Celebrate Good Times
VYPE Awards sells out Warehouse Live; teams, coaches, players honored
Joshua Koch
May 8, 2018, 9:22 pm
The first-ever VYPE Awards was a resounding success with more than 600 people in attendance. Vype
The anticipation was buzzing as people waited in a line wrapped around the building on Sunday afternoon to get in for the inaugural VYPE Awards presented by Houston Methodist Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.
The first-ever VYPE Awards, which honored the best teams, coaches and athletes from the past year, was a resounding success with more than 600 people in attendance at Warehouse Live, making the event a complete sellout.
“After doing this for the past 10 years it was awesome to see the turnout for our first-ever awards show,” VYPE President Derek Dusek said. “We cannot begin to thank every person that made this night a success and we cannot wait to do this again next year and continue to honor high school teams, coaches and players across the City of Houston!
"Also a special thanks to Houston Methodist Orthopedics and Sports Medicine for being our presenting sponsor."
VYPE inducted its first VYPE Hall of Fame class with Michael Brockers (Houston Chavez), Chloe Collin (Cypress Woods) and Chiney Ogwumike (Cy-Fair) being enshrined.
Former Cy-Fair and Rice football standout Sam McGuffie was given the VYPE Lifetime Achievement Award. McGuffie most recently competed at the Winter Olympics in South Korea on the United States Bobsled team.
“What an amazing night. It was great to see the tremendous support for VYPE and reminded us why we do this,” VYPE Chief Content Officer Matt Malatesta said. “It was great to see athletes of the past and present. We are excited to see what the future holds.
VYPE was honored to have Mix 96.5 radio host Sarah Pepper serve as the event’s keynote speaker. Pepper’s message was touching and was about never giving up and not letting anyone tell you you can’t. Pepper closed her speech with a message about being a high-character individual.
Also speaking was Dr. Vijay Jotwani, who is a Primary Care Sports Medicine physician at Houston Methodist Hospital. Jotwani serves as the team physician for the Houston Dash, Rodeo Houston, Rice University Athletics and multiple high schools. Jotwani is also a team consultant for the Houston Astros and Houston Ballet.
KUBE 57 Sports Director Todd Freed served as the event’s emcee for the evening introducing all the award recipients.
VYPE Media would like to thank the Capture Sports Marketing team, Work America Capital, the staff at Warehouse Live and the entire VYPE staff for making this a resounding success.
VYPE Media would also like to thank our sponsors for the event; Houston Methodist Orthopedics and Sports Medicine and Sun and Ski.
Full List of 2018 VYPE Award Winners
Cross Country
PUBLIC
Male: Gavin Hoffpauir, The Woodlands
Coach: Juris Green, The Woodlands
Team: The Woodlands High School
Female: Halena Rahmaan, Montgomery
Coach: Chance Edwards, Montgomery
Team: Montgomery
PRIVATE
Male:_HabtamuMerkin-Geta, Bay Area Christian
Coach: Tom Earle, The Woodlands Christian Academy
Team: The Woodlands Christian Academy
Female: Ellie Catron, The Woodlands Christian Academy
Coach: Tom Earle, The Woodlands Christian Academy
Team: The Woodlands Christian Academy
…
Volleyball
PUBLIC
Co-Player of the Year: Ally Batenhorst, Seven Lakes
Sophie Walls, The Woodlands
Coach: Amy Cataline, Seven Lakes
Team: Seven Lakes
PRIVATE
Player of the Year: Isa Zelaya, Concordia Lutheran
Coach: Kori Parker, The Woodlands Christian Academy
Team: Episcopal
…
Football
PUBLIC
Offense: Kason Martin, Manvel
Defense: Chad Bailey, Ridge Point
MVP: Craig Williams, Crosby
Coach: Ed Pustejovsky, Cy-Fair
Team: Cy-Fair
PRIVATE
Offense: Jaylen Waddle, Episcopal
Defense: Marquis Hubbard, Kinkaid
MVP: Grant Gunnell, St. Pius X
Coach: Jacob Speen, Cypress Christian
Team: Cypress Christian
…
Swimming & Diving
PUBLIC
Male: Clayton Bobo, Stratford
Coach: Greg McLain, Kingwood
Team: Kingwood
Female: Lucie Nordmann, The Woodlands
Coach: Jeremy Wade, The Woodlands
Team: The Woodlands
PRIVATE
Male: Eric Wang, St. John's
Coach: Ron Raper, St. John's
Team: St. John's
Female: Sydney Buchman, St. John's
Coach: Kaitlin Kelley, St. Agnes
Team: St. Agnes
_…_
Wrestling
PUBLIC
Male: Daniel Manibog, Katy
Coach:Erik Spjut, College Park
Team: College Park
Female: Kaityln Banas, Cy Ranch
Coach: Chris Potter, Cy Ranch
Team: Cy Ranch
PRIVATE
Co-Male: Layo Laniyan, St. John’s
Colin Lawler, Kinkaid
Coach: Alan Paul, St. John's
Team: St. John's
_…_
Basketball
PUBLIC
Co-Male: CJ Washington, Jamal Bieniemy, Tompkins
Coach: Bobby Sanders
Team: Tompkins
Female: Charli Collier, Barbers Hill
Coach: Dedreck Carr, Wheatley
Team: Cy Creek
PRIVATE
Male: Miller Kopp, Houston Christian
Coach: Bill Honeck, Concordia Lutheran
Co-Team: Houston Christian and Concordia Lutheran
Female: Jasmine Smith, Kinkaid
Coach: Stacey Marshall, Kinkaid
Team: Kinkaid
_…_
Soccer
PUBLIC
Male: Daniel Duran, Alief Elsik
Coach: Vincenzo Cox, Alief Elsik
Team: Alief Elsik
Female: Ali Russell, Cinco Ranch
