Tag: Athlete of the Month

MARCH JACKET ATHLETES OF THE MONTH

Baseball – Mac Rose, Senior

Mac Rose is a Catcher, First Baseman and Pitcher for the Rockwall Yellowjackets baseball team. He has signed to play baseball at McLennan Community College in Waco (2021 NJCAA National Champions). Mac was the leading hitter for the month of March with 25 hits in 54 at bats, 9 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, 24 RBI, and 9 runs scored. On the mound, he was 3-0 with 24 innings pitched, 24 strikeouts, 4 walks, 9 hits allowed, and only 5 runs (4 earned) allowed.

In addition to his hard work on the baseball field, Mac will graduate with 30 hours of college credit.

He is also a type 1 diabetic (diagnosed at age 12) and overcomes this life disease every day to be a successful student athlete.

Softball – Ainsley Pemberton, Junior

Ainsley is a fierce competitor and one of the toughest pitchers around. She constantly wants to perfect her craft and knows what it takes to achieve greatness. So far this season, she has had 164 strike outs and a 1.18 ERA. So far in her career at RHS, she has had 652 strike outs and a 62-15 record in the circle. She dominates in the circle and is an intimidating pitcher to face. Not only is she a competitor on the field, but she is also equally as competitive in the classroom. Ainsley has earned her way into the Ivy Leagues with a commitment to attend and play softball at the University of Pennsylvania. She epitomizes what JFND truly means! Ainsley is a well-respected team Captain and a difference maker with her leadership and tenacity for the game.

Men’s Gymnastics – Jirden Ware, Senior

RHS competed in three meets during the month of March: RHS vs Trinity, Battle for the Rock, and District Championships. Jirden had a good showing in all three meets. He scored a 9.2 on Optional Vault against Trinity (1st place). He scored a 9.3 on Vault at the Battle for the Rock in which he competed in a brand new vault (2nd place). At District, he scored a combined 19.1 on floor (2nd place) and a combined 18.8 on vault (1st place). Jirden scored a career high 9.5 for optional floor at the District Championships.

In addition to competing well, Jirden has grown into a great leader for our team. He has been voted by his teammates as Co-Captain, and he is always motivating and challenging his peers to be their best. Congratulations to Jirden!

Women’s Gymnastics – Kylie Pittman, Senior

Kylie is a strong leader who comes to practice every day with a positive attitude and drive to always be better than the day before. She leads by example and holds herself to the highest of standards in and out of the gym. Her teammates know they can count on her 100%.

Men’s Track – Collin McCrillis, Junior

Collin is a hurdler for the Jackets, and he is finally getting into his grove with the hurdles. Collin was injured late last season and remained hurt for the entire summer and a small part of the fall. He was determined to get back on the track and did everything needed to do so. Collin was able to compete at the Jesuit Sheaner Relays on March 25th where he placed 2nd and ran a Personal Best time. Collin also qualified for Texas Relays where he was one of 56 hurdlers. After the prelims, Collin finished 16th overall with a new Personal Best time. With the District meet about to take place, Collin has more to give in the tank and will continue to work towards punching a ticket to the state meet.

Men’s Track – Brendon Ross, Junior

Brendon is one of the speedsters on the track team. Brendon has been burning up the track in the 100 and 200 meter races this season. Brendon is really close to breaking the 200 meter dash record. The current record is 21.54 and Brendon ran a 21.79 this season. Brendon may also break the 100 meter dash record since he has a personal best time of 10.75 and the record is 10.68. Brendon is FAST! Brendon also gets to display his speed on Friday nights as a Yellow Jacket Football Player.

Men’s Track – Michael Wells, Junior

Michael is one of our weight men who throws the shot and discus. Michael has become a student of the throwing events, and he is constantly analyzing himself. He also researches and studies new techniques, which has paid off. On March 22nd, Michael threw personal best throws in the discus (147’5”) and the shot (52’2.5”). Knowing Michael and his work ethic, further throws are in the near future.

Women’s Track – Claire Lowrey, Senior

Claire has started her final year off with a bang! After six meets, she is undefeated in the girl’s high jump. On March 25th, she defended her title at Jesuit and won the Jesuit Sheaner Relays. The biggest accomplishment this year, so far, just happened on March 31st at Texas Relays. Pitted against many of the best jumpers in the state of Texas and a few from outside of Texas, Claire won the Texas Relays with a jump of 5’10”. Claire still has a few meets left as a Rockwall Yellow Jacket. She is expected to remain undefeated in 2023 and bring home the State Championship Gold Medal on May 13th.

