boys & girls clubs of the austin area raises more than
TRANSCRIPT
December 2019
HAAM continues to help
Austin’s music community
thrive
“In an increasingly expensive city, the Health Alliance for
Austin Musicians continues to provide a necessary lifeline to
the musicians that make Austin the “Live Music Capital of the
World.” By providing access to critical healthcare services,
HAAM has made it possible for countless musicians to stay in
Austin, creating the art they are so passionate about and that
we all enjoy.”
- STEPHEN JEFFERY, 2019-2020 HAAM BOARD CHAIR & SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF BBVA
Open >>>>for a snapshot of
HAAM’s impact on
Austin’s music community
Asleep at the Wheel performing at
Ray Benson’s Birthday Bash 2019
PHOTO BY ANDREW BENNETT PHOTOGRAPHY
VOLUME 32 ISSUE 23 December 5, 2019WESTAUSTINNEWS.COM
WESTSIDE STORIESAndrea McWilliamsPage 2
RIVERCITYHealth Alliance for Austin MusiciansInside
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SOCIETYThe Kindness CampaignPages 4-5
The Colorado River Alliance has named Austin community leader Tim Timmerman as its 2020 River Hero.
Timmerman, a native Texan and lifelong water steward, has served as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Lower Colorado River Authority since 2011. Timmerman is a real estate investor/developer and owner of Commerce Texas Properties, Inc., as well as board president of the Colorado River Land Trust. His community service also includes Round Rock Community Foundation, St. David’s Medical Center in Round Rock, Austin Area Research Organization, YMCA of Williamson County, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Pflugerville, Austin Crime Commission, and the Greater Round Rock Community Foundation.
“The River Hero award celebrates individuals who have had a great impact on our Texas Colorado River, and there is no one more deserving than Tim Timmerman,” said Melissa Miller, Colorado River Alliance executive director. “His passion for the river and the communities that depend on it are evident in his service to LCRA and organizations like the Colorado River Land Trust. We are thrilled to honor him and say thank you for his continuing work to preserve and protect the river.”
Past River Hero honorees include Lady Bird Johnson, Rick Perry, Mark Rose, Ray Wilkerson, Pete Winstead, Pam Akins, Gary Farmer, Will Wynn, Peggy Winkler, Joe Beal, and many other dedicated stewards of our Texas Colorado River.
The river alliance will honor Timmerman at its Cocktails for the Colorado Gala on May 14, 2020, at the Kimpton Hotel Van Zandt in Austin. Sponsorships are currently available. Learn more online at www.coloradoriver.org or by emailing Keri Pearson, Director of Development at [email protected].
Tim Timmerman named Colorado River Hero
Tim Timmerman
Thanks to the generosity of sponsors, guests, board members, donors, staff and all community advocates, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area (BGCAA) raised over $1.1 million during the “Great Futures Gala—There’s No Place Like Home,” presented by JLM Financial Partners, on Friday, Nov. 1, at the JW Marriott Austin. More than 560 people attended the annual event—all for the benefit of celebrating and building great futures for more than 7,500 Austin-area Club youth.
Led by master of ceremonies and Emmy-Award-winning KXAN weathercaster Jim Spencer, the evening included a special moment honoring the contributions of longtime BGCAA supporters Karen and George Casey. As recipients of the BGCAA inaugural “Partners in Philanthropy Legacy Award,” this moment honored the couple’s longstanding commitment to BGCAA and
recognized their outstanding commitment to supporting the mission and work of Boys & Girls Clubs locally.
In addition to the outstanding funds raised throughout the event, this is the third year in a row BGCAA has raised over $1 million during the annual gala. The evening was made possible by the many special guests, including honorary gala co-chairs Whitney and Jamaal Charles, “The Undertaker” Mark William Calaway, 2002 “World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry, and musical guest and Boys & Girls Club alumni, the Peterson Brothers Band.
“The outstanding amount of support surrounding the Great Futures Gala is both inspiring and transformative for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area,” said BGCAA CEO Misti Potter. “The funds raised ensure that Austin-area youth have the chance to recognize their full potential and pursue their dreams. Following the
grand opening of the new Home Club on the Sheth Family Campus, the contributions from the gala will help local youth build great futures, and our entire community will reap the benefits for years and years to come.”
All monies raised from the gala will be used to further BGCAA’s academic, healthy living and character-building out-of-school-time programming for kids who need it most, helping them to become caring, responsible
and productive citizens of our community.
