On Saturday night, Pop Warner’s Peninsula league
— serving the Bay Area and Central California — honored 20 of
Hollister’s top scholar athletes at its annual banquet. Overall, 97
of Hollister Pop Warner’s football players and cheerleaders were
eligible to receive some scholastic award.
HOLLISTER
Pop Warner is unique among youth sports organizations in that it requires at least satisfactory scholastic grades in order to participate, and also has a national program to honor its top scholastic achievers. In fact, scholastic awards are the only individual recognition that Pop Warner allows its participants to receive from their league or team.
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On Saturday night, Pop Warner’s Peninsula league — serving the Bay Area and Central California — honored 20 of Hollister’s top scholar athletes at its annual banquet. Overall, 97 of Hollister Pop Warner’s football players and cheerleaders were eligible to receive some scholastic award.
All-conference scholastic teams are based on the student’s grade-point average on their report cards, plus additional educational activities that a student participates in. The highest league award is the Commissioner’s Honor Society, awarded to the top one percent of all scholar-athletes in the league.
Two Hollister cheerleaders qualified for the award this year, Cherylyn Thomas and Jayda Botelho. Winning this prestigious award also means that these students are likely to receive Pop Warner’s highest honor — National All-American, which will be announced on April 1.
Of the 97 Vikings players and cheerleaders named as All-Conference Scholars, 54 were named as first team scholars, which is equivalent to an A average on their report cards; 23 Vikings made the second team, requiring the equivalent of an A- or B+ average; while 20 others were on the third team, which is the equivalent of a B average.
In addition, Pop Warner recognizes students who have made All-Conference Scholar for three years with induction into the scholastic Hall of Fame.
Twelve Vikings were inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, including Ernesto Sanchez, Michael Gutierrez, Isabe Hernandez, Jacquelyn Juarez, Brittany Kuck, Kailey Lamonica, Marc Martinez, Isaias Rivera, Savannah Santos, Savannah Sicley, Georgia Wahl and Michael Zaragoza.
Furthermore, 17 Viking players received extended Hall of Fame honors for each additional year they make All-Conference Scholar beyond the first three. One Hollister player, Ryan Di Salvo, who actually was a teen coach this year, has been an All-Conference Scholar for eight years running, the longest streak of anyone in the entire league.
The Vikings also boasted four six-year scholars, including Kylie Di Salvo, Andrew Huaracha, Jonathan Mendoza and Hayley Tomasetti. Five-year All-Conference players include Michaela Andrade (also a teen coach), Botelho, Antonio Caro, Bobby Vivian and Tristan Wahl.