Women’s Track – Girls 4×400 Relay (Ally Otis, Charley Hamilton, Emma Santoro, Kaela Perez, Elizabeth Laurence, & Helana Turner)

The 4×400 Relay has ran 5 meets and are undefeated on the season as they head into District competition. This group of young ladies are tougher than nails and they refuse to lose. Yes, a relay consists of 4 members that actually run, but you have to have alternates that are ready at a second’s notice. We have run three different relay lineups. The first three names are the constants that have been on it all five times. The last three names we have plugged in week to week. Each week, we have gotten the same result. This group now has their sights set on bringing the District 10-6A 4×400 title back to Rockwall where it belongs!

Women’s Track – Rachel Kinniburgh, Freshman

On March 1^st, Rachel broke a 21 year-old record in the girls 3200 meter run by running an 11:12.69. Just a week earlier, she was just under 10 seconds away from the record. She and Coach McCrary stood and stared at the record board. As they were staring at the 3200 meter record, Coach McCrary told Rachel that she had the opportunity to have her name on the board very soon. He was not expecting it to happen just 2 days later! Rachel is a very young and very talented runner. If what she has already done in such a short period of time is any indication, she will be able to do so much more during her time at RHS. Rachel will put that 3200 meter record out of reach before leaving RHS in 2026.

Rockwall Jacket Athletes of the Month

Rockwall Jacket Athletes of the Month

Each month, the Jacket Backers, Rockwall High School’s Booster Club selects student athletes who are nominated by their coach for Jacket Athlete of the Month. For the month of February, Ava Whitaker, Brad Binns, Madelyn Weir, Ainsley Hergert, Grant Morris, Claire Lowrey, Ethan Stark, Omar Boutari, Ashley Minor, Anya Land and Roxy Thompson were each nominated by their coaches and selected as Jacket Athletes of the Month.

Ava Whitaker, Junior Swimmer was nominated by Coach Partenheimer. “Ava broke her own 100 butterfly record multiple times this year. She broke it at regionals, then at the state meet. She also won the 100 Butterfly at the state meet this year. She could be the first female state champion for swimming.”

Brad Binns, Junior Swimmer, nominated by Coach Partenheimer went on to add, “At our regional meet, Brad broke the 500 Freestyle team record twice. He broke on the preliminary session on Friday, then during the finals session on Saturday. I was one of the oldest records for the boys.”

Madelyn Weir, Senior Center Middle for Girls Soccer, was nominated by Coach Garcia. “Madelyn is a captain on the varsity & a 4 year letterman. She is someone who leads by example and is a role model both on and off the field. She strives to get better in each practice and game, and encourages her teammates to do the same. Madelyn makes the effort to talk to each of her teammates and be there not just as a teammate but as a support system for them. Madelyn is one of the best to come out of the LJ Soccer program!”

Ainsley Hergert, Junior Girls Golf, was nominated by Coach Watkins. “Ainsley has been one of the best players for the girls all year. She has either led the Lady Jackets or been the 2nd best score in every tournament this year. Ainsley led the Lady Jackets in their last tournament with a score of 80. She has worked really hard on her game and it shows every time we take the course. She’s a great girl, hard worker, and a pleasure to coach.”

Grant Morris, Sophomore Boys Golf, was nominated by Coach Watkins. “Grant is a leader by example. He shows up and works hard every day. In our last tournament he led the Jackets by shooting a 2 under par round of 70. Grant has 2 1/2 more years as a Jacket and I am glad to have him on our team. He is a pleasure to coach and I am looking forward to seeing him shoot these scores on a more consistent basis over that time.”

Claire Lowrey, Junior High Jumper for Girls Track was nominated by Coach McCrary. “Claire is a defending Bronze medalist from last season’s State Track and Field Meet. This past Saturday in our first meet of the season, Claire won the high jump with a jump of 5’11”. This jump was also good enough to break the record that she broke and set last season of 5’8.5″. Not only did Claire break the record she also has the #1 jump in the nation as well. Claire has set her goal on winning the gold medal at this year’s State Track and Field Meet. So far she is on path to do so. ”

Ethan Stark, Senior Pole Vaulter for Boys Track was nominated by Coach McCrary. “This past Saturday Ethan won the pole vault at our first meet of the season by bettering his Personal best by almost a foot. Ethan vaulted a height of 14’6″. This is something that Ethan has had his sights on for a very long time. He was kind of stuck in the 12’6″ to 13’6″ range and was getting frustrated. Ethan always worked hard and studied his videos on how he could improve. Ethan has not put a cap on his potential and I know that he will reach his personal goals by the end of the season.”