Coach: Lindley Amarantos, Houston Memorial
Team: Houston Memorial
PRIVATE
Male: Kyle Dagley, Lutheran South
Coach: Nate Hagge, Lutheran South
Team: Lutheran South
Female: Izzy Nelson, Kinkaid
Coach: Kinkaid coaching staff (Head Coach Angie Shotzberger, Assistants Tarik Guendouzi and Sarah Gifford)
Team: Kinkaid
_…_
Tennis
PUBLIC
Male: Kevin Zhu, Pearland Dawson
Female: Melissa LaMette, Cy Ranch
Team: Memorial
Coach: Budd Booth
PRIVATE
Male: Michael Barsky, Emery/Weiner
Coach: Dave Green, Emery/Weiner
Team: Emery/Weiner
Female: Elizaveta Antonova, Duchesne
Coach: Elizabeth Bohannon, Northland Christian
Team: Northland Christian
_…_
Golf
PUBLIC
Male: Damin Strydom, Kingwood
Coach: Jeff Bellnap, Kingwood
Team: Kingwood
Female: Hailee Cooper, Montgomery
Coach: Jim Bob Jackson, Magnolia
Team: Magnolia
PRIVATE
Male: Ben Wong, John Cooper School
Coach: Bobby Eggleston, Kinkaid
Team: Kinkaid
Female: Christine Wang
Coach: Joseph Soliman, St. John's
Team: St. John's
…
Track & Field
PUBLIC
Male: Kesean Carter, The Woodlands
Coach: Juris Green, The Woodlands
Team: The Woodlands
Female: Kynnedy Flannel, Alvin
Coach: Ruqayya Gibson, Cy Springs
Team: Cy Springs
PRIVATE
Male: Corbett Fong, Concordia Lutheran
Coach: Bobby Lindquist, Concordia Lutheran
Team: Concordia Lutheran
Female: Kennedy Gamble, Kinkaid
Coach: Jonathan Whitson, Rosehill Christian
Team: Rosehill Christian
_…_
Softball
PUBLIC
Female: Kayla Garcia, Katy
Coach: Kalum Haack, Katy
Team: Katy
PRIVATE
Female: Sarah Venker, Episcopal
Coach: Kim Randolph, Episcopal
Team: Episcopal
_…_
Baseball
PUBLIC
Male: Jordan Groshans, Magnolia
Coach: Kelly Mead, Kingwood
Team: Kingwood
PRIVATE
Male: Owen Meaney, St. Thomas
Coach: Ryan Lousteau, St. Thomas
Team: St. Thomas
_…_
Cheer
Team: Oak Ridge
Band
Team: Willis Wildkats
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The Houston Astros didn’t just sweep the defending champs this weekend, they changed the tone of their season.
Dominant pitching. Star power. Road swagger. The three-game dismantling of the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine wasn’t about revenge or validation. It was about showing, once and for all, that this version of the Astros, short-handed and all, belongs squarely in the conversation with baseball’s elite.
A statement series
The Astros pitching staff was lights out against one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball, holding the Dodgers to just six runs across three games, including two contests where LA managed just a single run. Lance McCullers Jr., much-maligned after getting shelled by the Cubs last week, bounced back in a big way. He worked around four walks, giving up just one run on a solo homer, a much-needed course correction as the Astros evaluate their playoff rotation options.
On the offensive side, the stars delivered in a big way. Jose Altuve torched Dodgers pitching with three home runs, seven RBIs, two walks, and just one strikeout. Christian Walker matched him with six hits of his own, including a pair of long balls and six RBIs.
A shift in expectations?
This wasn’t just a series win. This was a proof of concept.
Houston came into the series already heating up, now they’re officially on fire. Over the last 30 days, the Astros rank third in runs and fifth in RBIs. For the season, they’re top 10 in nearly every key offensive category: eighth in OPS, first in batting average, ninth in slugging. Defensively, the numbers are just as strong. They lead MLB in strikeouts and opponents’ batting average, and rank second in WHIP.
Put it all together, and you’ve got a team with top-five upside in both pitching and offense. The pieces are clicking. The vibes are real. And the Astros suddenly look like a legitimate World Series contender again.
Is help on the way?
Reliever Hector Neris rejoined the team this week, offering a veteran boost to a bullpen that’s been leaned on heavily. Neris brings postseason pedigree and a reputation as a clubhouse leader. The Astros hope a return to familiar surroundings, and the guidance of one of the best pitching development staffs in the league, can get him back on track.
Tayler Scott returns on a minor league deal, and while the move may not turn heads, it adds another layer of depth to a bullpen that’s already one of the league’s best.
Background noise in LA
No Astros-Dodgers series goes by without a little extra noise and this one was no different. During the broadcast, former Cy Young winner and Dodgers analyst Orel Hershiser raised eyebrows by implying that Houston’s offensive surge might not have been entirely on the level.
Predictable? Absolutely. Meaningful? Not even close.
If anything, it’s a weird kind of compliment. No one questions legitimacy when you’re losing. But after a lopsided 18-1 beat down people start reaching for answers, or excuses.
Inside the Astros clubhouse, though, that chatter doesn’t register.
They know exactly what this sweep meant. And so does the rest of the league.
There's so much more to get to! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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