The Tioga Bulldogs’ athletic program hosted its third annual signing ceremony for their next generation of student athletes on June 5.
Forty-one incoming freshmen student-athletes were recognized at the event held in the Tioga High School gym in front of their family, friends and peers as they signed letters of intent affirming their commitment to the brand Tioga ISD has built.
'We're trying to build something special here, [and] we've taken good steps over the last two years,' Tioga Athletic Director Zach Birdwell said. 'We're a program that believes in building it from the ground up, and that really gets rolling with our junior high group.'
The event opened with Birdwell addressing the student- athletes, their families and the Tioga faithful, recounting the impact the previous classes that participated in the same event have had within the Bulldogs' athletic program.
Each of the student athletes then signed an individual letter of intent promising to make their community proud on and off the field and to follow The Brand’s four core values— “Energy, Compete, Confidence and Elite.”
The Bulldogs have had multiple standout freshmen over the last couple of seasons, with one of the most prominent members being Quesyn Arrington, who was a key piece of the Bulldogs varsity track team that won the UIL 2A Track & Field Championship in May.
With the most recent freshman classes proving to be an important part of the Bulldogs’ athletic program, Birdwell believes the upcoming crop will continue to help the program grow.
'One of our big topics for this offseason has been making the jump and finding ways to be even more elite,' he said. 'In sports where we haven't made the playoffs, making the playoffs, and in sports where we have, winning [more] playoff games— … this group coming in we believe is going to be a big part of us as a program making that jump.”
Tioga Middle School and High School Principal Keith Kirkland said he loves the tradition put in place by his athletic director.
“[This] allows our middle school athletes a chance to be celebrated and be put on a stage to set the tone for their next four years as athletes,” he said. “I hope this gets kids excited about what they can accomplish in high school not only athletically but in all aspects, [and] I think it’s great to see the four years later.”
Kirkland also hopes to see many of these same Bulldogs sign letters of intent to continue their athletic careers on the collegiate level.
“How cool would it be to be able to look back on eighth graders signing letters now and then possibly signing to play in college?” he said. “Middle school kids [deserve] to be celebrated and have something to look forward to, and this sets the tone for that in the athletic world.”
