Despite the fact that Pitman High School has only been open for 22 years, their history has already been enriched. In October, nine individuals and two teams will be recognized for their incredible influence accomplishments during their time at Pitman as part of the school’s second-ever Hall of Fame Class.
This year’s inductees are 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 girls volleyball teams.
The individuals and teams will be honored at a Hall of Fame dinner on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 5 p.m. at Larsa Banquet Hall. Tickets, which are $100 each, include dinner, dessert, beer and wine. There will be dancing, cornhole, competitions, raffles and silent auctions to benefit the Pitman Development Foundation (PDF), which raises funds to build needed athletic facilities at the predominantly new campus. PDF is also in search of table and event sponsors by Friday, Sept. 27 and for prize, raffle and flower donations. For tickets, sponsorship information or to make donations, call Renne Pacheco at (209) 678-6550, Mike Staack at (209) 604-6884 or Madison Curtiss at (209) 252-5304.
Pitman’s Hall of Fame was introduced in 2018. The inaugural class consisted of athletes Colin Kaepernick, Anthony Harding, Spencer Snodgrass, Lesley Young and Tiare Jennings, former principal Rod Hollars, former athletic director Jim Parker and announcer Craig Rojas. New classes were intended to be introduced every five years, though unforeseen circumstances delayed the latest induction class to this fall.
Taylor Clute, Class of 2007
Taylor Clute dominated the pool during his four years at Pitman High School. He was the first PHS athlete to be named an All-American (2006), first athlete to be a Wendy’s High School Heisman nominee (2006) and first athlete to qualify for the Junior Olympics (2006) due to his success in the sport of water polo. Additionally, he was a two-time first-team all-league award winner
Clute still holds numerous school records for water polo, including single-season records for goals scored (194), steals (95), drawn ejections (43) and sprints won (60), as well as career records in goals scored (211), assists (51) and drawn ejections (85). He earned a scholarship for water polo and competed in water polo at Long Beach State.
Bradin Hagens, Class of 2007
Bradin Hagens was a three-sport star for Pitman High School. He earned eight varsity letters — two in football, four in baseball and four in basketball. He also collected four all-league honors and was the Pride’s first male athlete to receive all-league honors in three sports.
As a basketball player, Hagens played a key role for the Pride teams that advanced to section semifinals in 2006. He was a member of the 2005 football team that claimed the Central California Conference title.
After spending two years at Merced College, Hagens became the second-ever Pitman ballplayer to be selected in the MLB Draft when was picked in the sixth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 2014, still with the D-backs, he became the lone Pride alumnus to make his MLB debut. Hagens still plays professionally as a reliever with TSG Hawks of the Chinese Professional Baseball League.
Austin Keaton, Class of 2008
Austin Keaton was a multi-sport star who participated in football, basketball and baseball for the Pride. Widely regarded as one of the best overall athletes to ever walk the campus of Pitman High School, Keaton was an all-district award winner in both baseball and basketball (twice).
Keaton was a leader of the 2006 boys basketball team that made it to the section semifinals. Up until last season, he was the top scorer in school history with 1,212 career points.
He went on to compete in both baseball and basketball at the collegiate level at Culver-Stockton College and currently serves as the varsity boys basketball coach at nearby Hilmar High School.
Vince Perez, Class of 2008
Vince Perez helped set the foundation for the Pitman wrestling program, which has blossomed into one of the best in the region. He was the first Pride wrestler to win a league championship, be a section finalist, be a divisional champion and medal at state. He earned an eight-place state medal in 2006 and a seventh-place medal in 2007. His career wrestling record of 141-24 is still one of the best individual performances in Pitman’s wrestling history. The success on the mat led to many awards including a pair of first-team all-league, first-team all-district and Pitman Wrestling MVP honors.
Perez coached for the Pride for eight years before becoming the head wrestling coach at Whitney High School in Rocklin.
