The No. 50 football jersey of Joshua Pickard hangs in the Buhach Colony High School gym. The jersey was retired by the school in 2006 after Marine Cpl. Pickard was killed in Fallujah, Iraq while serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since 2015, the Buhach Colony football team has honored Pickard, who graduated from Buhach Colony in 2004, by handing out the Joshua Pickard Weekly Award (JP50 Award) to one player who demonstrates a hard-nosed work ethic and a fight to compete.

 

Each week the player selected is given a T-shirt with Pickard’s No. 50 and a “JP” sticker that goes on their helmet. The past two years the Thunder program has also honored a community member in honor of Pickard, based on their contributions to the program or their connection to Pickard. 

 

“Every time somebody is selected, it allows me to go down memory lane and remember Josh and the person he was,” Buhach Colony co-head coach Kevin Navarra said.

 

Navarra says the coaching staff brings up Pickard’s name to current players early in the year. They talk about how he always put the team first and how they should be honored if chosen for the weekly award. “We talk about the type of teammate that Josh was, he wasn't necessarily the starter or the best player on the team, but he was just a team type of guy who did anything that was asked of him. It seemed like he just always had an energy that kind of elevated everybody around him to a different level. He was always about his teammates and the team and it was never about himself.”

 

This year’s player recipients of the JP50 Award have been Michael Hernandez, Blake O’Brien, Soren Anderson, Levi Colmenero, Marcus Hernandez and Charles Peterson. 

 

“I think it’s one of the biggest things to happen to me all year long,” said O’Brien about when he was selected. “I know he’s one of the best people to ever come to this school and I think we have a huge tradition around that. He is someone who is honored greatly and being picked for that is one of the greatest honors I’ve ever had.”

 

Michael Hernandez felt that same pride when he was picked in the first week of the season. “It’s an honor to just be recognized for someone like Josh Pickard, who holds such a high value in this community,” he said. “It’s very special to me. I have a lot of respect for all my coaches and for them to pick me just means a lot.” 

 

In the first two years community members have been recognized the selections have been: Kent and Deann Floro, Teresa Sherman, Kevin Swartwood, Darin Dupont, Mary Ann Navarra, Jennifer Hereidia, Kalissa Rochester, Tommy Bone, Joe Medeiros, Rod Cochran, Al Garcia and Linda Dash.

 

It’s a program tradition that honors current players, allows the program to recognize community members or people who have a connection with the program and it’s a way to remember Pickard. It’s a program tradition Navarra is happy to continue. “I'm just super proud of the fact that we're having this conversation,” Navarra said. “We're recognizing somebody that, obviously, gave the ultimate sacrifice with his life for his country.”

 

MUHSD Football Games this Week

Buhach Colony at Golden Valley

Merced at Los Banos

El Capitan at Atwater

Livingston at Central Valley

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.