Crosby, TX (May 13, 2024) - This week, the Crosby ISD Board of Trustees recognized top scholars, top athletes, and extracurricular groups from the spring semester.
CHS STUDENT COUNCIL
Under the leadership of Ms. Tess Humphries and Ms. Holly Lamb, The Crosby High School Student Council grew in size yet again this year to 134 official members.
It was a very memorable year. The students worked hard to put together a great Homecoming week, and they planned a holiday community movie night at Cougar Stadium that was a great success. Students volunteered for many events around the school and community, including the food bank distribution, the 9/11 memorial stair climb, the Veterans Day program, and the Coleen Walker relays. It was an amazing year for "Stuco," and we are looking forward to more fun in future years.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
The Lady Cougar varsity team made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Senior Emori LaSalle has earned a full-ride basketball scholarship to Howard Junior College. She also won many accolades, such as TABC All 5A Region 3 Team, TGCA 5A All State Team, TGCA All-Star Legacy Team, District MVP, TAAG All-Star, SETCA All Star and Academic All District Team.
Senior Savannah McKinnerney was a SETCA All Star, 1st team All District, Academic All District Team, and Crosby Defensive Player of the Year.
Junior Lamaya Clark is a TGCA All Star, Co-offensive MVP of the district, and Crosby Offensive Player of the Year.
Senior Phoenix Phillips received District Honorable Mention, Academic All District Team, and Crosby Most Improved Player.
Junior Katie Daniels received District Honorable Mention and Academic All District Team.
Junior Romareya Lister received 2nd team All District, Academic All District Team, and Crosby Newcomer of the Year.
Junior Jasmine Zapata received 2nd team All District and Academic All District Team.
Juniors Jaden Dior Smith and Laila McCall were Academic All District Team.
Head Coach Melynda McGregor earned District Coach of the Year and SETCA All Star Team Head Coach.
Assistant coach Brianna Lutton earned SETCA All Star Team assistant coach and District Staff of the year.
Assistant coach Ashley Harris earned district staff of the year.
The Lady Cougars basketball program had a great season! Way to go ladies!
BOYS BASKETBALL
We want to salute the Crosby High School Varsity Boys Basketball Team. Their willingness to play as a team allowed you to show tremendous growth throughout the season. We look forward to having even greater success next school year. Senior Dylan Banks earned District 17-5A All-District honors. Junior Phillip Jackson earned District 17-5A All-District Honors. We appreciate the seniors who are about to graduate: Dylan Banks, D’mitri Patton, Jordan Gorman, and Dillion Eden. Thank you to student trainers: Taylin St. Romain, Laniece Banks, Emily Bedynek, Klaudae Dixon, and Maleah Prejean. Thank you to Assistant Athletic Director and Jead Coach: Edwin Egans as well as assistant coaches: Leron Narnes, Damien Gradney, and MJ Mathis. We also want to applaud Coach Egans for securing his 500th win as a coach in January. All 500 wins have been with Crosby High School.
SWIM
The Crosby High School Swim Team was fortunate enough to win District in several individual events and have each of its swimmers qualify for the regional meet in Sugar Land. Zachary Gross won district in the 100 backstroke and Lainey Carden won district in the 50 freestyle. All but one of the swimmers was either a freshman or sophomore, creating a strong foundation for the future of Crosby Swim. Thank you to Head Coach Tim Rogers for his dedication.
GOLF
The Crosby High School Golf Team had a good year with the boys team finishing in the top 3 in the 7 tournaments leading up to District. The girls' side had two varsity competitors who made great improvements as the year went along. The highlight of the year was Kagen Keltz advancing to the regional championships and just missed advancing to State by 4 shots. We want to thank current coach, Coach Robert Carr, for his 28 years in education and the last 8 years here in Crosby ISD. Coach Carr is retiring this year. With the team only graduating Kagen, the new Crosby golf coach should be primed for a great 24-25 year on both sides.
TRACK
As a track program, Crosby High School runners ended their season with 15 area qualifiers out of district and 9 regional qualifiers. Throughout the year we had multiple personal and school record-setting performances. Senior Jeremiah Batiste was the top performer and regional finalist in both the 110-meter hurdles and the 300-meter hurdles. Junior Ty Lovas ended his season as a regional finalist in the pole vault as well. Lovas broke the Crosby High School pole vault record twice with a vault of 14’6". Sophomore, Ivan Armendariz, set the school record and crushed his personal record by 30 seconds in the 3200 meter with a 10:26.9.
