Irvine scholar athlete banquet and Woodbridge fund-raiser cancelled

Irvine High scholar athletes who won awards at last year’s scholar athlete banquet included (from left) Kaimana McCreadie, Ellaena Rodriguez, Kyle Trout (PCL sportsmanship award), Marc “Bubba” Filia, Camille Ross, Ethan Shank, Kaitlyn Lee and Grant Lockwood. (File photo: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).

A major long-running event honoring high school senior scholar athletes in Irvine has been cancelled along with a fund-raising golf tournament and dinner presented by the Woodbridge Athletic Booster Club, according to Woodbridge Athletic Director Rick Gibson.

Schools have gone to on-line studies only because of the coronavirus crisis and Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued a state-at-home order and restricted mass gatherings. There is no indication of when the order will be removed.

Each year, the top senior scholar athletes from high schools in Irvine have been honored at the Pacific Coast League Senior Student Athlete Awards Ceremony. Last year’s event was held in May at Portola High School and Beckman High School was incorporated into the program for the first time.

The program was sponsored by the Exchange Club of Irvine, the Tustin Unified School District and the Irvine Unified School District.

Gibson said it’s not possible to hold the event this year because of the new rules in place, but officials are working on putting together a virtual program to honor the scholar athlete winners.

“It will all be virtual, we haven’t exactly discussed how we’re going to roll it out,” Gibson said Tuesday. “We’re in the process still of figuring what that’s going to look like.”

In addition, the third annual Warrior Pride and Gala Golf Tournament on Saturday, May 2 at Oak Creek Golf Club has been cancelled and won’t be rescheduled this year. The program was to be presented by Woodbridge’s Athletic Booster Club, led by President Jay Lyon.

“That’s heartbreaking too, you want to have a group come in and be unique, and now it’s going to be that group, plus the year after’s group,” Gibson said. “It will be a little larger the following year.

“I’ve talked to everybody that was a nominee this year and they are open to doing it in May of 2021, so that will be good.”

This year’s inductees were going to be the late Kevin Armstrong (football and track and field), Chris Burgess (basketball) and Derrick Odum (football). The popular Armstrong died in 2005 of a rare heart condition at the age of 39, according to a story on the Kevin Armstrong Memorial Foundation website.

Gibson said that Odum is at San Jose State as defensive coordinator for the Spartans’ football team. The female inductees were going to be Jaime Oening and Melanie Pearson (girls basketball). Former coaches Gene Noji (football) and Alan Dugard (softball) were also scheduled to be inducted.

The event is a major fund-raiser for Woodbridge Athletics.

“I think our booster club would have made between $15,000 and $20,000 and that’s down the tubes for us,” Gibson said. “Fund-raising as a whole is very difficult.”

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com