He’s Mr. Pacific Beach, and the area’s biggest sports fan. This year, he is also Mission Bay High’s homecoming king. “He’s Troy. There’s not another Troy,” said teacher Amanda Logan. Horton is one of her special-needs students at Mission Bay High. “Troy is not like your typical student with special needs.”
Logan said Horton’s spirit is indomitable. “He’s extremely outgoing. He’s involved,” she said. “He is a man about Pacific Beach,” she said. “He’s Mr. Pacific Beach. He is known, not just on the school campus, but at the little league field, and all around town. He knows everyone’s name. His parents have done a very good job including him in the community, and school events as well.”
Of Mission Bay High, Troy, wearing his homecoming crown, pointed out, “I’m the number one biggest fan. I know all the players. I’m the ultimate fan.”
Asked if he campaigned to be a monarch, Troy said: “I wanted to be the king — and everybody voted for me.”
How does it feel?
“Great,” replied gravel-voiced Troy, eliciting smiles all around. “Everybody calls me king Troy around school.”
“He’s the friendliest person I know,” concluded Kirra Barth, MBHS’s 2018 homecoming queen, about Troy.
The tale behind Troy becoming high-school royalty is heartwarming.
“I thought of all of the amazing things he has done for the rest of us,” said MBHS senior Natalie McDermott, who nominated him. “He goes to all of our sports events, sometimes even during the preseason. Troy is always so happy and can bring a smile to anyone’s face … He is always the loudest, most enthusiastic fan in the crowd. I thought we should give back to him.”
Added McDermott, “I can’t imagine what my high school experience would have been like without Troy yelling, ‘Let’s go Nat,’ at all of my varsity basketball games.” 
Troy deserved his coronation.
“The kids love him, and the community all knows and loves Troy,” noted Natalie McDermott’s mother, Veronica. “When they announced Troy as the winner at the dance, the crowd went wild, throwing water in the air, jumping up and down, screaming. Troy is absolutely the star. Everyone could only be so lucky to know this boy, so full of life, excitement and love.”
“We would like to thank the Pacific Beach Community for being so supportive of Troy and his whole family,” said Troy’s mother, Susie Horton. “We couldn’t ask for a better group of neighbors for him to grow up with.”