Italy hosts Junior High girls and boys basketball tournament with Italy’s 8th grade boys finishing as tournament champions.

Italy’s Junior High Gladiators split wins with visiting Hubbard with Italy’s 8th grade team getting the win over the Jags.

Italy’s Junior High Girls play hard at home against the Junior High Lady Jags from Hubbard during an exciting night of full court action inside the Coliseum.

Italy’s JV Gladiators survive a physical test against Frost and exit the wooden tundra with a well deserved win. This one was for “Big Money B.”

Congratulations to Italy Gladiator senior Cody Boyd who was presented his Academic All-State Certificate this week by Italy Athletic Director/Head Football Coach Charles Tindol.

Unselfish play catapulted the Lady Gladiators to 2-0 in district play after an impressive combination of power, hustle and teamwork proved to much for the Frost Lady Polar Bears.

The effort was there by the Gladiators but the Frost Polar Bears found a way to get the win despite a never give up attitude on display by Italy.

The Lady Gladiators defeat rival Itasca with ease inside the Coliseum to begin district play 1-0.

Recap of Italy’s JV squads’ district openers.

The Italy Lady Gladiator basketball team has earned a spot in the 2A basketball rankings in two polls for the week of January 19, 2015. The Lady Gladiators hold the #15 spot in the TGCA poll and are also ranked #21 in the TABC poll. The Lady Gladiators are currently 20-7 for the season and are in 1st place in district 12-2A with a 2-0 record.

The 3rd and 4th grade girls IYAA basketball team played in Hillsboro this past Saturday morning. After a long game, and a very impressive 4th quarter, they lost 14 – 6.

On Friday, January 23, while the Gladiators and Lady Gladiators take on the Gateway Gators on the hardwood inside the Gladiator Dome, the Lady Gladiator Softball players and their parents will be serving up burgers with all the fixings in the Italy High School Cafeteria.

See the attached information sheets to view the vast array of Gladiator tshirts, hoodies, shorts and much more for sale benefiting the Gladiator Track team.

This Saturday, January 17, Italy will be the host of a junior high basketball tournament. Both gyms will be buzzing with basketball action with the first tipoff at 9:00am and games scheduled well into the afternoon. Check out the tournament brackets attached.

Italy Gladiator Baseball players travel to waco for an opportunity to meet and learn a few tricks of the trade from former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens.

On November 22, 2014 students from the Hillsboro Unified Tae Kwon Do School tested for new belts. These students were required to preform two patterns, break boards and spar while being tested by a panel of Masters. On hand for the grading were Grand Master Park-9th Degree Black Belt and co-founder of Unified Tae Kwon Do from Houston, Texas, Master Charles Kight-4th Degree Black Belt and chief instructor of the Hillsboro Unified Tae Kwon Do School for over 18 years, Master Kevin Kight-5th Degree Black Belt from Lorena, Texas and Kevin Devers-4th Degree Black Belt from West, Texas.

2008 Italy High School graduate, Josh Howard will be one of the contestants in the second season of Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Challenge on CMT (Country Music Television). The series will air it’s first episode on January 4th, 2015.

Josh’s episode will air February 8, 2015 on the CMT channel at 7pm.

The Lady Gladiators controlled the Lady Bulldogs of Venus in the dome Tuesday night from the first play of the game until the final buzzer.

On January 2, 2012 a young man entered the Hillsboro Unified Tae Kwon Do School located at 125 W Elm-Hillsboro along with his mother and father, Maria and Roger Sam. The family was from Italy, Texas.

The Gladiator Football program and AD/HFC Charles Tindol announce Italy’s 2014 All-District award winners for their relentless efforts on the grid-iron this season.

The Italy Lady Gladiators improved their record to 10-3 with a 50-34 victory or the Axtell Lady Longhorns at home in the dome Tuesday night. Freshman Emmy Cunningham led Italy with 30 points.

Even when they were outnumbered, the Italy Lady Gladiator Junior Varsity basketball team never gave up. They fought hard on the court to defeat the Axtell Lady Longhorn J.V. 23-21 on Tuesday night in the dome. Italy started the game with only 5 players -Axtell suited up 11 players.

The IYAA will be holding its final basketball signup tomorrow on Saturday, December 6, at the Upchurch Ballpark concession stand from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Members of the Italy Lady Gladiator Softball team left their mark in the big city while bringing a tournament championship trophy home after defeating larger schools such as Duncanville and South Grand Prairie for the top prize.

This coming weekend will be packed with basketball games for our Italy Boys JV and Varsity squads. Our JV boys will travel to Ferris High School for their 9th grade/JV Tournament and our varsity boys will travel to Avalon for their 84th annual Basketball Tournament. Brackets for both tournaments are attached.

