Forty Years of Witnessing Greatness Never Gets Old
Highland Park’s athletic legacy of unprecedented success and unmatched tradition dates back multiple generations.
For the past 40 years, Park Cities People has been fortunate enough to tell the stories of numerous champions who have thrilled and inspired us — whether on fields or courts, in the pool or on the course.
It’s remarkable to reflect on what we’ve witnessed during the past four decades of covering HP.
No diehard Scots fans will forget any of the four state football championships under coach Randy Allen. There was the dominating 59-0 thrashing that Matthew Stafford and crew gave to Marshall to win the 4A crown in 2005 and three consecutive 5A titles from 2016 to 2018.
Besides Stafford, of course, a handful of other HP football standouts have gone on to successful pro careers in recent history, such as linemen Dave Richards and Kyle Williams, linebacker Anthony Schlegel, and kickers Nick Rose and Daniel Sepulveda.
On the baseball field, the Scots earned a state championship in 1998 and have produced stars such as Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw and Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young, among others.
HP has won more state titles than any other school in Texas in girls soccer, with seven since 1994, including an undefeated run to the crown in 2017.
The decorated golf program has turned out numerous team and individual champions, from the Kuehne siblings — Hank, Kelli, and Trip — to Harrison Frazar, Cody Gribble, and current PGA Tour standout Scottie Scheffler.
In the swimming pool, nobody could catch the HP girls during their decade of dominance from 2001 to 2010, when the Blue Wave capped every season with a state title. The boys have won three times, too. And we still recall the scintillating skill of future Olympic gold medalists Mike Heath and Shaun Jordan during the 1980s.
Of course, HP is a perennial powerhouse both in boys lacrosse — with nine state championships to its credit — and in girls cross country, in which the Lady Scots have sent at least one runner to the state meet every year since the mid-1970s.
Legendary wrestling coach Tim Marzuola has five team titles to his credit between 1999 and 2006, not to mention numerous individual gold medalists since launching the program in 1982.
Last but certainly not least, there’s the HP tennis team, which has amassed more hardware than any other, with a sensational 21 team crowns and numerous individual prizewinners. And head coach Dan Holden’s squad only seems to get stronger every year.
Great athletes, top-notch coaches, and expectations for greatness: That’s why HP has more championships across all sports than any other school in Texas. For 40 years, we’ve been along for the ride and can’t wait to see what accomplishments we’ll chronicle in the next 40.
