Community Kudos: The end-of-school edition

We’re getting down to the wire on the 2017-18 school year. By this time next week, all the schools in the Valley will be on break, and parents will be counting the days to back-to-school.

A number of impressive accomplishments came to our attention this week regarding some of our local academic and athletic standouts. Before any more time passes, we’d like to give them their due.

Congratulations to the Imperial High School Tiger baseball team for their second-place finish in this year’s CIF-San Diego Section Div. III tournament. Although the team came up short in the title game, the season by all other measures was a huge success, including the school’s first Imperial Valley League title in the sport. Add to that pitcher Kobby Lopez recently being picked up by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 21st round of the Major League Baseball draft, and there are plenty of reasons for members of this year’s Tigers to savor this season for a while.

The same goes for recent Southwest graduate Tyler Saikhon. After helping lead the Eagles football team to a runner-up finish in a state title game, Saikhon capped off his senior year with a first place finish and a school record in the 110-meter hurdles at the CIFSDS Div. I track-and-field meet in San Diego. He also added a second-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles.

In other recent sporting events, an Imperial Valley-based softball squad — Firecrackers Gonzalez-Jimenez 14U — were in Yuma winning the Fastpitch America Softball Association’s Western Nationals tournament, and a team of Calexico Little Leaguers — the Sox — won the Majors Tournament of Champions. Congratulations to both teams.

Congratulations also to Southwest alumnus and San Diego Mesa swimmer Brandon Crabtree on his record-setting performances at the California Community College Athletic Association State Championships. Crabtree set new state and national junior college records in winning the 100 fly competition, and he added another state record in the 100 free.

And lest anyone think only sports stars caught our eye this week, we want to tip out hats as well to Holtville High senior Yahaira Cortez and Central Union High senior Jacqueline Rios. They were recently awarded scholarships through the University of California, San Diego Academic Connections program. The program recognizes students who have demonstrated a strong desire and aptitude to become leaders in their chosen fields of study.