The Italy Youth Athletic Association had all three of their Football and Cheerleading age groups A (5th-6th), B (3rd – 4th) and C (Pre-K – 2nd)) win at least one playoff game and the C-team and B-team both reached the Superbowl with the Italy’s C-team winning the Championship trophy!

Several of our Italy, Texas youth are reveling in victories of recent sports championships. Did you know?

With everyone in suspense on where she might go, Italy’s Kortnei Johnson selected LSU over University of Houston and Kansas State and will continue her track career as a Lady Tiger at the D1 level. Not bad for an athlete from a small school without a track.

Italy High School senior softball pitcher Jaclynn Lewis commits to Texas Lutheran University where she will continue her career as a Lady Bulldog.

Italy High School junior Mason Womack becomes the first male cross-country runner to qualify for regionals in recent times for the Gladiators.

Don’t be left out in the cold without your Gladiator gear. Let’s get warmed up for our JV/Varsity Baseball Season with spirit beanies, gloves and headbands available for purchase thru Italy Baseball!

On Friday, November 14 we will honor Kortnei Johnson as she signs her letter of commitment to run track at the collegiate level. We will have a short signing ceremony at 3:10 pm in the Dome followed by cake to honor Kortnei.

Please join the Lady Gladiator Softball Team and Coaches on Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at 3:10 pm in the Italy High School Dome to celebrate Jaclynn Lewis signing to play college softball. Jaclynn has committed to play with Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, Texas.

The Italy Gladiators overcome an early touchdown by the Wortham Bulldogs to emerge victorious in the final moments of their district duel this past Friday night, keeping their playoff hopes alive!

Gladiator head basketball coach Brandon Ganske wishes to inform basketball players and parents that the program will be having a JH and HS boys basketball meeting on November 11, 2014, starting at 6:00 p.m. inside the Italy High School cafeteria.

Gladiator gold to meet with olympic gold with Italy High School track star Kortnei Johnson expecting a recruiting visit on Wednesday from the University of Houston’s head track coach Leroy Burrell and 9 time olympic champion and Cougar assistant coach Carl Lewis who his in his 26th year as a coach at UH.

The Lady Gladiators will battle Avalon for 2nd place this Friday, October 31, 2014 in Blooming Grove at 4pm. Show your support by purchasing a playoff shirt! Order form is attached.

Italy AD, Charles Tindol has released the varsity and JV basketball schedules for the 2014-2015 season. They are attached. Good luck to the Gladiators and Lady Gladiators as they gear up for a memorable season on the hardwood!

Note: Updated JV/Varsity Boys schedule submitted by Coach Ganske added 10/28/2014;
Updated JV/Varsity Girls schedule submitted by Coach Fullmer added 10/24/2014

Several Italy ISD students will have a big send off bright and early Tuesday morning (October 28, 2014). These students will be competing in the Special Olympics Bowling event at USA Bowl in Dallas. The send off will be at 8:00am at the Italy High School campus. Come join in with the student body as they send these Gladiators off to represent Italy.

The Gladiators had momentum coming off a 48-26 win against Dawson but the highly ranked Chilton Pirates defended their home turf with an important district win over Italy.

The Italy High School Softball team is selling Stadium Throws as a fundraiser for their program this year. The blankets are 50″×70″ and come in two different styles (see images).

The IYAA B-team and C-team football players and cheerleaders will make up their previously rained out game against Itasca tomorrow evening, Tuesday, October 21, with both C-teams kicking the evening off at 6:00 p.m.

Enjoy photos and a video from the 2014 Homecoming Parade and Pep Rally. Bonfire coverage is also included in the video.

On September 20th, 54 students from the Hillsboro Unified Tae Kwon Do School located at 125 W Elm-Hillsboro traveled to Giddings, Texas to compete in an invitational Tae Kwon Do tournament. There were several students from Italy who attended this tournament but this picture is a mom and son who enjoy Tae Kwon Do for several reasons including a great activity a son and mom can participate in together, great exercise, while helping with focus and helps in building self-esteem.

The Italy Baseball team has created beanies, ear warmers, and gloves with Gladiator spirit icons stitched on them and the items can be purchased thru Mrs. Kelli Ballard at the high school or Mrs. Misty Escamilla at the elementary.

The Gladiators defeat Dawson 48-26 to win homecoming, quarterback Joe Celis gains 249 yards and scores 3 TDs, Coby Jeffords scores 4 TDs and Kelsey Nelson and Chase McGinnis are crowned the 2014 Italy High School Homecoming Queen and King!!!