LAKE HAVASU CITY — David Gilliam was one of three Tigers to play on both state champion baseball teams, as well as help the basketball and football teams advance to the playoffs this year.

David Bell/News-Herald Photos, File. David Gilliam, left, shown here during an Oct. 8, 2010 football home game against Yuma Harvest Prep, and Shelby Kindle, pictured here during a Dec. 16, 2010 home basketball game against Quartzsite Scholars Academy, were named the Tigers’ Athletes of the Year during the Telesis sports banquet, Tuesday.

In addition to playing volleyball and basketball, Shelby Kindle was the backstop for the Lady Tigers’ softball team that earned a playoff spot in the team’s inaugural year.

The efforts of Gilliam and Kindle were recognized at the Telesis sports banquet, Tuesday, when the two seniors were named Telesis Athletes of the Year.

Gilliam — who said he would play for Eastern Arizona community College next year — also earned Arizona Charter Athletic Association All-State honors for football with teammate Fabian Damien.

Damian took another All-State honor in basketball, as did Kris Larson. In baseball, it was CAA league and Telesis team MVP Cameron Hoover along with Javaree Thompson named to the All-State team.

Kindle was named softball team co-MVP with Paytne Hinger, while Becky Escobar grabbed two team MVP honors — in volleyball with Corey Jones and in basketball.

In addition to MVP and All-State honors, Telesis Athletic Director Landon Merrill announced more than $24,000 in scholarships were earned by graduating Tigers athletes.

Merrill also told the crowd he was stepping down from his position, as well as leaving his football and basketball head coaching jobs, to pursue a career in the ministry. As of June 2, he will become the associate pastor for Covenant Church in Flagstaff.

“It’s been a long road but this has always been my dream, Merrill said Wednesday. “And I’m glad I was able to be part of laying a foundation that built character and integrity. And helped students that may never have played sports before or know the games, grow into people of talent and become great young men and women that will succeed in what they do in life.”

Chris Denney will assume the duties of Telesis athletic director starting with the 2011-12 school year. Denney was an assistant coach on the football team and head coach for the softball team.

“I’m excited. We’ve got a lot of good things happening at Telesis and the programs will continue to grow,” Denney said.

Denney was the principal at Our Savior Lutheran School for one year until budget cuts forced the church to scale back to K-2. Since then he’s been teaching as a substitute at Telesis and now will assume the duties of full-time physical education instructor for the Telesis high school and junior academy in addition to the athletic director duties.

He also will move to into the head coaching position in boys’ basketball, making the jump from junior academy coach.

“With Landon leaving football, Brian Bagshaw will move into the head coaches job and retain defensive coordinator while I’ll move into the offensive coordinator position with Craig (Bolton) leaving,” Denney said. “And Brian has the baseball background so he’ll take over that program from Craig; Darren Carson and Tim Rodriguez still have volleyball, and Josh Stewart will stay with girls basketball unless we don’t have enough girls come out. If that’s the case, he’ll slide over and help me with the boys, probably taking the junior academy. And I’ll stay with softball.”

Telesis will also move down to the 1A Division in the CAA next year.