A rack of dark green coats sat on the stage inside Larsa Banquet Hall on Saturday night, where dozens of tables and hundreds of seats were carefully arranged and a large dinner was being prepared.

No, the Masters Champions Dinner didn’t ditch Augusta for Turlock. Rather, it was a night to honor individuals for other types of athletic success, accomplished on the north side of the Central Valley town. It was the second-ever Pitman High School Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Nine individuals and two teams were inducted in this year’s class. Honorees were athletes Taylor Clute, Bradin Hagens, Austin Keaton, Vince Perez, Katie Staack, Lyndsay Sutterley and Jasmine Washington, announcer Abe Rojas, former athletic director Dave Walls and the 2005 varsity football and 2014 varsity volleyball teams. Each gave an abundance of appreciation to their loved ones, shared stories of their time at the Pitman and even shed a few tears during their speeches and as they accepted their coats.

Walls, who served as a history teacher and basketball coach at the school when it opened in 2002 before transitioning into the role of athletic director until his retirement in 2022, received a standing ovation from the crowd before and after his speech. He spoke about his decision to transfer to the new school after spending seven years at Turlock High.

“I had the opportunity to watch our athletes and coaches compete at an incredible level. With all that being said, the thing that I value the most about my time as an athletic director were the friendships and relationships that I was able to develop during that period of time. I wasn't quite sure what kind of AD I was going to be, but I knew deep in my heart I wasn't going to be worried about banners and championships and things like that. I'm a relationship guy, and I worry about relationships. I built so many outstanding ones here,” he said.

The sentiment was shared by Rojas, who recalled the several times where he (particularly his voice) was recognized by strangers in public, something he was incredibly proud of. Being the public address announcer at sporting events, he explained that he felt an obligation to be present no matter what, whether that meant cutting vacations or family celebrations short.

“I truly loved it,” he said. “It was a fun ride.”

Two of the most memorable rides that the Pitman faithful went on were in 2005 and 2014.

Kristen Pontes-Christian coached the 2014 volleyball squad that achieved a 44-2 record, claimed the program’s first Division 1 Section title and NorCal Championship and finished as a runner-up at the state tournament. They remain the only team to qualify for the state finals. She described the team as “unforgettable,” so much so, not only did she remember the names of each player, but she listed off the grades each of them were in during that historic season.

“This team always wanted to get better, no matter what. We could just beat a team 25-0, all three sets, and they still wanted to come to practice and get better,” she said.  

“I think my biggest obstacle as a coach for this team was challenging them, because it was always that they wanted to improve. I would come to practices with these crazy, crazy drills, thinking there was no way they could accomplish them, and sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't. The biggest thing is they never gave up. They were a coach's dream.”

Perez was the first wrestler to be inducted in the Pitman Hall of Fame after setting the standard for the program that has since turned into one of the best in the state. He was the first Pride wrestler to win a league championship, be a section finalist, be a divisional champion and medal at state. Despite entering the sport so undersized that he had to wrestle at 103 pounds his freshman year — 23 pounds heavier than his natural weight at the time — he finished his career with a pair of state medals. His career record of 141-24 is still one of the best individual performances in Pitman’s storied wrestling history. After thanking a long list of family and friends, Perez thanked the sport itself.

“The sport taught me about discipline, accountability, teamwork, perseverance, resiliency and the value of hard work. It is by far the most physically and mentally challenging sport there is, and to this day, it is the hardest thing that I've done in my life.”

Sutterley was another pioneer for Pitman athletics, leading the Pride to some of their first successes in the pool before playing water polo at UC Davis. From 2005 to 2007, she led her polo squads to three consecutive league championships and three consecutive appearances in the section quarterfinals.

Keaton gave thanks to several of his peers who helped push him to success at an early age, helping him dominate in basketball at the varsity level almost immediately as an underclassman. Up until last season, he was the top scorer in the school’s hoop history with 1,212 career points, a mark he put up while also shining on the baseball diamond. In his remarks, he revealed that he almost went to Turlock instead of the new Pitman campus, 

“Not a lot of people know this, but I kind of wanted to go to Turlock High School,” Keaton said, which led to several lighthearted gasps. “My pops worked there, some of my best friends were going there.

“But we had just moved by Pitman, and my mom was like, ‘No, we live right by the school. We're not doing the interdistrict transfer thing. You're going to Pitman. I don't care if your dad works over there or not,’” he said with a laugh. “I'm glad she stuck with that because it turned out to be one of the best things that I could hang my hat on. I've got a sweet green blazer for it. Because of Pitman High. Because of my mom.”

Nobody had more multi-sport success than Staack. The water polo, basketball, swimming and track star earned a record 12 varsity letters in her time at PHS. And not only did she play, she dominated, setting marks that remain in the top three of the school record books in each sport.

“I had no idea 12 varsity letters were even possible,” she said. “I was only 13 years old as a freshman and it wasn't a goal of mine, specifically because I had never even played water polo. (Coach Anne Cornell) pushed me to be the best leader, player, teammate and student, and I will forever appreciate her guidance. She also let me run track my senior year. That's very important. I had to ask permission, and of course, she had some conditions on sharing me.”

Cornell had the honor of introducing Staack and presenting her with her green jacket. She shared stories of when Staack would be running back-and-forth between sporting events taking place at the same time.

Sharing the court with Staack for two seasons between 2007 and 2009 was Washington, who was a four-year varsity player that still owns six school records. She described the Hall of Fame nod as “the coolest thing I've ever done in life, besides getting my degree, because that's important. But this is pretty dope.

“To look back and think that little Jasmine, shooting the jump shots in the driveway till those street lights came on, skipping dances and sleepovers to focus on basketball, she didn't realize that it would lead to something special like this. So records might get broken, but this induction into Pitman history is forever and something I'll always cherish.”

Clute still holds seven school records. His journey took him to Long Beach State and to the United States training roster for the 2012 Olympic Games. On stage, he had the last laugh in a decades-long debate with his mother.

“I want to say to my mom, she thought that buying my letterman jacket was, I forget what you would have said, maybe a waste of money?... I would say that we've gotten a good return on our investment here,” he joked.

Soon after, he reached into his pocket to reveal that he still had his water polo cap from his senior season in 2007.

“I'm pretty sure the statute of limitations on property theft has long since passed, so let's stay focused on the incredible opportunity that these folks have here tonight, and not the fact that I've had a water pool cap since 2007,” he said to roaring laughs.

“The caps today say ‘Pride’ on the front, and that's exactly how I feel right now. I feel pride in being a Pitman high alumni. I feel Pride in the friends and the family and my incredible wife. I have pride in being inducted (into the) Hall of Fame at Pittman High School.”