Gino Colasanti

Metea’s 1st Annual ESPY’s are coming in full effect

For the first time in school history, Metea Valley is rolling out the red carpet for its athletes. The Metea ESPY Awards, set for Monday, May 19, will be a night dedicated to honoring the school’s top varsity athletes, coaches, and contributors. Modeled after ESPN’s iconic ESPYs, the event is entirely student-led and aims to shine a spotlight on athletic achievement, leadership, and community impact; something Metea’s student-athletes haven’t experienced before.

Set to take place in the auditorium, the exclusive event will be open only to varsity athletes and their families, giving the space a formal and intimate atmosphere. But this isn’t just another awards night. According to those behind the idea, it’s about something bigger: legacy.

“This was all driven by our amazing leaders in Captains Council,” Joshua Robinson, one of the staff advisors to the group, said. “We preach leaving a legacy, and these students have taken that idea and are trying to create something that will last at MV long after they leave.”

The idea for the ESPYs began back in November 2024 during a Captains Council meeting. Seniors Jack Kusumpa and Cameron Leys, both multi-sport athletes, proposed the concept after seeing similar events at other schools.

“Seeing other schools and their communities come together for something like this made us realize what Metea has been missing,” Kusumpa said. “Especially for our athletic department, this is a chance to rally everyone for one night.”

Once the idea was greenlit by school leaders, the planning began. Kusumpa, Leys, and other Captains Council members created timelines, coordinated with coaches, designed promotional materials, and organized a multi-step nomination and voting process. First, varsity coaches nominated athletes from their teams for each award. Then, a selection committee narrowed each category down to three to five finalists. Finally, the entire school was invited to vote; the response was overwhelming.

“With almost 700 votes cast, we exceeded our expectations,” Kusumpa said. “It showed us how much students and faculty care about recognizing those who’ve really earned it.”

One of the biggest challenges, according to Leys, was making sure the event was inclusive.

“The most challenging part was ensuring every sport was represented so no one felt excluded,” Leys said. “We struggled with deciding who could vote and who could attend. While we wanted to include as many people as possible, we also wanted the night to feel earned—something people look forward to being a part of.”

Nominees will be honored in over 20 different categories, including headline awards like Male and Female Athlete of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, and Moment of the Year. Standout nominees include Ian French, Cameron Leys, and Dominic Smith for Male Athlete of the Year, and Katie Schuele, Bridget Anderson, and Pragya Iyer for Female Athlete of the Year.

Other categories like Play of the Year, Leadership Award, and Community Outreach Athlete of the Year showcase the full range of accomplishments, both on and off the field, by Metea athletes. Even roles often overlooked, such as Sports Photographer of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year, will be honored.

“Too often, students receive awards and their peers never even know,” Robinson said. “This event changes that. We want to highlight the best that Metea has to offer.”

From the beginning, the Metea ESPYs have been 100% student-driven, a fact that organizers say sets the event apart from more traditional, staff-run ceremonies.

“Ours is student-led,” Leys said. “While staff and coaches assist, the event is organized and run by students and the Captains Council, which is what makes it so special.”

Kusumpa echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the amount of effort and passion poured into the process.

“We’ve been working on this since November, crunching every number, refining every detail,” he said. “This isn’t just an awards show: this is a night people will remember, and hopefully something that becomes a Metea tradition.”

Even with the event just days away, organizers say that promotion is still one of their biggest challenges.

“Spreading the word out there has been the most daunting task, and still is as of now,” Kusumpa said. “But we’re committed to finishing strong.”

As Metea’s varsity athletes prepare to walk the black and gold carpet on May 19, more than just trophies and applause will be waiting at the end of the night. There’s the beginning of a new legacy, one that’s built not just by winning, but by celebrating the people who make those wins possible.

“We want this to become an annual tradition,” Leys said. “Years from now, we hope future athletes look forward to this night, and future Captains Council members make it even better.”

The Catholic Athletic Assn., made up of 25 high schools, voted for new leagues as part of a four-year cycle on Wednesday, but the meeting ended in disagreement, disputes and a threat that Mission League schools might leave the organization.

Terry Barnum, head of athletics at Harvard-Westlake, submitted two re-leaguing plans as proposals but asked they be withdrawn in favor of others as had been done in the past. It was refused. One of the plans was adopted by a 14-11 vote for football only, and now Barnum vows to appeal on procedural grounds and believes his fellow Mission League members will look to leave the CAA and form their own area.

Barnum and other Mission League representatives wanted the football-only proposal pulled. The fact it wasn’t could cause Mission League schools to pull out of the CAA, Barnum said.

He said that eight years ago in the last CAA meeting on reconfiguring league members, proposals were allowed to be withdrawn, setting a precedent. “We believe precedent and procedures were not followed,” Barnum said.

“What today showed is that there’s an ideological difference and divide in parochial schools and the Mission League,” he said. “We will never be in position to control our own destiny and rules will be bent and circumvented in order for the Mission League not to control our destiny.”

Barnum is well-respected within the CIF hierarchy as a member of the Southern Section executive committee and CAA executive committee. He said he plans to appeal the decision to the Southern Section but first must receive support from fellow Mission League members. His philosophy is to keep Mission League schools together for almost all sports. They are Harvard-Westlake, Crespi, Sierra Canyon, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Loyola, St. Francis, Bishop Alemany and Chaminade.

The CAA meeting was originally scheduled for last Wednesday, then changed after supposedly not enough time had been given as notice to satisfy the Brown Act. Barnum said he believes the delay was designed to “allow a group of schools to rally themselves around a plan” they wanted.