Omar Boutari, Senior Forward for Boys Soccer was nominated by Coach Bowles. “Omar is a senior captain and leader. He is our leading goal scorer. Overall he leads by example. Just in February alone he has 5 goals and 1 assist. Omar is someone that can change the game at any time. He is a dominate threat with speed and strength. We are very excited about what is to come the rest of the season.”

Ashley Minor, Senior Forward for Girls Basketball was nominated by Coach Brewer. “Ashley is one of the toughest, most competitive, best charge-takers I know. She has competed on the varsity team for 4 years. She helped lead her team to the playoffs this season for the 20th consecutive year and win a Bi-District Championship. In February, Ashley was selected as the Defensive MVP of District 10-6A. She led her team with 38 charges this season. She is a great leader that exhibits the Lady Jacket Way wherever she goes.”

Anya Land, Sophomore All-Arounder Girls Gymnastics was nominated by Coach Tyson. “Anya is a second year varisty gymnast who came to us last year from South Africa. Anya is always working to improve her skills every day. She is always positive in any situation, she represents our program with pride and is someone all her teammates can look up to in and out of the gym. Anya has improved so much in a very short amount of time, we can’t wait to see what the future hold for her.”

Roxy Thompson, Junior Outfielder for Softball was nominated by Coach Campbell. “She is a standout in our program not only because of her talent, but she has an incredible amount of humble confidence, leads our program by setting an example of what hard work looks like, and never makes excuses. She is quick to pick up her teammates and does whatever she can to help her team be successful. She is one of our leaders in RBI’s so far this season, is batting a .571 after 28 at bats, is leading the team with 16 hits and no strike outs. She is a great young woman and we are so proud of her!”

Congratulations to each of these Rockwall High School Athletes!

The Jacket Backer Booster Club is a non-profit association formed to maximize fundraising efforts for Rockwall High School Sports, and other charitable activities that promote the development of good character, high morale, and maximum effort.

For more information on how you can support, vote and promote Rockwall High School’s Student Athletes visit the Jacket Backers website at https://www.jacketboosters.com/ and be sure to follow all of our athletes’ accomplishments on Facebook or Twitter @RHSJacketBacker.

It’s a Great Time to be a Jacket Backer!!!

Rockwall Jacket Athletes of the Month

Each month, the Jacket Backers, Rockwall High School’s Booster Club selects student athletes who are nominated by their coach for Jacket Athlete of the Month. For the month of September, Parker Thomas, Harper Samples, Brad Binns, Tre Hudson Becca Kelley and Jarrett Stoner were each nominated by their coaches and selected as Jacket Athletes of the Month.

Becca Kelley, Junior Outside Hitter for the Lady Jackets Volleyball Team was nominated by Coach Ferguson. “Becca leads the team with 268 kills this season. She had an undeniable match last Friday against Heath, posting 17 kills on 31 attempts. She is our only 6 rotation player and has emerged as a team leader. She is a team first player that finds no greater joy than when her teammates succeed.” Shares Coach Ferguson.

Jarrett Stoner, Junior Linebacker for Rockwall Football, was nominated by Coach Brooks. “Jarrett has emerged as one of our top playmakers on defense. He is currently our team’s leading tackler with 60 tackles on the season, and is also a key contributor on Special Teams. Not only is Jarrett a playmaker on the field, but he is a top notch student and person off the field. You will rarely catch Jarrett without a smile on his face, and he puts his full effort towards anything with which he is involved. Jarrett Stoner is a great representative of Rockwall Football and for all of RHS.”

Parker Thomas, Senior Right Wing for Water Polo, was nominated by Coach Partenheimer. “Parker is an outstanding water polo player. As of right now she is narrowing her college choices down and will decide on her future. She will be the second female from Rockwall High School to ever play college water polo at the varsity level.”

Harper Samples, Freshman Swimmer, was nominated by Coach Partenheimer. “Harper had a great first meet. She dropped time in every event and is off to a great start.”

Brad Binns, Sophomore Swimmer, was nominated by Coach Partenheimer. “Brad has had great days in the pool as he has dropped times in every event.”

