Midland ISD Student Athletes Mark Remarkable Year

41 Students Signed Letters of Intent to Play at Collegiate Level

July 20, 2022 — Midland ISD had yet another remarkable year in athletics across the district and at state tournaments. What follows is a roundup of achievements made by Midland High and Legacy High student athletes for the 2021-22 school year.

Football

Legacy football won the District 2-6A Championship for the fourth year in a row. The 2021 Rebels were the first team from Midland to win four district championships in a row in football.

Makhilyn Young was named District MVP after rushing for more than 2,000 yards. Wesley Smith was named Defensive MVP. Donny Bishop was named the Ford Tough Player of the Week for his performance in the Rebels' 68-28 win over Wolfforth Frenship. Coach Clint Hartman was named the District 2-6A Coach of the Year.

Cross Country

Legacy cross country athlete Joey Almanza represented the district by qualifying for the regional cross country meet.

Volleyball

Legacy volleyball went undefeated in district play, winning the District 2-6A Championship. Loredana Founji was named District MVP, and Sydney Leavitt was named Outstanding Defensive Specialist. Coach Rachel Anglin was named District 2-6A Coach of the Year.

MHS entered the state volleyball playoffs led by senior and Kansas State signee Aniya Clinton. Clinton was chosen First Team All State in the 6A classification. She was also named District 2-6A Outstanding Hitter under first-year coach Bethany Johnstone.

Tennis

Former MHS tennis player and 2021 state singles champion Tyler Stewart was named a High School All-American. He is now starring on the tennis team at Texas Tech.

MHS tennis player Sarah Stewart won the 2-6A Singles Championship and was named District 2-6A MVP. Montserrat Salazar was named West Texas Tennis Association Junior Athlete of the Year. Both Stewart and Salazar advanced to the regional championship round of the state playoffs.

Basketball

Legacy girls basketball finished 11-1 in district play and 28-6 overall, winning the District 2-6A Championship. Loredana Founji was named District MVP, and coach Alfred Acosta was named District 2-6A Coach of the Year.

Swimming and Diving

Seven MHS swimmers and divers advanced to the state swim meet in Austin. The Bulldogs were led by First Team High School All-American and Tennessee signee Nick Stone, as well as West Virginia signee PJ Day.

Soccer

The Legacy boys soccer Team won the 2-6A District Championship, keeping the 2-6A crown in Midland for the second year in a row after the MHS boys won the title the previous year. The Rebels finished the year with an undefeated district record of 9-0-3 and went 15-3-6 for the year. The Rebels were led by District MVP DJ Davis. Coach Chris Bryant was named District 2-6A Coach of the Year.

MHS girls soccer entered the State Playoffs with Sam Houston State signee Kinsey Hill. Hill was named District 2-6A Midfielder of the Year. The Bulldogs finished strong under first-year head coach Rafael Gonzales.

Golf

The Legacy boys golf team stormed past Frenship on the last day of the District 2-6A boys golf tournament to win the 2-6A district title. One week later, the Lady Rebels took a 5 stroke lead over Odessa Permian to win the girls 2-6A district title. The boys team, led by Drew Ironside, and the girls, led by Sarah Reed, became the first boys and girls golf teams from the same school in MISD to win district championships. Coach Wes Overton was the District 2-6A Coach of the Year.

Powerlifting

MHS powerlifting had three girls and four boys advance to the state powerlifting tournament. MHS powerlifting was led by Izabella Granado in the girls division and John Martinez-Guedry in the boys division. Martinez-Guedry became the state record holder for total weight lifted at 1,735 pounds.

Legacy powerlifting had eight girls qualify for the state powerlifting tournament. The Legacy girls were led by lifters Danika Rickard and Maiah Rubio. Both were champions in their weight class.

Baseball

Legacy baseball had a great playoff run, advancing to the third round of the state playoffs. The Rebels finished the year with a 26-11 record under coach Eric Garcia. Senior pitcher Chase Shores was named District 2-6A Player of the Year. Shores is a high school All-American and Louisiana State University signee. Coach Eric Garcia was named District 2-6A Coach of the Year.

Softball

MHS softball had another great season under longtime coach Shawnda Vines. The Bulldogs finished the year with a 32-9 record and advanced to the third round of the state softball tournament.

The Bulldogs were led by pitching great and Wichita State signee Alex Aguilar. Aguilar threw multiple no-hitters throughout the season, was named District 2-6A Player of the Year and was selected First Team All-State.

Track

Legacy track had nine track athletes compete at the 94th annual Texas Relays in Austin.

MHS girls track was led by senior Taylor Gonzalez, junior Brielle Bracken and senior high jumper Jamie Swisher. The Bulldogs won multiple track meets throughout the year, including the Tall City Relays, the San Angelo Relays and were runner up at the West Texas Relays. MHS boys track had a great year, winning multiple mile relay events that included the district and area meets. MHS 400 meter standout Daniel Villagas had the fastest 400 meter mark in Region I-6A. He also ran the last leg of the Bulldogs Championship mile relay team. The Bulldogs finished third at the district meet in Abilene.

Legacy girls track was once again outstanding, led by state medalist Leah Acosta and teammate Christallyn Tate. Legacy girls track finished second at the district track meet. Acosta made her second trip to the state meet in Austin, winning the silver medal in the shot put. The Legacy girls 800 meter relay team was both district and area champions. The Legacy boys also had a great year, finishing second at the district meet and second at the area meet. The boys were led by district and area shot put champion Garrett Whitehill and the Rebels' district and area champion 800 meter relay team.

Twenty-nine MISD athletes qualified for the regional track meet in Arlington.

College Signings

Forty-one MISD student athletes signed letters of intent to compete at the collegiate level, with 18 from MHS and 23 from Legacy.

Hall of Legends

Cedric Benson headlined what the Midland Reporter Telegram called “MISD’s greatest Hall of Legends Class” that included Benson, Eric Winston, Natalie Hinds, Bryce Hoppel and Tevis Herd.