Del Valle HS Special Olympics basketball team heading to state

The Del Valle High School Special Olympics basketball team will be representing the school and the Ysleta District at a state tournament in Arlington, TX this Saturday.

A first in school history!

The 18 student athletes were celebrated with a special send off parade Tuesday morning.

Coach Edgar Ramirez walked the halls of Del Valle High School with his players as they were cheered on by students standing outside the halls.

“It’s a joy just to see them happy and excited for them,” said Ramirez.

The teams played in a region tournament that was held at the school and both teams took home the gold!

“And from there it was like a little preparation for them to get ready for the state tournament,” Ramirez said.

Del Valle High School junior, Selena Espinoza, said that it had been a few years since she has traveled out of El Paso. This trip is something she is looking forward to.

“It feels exciting and I’m super happy that we made it to state,” Espinoza said.

The basketball program had been removed from the school years ago, but coach Ramirez was excited to help bring it back when he began his teaching career at Del Valle High School.

“About two years ago, when I started, we brought the program back and we’ve been having a good time since.”

The teams will have their tournaments this Saturday, and if all goes well, they could play a second game on Sunday.