In what has become a unique PHS baseball tradition, Coach Leroy Mansanales and his players invited the life skills students to join them for an Easter egg hunt on the baseball field.

“We wanted to do some­thing nice for the kids,” Coach Mansanales said. “When I was at Creekview, the head coach (John Herrick) had a broth­er that was special needs so he started doing this. This is something we have started, and I want it to be an annual event.

“It’s obvious the kids and players all love it,” he contin­ued. “It’s a nice way to show that no matter what’s going on in the world, they can take a step back and be appreciative and willing to give back to oth­ers.”

The Princeton players spent their athletic period “hiding” the eggs, passing out baskets and helping during the hunt.

“This is a good activity,” junior center fielder Humber­to Cortes said. “We get to do something special for them, and everybody loves to hunt Easter eggs.”

The players donated candy and eggs, and the coaches pro­vided baskets.

“I like to see the kids having fun, and it’s awesome to see them smile,” said senior left fielder Nate Gonzalez. “It’s fun to watch.”

This was truly a field of dreams for these students as they spent the morning run­ning across the infield with their baskets. But one of the highlights was getting on the mound to throw a pitch.

“I love that they do this for the kids,” life skills teacher Jill Peters said. “I know they really enjoyed hunting eggs and be­ing with the baseball players.”

Life skills student Douglas Davilla could not contain his excitement for the day.

“Guys, it’s eggs,” Douglas yelled when he entered the field. “I’m excited. My basket is blue. Blue is my favorite color. Guys, it’s eggs every­where.”

For more stories like this, see the Apr. 8 issue or subscribe online.

By Jean Ann Collins • [email protected]