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area is Austin’s leading out-of-school-time youth development agency, currently serving 7,500 registered Club members ages 6 to 18 at 35 locations in Travis, Williamson and Bastrop Counties. BGCAA’s formula for impact centers on quality programming and services in academic success, character and leadership, and healthy living. Club youth participate in high-impact
development programs that, when compared to non-Club youth, result in better school attendance, better grades, higher graduation rates and a better likelihood of attending college. Through support from local individuals, businesses and BGCAA Staff, Club youth are given the tools and opportunities to create great futures. More at www.bgcaustin.org
PHOTOS BY STERN HATCHER PHOTOGRAPHY AND CHARLES QUINN PHOTOGRAPHY
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area raises more than $1.1 million at 2019 Great Futures Gala
Mark Henry, Ainsley Owen, Shannon Owen, Jana Henry, and Trey Owen
Kelly Geerts, Sam Zabaneh, and Stacey Heller
“The Undertaker” Mark William Calaway and 2002 “World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry
Emcee and KXAN Chief Weathercaster Jim Spencer
Board of Directors President William Talbot and Sonja Talbot
2019 Partners in Philanthropy Award Recipients George and Karen Casey accepting their award from Chief Executive Officer of American Constructors Marty Burger
Honorary Co-Chairs Whitney and Jamaal Charles
Chief Executive Officer Misti Potter
2018 State of Texas Youth of the Year Kiara Kabara
Julia Lauren Taylor of Local Opera Local Artists
Austin Police Department Officer Jeremy Bohannan and Club kids Peterson Brothers Band
Standing: Chad Barrett and Pat Lee; Sitting: Rei Leigh Harmer, Sara Lee, Daisy Cho, Justin Cho, Scott Withers, Erika Baumgartner
Funds raised support life-changing youth development programming for more than 7,500 Austin-area youth and operations for the organization’s new Home Club on the Sheth Family Campus
Holiday Spotlight
INSIDE
Page 5
WEST AUSTIN NEWS December 5, 2019
www.westaustinnews.com
Our daughters are fortunate enough to have many family members surrounding them who value education. My husband’s father, who grew up in Pakistan and was blessed to attend college in London through his academic achievements, has a couple of doctorate degrees and a couple of patents. Honestly, I am not even sure I have this right, but I just know he’s very good at school things.
When Jamil and I first married, one of our family dinners with his father’s side of the family involved a conversation about rocket science. When I cannot connect
on conversations, I start thinking about all the ridiculous things I could say to silence a conversation. What if I said, “At least it’s not rocket science!” To which someone at the dinner table may reply, “Well, it actually is rocket science.” Then I imagine everyone looking at me, Jamil making up an excuse
for my lack of knowledge about rocket science, and me feeling flushed and embarrassed.
Thankfully, I actually said nothing during this conversation years ago, but I am no longer as intimidated by my father-in-law. He is very kind and cares deeply about our daughters and their educational experiences. For that and many more reasons, I am eternally grateful. We are entertained though when he rates a college or university based on how many Nobel
laureates they have.Recently, he asked about
the Nobel laureates from one of the schools our middle daughter has applied to for college. We were talking to him by cell phone, so we quickly searched Google to find out some answers. For three of the four laureates, he actually knew
what they received their award for and in which field. This is just one of the many astounding things about Aftab, who is now over eighty years old.
Fortunately, he is happily impressed by the newest Nobel laureate from the University of Texas, whose name is John B. Goodenough. That is really his name. The UT professor won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry this year at the age of 97, which makes him the oldest Nobel laureate in history. His name is
Goodenough, and I cannot get over that.
I read a few articles about Goodenough and found that he relies on his faith, and his older age for having success in solving energy problems that involve batteries. He credited his old age with many freedoms, because he said, when you are well into your nineties, “you no longer worry about losing your job.”
In one interview Goodenough described his “crawl through life”, which he says allows him to “draw on a fair amount of experience in order to be able to put ideas together.” It reminded me of when one of my professors told me that God’s work is often very, very slow. Obviously though, in Goodenough’s case, working slow has been more than enough for him. It was never about the Nobel Prize. We are all enough, and that is worth celebrating.
Profiles2
December 5, 2019 Volume 32 Issue 23
Publisher/EditorBart Stephens
General ManagerRachelle Topete
Production ManagerKaty Byther
Ad Sales - Special SectionsAnne-Claire Van Aken
Copy EditorMartha Morgan
Staff WritersPaige Alam, Alana Mallard, Forrest Preece, Cory Walton
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By Forrest Preece
By Paige Alam
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.”
