La Porte High School is among 15 Class 5-A high schools to be honored as finalists at the 2013 Comerica Bank High School Sportsmanship Awards Luncheon on Jan. 30.
The event, presented by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, will be held at the J.W. Marriott Hotel near the Galleria.
"(This luncheon) celebrates what is right with high school athletics," said Neal Farmer of the Touchdown Club of Houston in his announcement to the district.
Finalists were chosen through voting by referees who served at high school football games throughout the area. Referees gave marks for the actions of coaches, players and all support groups (including fans) as well as respect for the American flag. Personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were also figured into the mix, Farmer said.
La Porte High School head football coach Jeff LaReau and player representative Justin King, an LPHS senior, will represent the Bulldog football team at the luncheon. All honorees will receive a framed certificate.
Thomas McGaughey, special teams coordinator at Louisiana State University and former player at the University of Houston (1991-1995) will be the guest speaker at the event.
Other 5-A finalists include Channelview, Cypress Ridge, Cypress Springs, Dulles, Elsik, Katy, Katy Taylor, Klein, Morton Ranch, Nimitz, Oak Ridge, Pearland, South Houston and Strake Jesuit.
Class 4-A finalists were Barbers Hill, Baytown Lee, Davis, Foster, Friendswood, Galena Park, Milby, Montgomery, New Caney, Santa Fe, Spring Woods, Stratford, Terry, Tomball and Tomball Memorial. Private School/Class 3-A honorees were Bay Area Christian, Danbury, Houston Christian, Kinkaid, Lutheran North, Rosehill Christian, Scarborough, West Columbia, Woodlands Christian and Yates.
"Being chosen as a finalist for the Sportsmanship Award is indeed significant because it embodies the characteristics of 'Honor, Integrity and Pride' that we deem so important here at La Porte High School," said Todd Schoppe, La Porte High School principal. "This award is not just a celebration of our high school, but of our entire community.
"Each person who puts on orange and white and comes out on Friday nights to support our students contributed to our being nominated for this award," he continued. "I am very proud for La Porte to be recognized for having high standards of sportsmanship, regardless of whether we win or lose, and am excited that our student participants and Bulldog fans of all ages share in this honor."