On the girls' side, junior Abby Ellisor, finished as the top performer and a regional finalist in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 45.3. The girls 4 x 400 team of senior Emori LaSalle and juniors, Mayte Tavarez, Katie Daniels, and Abby Ellisor broke the school record twice with a final time of 4:09.85.
Coach Jabara Williams says all of our kids played a major role in the success we had this year, and we look forward to continuing to build on this solid foundation that these young women and men have laid.
POWERLIFTING
The highlights of the powerlifting season included achievements for both the boys' and girls' teams. The girls' team returned one lifter from the previous year. We were able to put together a team of 5 girls and two of those were freshmen. The team made big improvements throughout the season, and all 5 girls ended up qualifying for the regional meet at Alvin High School: Kayleigh Bowling, Kiera Bowden, Lainey Carden, Hannah Fernandez, and Maria Hoyos. Of those 5 girls 1 advanced to the state powerlifting meet in Frisco. Kayleigh Bowling, a sophomore, ended up placing 13th overall in the state competition. This was her second time at State. Next year we will have 3 of the 5 girls returning from this year's powerlifting team.
The boy's team had 10 lifters with 2 seniors. Like the girl's team, many had never participated in a powerlifting competition before. We had 3 lifters qualify for the regional meet at Dickinson High School: Aanson Johnson (AJ), Gavin Ramirez, and Levi Fontenot. Of those 3, Levi Fontenot qualified for the State Meet in Abilene. Levi finished in the top 20 overall in the state. Next year we will have 8 returners and many others that have shown an interest in participating.
We thank Coach DuBose, and we look forward to another great year next year in powerlifting.
BOYS SOCCER
The Crosby High School Boys’ Soccer Team advanced to the second round of the playoffs this year. the first time since 2021 when many of these seniors were freshmen. Overall, the team finished the season with 19 wins, 5 losses and 2 ties. They finished second place in the district and were crowned bi-district champions.
Ricky Salazar was named District Offensive MVP and First Team All-Region.
Jonathan Lopez was named District Defensive MVP and Honorable Mention All-State.
Fernando Vaca made Academic All State.
First Team All District players are:
Saul Lazaro
Xavi Avila
Joaquin Ochoa
Second Team All-District players are:
Jorge Alonso
Jorge Chavez
Santiago Muniz
Aaron Sanchez
Honorable Mention All-District:
Kris Ochoa
Rosendo Enamorado
Gabriel Delapaz
Academic All District:
Fernando Vaca
Ricardo Salazar
Adam Nava
Rosendo Enamorado
Ulises Jaimes
Cngrats to Coach Helburg, the players and the soccer moms and dads out there.
GIRLS SOCCER
The Crosby High School Girls' Soccer Team finished with a playoff appearance, 4th place in District 17-5A, and a 7-4-3 record in district and an overall record of 19-9-3. The team also set a new team record of 112 goals for the season.
16 players made the Academic All-District Team.
3 honorable mention players included Evelyn Roman, Cintya Roman, and Litzy Barbosa.
Second Team player selections included Stephanie Godinez, Eve Partida, and Jasmine Gaytan.
First Team All-District picks included Alondra Aguilera, Molly Ipock, and Olivia Darbonne.
The Lady Cougars also had #9 junior Isa Hernandez earn Co-Midfield Player of the Year for our district and was selected as a 2nd team All Region Midfield Player.
#16 junior Audrey Harlien, who led the district with 28 goals, was selected as the Co-MVP of the district and earned a much-deserved 1st team all region selection as a forward. With the help of her teammates, Audrey set some Crosby High School scoring records as well, with 61 goals and 22 assists for the year. She currently holds the career high goals total with 128 goals and 55 assists in three years.
Coach Burgess and Coach Marek are very proud of what the girls were able to do this year, and we are excited about next season. Great job, ladies.
BASEBALL
Coach McMurry says the highlight of the year: these student-athletes have shown him the highest morals, integrity, and character of any group of kids in his career. In terms of community service, these students served our communities through 1087 acts of service. Coach McMurry says prior to this year, the most he’s ever seen in a group of high school baseball players were 348 acts of commitment. Our guys volunteered three times as often. The commitments included christmas gifts for families in need, the Challenger League, and Alumni Challenger Game. It was the best feeling to watch our high school students handle those situations and show their big hearts. We are so proud of the college commitments some of these players have made. We are also proud that Coach McMurry could celebrate his 100th coaching win as a Crosby Cougar. Finally, a special shoutout goes to Tavarius Baldwin. He is the heart of the team serving as our manager. Tavarius loves these guys unconditionally, and they love him unconditionally. Good luck, seniors, and we’re looking forward to next season.
