Round Rock ISD student-athletes that are visually impaired place third at the November 6 United States Association of Blind Athletes Goalball tournament held at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
The team, known as the Central Texas Avengers, includes Brandon Santos, a senior at Round Rock High School; Xavier Rentas, a sophomore at Cedar Ridge High School; Mahaveer Prakasha, a sophomore; and Neminath Prakasha, a freshman at Westwood High School.
“The team works incredibly hard and is full of determination,” said coach Lisa Cannon King. “I’m exceptionally proud of them.” King is a certified orientation and mobility specialist with the Round Rock ISD department for students with visual impairments.
Goalball is a para-Olympic sport and the most popular team sport for the blind and visually impaired. In goalball, the game’s object is to roll a basketball-sized ball with bells inside over the opponent’s goal line. Your opponents listen for the oncoming ball and attempt to block it with their bodies. The sport originated in 1946 to keep blinded WWII veterans physically active. Goalball has since become the premier team sport for blind athletes and is played competitively in 112 countries.
