A cancelled flight and twelve hours later I had finally arrived in the promised land, Phoenix, Arizona. The landscape was serene and the weather a warming 70 degrees, quite a step up from the chill of the New Jersey air. I was in town this fine Friday afternoon, March 30, 2007, to award the Mountain View Toros basketball team of Mesa, Arizona, for their state championship and top 25 Max Preps national ranking.
This was the inaugural Tour of Champions trophy presentation that would kick start a wave of ceremonies throughout the nation. I was hoping for a strong running with the bulls and I got one. The Mountain View Toros faculty, student body, and basketball team had lived up to the expectations of their outstanding performances to put on a first class Spring Sports Assembly.
The band took to the gymnasium in full force and blasted their trumpets and beat their drums to a raucous crowd eager to get it on. Max Preps signature point man, Chris Stonebraker, lived up to his reputation and revved it up as he took the mic and commended the Mountain View Toros for trampling the competition and winning their 3rd state championship in four years. Chris introduced Sergeant First Class Daniel Figueroa of the Army National Guard who congratulated the team and presented the Tour of Champions Trophy to Coach Gary Ernst and the Mountain View Toros basketball team. In addition, the leading bull of the Mountain View Toros basketball team, Harper Kamp, received the T-Mobile player of the year trophy, as he averaged over 18 points a game.
Special thanks to Assistant Principal David Hines for all his outstanding work in setting up the Spring Sports Assembly and making the Max Preps Tour of Champions presentation all it could be.
Congratulations Toros! I hope to see you again next year.
The Ambassador,
Peter J. De Rogatis