Tre Hudson, Senior Cross-Country was nominated by Coach Howell. “Tre won the Lake Highlands Invitation with a time of 16:16. He has been training very hard and is a big contributor to the team’s success. Tre is a senior and has been a varsity runner since his freshman year. I know he will continue to lead the team to a district championship and beyond.”

Congratulations to each of these Rockwall High School Athletes!

It’s a Great Time to be a Jacket Backer!!!

Rockwall Jacket Athletes of the Month

Each month, the Jacket Backers, Rockwall High School’s Booster Club selects student athletes who are nominated by their coach for Jacket Athlete of the Month. For the month of March, Natalie Baldwin, Benjamin Padilla, Gavin Figert, Zachery Flowers, Brayden Randle, Emma Avery, Sam Alves, Olivia Lowry, Ava Wallace and Marqelle Fisher were each nominated by their coaches and selected as Jacket Athletes of the Month.

Natalie Baldwin, Senior Forward for Girls Soccer is a senior captain for the 2021 squad. In the last half of district play, Natalie was the spark to quite a few games. She has recorded 6 goals and 4 assists while leading her team to a district championship and the beginning of a playoff run! “As a senior, Natalie is also one of the most positive people in the program. She leads by example and personal encouragement!” States Coach Garcia.

Benjamin Padilla, Sophomore Defender for Boys Soccer “is the true definition of a teammate. He gives everything he has for the program. When you see him at practice and in games he looks different. He brings the energy and fire to compete. Whatever needs to be done, Ben will do it. He will be a key part of the team next year and I cannot wait to see him grow on and off the field.” shares Coach Bowles.

Gavin Figert, Senior All-Around Gymnast for Men’s Gymnastics is one of only two guys that trains and competes every event. Gavin is a very important role player on Pommel Horse, Vault, and High Bar. For the month of March, Gavin competed at the Battle for the Rock against cross town rival and scored for the team on 5 events! “This was his best meet of the season. He placed 2nd on Floor, 3rd on Pommel Horse, 2nd on Vault, 2nd on Parallel Bars, and 2nd on High Bar. He also finished 2nd in All Around. Congratulations to Gavin” says Coach Sweny.

Zachery Flowers, Senior Men’s Wrestling is a Team Captain. “He has done a great job leading our program this year through all the ups and downs. He is a returning state place winner for us and recently finished this past week undefeated in all matches. Zach is currently ranked top 4 in the state. He has helped lead our team to victories over the #4, #5, and #8 teams in the state over the past two weeks.” shares Coach Johnston.

Marqelle Fisher, Junior Women’s Wrestling is a Team Captain. Coach Johnston adds, “She has had a great season this year and really helped keep a team bond for our ladies. She recently won her match against Heath to help us secure the team win! Marqelle experienced a season ending injury and career ending for most, last season. She worked very hard this off season and strengthened her knee and is wrestling better than ever.”

Brayden Randle, Sophomore Shortstop for Baseball has been the leading hitter in the early part of our season. “He leads the team with 4 HR’s and 21 RBI and is hitting .352. He is also our best defensive player statistically on the field. Brayden is a sophomore and has already committed to play baseball at the University of Texas.” Shares Coach Rose.

Emma Avery, Freshman All-Around Gymnast is the only varsity freshman competing All-Around. “Emma is an amazing all round gymnast and athlete. Besides being a varsity gymnast, she is also on the freshman cheer squad. Emma always gives 100% and can be counted on every day and at every meet. She is such a hard worker and always has a positive attitude. Emma is currently ranked 10th on Vault, 6th on bars and 6th all-around in the state” says Coach Tyson.

Sam Alves, Junior Hurdler and Vertical Jumps for Boy’s Track has been on fire in the hurdle events since the beginning of the season. Coach McCrary says, “He remained undefeated in the 110 & 300s in the first 3 meets of the season. At this weekend’s Jesuit Sheaner relays Sam took his undefeated streak into a highly competitive field of athletes. Sam came out of the 110’s hurdles with his undefeated streak remaining intact while also setting a new personal best of 14.60. In the 300’s Sam was in good position until he hit hurdle #5 and falling. Sam did get back up and finished the race in 11 place out of 13 overall. At last week’s Rockin’ ” R” Relays Sam helped lead the Jackets to a team championship by scoring 39 of the teams 158 pts.”