Katie Staack, Class of 2009
Katie Staack is the one and only athlete in Pitman history to earn 12 varsity letters after competing at the varsity level for four years in water polo, girls basketball and swimming, Staack led her teams on the court and her in the pool to a combined four league championships and was a first-team all-league recipient four times. She still ranks in the top three in school records for assists and games played in girls basketball, and in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle and in multiple relays for swimming.
Lindsay Sutterley, Class of 2008
Lindsay Sutterley was the preeminent girls water polo player at Pitman High School in the late 2000’s. She led her team to three consecutive league championships from 2005 to 2007 and three consecutive appearances in the section quarterfinals. She was a two-time league MVP and was named to the all-district team twice. She still holds various school records, including goals scored in a season (122), steals in a season (98), career goals(311), career steals (306) and career wins (77).
After graduating from PHS, Lindsay went on to compete in water polo on a scholarship at UC Davis.
Jasmine Washington, Class of 2011
Jasmine Washington is widely referred to as one of the best female basketball players to ever play for Pitman High School. A four-year varsity starter, Washington still holds school records for points in a game (34), steals in a game (15), free throws made in a game (14), steals in a season (146), career steals (303) and career free throws made (410). She is also one of only two female basketball players to score 1,000 points in her career (1,099). She was a two-time league MVP, two-time all-district and was named to the all-league team three times.
2005 Football Team
The 2005 Pitman football team set the standard for all future squads to hit the gridiron. Led by quarterback Colin Kaepernick, running back Anthony Harding and an aggressive offensive line, the Pride averaged over 400 yards of offense and nearly 40 points per game.
Pitman beat crosstown rival Turlock 35-34 in overtime when Harding converted a two-point conversion to secure the win in the closest Harvest Bowl to date. The following week, Pitman defeated Golden Valley 49-34 to secure the CCC title. They won their first round playoff game 35-14 over Lincoln of Stockton before falling to West of Tracy 27-22 in the quarterfinals.
Multiple athletes from this team went on to compete at the collegiate and professional levels.
2014 Volleyball Team
The 2014 Pitman girls volleyball team is considered one of the most successful teams in all of the school's athletics history. They finished their season with a 44-2 record and claimed the program’s first Division 1 Section title and NorCal Championship. They were a runner-up at the state tournament. Their accomplishments led to head coach Kristen Pontes-Christian and many others to refer to the group as the “Dream Team.”
The Pride were led by seniors Maddy Halteman, Lindsey Vander Weide and Ashleigh Phelps, as well as freshmen Middle Blocker and Whitney Barnes. More than half of this team continued their success at the collegiate level.
Abe Rojas, Announcer
Abe Rojas was the voice of the Pride from 2002 to 2022. Synonymous with Friday night football, Rojas was in the announcers booth for every Pitman home football game for the last 20 years. His patented “Touchdown Pride” call echoed through Joe Debely Stadium, and his passion for the game was heard with every call he made.
A true philanthropist for the city of Turlock, Rojas was involved in youth sports as a basketball referee, softball umpire and coach. He also served 13 years as a trustee of the Turlock Unified School District and is also a member of the Stanislaus State Hall of Fame (Class of 2011) for his philanthropy.
Dave Walls, Athletic Director
As the 27-year Turlock Unified School District veteran coach and athletic director, Dave Walls made a lasting impact on the student-athletes at Pitman High School. Walls spent time as a basketball coach and history teacher at the school, but his lasting impact will be remembered for his role as the athletic director.
With his larger than life aura and motivating speeches, Walls became a great role model for Pitman athletes and the coaches that he led. Integrity, respect, and a commitment to making somebody better were foundational pieces of Walls’ leadership.
Walls served on many committees with the Sac Joaquin Section office and was often a voice for the Pride at the section level. His hard work and dedication to his position as the athletic director was also acknowledged by the section office in 2022 when he was named the Sac Joaquin Section Athletic Director of the Year.
