1988 girls volleyball team was recognized for their championships
PASO ROBLES — Former Bearcats were inducted into the Paso Robles High School Athletic Hall of Fame during the Friday, Oct. 7, football game against the St. Joseph Knights. During halftime, Director of Student Services Tom Harrington presented the plaques to the three former student-athletes.
Also, during halftime, the 1988 Bearcat girls volleyball team was recognized for becoming the 1988 Champions of the Los Padres League (LPL).
Meygan Androvich was named the CIF Most Valuable Player. Mika Lamb (First Team) and Juanetta Perkins (Second Team) were also named to the All-CIF teams.
The 1988 team roster included: Michelle McClure, Nan Lee, Belinda Espinosa, Lori Hodel, Sherri Buchanan, Juanetta Perkins, Terah Lee, Mika Lamb, Samantha Scott, Barbretta Jenkins, Meygan Androvich, Kendra Birks, Julieann Thompson, and Carey Alvord Schof.
The coaches at the time were DeDe Bodnar and Steve Burmaster.
Three men were brought into the Athletic Hall of Fame that Friday night — two former football players and one baseball player.
Harrington told Paso Robles Press, “We are honored to add such a great group of Bearcats into the Athletic Hall of Fame. They have all distinguished themselves both on and off the field.”
James Black | Class of 1955
Born without his left hand, Black was an all-conference running back who led the Bearcats to a CIF championship. Known as a “Renaissance man” at PRHS, he played on the varsity basketball team and ran track. He even found success off the field as Senior Class President and won the Lions Club speech contest.
Following his athletic and scholar career at PRHS, Black played football and track at UC Santa Barbara before a knee injury ended his career. Despite that, he went on to graduate with a Master’s degree and had a successful business career.
Jason Brown | Class of 1988
Earning seven varsity letters in football, track and field, and soccer, Brown was an All-Los Padres League (LPL) running back (1985-1987), All-CIF Desert Mountain Conference defensive back (1986-1987), and two-time All-San Luis Obispo County selection in football (1986-1987). Adding to his football success, Brown was a 1988 All-CIF selection in track and field and All-LPL in soccer.
Additionally, Brown was a three-year Lion’s Club Sportsmanship award recipient, named the league Co-MVP in football in 1987 and the PRHS Male Athlete of the Year in 1988. He then received a football scholarship to Cal Poly.
Mike Gray | Class of 1995
Earning three varsity letters in baseball during his time at PRHS, Gray was named to the All-Los Padres League Team as a pitcher in 1993, 1994, and 1995 and was named to the All-San Luis Obispo County Baseball Team in 1995.
He attended Cuesta College, where he had a record of 22-3 with 197 strikeouts and currently holds Cuesta records in games started (32), strikeouts (197), wins (22), and winning percentage (.880). Gray was named to the First Team All-Western State Conference Team, First Team All-California Community College Team, and All-America Teams in 1996 and 1997.
Furthering his baseball career, Gray was drafted in the 49th round of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft by the Atlanta Braves. He played four seasons in the Braves organization, where he advanced to the Double-A level Greenville Braves. In 2001, Gray was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks and played three seasons in the Diamondbacks organization, advancing to the Triple-A Tucson Sidewinders. In six professional seasons, he had a career record of 16-14 with a 3.51 earned run average.
“Friday’s Hall of Fame event was a wonderful night of showcasing our former athletic standouts. It was great to see everyone’s excitement both in the crowd and on the faces of our inductees,” said PRHS Athletic Director Tori Loney, “It’s not very often that we get a chance as alumni to step foot on the field and feel the glow of the stadium lights one more time. Hearing the crowd cheer for all our inductees and celebrate their accomplishments was a great kickoff to the Pioneer Day celebration to follow.”
