Tony Godbolt, Jr., Elyria High Football

Elyria High’s football legacy includes a wealth of great tailbacks. One of the greatest was Tony Godbolt, Jr., who followed the footsteps of his father Tony Sr. at Elyria High. Tony still holds the school record for a single game rushing total of 303 yards. He did that against Vermilion during the 1989 season. During that game, Tony scored twice — one run going 99 yards — one of three Elyria High backs to do that in history. His name is included on the OHSAA website with that mark that cannot be broken. Tony won the prestigious Lorain County Golden Helmet Award following his senior season in 1989 where he rushed for 1,472 yards. That total is still among the top five seasons in EHS history.  He finished with 2,829 career yards and remains in the top ten of Elyria High all-time greats. He becomes part of the fourth father-son combination to be honored by the ESHOF joining the Mrukowski’s — Frank and Bill — the Machock’s — Stan and Chuck — and the Jones’ — Doug and Greg.  His father — Tony Sr. — was inducted in 2002.

Danny Mitcheff, Elyria High Wrestling

Elyria High’s wrestling program is one of the strongest in the state of Ohio with many individual state champions. Dan Mitcheff was one of the best. In 2005, Mitcheff won the state crown at 119 pounds and had a career record of 132-13. He qualified for the state tournament three times. At Kent State, Mitcheff qualified for the NCAA nationals four times and was a Mid-American Conference finalist four years. He remains among the best in Kent State history with his 131 wins for the Golden Flashes, twice winning 30 matches in a single season (30-9 in 2007-08 and 34-6 in 2009-10). In 2010, Mitcheff was named Mid-American Conference Wrestler of the Year and was named the outstanding wrestler at the MAC championships in both his junior and senior seasons. He was an All-American in 2010. After graduating from Kent State, he continued wrestling freestyle competition for six years, placing five times at the US Nationals and once at the US World Team Trials. He became an assistant coach at Kent State in 2016 and was previously a full-time assistant coach at Army and a volunteer assistant at Penn and Cleveland State. Mitcheff was inducted into Kent’s Varsity “K” Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.

Tammy Porter Derrico, Elyria High Track

In 1978, Tammy Porter not only was a member of the ESHOF’s 880-medley state championship relay team but she won the 100-yard dash at the state track meet in Columbus. She edged Brenda Kazinec of Brush for the individual title with a time of 11.0. Porter said her parents – John and Grace Porter – never missed a meet. Porter had specialized in the 220 sprint until her senior year but up to her senior season, she regularly contributed to the relay teams and the long jump. Her relay teammates – Gloria Barbee, Tina Brown and Betty Halliburton – all encouraged her to compete in the 100. Jackie Below, her coach, had challenged her to a “hall-way” race on the third floor of Elyria High School. It was there that she opened the eyes of her coach to compete in the 100-yard event. She also gives a lot of credit to the late Tom Below for sticking with her. She was previously inducted into the Lorain County Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2013. She was a six-time All-Ohio track sprinter. At the Class AAA meet, Porter set the state meet mark with her 10.8 finish in the 100 yard dash. Porter also played basketball at EHS and was named the team’s outstanding defensive player in 1978.

Dasan Robinson, Elyria High Soccer

Dasan Robinson is one of the most-gifted soccer players Elyria High has ever had. Robinson becomes the first EHS soccer grad to be honored into the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. A 2002 graduate of Elyria High, Robinson scored 21 goals and had 10 assists in 10 games as a senior. He was 2nd team All-Ohio as both a junior and senior along with All-County, All-LEL, and all-Greater Cleveland. He was rewarded with a scholarship to Dayton University where he was a four-year starter for the Flyers. As a defensive player, he still managed to score six goals and had 13 assists. Robinson was drafted in the second round, 22nd overall, by the Chicago Fire in the 2006 MLS supplemental draft. He went on play professionally in the Major League Soccer for the Chicago Fire from 2006-2011. He was traded to Toronto and later played for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Robinson was a member of the 2011 MLS Cup championship team.

