
Not only that, but Collins should be regarded as one of the top volleyball players in the city heading into next Fall, following her transfer from Episcopal during the 2023-24 school year, in which she earned All-SPC honors prior to her move to Shadow Creek.
The Texas A&M-commit (Volleyball) and Houston Skyline standout can seemingly do it all. The sky is the limit for Collins as she enters the final year of her stellar high school career.
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