Three youth sports figures recognized by Phoenix Regional Sports Commission
Mar 10, 2014, 9:45 PM | Updated: 9:46 pm
Last Thursday, the Phoenix Regional Sports Commission announced its 2014 youth sports awards winners. Among them are an athlete, a coach and an athletic department staffer.
Jordan Schlueter of Notre Dame Preparatory High School in Scottsdale, Ariz. took home PRSC’s Student Athlete of the Year award for his 3.94 GPA and contributions to the school’s track and football teams. A defensive back, Schlueter was named a First Team All-State team. He has passed up offers from Yale, Harvard and Stanford to attend college at Arizona State University in the fall.
The commission awarded second-year baseball coach Troy Gerlach its Coach of the Year award for his work with the Arcadia High School baseball team. According to PRSC’s release, Gerlach has garnered a reputation for preaching a “Student First, Athlete Second” approach to his players, who have collectively averaged a GPA of 3.17.
His hard-nosed, old-school coaching approach to his job, combined with his hard-working and no-nonsense style, has won the hearts and support of parents, school administrators and fellow faculty members alike, plus led to extraordinary results both on and off the field.
Finally, Mike “Tug” Garcia won the commission’s Contributor of the Year award for his work in the Saguaro High School Athletics Equipment Manager role over the last 12 years.
The trio will be honored at the 44th Arizona Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which is scheduled to be hosted at PERA Pavillion in Tempe on April 16.