Zephaniah 3:17
W E S T S I D E S T O R I E S
Andrea McWilliams
S E R V I N G A U S T I N F O R O V E R 2 0 Y E A R S !
K I T C H E N S | B A T H S | R E M O D E L S | A D D I T I O N S
KYLE CUNNINGHAM512-751-4343
Once upon a time in Austin, two spirited little girls would play tag and hide-and-seek on the grounds of the State Capitol. When it was time to head home, they would scamper south on Congress Avenue to their living quarters above the Burger Bank, a restaurant that their dad owned and ran.
Years later, Annette Graves is the general counsel for the Texas Senate Finance Committee, and her sister Andrea McWilliams, with her husband Dean, heads McWilliams Governmental Affairs Consultants, one of the most powerful political action firms in Texas. Looking back on her childhood, Andrea laughs and says, “Hey, the capitol was in our back yard!” It’s true, much of her life has revolved within a two-block radius around the statehouse.
Andrea and I have known each other for 15 years now, but it’s been a long time since we have sat down and talked. When
I asked her about her impetus to enter the field of political consulting, she said that a lot of it came from her dad, Frank Beynon.
After he closed the Burger Bank, Frank started operating the cafeteria in the Texas Employment Commission, another one in the State Treasurer’s office, and one in the Teacher Retirement System building. It was in that TEC Cafeteria that you could find people like the governor, supreme court justices, and various executives and department mangers all eating side by side with rank and file employees.
“Almost all the legislators ate at my dad’s cafeteria to get good home-cooked food across the street from the capitol. So I grew up watching and helping my dad entertain these people. I remember each governor would always eat there during their first week in office in order to see the legislators and have a regular meal,” Andrea says.
Her dad was famous for his homemade German bread and sweet rolls that fed reporters, clerks, and Supreme Court justices. In fact, on one occasion U.S. Senator Kay Bailey
Hutchison asked him for a supply of his cinnamon rolls to take to Washington, D.C., so she could serve them at the White House when she was meeting with President George H.W. Bush.
Andrea paid her way through the University of Texas by working at the capitol. As a result of her diligence and winning personality, she became chief of staff for Representative Richard Raymond when she was 21. Back in those days, she did a lot of shuttling between UT and the capitol building. To put it mildly, politics was something she grew up with and was always part of her life. It was an easy choice to make it a career.
After graduating from UT, Andrea honed her private sector grassroots skills at the iconic public relations company Public Strategies, Inc. In 1994, she married her husband Dean, yes, who she met in the capitol. On one fateful day, she was delivering an article to a legislator – this was back when there were shared offices and a lot of aides were at desks in a single room. Dean saw her come in, and as she was leaving, he stood up and asked her if she’d like to go to dinner. She declined at first but later agreed, and the rest is history. In 2000, they co–founded McWilliams, a full–service governmental affairs firm.
In keeping with the initial statement about much of Andrea’s life being lived two blocks from the capitol, the first five years they were wed, she and Dean lived in a beautiful old home built in 1922, at 305 West 13th Street. Six years ago, they purchased the lot at 13th and Lavaca where Charlie’s night club was a landmark for many years and they are going to erect a nine-story building
there. Andrea can point to reams
of legislation that their firm has helped pass. She told me a few examples such as a $3 billion bond package to create the Texas Cancer Research and Prevention Institute which would support cancer research and prevention for the number two killer of Texans.
More germane to our town, she was key in pushing through the Save Muny bill in this last session that granted a stay to keep this historic piece of Austin landscape open as a golf course. She is now working to pass a ballot measure that would cede the ownership of the course to West Austin and do away with the back-and-forth that has been going on for so many years.
Another of their firm’s long-time clients is the Kickapoo Indian tribe. She advocates for their rights and points to them still being 99% pure lineage, after all these years, which is a rarity. Andrea says that the tribe members were originally living under the international bridge near Eagle Pass on the Rio Grande. A church granted them 500 acres and they were able to establish themselves on that land, which is where they are to this day.
It’s been a long climb and the firm’s fame has spread. National and foreign media outlets, including FOX News, the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, USA Today, CNN, BBC, and NPR have reported on McWilliams’ role as a leading fundraiser and political strategist.
Andrea says that of all her awards, being named 2019’s Texas Businesswoman of the Year by the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Texas is the one that makes her the proudest. In the addendum to
that award, she was recognized as “consigliere to the powerful and political.”
