Rockwall-Heath High School

Rockwall-Heath High School is a public high school located in Heath, Texas, and is one of two high schools that serve the Rockwall Independent School District, the other being Rockwall High School. The school enrolls students from 9th to 12th grade. It is a Texas Recognized School.

Rockwall-Heath High School
Address
801 Laurence Drive Heath, Texas 75032 United States
Coordinates	32.84613°N 96.47198°W / 32.84613; -96.47198
Information
Type	High School (Secondary)
Established	2005; 20 years ago (2005)
School district	Rockwall Independent School District
Principal	Todd Bradford
Teaching staff	169.81 (FTE)[1]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	2,944 (2023–2024)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	17.34[1]
Color(s)	Red, black and white
Mascot	Hawk
Website	www.rockwallisd.com/Domain/9

The school opened in 2005 and completed its second phase of construction in 2010 that included a new fine arts wing, a band hall, a 1500-seat auditorium, and Wilkerson-Sanders stadium. Approved and signed in 2007 during the RISD bond election, it was the most expensive bond in the history of RISD at $198 million. The school bond also included two new elementary schools (Celia Hays and Sharon Shannon), planning for a third high school, and the conversion of the Utley Freshman Center into Herman E Utley Middle School.

The first graduating class from the school was the class of 2008.

Athletics

Baseball

• 2012 4A State Champion,^[2] 2021 6A State Champion,^[3] 2022 6A State Semifinalist^[4]

Football

On November 6, 2008, the undefeated Rockwall-Heath High School Varsity football team beat Highland Park High School and claimed the 10-4A district championship title. The team won its first round of playoffs against Frisco Centennial High School and against Hillcrest High School at the Texas Stadium on November 21. The team advanced to the fourth round of playoffs, still undefeated, by beating Ennis High School. Rockwall-Heath was defeated in the quarterfinals by Sulphur Springs. The final record for the 2008 season was 13–1.

Following their first playoff season, The Hawks returned to the post season and were eliminated by Frisco Liberty High School marking a 7–4 season. The 2011 Hawks claimed a spot in the postseason making it their third trip to the playoffs in school history.

In January 2019, the school hired renowned Texas high school football coach, Mike Spradlin. The Hawks finished Spradlin's first season at 5-5.

In the 2020-2021 season, the team finished with a 10-4 record. The season ended with a state quarterfinals loss to Cedar Hill (24-27).

In 2021, the team finished the regular season at 9-1, including a perfect 6-0 in district play. The season would end with a 35-21 regional finals loss to Tomball. After the season, in December, coach Spradlin announced his retirement. In January, Heath administrators hired their assistant head coach, John Harrell, to succeed Spradlin.

In January 2023, eight students were hospitalized during an offseason football workout in which players were forced to complete 400 push-ups in a 60-minute period without access to water. Coach Harrell was placed on administrative leave following the incident, and stepped down due to pressure from the parents of the hospitalized players.^[5][6]

Track and field/cross country

As of late, the Heath Cross Country team has undergone much success. The boy’s varsity team has claimed the District 10 Championship multiple years in a row, with newcomers Evan Herrera and Alan Perez leading the charge.

Evan Herrera also holds the school records in the 5k, 3200m, and 1600m races respectively, with blazing times of 15:25, 9:17, and 4:13. This 1600m time landed him one spot short of a Texas 6A state track qualification.

Nicholas Holland, senior captain of the 2023-24 season has also claimed much success. After a series of back and forth races with teammate Evan Martin, he claimed the school record in the 800m dash with a time of 1:56.

The cross country and distance track teams have shown great promise in the past years and are continuing to improve by leaps and bounds.

Notable people

Alumni

• Kevin Bazzell, professional baseball player.^[7]
• DeShon Elliott, professional football player.^[8]
• Tyler Ivey, professional baseball player.^[9]
• Canaan Smith-Njigba, professional baseball player.^[10]
• Jake Thompson, professional baseball player.^[11]
• Drew VerHagen, professional baseball player.^[12]
• Jett Williams, professional baseball player.^[13]

References

1. "ROCKWALL-HEALTH H S". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
2. "2011-2012 4A Baseball State Results". uiltexas.org. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
3. "2020-2021 6A Baseball State Results". uiltexas.org. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
4. "2021-2022 6A Baseball State Results". uiltexas.org. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
5. Godwin, Dan (January 11, 2023). "Rockwall Heath HS football coach on leave after pushup punishment". FOX 4 News. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
6. Riddle, Greg (January 11, 2023). "Rockwall-Heath football players hospitalized, coach on leave after extreme workout". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
7. "5 players to know at the 2021 UIL 6A state baseball tournament, including a duo of catchers". The Dallas Morning News. June 9, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
8. "DeShon Elliott". baltimoreravens.com. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
9. "Tyler Ivey". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
10. "Canaan Smith Class of 2017 - Player Profile | Perfect Game USA". Perfect Game. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
11. "Jake Thompson". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
12. "Drew VerHagen". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
13. "New York Mets select Mississippi State baseball signee Jett Williams in 2022 MLB Draft".

External links

• Official website
• Official Site of Rockwall Heath Hawks Football
• Rockwall Independent School District home page
• RHHS Marching Band