SOFTBALL
This year was another good year for Crosby High School Softball. The team finished 2nd in district with a district record of 12-2 and an overall record of 27-8. 13 of the 27 wins were shutouts, and the big shutout was against district rival Barbers Hill beating them 1-0. We had 16 girls earn Academic All District (90 or higher average during the softball season) and 6 seniors named to THSCA Academic All State (92 or high for all four years).
CULINARY ARTS
The Crosby High School Culinary Arts students were out and about in our communities this year. They baked the centerpiece cake for the 200th bicentennial celebration in Crosby. This month, they will serve nearly 30 retired Crosby ISD teachers a free lunch of honey mustard chicken and all the fixings. Chef Espinosa is so proud of their accomplishments this year. All seniors are ServSafe manager certified. Lunch sales at the Cougars’ Histro this year and generous donations from the Crawfish Shack, Chick-fil-A and Skero's Furniture allowed the culinary arts team to purchase a commercial steamer. They were also able to buy a sugar printer this year thanks the proceeds from the bicentennial celebration. Next year, the Culinary Arts students will work to be more sustainable, by recycling plastic, glass and cardboard. Next school year, Chef Espinosa and her students will partner with the middle school's principles of agriculture classes by providing them with compost. Once the ag team at CMS grows food in their middle school garden, they will come over to prepare dishes at CHS working with the older culinary arts students. Great job!
ROBOTICS
The Crosby High School Robotics Team competed in two district events and launched themselves into State. In the first event, the team was a finalist, finishing in second place. In the second event, they also secured a spot in the finals. Between the two events, the robotics team scored enough points to make it to the state championship. At State, the students finished 20th out of 43 teams in the division. Ms. pool and all of us are so proud of these students. Go Cougars!
UIL SCIENCE
The Crosby High School UIL Science Team won first place in the district this spring!
Goose Creek Memorial Invitational
Andrew Canada
Top Physics
Top Chemistry
2nd Place Individual
2nd Place Team
Livingston UIL Science Invitational
Ayden Edwards
Top Biology
Top Physics
1st Place Individual
Andrew Canada
3rd Place Individual
Austin Eilers
Top Chemistry
Ayden, Andrew, and Austin also took the Top Team Score
District UIL
Andrew Canada
1st Place Individual
Ayden Edwards
3rd Place Individual
Top Chemistry
Austin Eilers
5th Place Individual
Top Biology
Ayden, Andrew, Austin and Oscar Vazquez were awarded the top team score and advanced to Regionals.
We are so very proud.
TOP SCHOLARS
Our Crosby High School Top Scholars are great representatives of the class of 2024. These cougars are graduating with tremendous academic honors in recognition of all of their hard work. They will fly the nest to colleges and universities across the region and the country in pursuit of their dreams and bright futures. On graduation night, we’ll hear from Andrew Canada, the class of 2024 Valedictorian, and from Austin Eilers, the Class of 2024 Salutatorian. Thanks for your tremendous effort, outstanding GPA’s, excellent exam scores, and all-around great characters.
BASS CLUB
The bass club season consists of 5 regular-season tournaments, and 1 regional tournament stretching from September through May. These anglers spend many hours competing on lakes in all sorts of weather, chasing unpredictable fish. These 6 teams have literally weathered the storms through all 6 tournaments to earn the right to represent Crosby ISD at the state level, where they will face over 160 other teams from around the state.
Good luck!
COUGAR STARS
This spring, the Cougar Stars traveled to Dallas for the National Marching Auxiliary Dance competition. The girls were awarded the following:
Officers:
-
Contemporary 2nd place
-
Lyrical 2nd place
Open 1st place national champions team:
-
Contemporary 2nd place
-
Pom 4th place
-
Open 2nd place
-
Novelty 1st place national champions
Colonel Madison Dorsey also placed 10th out of 61 soloists.
The girls just completed their spring show season with an amazing show.
We want to salute all the dancers and their leader, Ms. Godoy.