Ava Wallace, Freshman Outfielder Softball is a freshman who has carved out a consistent starting position on varsity. In the month of March Ava Ava has started and completed all 10 varsity games. For the month of March, Ava has lead the team in batting average (563), RBI’s (18) and doubles (8). “She has a strong presence in the top of our line up and is reliable and aggressive defensively in right field. Ava works hard daily in practice, is very coachable and does a great job working with her teammates. She has been a great addition to our softball family! Ava has a bright future ahead of her and we are so excited to have the opportunity to see her grow!” says Coach Acosta.

Congratulations to each of these Rockwall High School Athletes!

It’s a Great Time to be a Jacket Backer!!!

Rockwall Jacket Athletes of the Month

Each month, the Jacket Backers, Rockwall High School’s Booster Club selects student athletes who are nominated by their coach for Jacket Athlete of the Month. For the month of February, Luke Denny, Madeline Weir, Keviah Ealy, SamAlves, Scott Mackenzie and Paige Harris were each nominated by their coaches and selected as Jacket Athletes of the Month.

Jacket Athletes of the Month

Paige Harris, Senior, Girls Softball, “has been a great team captain for the Lady Jacket Softball Team. She has been positive, encouraging, fun and consistent in work ethic and is a big contributor and leader in working on uplifting the culture of the program.” States Coach Acosta. Paige is leading the team in batting average with .667, 2^nd in RISP with .667.

Scott Mackenzie, Senior, Boys Gymnastics, during the Highland Park Invitational placed 3^rd on rings and 3^rd on P-bars. Scott was voted team captain by his peers. He is a hard working leader in the gym every day. “Scott’s consistency on Rings and P-bars is very important to our teams’ success this year” shares Coach Sweny.

Sam Alves, Sophomore, Track & Field, has earned 2^nd in High Jump (8 pts), 2^nd in 300 Hurdles (8 pts), Member of 2^nd place 4×200 Relay Team (4 pts), strong member of 5^th place 4×200 Relay (1 pt) and recorded 21 of the teams 85 overall points for the February 15^th meet. In the February 22^nd meet he placed 2^nd in high jump (7 pts), member of the 5^th place 4×200 relay (1 pt), 5^th place in 300 hurdles ( 2pts), another strong performance as a member of the 4×400 relay (2 pts) scoring 11 of the teams 53 overall points. Sam lettered as a 9th Grade athlete on the Varsity. He is a very gifted athlete who is a tremendous asset to the team. He can do a wide variety of events. The only problem is that he can only do 5 events. “I am very excited for Sam and how his season is starting off. In only 2 weeks of competition he is starting off strong. I expect that he will continue climbing the ladder and make a strong post season run in April and May” adds, Coach McCrary.

Keviah Ealy, Sophomore, Track & Field, In the Feb. 15^th meet at Hebron, Keviah scored 39 of the Lady Jackets 108 points and helping them to a 2nd place overall team finish. Keviah won the High Jump in a Personal Best Jump of 5’6″. She long jumped a personal best of 18’10.5″. She won the 100 M. Dash in a near Personal Best Time. She was a member of the Lady Jackets 4×200 Relay that finished 1st and the 4×400 Relay that finished 2nd. Keviah is a strong member of the Lady Jackets. “Being only a sophomore and beginning the season off like this, gives me chills. There is a ton of room of improvement before she graduates. Athletes like Keviah don’t come around very often. Keviah lettered as a freshman last season, and came on strong at the last of the year where she qualified for Regionals in the High Jump and Long Jump. During the offseason, she put in the work and came out strong for 2020 and this is only the beginning. I see big things this year and the next 2 to follow” exclaims Coach McCrary.

Madeline Weir, Sophomore, Girls Soccer, has had both goals and assists in critical district games. She was voted Player of the Game twice by teammates. “Weir is a crucial piece of our offense and defense. She leads by example at practice and in games and both on and off the field. Weir has grown since last year in every aspect of her game and takes her knowledge of and growth in the game seriously. She studies film, and she asks questions both in practice and during/after games. Her goal is to improve each time she steps on the field in order to help her team be successful. Weir is a fantastic representation of what I look for in student-athletes!” shares Coach Garcia.

Luke Denny, Senior, Boys Soccer, is the second leading goal scorer on the team. He can play multiple spots and is a team player. He represents the boys’ soccer program to the highest. “He has lead us to a 4-1-1 record in district. He has scored a lot of very important goals in some crucial moments. He is the work horse of the team. He gives 100% day in and day out. Leads by example!! The sky is the limit for Luke!” states Coach Bowles.

Congratulations to each of these Rockwall High School Athletes!

It’s a Great Time to be a Jacket Backer!!!