These days, Andrea and Dean live in a magnificent home on Enfield Road, where they are raising their children. Her daughter Madison, who is 18, is a songwriter and singer with a remarkable list of achievements already to her credit. Madison is an official ambassador for Make-A-Wish and wrote a song called “Fighter” for the kids helped by the charity that she performed at their annual Wish
Night. This year, she has a new single debuting, she has been named Artist of the Month by Austin Monthly, One to Watch by Live Nation, and performed at South by Southwest two years in a row. Andrea’s son Max, 14, is on the Lions golf team and her youngest, Marcus, 13, is a “tennis addict.” She says that it’s a joy to see how different they are. “Of all my accomplishments, they are the most important ones.”
Andrea’s awards and leadership roles• In 2017, Andrea was the only lobbyist profiled together with
the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House in Texas Monthly’s “POWER” feature highlighting the most powerful people at the Texas Capitol.
• Listed in Austin Business Journal’s "Profiles in Power” • Girl Scouts’ "Woman of Distinction” Award. • Austin Business Journal’s "Austin Under 40" Award• Austin American–Statesman’s Glossy 8 list• Austin Fashion Week’s “Style Setter” Award, recognizing
her work and dedication on behalf of local nonprofit organizations
• Named to "All-Stars" of Austin American Statesman Fortunate 500 list on several occasions
• Has served or is serving as a board member for Ballet Austin, Texas Lyceum, Mexic–Arte Museum, Arthouse, Rise Across Texas Challenge, HeartGift, the Elizabeth Ann Seton Hospital, Austin Children in Crisis, Pioneer Farms and the Waterloo President’s Council, Preservation Austin and the Pease Park Conservancy.
• Was an inaugural member of the Long Center’s Notable Women and a long-time member of the St. David’s Hospital Toast of the Town Committee.
• Past President of Inherit Austin• Chaired one of Austin’s largest charity events, the Ballet
Fete.• Has represented the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer
Foundation and KillCancer• Was honorary chair for the Mamma Jamma Ride, which has
raised millions of dollars for non-profits serving thousands of Central Texans coping with breast cancer. In recognition, the Seton Breast Cancer Center in Austin named their screening room after McWilliams in 2014.
• Was as a celebrity dancer for Austin’s inaugural “Dancing With The Stars” fundraising event for Center for Child Protection.
• In partnership with the Austin Business Journal, McWilliams serves as a business mentor to young women in Central Texas.
• Co-chaired the Marathon Kids gala.• Chair of the University of Texas Blanton Museum of Art Gala• Past member of the Texas Emerald Ball Committee whose
endeavors support the American Ireland Fund• Serves on the PAC Board of Ryan, an award-winning global
tax services firm.• Honorary chair of the Celebration of Life, a significant
fundraising event for breast cancer in Austin, Texas• This year, she joins the Governor For A Day Committee for
the 86th Legislative Session. • Serves on the Pease Park Capital Campaign Committee.
Andrea at the statehouse
The McWilliams family — Marcus, Dean, Madison, Andrea, Max
Good Enough
WEST AUSTIN NEWSDecember 5, 2019
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The Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Program at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School – the first of its kind in Central Texas – is based on the understanding that the best learning emerges from supportive peer-to-peer and teacher-to-student relationships.
The Bridge Advisers, part of the SEL program, is a peer mentoring group made up of high school junior and senior St. Andrew’s students, who build connections with their younger peers throughout the school year. On Wednesday, October 23, the Bridge Advisers made their second visit of the year to the Lower and Middle School campus on 31st Street.
They started in the Middle School, sharing experiences and advice about navigating some of the obstacles of their middle school years with SAS 7th and 8th graders. The stories they told were personal and sometimes difficult to share, but carried a message of support and solidarity for their younger counterparts, who are likely facing similar experiences.
The Advisers then made their way to the Lower School where they met SAS’s youngest students for some playground fun! The high school students climbed on the jungle gym, played in the sand, and swung on the monkey bars with the kindergarteners, who enjoyed their company immensely. Connections, formed immediately, only grew as the group enjoyed a pizza lunch on the deck of Eleanor Hall, as the oldest and youngest Highlanders got to know each other. Before the Bridge Advisers headed back to the Upper School, they presented each Kindergartener with a Class of 2032 t-shirt, a memento from a day they aren’t soon to forget.
