Colton High School 2020 graduates honored with Ken Hubbs Award

Two of Colton High School’s Class of 2020 students, Jose Rubio and Madicyn Martinez, have been honored with the prestigious Ken Hubbs Award.

The award, which is given to the best male and female athletes each year in San Bernardino County, is an honor in memory of the late Ken Hubbs a multi-sport athlete who happens to be a CHS and Chicago Cubs alumni, after dying tragically in1964 at the age of 22.

Rubio was recognized for his efforts in both wrestling and football, while Madicyn was recognized for her efforts in soccer and track and field.

“Its always nice to see a student from Colton High School be recognized for this award. Colton is such a small city, so it’s special to see our students being recognized because there’s not a lot of positive news that gets published regarding our city,” said Football Coach Ray Rodriguez.

Rodriguez also recounts initially encouraging Rubio to play football, after witnessing his commitment and success in wrestling.

“Rubio was mainly a wrestler at first, so his sportsmanship and athletic abilities transferred well into football, where he played defensive line during the 2019 football season,” continued Rodriguez.

According to Rodriguez, Rubio’s character and leadership is what set him apart from others; which includes at one point trying to jump into a football game against Summit High School while recovering from an injury, sitting on the sidelines.

“We went into halftime 14 points down against Summit in game eight and he knew we needed some extra help in the defensive line position. So literally in the middle of healing from a neck injury, he jumped out from the side lines, padded himself up and tried to jump into the game. We had to pull him back, but this goes to show his dedication to the team,” concluded Rodriguez.

Rubio’s Wrestling Coach Andrew Castro shared a similar sentiment regarding his character, sportsmanship, and success he witnessed while coaching him throughout all four years of high school.

“This year he qualified for masters in wrestling and no matter what obstacles or adversities he faced, he always had a smile on his face. He continued to show up to practices, and encourage other Colton High School wrestlers to commit to the sport and do their best, all while recovering from a back injury” said Castro.

“He always came out and handled business. I’m going to miss him next year,” concluded Castro.

On the other hand, Martinez, another multi-sport athlete, was recognized for her success and contributions to the high school’s soccer and track and field team.

“Madicyn was similar to Ken Hubbs in the sense that she is a multi-sport athlete. I’ve been her soccer coach for two years and her athleticism is phenomenal,” said Soccer Coach Manny Flores.

It was noted that her versatility in soccer, where she played forward, defense and outside-mid landed her a scholarship to Salem West Virginia, a Division 2 school in soccer.

“She was voted team leader this past year and she was nothing short of a great role model. During the season she sprained her ankle and we had to reserve her throughout the season, but her commitment to the team was transparent as she attended all practices, games, and never stopped encouraging the team to do their best,” Flores said. “I wish Madicyn the best of luck at the next level and want to thank her for being a huge part in building the program that we are today,” concluded Flores.