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CV’s Carrillo honored for second time
Thomas Carrillo 2
Central Valley’s Thomas Carrillo was named a CCC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award recipient earlier this month. Carrillo has taken eight Advanced Placement classes during his high school career. He earned nine varsity letters.

Central Valley High School senior multi-sport standout Thomas Carrillo was named a Central California Conference Male Scholar-Athlete Award recipient for the 2019-20 academic year on May 15.

A double-winner, Carrillo was presented the Golden Hawk Male Athlete of the Year trophy on May 6.

“This is just as special as the school (award),” he said. “I had no idea I was in the running to get it. It’s nice to know I was recognized for not just sports achievements but also for my grades. My parents (Thomas Sr. and Michele) are really proud of me.”

Carrillo currently has a cumulative grade-point average of 4.2.

He was named a salutatorian for Central Valley’s graduation.

“It’s definitely a grind,” he said. “It’s one thing after another. At times, it can be overwhelming. You have those days when you feel like giving up. You just have to get through it. My parents always encouraged me to keep going.”

Carrillo has taken eight Advanced Placement courses, including Human Geography, European History, U.S. History, Biology, Language & Composition, Statistics, Literature & Composition, and Government.

He passed Human Geography, European History, U.S. History, Biology, and Language & Composition exams, and is waiting for scores for Statistics, Literature & Composition, and Government.

“The assignments are more time-consuming,” Carrillo said. “You have to put deep thought into it. Sometimes I didn’t sleep at night because I had to do homework. It was all worth it because I got rewarded with good grades. I’m going to have a head start in college.”

Carrillo will continue his education at Long Beach State.

He will major in microbiology.

“I want to get good grades because it’s going to help me in the future,” he said.

Carrillo earned nine varsity letters during his prep athletic career, including four in golf, three in wrestling and two in football.

He secured an individual berth to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-IV Golf Tournament his sophomore year.

He also garnered second-team all-Western Athletic Conference accolades.

Carrillo’s final year with Central Valley’s wrestling program was his most productive.

The 195-pound grappler advanced to the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament.

Carrillo claimed an eighth-place medal at the Division-III championships.

He also medaled at the Central California Conference (third), Mike Tamana (third) and Ceres (second) tourneys.

Carrillo anchored the Central Valley football team’s offensive line this past fall.

He earned second-team all-CCC honors for his outstanding play.

Carrillo was an honorable-mention pick as a junior.

He collected 32 tackles and one sack at defensive tackle.

“I had fun doing every sport,” Carrillo said. “I really liked all of the coaches. They (Scott Edwards, Rob Beckhart and Jesse Vazquez) were always there for me whenever I needed anything. They pushed me to do better. They always had my back.”

“I’m satisfied with how I did as an individual,” he added. “I always put pressure on myself to do better. I always wanted to do well for my teams.”