St. Andrews’ K-12 SEL Program guides students toward a greater sense of self and self-regulation to build healthy relationships, and provides opportunities for each student to
use these skills to positively affect the school community. Along with the core components of SEL (self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills, self-management and responsible decision making) the school also incorporates mindfulness classes (for students, faculty and parents), community service, small advisory groups, parent education “Whole Child” workshops and daily Chapel to help support this intentional program at St. Andrew’s.
St. Andrew’s Bridge Advisory Program showcases importance of student mentoring
Clay McComb '20 and Dash Barron '32
Chelan Beavers '20 and Sofia Kimbell '32
Eugenia De la Garza Montfort '21 and Alina Leung '32
Clay McComb '20, Kobie Crowder '32, Mac Keller '32, Dash Barron '32
Happy Holidaysfrom the West Austin News
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What a magical evening we shared together on Nov. 15! To our friends, family, and supporters of The Kindness Campaign—we cannot thank you enough.
There was so much love in the air as we came together that Friday night in partnership with the Grammy Museum. Thanks to your support for emotional health for children from all walks of life, we raised close to $450,000!
The night was made so special by our honored guests: Grammy Award-winning artist Estelle and First Lady of Motown Claudette Robinson. We’ll never forget our memories of this night with you, and we hope you won’t either!
Thanks to our supporters, The Kindness Campaign’s acclaimed social emotional learning curriculum will impact even more students, educators, and elementary schools in the years to come. And our innovative programming, including our signature kind5, will serve even more of our teen and preteen learners.
And we are so grateful to our Art of Kindness sponsors Adria and Brian Sheth, Vista Equity Partners, Summer and Nate Paul, Tracey and Bill Marshall, and Women of Today. Board members of The Kindness Project are Andra Liemandt, Melinda Garvey, Wendy Howell, Tracy Spinner, and Tracey Marshall.
The Kindness Campaign is on a mission to create societal change by teaching emotional awareness, empathy, community building, and most importantly, the development of a healthy self-image. By the age of three, one in four children enters the school system having experienced some form of trauma. And shockingly, suicide is now the second leading cause of death among teenagers.
Since our founding in 2015, our impact has grown quickly, from one school to 82 in just four years. But so many communities are hungry for these tools. When you join our mission, you don’t only expand our impact —you change the course of a child’s entire life.
The Art of Kindness Gala
Adria Sheth, Jane Flynn
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Joe Nick Patoski, Kris Cummings
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PHOTOS BY BEN PORTER
December 5, 2019
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WEST AUSTIN NEWS Society5
Holiday SpotlightCount on Texas: Fun Facts from 1 to 12 is more than an adorable and spirited counting book that showcases facts about the University of Texas at Austin. It also takes readers on a journey through campus buildings and school traditions, while discerning even/odd numbers and exploring the four seasons and twelve months through colorful illustrations. Includes a rhyming narrative and two coloring pages, too! This is a perfect holiday or “just because” gift for UT families ages 0-99, allowing children to learn about their parents’ alma mater while falling in love with mathematics and counting.
The author, Robin Ward, Ph.D., is a Professor of Mathematics at Rice University and the owner of Camp GEM® (Girls Excelling in Math) and Camp GEMS® (Girls Excelling in Math and Science), after-school and summer camps designed to direct girls in grades preK-5 into the STEAM pipeline.
Dr. Ward, a former aerospace engineer, is a two-time recipient of a Stanford-ASEE fellowship, where she partnered with NASA Dryden to develop web-based materials for K-12 teachers that showcase the work of NASA scientists. She has received over $10,000,000 in numerous grants from NASA, NSF, TEA, and the U.S. Department of Education, all geared towards improving preK-12 teachers’ mathematical and pedagogical knowledge.
Dr. Ward, an advocate of arts integration, has been published nationally and internationally in numerous journals, and she is the author of five teacher resource books on using art and children’s literature in the K-8 mathematics classroom. She has also authored seven children’s counting books, including Count on TCU, Count on SMU, and Count on Rice.
Dr. Ward holds her Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Virginia, her M.A in mathematics from Villanova University, and a B.A. in math/physics from Immaculata College.
She is the mother of two teenage daughters, Sienna and Sophia, and her husband is Chris Del Conte, Director of Athletics at the University of Texas at Austin. Her family resides in Tarrytown.
Purchase Count on Texas at the Blanton Museum Gift Shop, Book People, Sue Patrick, University Co-Op, Amazon.com, or MascotBooks.com
Look for these other books By Dr. Ward
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COMING FALL 2019
The Regents Knights varsity football team put together a dominant performance over previously undefeated Second Baptist of Houston last Friday in Waller to earn a fourth straight berth into the TAPPS Division II State Championship Game.
