Houston High School’s H-Club hosted its annual ESPYS awards gathering on Sunday in Hiett Gymnasium.
Numerous awards were presented to athletes in various boys and girls categories.
- FOUR-YEAR LETTER WINNERS: Sophia Crites; Lacey Cavaness; Shaun Buck; Connor McKinney; Kristen Ely; Allie Benoist; Morgan McKinney; Makinley Aaron; and Jordan Arthur.
- UNSUNG HERO AWARD: Claire Benoist (other nominees: Austin Jones and Jessyn Allen) and Aaron McCarthy (other nominees: Dillon Shelton and Javon Ross).
- TIGER FLEX: Claire Benoist (other nominee: Gracyn McNiell) and Mason Dodson (other nominee: Layne Seago).
- SPECIAL RECOGNITION: Houston Special Olympics Team: Coach Nikki Stilley; Addie Hanson; Carley VanHorn; Henry Shelton; Anna Fowler; Avery Walker; Maycee Stilley; and Morgan Royal.
- LOYAL FAN AWARD: Dan and Cathy Hickcox (other nominee: Larry Benoist).
- MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Carley VanHorn (other nominees: Summer Bittle and Micah Manion).
- ACADEMIC ALL-STATE: Volleyball: Carli Cummins-Drake; Gracyn McNiell; Kayla Wagner; Kynlee Weaver; Makinley Aaron; Morgan McKinney; Summer Seago; Hannah Ennis; and Football: Dillon Shelton and Aaron McCarthy.
- ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: Kristen Ely (other nominee: Gracyn McNiell); Brody Adkison (other nominee: Oliver Greiner).
- MS. & MR. TIGER: Morgan McKinney (other nominees: Gracyn McNiell, Ashley Gilbert and Lilly Kincaid) and Brody Adkison (other nominees: Mason Dodson, DJ Riley and Brody Neugebauer).
- THREE-SPORT ATHLETES: Christopher Meier; Jessyn Allen; Gracyn McNiell; Kynlee Weaver; Claire Benoist; Summer Seago; Jackson Morgan; Dillon Shelton; Thomas Kincaid; Gage Smith; and Connor McKinney.
- ROOKIE/NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Ava Koch (other nominee: Jessyn Allen) and Aaron McCarthy (other nominee: Jackson Morgan).
- INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR: Adyson Dailing and Kristen Ely (other nominee: Makinley Aaron).
- TEAM PERFORMANCE: Football beating Ava in Districts (Cheerleader Friday Night Lights of the Living Dead Performance and Girls Cross Country Team at Districts).
- BEST DRESSED: Ari Shuman and Garrett Allen.
- ASSISTANT OR MIDDLE SCHOOL COACH OF THE YEAR: Clay Ashworth, football (other nominees: Denim Lee, middle school basketball; Jodie Tottingham, track; Jim Kulakowski, softball; Heather Copley, cross country; Dakota Burchett, football; and Viki Narancich, middle school volleyball).
- HEAD COACH OF THE YEAR: Justin Brown, cross country (other nominees: Eric Sloan, football; Micah Lee, girls basketball; and Mike Tottingham, track).
- ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Gracyn McNiell (other nominees: Kayla Wagner, Kristen Ely and Makinley Aaron) and Mason Dodson (other nominees: DJ Riley, Jordan Arthur and Jack Sawyer).