ALL-STATE BAND
This spring, a member of the Crosby High School Band or Big Red Machine made it to the Texas 5A All-State Band. Congratulations to Cortez Calzoncin. Cortez performed with the All-State Band in February. All-State is the highest honor a Texas music student can receive. It’s a rigorous and multi-layered audition process. We also want to say congrats to Director of Bands, Mr. Kevin Knight and his team, who served as organizers for All-State. This spring, the Big Red Machine also scored Division 1 ratings at the UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Sweepstakes. The band performed at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, and performed at Lamar University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Houston.
ART
This month, we have many art accolades to share. This is the first time the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Art winners are receiving their trophies and medals. Let’s start with best of show - Reagan Patterson. High school gold ribbons: Gustavo Sanchez and Ruby Raine Craft.
High school finalists: Abigail Patterson, Naomi Hernandez, Tallon Jenkins, Miguel Rodriguez Gonzalez, Dominick Aguilar, and Emily Barnes.
Middle school best of show: Alissa Mooney. Elementary best of show: Lanny Kochevar from Crosby Elementary. Elementary gold ribbon: Caislyn Wainwright from Crosby Elementary.
Elementary finalists: Leo Rucka from CES, Rico Diosdado from CKC, Lucas Barahona from Barrett Elementary, Carson Henshall from BES, Jase Buchanan from NES, and Faith Duhon from BES.
Next are recognitions for the visual art and scholastic event. 16 students with 18 artworks were recognized in the uil event. 15 had perfect scores of 4.
Next up is the Scholastic Art and Writing contest. Honorable Mention goes to Natasha Kedzieski. The Gold Key winner is Kaylynn Aguirre. Her artwork is now competing at the national level. Good luck!
The next awards are for the 2024 congressional art contest. Congratulations to award winners: Tommy Wang, Michaela Earnest, Gustavo Sanchez, and Tallon Jenkins.
Finally, 4 seniors are receiving their cords from the National Art Honor Society. These students must be an active member, maintain an 85 or higher in all art classes, maintain an 80 or higher in all other classes, and complete 10 art related service hours. Congratulations to: Natasha Kedzieski, Ayla Suchocki, Reagan Patterson, and Jeffrey Murray.
Congrats again to all of our art winners.
STAFF WELLNESS PARTNERS
This year, we had Crosby / Barrett Station businesses step up to the plate. On staff development Fridays, or "Red Box Fridays," they visited each campus on a rotation on Friday afternoons. Once a month, our staff members had a chance to chill. Staff members could drink a free smoothie or take an exercise class, learn to paint, or just take a moment for mindfulness. On stage, we have our staff volunteers and business partners who provided these wellness sessions free of charge! Thank you to District Therapist, Ms. Laura Richard, for spearheading this effort. Thank you to our business partners for your service to our staff.
GROCERY DISTRIBUTION VOLUNTEERS
Next, one of the big achievements for Crosby ISD, our weekly grocery giveaway at Cougar Stadium. Each Thursday, our Director of Student Services, Ms. Katrina White, and our district therapist, Ms. Laura Richard, and a team of maintenance workers and high school and middle school students show how much our Cougars care. Since October, they have fed more than 4000 families through our Mobile School Market. It is one of the biggest - if not the biggest - grocery distribution events in East Harris County each week. Our grocery giveaway could not be done without the help of the Houston Food Bank. It’s been such a success that we’ve had members of the Astros Foundation volunteer, and folks from other school districts observe how smoothly our process works. Tje grocery giveaway will be back for the 24-25 school year. Each student volunteer here tonight exemplifies the Service-Minded pillar in our “Portrait of a Graduate.” Thank you.
COLEEN WALKER RELAY VOLUNTEERS
Finally, we want to thank the students, staff members, and volunteers who made this year’s Coleen Walker Relays a huge success. Your dedication helped create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for 140 LifeSkills students. They had one of their best days ever, playing catch, dressing up, having their faces painted, and just hanging out with the “big kids.” The relays are named in honor of Crosby High School LifeSkills teacher, Ms. Coleen Walker, who passed away in 2004. She was a huge advocate for education for all, and she mentored future educators. The 2024 relays were sponsored, in part, by the Crosby Education Foundation, CISD Trustee Phillip Chapman, and Copper Basin Custom Homes. The Crosby ISD Special Education Department also wanted to thank “Marco’s Pizza” for supplying 120 pizzas that day for all the kids, staff, and volunteers. Marco’s even added a few extra pizzas! Next year, the relays return to Cougar Stadium, and our Special Education Department is already planning an even bigger celebration in 2025. Thank you!
###