Regents set the tone early, winning the coin toss and choosing to take the ball into a 20 mph wind. Seventeen plays and six minutes later, the Knights capped off the drive with an eight-yard Wilson Long to John Luke Roberts scoring pass. Kicker Evan Chadwell added the extra point to put the Knights up 7-0.
Regents’ defense maintained the momentum by holding the Eagles to a three-and-out on their first possession, and an interception by the Knights’ Cornerback Will Westmoreland ended Second Baptist’s second possession. Another long, 13-play drive by the Regents offense ended in their second touchdown when Long connected with Charlie Phillips for 18 yards. The first half ended with Regents up 14-0. Entering the locker room Regents Head Coach Beck Brydon said, “I’m really proud of team right now. Our kids are playing tough and executing well. Those two long drives by our offense and our defense coming up with the interception when Second was driving was the difference in the half.”
Neither team could score in the third quarter. Heading into the final frame, Regents maintained a close, two-score lead. On the Eagles’ first possession of the fourth quarter, Regents Linebacker Jack Cowden intercepted an Eagle’s pass, setting up the Knights deep in Second Baptist territory. Regents Runnigback
Trevor Tezak scored from two yards out to give the Knights a 21-0 lead. On the Eagles very next possession, Linebacker Ben Buerkle jumped an Eagles swing pass and returned the interception 34 yards for a score and giving the Knights a 28-0 lead with eight minutes left in the game.
For the fourth time in the game, Regents intercepted another Second Baptist pass, this time by Westmoreland. Nine plays later, Runningback Roman Davis scored the game’s final touchdown, giving the Knights their 35-0 victory and berth into tomorrow night’s Championship game. “Our kids made big plays today, but what the stat sheet won’t show is the unselfish play by many of our players that enabled those big plays to happen. We talk all the time about ‘do your job, nothing more, nothing less’ and today was a great example of that approach paying off,” Brydon said after the game.
The Knights will take on Trinity Christian of Cedar Hill at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, in Hewitt at Midway Panther Stadium. This will be the third consecutive year the two teams have faced each other in the championship game.
PHOTOS BY TED PARKER JR.Regents Returns to State Title Game Spartan Julian Baeza named to All-State Cross Country SuperTeam
St. Stephen’s Episcopal School student-athlete Julian Baeza, a 12th grade boarding student, has been selected as a member of the 2019 Texas Runner and Triathlete All-State Cross Country SuperTeam!
In mid-November Baeza was named Spartan Athlete of the Week, the last of the fall season, in recognition of his performance at the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) Championships. Predictably, he dominated the competition during the cross country meet at the Woodlands on Nov. 9. He finished the meet with a time of 15:28.5, setting a personal record and earning first place out of more than 200 runners.
Coaches from other schools took notice of Baeza’s talents and selected him for All-SPC Honors. After the votes were tallied, he was named First Overall All-SPC for Cross Country.
“It’s pretty encouraging to see your name alongside those of the state’s best; it validates a lot of the work I’ve put in,” said Baeza, who started running track in 8th grade to supplement his swim team training. He began training as a runner in 10th grade, when he dropped out of swimming and joined the school’s cross country team.
“I’d say that the biggest contributor to my improvement has been consistency,” he noted. “This past summer was the first time I trained over summer break. This past year has been a long journey, but I couldn’t be happier to say that there are many more miles left to cover.”
The All-State Cross Country Team consists of athletes from the state championships of UIL public schools as well as six private school championships—SPC, TAPPS, TCAL, TCAF, TCSAAL, and TAIAO—and the Home School championships. It is considered one of the toughest teams to make, as it pulls the best of the best from the state’s eight different state championships for prep runners.
Coach Paul Carrozza could not have been happier about Baeza’s improvements. “Julian had the talent and desire, and he did the work leading up to the Championships,” said Carrozza, head coach of cross country, swimming and track. “He is now on the national radar for a Division 1 spot.”
St. Stephen’s senior Julian Baeza named to All-State Cross Country SuperTeam after earning All-SPC Honors
Regents Senior Quarterback Wilson Long following blocks by Nick Zarbock and Jacob Votaw
Regents’ Dru Benson, Ben Buerkle, Ben Schultz, and Caleb Rhodes on the tackle.
Senior Cornerback Will Westmoreland returning one of his two interceptions