Organization news and notes

   The Hobby/Hilton was the site of the fifth annual Pearland Oilers football awards dinner which was sponsored by the Pearland Touchdown Club. The gala affair is one of the highlights of the year honoring the 2004 Pearland Oilers varsity football players. The Oilers posted a sparkling 9-2 mark and advanced to the playoffs for a school-record fifth straight year. Pearland shared the District 24-5A crown with the Clear Lake Falcons while two junior varsity and two freshman teams swept their district titles giving Pearland five league championships in all.
   Over 300 attended the annual event highlighted by the presentation of various awards by the Pearland coaching staff honoring some well-deserving players who have continued the winning tradition established by former players who raised the bar of excellence. Every player that has put on a Pearland jersey since the arrival of head coach Tony Heath and his coaching staff in 1997 has provided some exciting and legendary highlights that will always be remembered in the new era of Oilers football.
Coach Heath has always made this event one of the priorities of his coaching legacy. There were several players honored for their outstanding performance during the 2004 football season.
   Coach Brandon Kinsey presented the "Offensive Hustle Hustle Award" which goes to the players that make significant contributions on the offensive side of the ball. Tight end Paul Ferree and wide receiver Brandon Boone were the winners of this award. Ferree was an All-District second-team pick who did an outstanding job blocking on the offensive line while catching some key passes. Boone, who was an All-District first-team selection, was one of the most fearless receivers that Pearland has ever had grabbing a league-leading 37 passes for 682 yards and eight touchdowns.
   Coach Scott Glasgow gave out the "Defensive Hustle Hustle Award" which was shared by second-team All-District linebacker Chris Jones and first-team All-District defensive back Justan Vaughn. Both played significant roles in seeing Pearland become one of the top defensive units in the Houston area.
The "Newcomer of the Year" award was presented to sophomore defensive tackle Daniel Shin and sophomore center Steven Kenney. Shin was an honorable mention All-District pick while Kenney was named to the All-District first team.
   Coach Chris Dungan presented the "Most Improved Award" which went to offensive tackle Greg Brown and defensive end Justin Cockrell.
Coach Vince Hypolite gave out the "Oiler Pride Award" which was shared by defensive tackle Bryan Spain and linebacker/fullback Michael Speciale. Spain was named to the All-District first-team on defense while Speciale was a second-team All-District selection on offense.
   Coach Mike Norman presented the "Leadership Award" to wide receiver Herman James and defensive back Ray Hunter. James was a second-team All-District pick while Vaughn was named to the All-District first-team.
Coach Doug Hagar, who coaches the offensive line and coordinates the academic program for the Oiles, presented the "Academic Award" to Matthew Huerta and Ben MacMillan, who was an honorable mention All-District defensive player.
   Coach Fred Bigham gave out the "Special Team Player of the Year Award" which went to unanimous first-team All-District kicker Jake Moylan and second-team All-District punter Cameron Sitler. Moylan hit 36 PATs and 10 field goals for 66 points.
   Coach Mike Rinehart presented the "Defensive Player of the Year Award" to inside linebacker Texavier Henry and outside linebacker Brian Dudik.Both were named to the All-District first-team unit.
   Coach Eric Wells presented the "Offensive Player of the Year Award" which was shared by first-team All-District running back Fozzie Whittaker and first-team All-District offensive tackle Curtis Bass. Whittaker, who is only a sophomore, proved that he deserves to be mentioned with some of the other great running backs that Pearland has produced in recent years. The speedster closed out his first year on varsity as the second leading rusher in District 24-5A with 175 carries for 1,236 yards and nine touchdowns. Whittaker also had 23 catches for 207 yards and another score giving him 1,443 total yards and 10 touchdowns with two more years to shine for the Oilers.
   The "Most Valuable Player Award" was presented by coach Jerry Killen. Quarterback Brandon Buckner and free safety Quinton Moore shared the final award.
   Buckner was a unanimous choice as All-District 24-5A Offensive MVP after leading the district in passing with 111-of-169 passes for 1,554 yards and 12 touchdowns with only three interceptions. Buckner also rushed for 465 yards on 80 carries for eight scores giving him 2,019 total yards and 20 touchdowns.
Moore began his varsity career as a freshman and was on the 2001 Pearland team that won the District 24-5A and Class 5A Region III championships and advanced to the 5A Division I state semifinals. The speedster was one of the top 20 sophomores in the state by Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine and was named as the Co-Defensive MVP for District 23-5A his junior year. Moore was a pre-season All-Greater Houston pick by the Touchdown Club of Houston and was named to Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine defensive Super Team second-team.
   There was also a presentation of the annual scholarships that have been established by the Pearland Touchdown Club. There were 14 players who received scholarship money to help further their education at the next level. Total amount awarded this year was $5,500.
The scholarship winners had to have a minimum 2.5 grade point average; had to participate all four years in the Pearland Oilers' football program; and submit a 300-500 word typed essay entitled: "Life Lessons Learned as a Student-Athlete at Pearland High School."
   Three judges outside the Pearland Touchdown Club were selected to grade each submission with only the last four-digits of the players' social security number identifying the essay. None of the judges talked with the other as all essays were read and graded independently of the other. The top average score took the top award and the winners were not revealed to anyone until the night of the awards banquet.
   The Pearland Touchdown Club expressed their appreciation to the judges who were State Representative Glenda Dawson, Pearland City Manager Bill Eisen, and Constable Buck Stevens (Precinct 3).
After only five years of existence, the Pearland Touchdown Club has awarded $29,250 thanks to many area businesses and individuals who support the various fund raising events including the production of the football media guide sold at each home game which is supported by the ads from the local business community. Monies from spirit apparel and the annual dinner/auction also serve as an underwriter for the scholarship fund.
   Every student-athlete received scholarship money in the amount of $250 except those with a different amount next to their name. The top essay writer receiving the highest grade received $1,500 while the second place essay received $750 and the third place essay received $500. Julian Colunga, Ray Hunter, Ben MacMillan, Paul Sward, Joseph Rios, Jonathon Bourgeois ($750), Justin Cockrell, Brian Dudik, Andrew Crane, Matthew Huerta ($1,500), Sam Gray ($500), Greg Brown, Clark Macon, Curtis Bass.
Coach Heath expressed his deep appreciation for the hard work of his coaches and players with another successful football campaign, particularly to his seniors.
   "I want you seniors to know how much you have meant to our football program the past few years," Heath said. "We have seen you start in junior high and then to develop to become outstanding players to keep the winning tradition going here at Pearland. I also want to thank the parents for your dedicated support. Never forget that once an Oiler - always an Oiler."