STAFF REPORTS
The 2015 high school football season was a strong one for the Rio Grande Valley, with three programs making it to the regional semifinal level of their respective classes.
There were plenty of individual standouts, but three in particular are nominated to be named the Football Player of the Year at the 2016 All-Valley Sports Awards Banquet on June 14 at DoubleTree Suites in McAllen.
Representatives from the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame, The Monitor, the Brownsville Herald and the Valley Morning Star voted on three nominations for the category. The winner will be revealed at the banquet.
The following are the nominees, in alphabetical order:
>> Joshua McGowen, McAllen High: McGowen, a transfer from North Carolina, needed just a single season to set school records with 1,891 rushing yards, 22 rushing touchdowns, 26 total touchdowns and 340 yards in a single game. McGowen accounted for 72.2 percent of McHi’s rushing and 60 percent of the team’s total offense as the Bulldogs finished the season as a Class 6A bi-district finalist. McGowen signed to play football at Stephen F. Austin University last month.
>> Trevor Speights, McAllen Memorial: Speights was one of only 25 players named to the Parade Magazine All-America first team, which has been selected annually by the magazine’s editors since 1963. Speights ran for 3,195 yards — the second-best season in Valley history — and a Valley-record 50 touchdowns in 2015 while finishing his stellar career as the fourth all-time leading rusher in the state. Last month, Speights signed to continue his football career at Stanford University.
>> Leo Tienda, Harlingen High: The 5-foot-4 junior running back was the Cardinals’ anchor as Harlingen High went 10-3 in advancing to the regional semifinals. Tienda rushed for 1,849 yards and 20 touchdowns and averaged 7.3 yards per carry. In the Cardinals’ area round playoff win over Speights’ McAllen Memorial, Tienda rushed for 232 yards and five touchdowns in a 14-point win.
Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Drew Pearson will be the keynote speaker at June’s banquet.
Pearson, who was inducted into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor in 2011 after a standout career defined by his performances in the clutch, will highlight the function hosted by RGVSports.com in conjunction with the RGV Sports Hall of Fame. The awards banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will recognize team and individual standouts in multiple sports over the past year.
To buy tickets to the banquet, log on to TheMonitor.com, BrownsvilleHerald.com, or ValleyStar.com and click on the rgvsports_banquet link on the toolbar on the home page of each website.