Kelly Ruth Mahon, Elyria High Volleyball

Elyria High’s volleyball program has always been one of the best in the state with many All-Ohio and Miss Volleyball players among its alumni. Kelly Ruth certainly ranks among the greatest. In 2005, Ruth won the Miss Volleyball award for Lorain County and was selected to the All-Ohio first team. She was the District Player-of-the-Year in 2005. In her three years on the varsity at Elyria High, the Pioneers were 68-11 and advanced to the regional finals twice. At the time of graduation, Ruth ranked 19th all-time in the Ohio state record book with 939 career kills and 413 kills in a season (2005). At EHS, she also lettered twice in softball and three times in basketball. At Xavier, Ruth excelled in the Atlantic 10 Conference. She was named Player-of-the-Week five times and led Xavier in kills (twice), blocks and digs for the season. In 2006, Ruth found her way to the starting lineup 16 times. In 2007, Ruth started in 32 of Xavier’s 35 matches, competing in 117 sets. She was twice named conference Player-of-the-Week. She was first for the team in digs with 434 and remains in the top 10 for that category in program history. In 2008. Ruth started all 31 matches, playing in 114 sets. She was twice named Atlantic 10 Player-of-the-Week as well as the All-Academic Conference team. She had a career-high 27 kills and a career high 24 digs against Fordham. She led the team with 316 digs.

1979 Elyria High Football Team

Imagine giving up just 15 points in a 10-game season. That best describes the undefeated, Buckeye Conference Champion Elyria Pioneers in 1979. Coach Terry Doan’s team shut out eight teams on its schedule — a record that still stands today. Elyria shut out its first seven opponents before Findlay broke the streak. Elyria had to scramble to win that game, 8-7. Findlay stunned the Pioneers with an 81-yard drive to open the game. It’s final game of the year against it’s biggest rival — Lorain –ended with Elyria on top, 9-8, with a late score with under five minutes to play. The Pioneers were led by Golden Helmet winner Jon Burger, who’s interception set up the winning field goal by Aaron Swan against Fremont in a 3-0 win. Defensive linemen Dennis and Dan Carpenter were leaders on defense. Dennis was named to the All-Ohio team along with defensive back and quarterback Mike Appleby. Elyria’s defense finished with 22 interceptions led by Appleby and Brent Binkley with five each. Elyria also forced 24 fumbles, recovering 13 and finished 4th in the final AP state ratings. The Pioneers needed the defense to do what they did. They scored only 117 points for the season.

Joe “Jo Jo” Guyeska, Distinguished Service

Since 1991, the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame has honored those individuals with the Distinguished Service Award for being active in the community in a variety of ways. This year’s honoree is Joe “Jo Jo” Guyeska. Ask anyone connected with the Elyria Catholic football program knows the tireless work of Jo Jo. He handles the equipment, paints the field, fills coolers and cleans up after games and practices with a great, friendly attitude.

Lindsay Anderson Brown, Elyria High Softball

Elyria High’s softball success can be traced back nearly three decades when Lindsay Anderson Brown literally had a hand in the Pioneers’ first trip to the state finals in 1994. A three-time All-Ohio pitcher, Lindsay led Elyria to an incredible four-year mark of 75-16 record. She also played three years on the volleyball team and four years on the basketball team. She joins her older sister Ashley in the Hall of Fame. Ashley was inducted in 2007. Lindsay continued her softball career at Barry University (Miami Shores, Florida) where she pitched in the D-II national championship game. She pitched for the Bucs from 1998 through 2001 – winning 126 games. Her name is listed in the NCAA record book for throwing 21 innings in 2001 against Florida Southern before Barry won the game on her RBI hit in the top of the 21st inning. Lindsay holds Barry University’s record for complete games (97) and games started (119). She was Barry’s only pitcher to post back-to-back 20 win seasons in 1998 and 1999 and finished with a career ERA of 1.28. Of note, she was an academic All-American three times while at Barry. Lindsay has been married 10 years to Carrington Brown, a former Soccer player at Barry, and they have three daughters – Lois Jane (7), Blake Carrington (4) and Samantha Colleen (2). She received her MBA from Texas Christian in Dallas and was a marketing rep for Dr. Pepper in Dallas for many years prior to the birth of her third daughter. Currently she is a stay-at-home mom.

