Spring Branch ISD Featured News

Stratford High School football defensive lineman Sam Habel made Spartan and district history on Nov. 14 when the Touchdown Club of Houston selected him for a top trophy, the annual Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award.

Habel, who ranks No. 1 in Stratford’s Class of 2019, is the fifth Spartan athlete and the sixth Spring Branch ISD graduate to earn the club’s prestigious Scholar-Athlete Award during the two decades it has been issued.

In separate but related news, Habel on Nov. 29 received AT&T Sportsnet’s High School Athlete of the Week Award, sponsored in partnership with Memorial Hermann’s Ironman Sports Medicine Institute. 

The Stratford defensive lineman was chosen from a contested field of 27 finalists for the Touchdown Club trophy. Habel received a $1,500 scholarship as award winner; several runners-up were issued separate scholarships, and all finalists received a $500 award.

Habel was honored as the club’s top scholar-athlete based on academics, athletics and citizenship, as exemplified by extracurricular activities.

At Stratford, Habel now joins five top rated athletes who received the same honor. They include John McElroy (2001), Andrew Luck (2007), Jordan Bernstein (2012) and Fischer Robinson (2015). 

Since it was first awarded in 1999, Memorial High football scholar-athlete David Colquitt (2004) has also won the regional recognition of combined athletic and academic ability.

The Houston Chronicle reported that Habel finished his senior season with 16 tackles (eight solo) in eight games, including a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. His recent season also featured his first two career quarterback sacks in consecutive team wins against Alvin and Bridgeland teams.

During his three varsity seasons, Habel made a career-high 28 stops as a junior player on the Spartans defensive line, the newspaper also said.

Cy-Fair ISD’s Graham Lakin won second-place scholar-athlete honors and a $1,250 scholarship; Katy ISD’s Garrett Madison took third place and a $1,000 scholarship.

The Extex Companies sponsored the 20^th annual High School Football Scholarship Luncheon, which featured Houston Texans President Jamey Rootes as the keynote gala speaker. Event emcee was KTRK-TV 13’s sports director Greg Bailey.