Some kids grow up wanting to be an astronaut or movie star. I grew up wanting to slam a basketball through the rim of a 10-foot goal. At my height and athletic ability becoming an astronaut was probably more obtainable.

While the dream didn’t pan out for this skinny sports writer, I still enjoy watching others throw down.

In the MHS Senior Campus Gym I sat courtside Saturday as high school athletes in the Victoria Classic competed in the dunk contest and watched as athletes from the state and from Washington D.C. performed feats I never will be able to.

In the end, it was Ballou High’s Marquis Gentry walking out of the gym with the title. Gentry beat Taft’s Julian Boyd in a one-dunk playoff but was clearly the most skilled dunker in the field. Gentry’s best dunk came as an assistant coach one-hopped a pass from the stands and he put it down with power.

Houston Chavez, the tournament champions, also put in two outstanding dunkers in the competition. Phillip Etheridge was the most electric dunker in the competition, but couldn’t get his dunks to go down, while teammate Alex Etheridge brought the house to its feet on his first dunk. He could have glided out of the gym a hero if he would have put another one down, but five misses had him out of the competition.

Other performers in the contest Andreas Foster, Donte McGee and Austin Hodges of Memorial. Foster was by far the strongest Victoria dunker in the field but couldn’t come through in the finals as he tried to get fancy with passes of LaBree Sledge’s head. Bad choice by Foster, but still an impressive showing.