Duane Hawkins, Elyria West Football

Elyria West owned the Lorain County Conference in football in the 1990s under Darrell Mayne and one of the reasons for that success was tailback Duane Hawkins from 1992-94. Duane was named D-III All-Ohio as a senior tailback, rushing for 1,147 yards and 22 touchdowns, scoring a school record 134 points. In his three-year varsity career, Duane, 6-foot and 205 pounds, rushed for 2,967 yards and 46 touchdowns as West won 30 games and lost just twice. Twice during Duane’s high school career, the Wolverines were 10-0 during the regular season and won West’s first and only post-season playoff game against Amherst in 1992. The Wolverines lost the following week to eventual state champion Fostoria on a trick-play that has been outlawed by the OHSAA since.  Duane was also an outstanding defensive back. In track, Duane was a member of the state champion 4X100 relay team in 1995. He was West’s MVP as a sophomore in the 100, 200, and 4X100 relay team – scoring 159 points during the regular season. He currently resides in Avon.

Tom Kubuski, Elyria West Baseball

Lorain County has celebrated many state champions but only one in baseball. The orchestrater for championship run was long-time mentor and Coach Tom Kubuski and his is Elyria West Wolverines in 1992. In 35 years, Tom fashioned an outstanding baseball coaching career at West, North Ridgeville, Oberlin and Elyria Catholic – winning 383 games over that span. His teams won 13 conference championships, nine sectional titles, two district and two regional titles. Not only did he win the 1992 D-II state baseball title but he took the Wolverines to the state semi-finals in 1986. In girls basketball, he spent 18 years as Elyria West’s coach, winning 217 games, six sectional titles and two district championships. Tom was a great athlete in his own right at Midview. His father – Edward – was a legendary teacher and coach at Midview where the current gym — Ed Kubuski Gymnasium – is named for him. Tom was an outstanding baseball and basketball player for the Middies – graduating in 1972. For many years, he was the voice of Elyria West football and his dry sense of humor as the public address announcer is still talked about to this day. He is married to Marti and has three sons – Ben, Paul and Andrew.

Jon Laird, Elyria West Football

Elyria West High School produced many great athletes in its history including Jon Laird, a two-sport star for the Wolverines. Jon was a member of Elyria West’s 1977, 1978 and 1979 football teams, receiving All-State recognition in 1979 as a linebacker. He was a two-way starter on West’s 1978 Conference champion team. In baseball, Jon excelled as a shortstop for the Wolverines. He was first team All-District and All-County in 1980, his senior year. In the city’s Big League, Jon pitched three one-hit games and hit three home runs. A 1984 graduate of Oberlin College, Jon played both baseball and football for the Yeomen where he earned eight varsity letters (four in each sport). He was a three-time first team Ohio Athletic Conference selection in football where he recorded 320 tackles and 10 interceptions in his career. He was also the team’s punter. On the baseball team, Jon played shortstop and pitched for the Yeomen – hitting .300 and finishing with a 3.60 ERA. He was the team’s MVP as a junior. To show his versatility, Jon was invited to throw the javelin for the Oberlin track team in three meets as a senior and he finished first in all three. In 2002, Jon was inducted into the Oberlin College Hall of Fame. Jon became a long-time assistant coach at both Elyria West and Elyria High and later assisted at his alma mater Oberlin. Jon is married to Joy and they have two sons – Jon Jr. and Jack.

Brianne McLaughlin, Elyria Catholic Hockey

It isn’t often the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame is able to recognize Olympic greatness – especially in the sport of Hockey but Brianne McLaughlin, an Elyria Catholic graduate, is just that. Brianne McLaughlin was a member of US National Hockey team from 2010 through 2014. She competed in track, volleyball, basketball and hockey while at EC – graduating in 2005, where she held the school record in the women’s 100, 200 and 400 meter dash. Brianne was an outstanding goalie while at EC and earned a scholarship to Robert Morris University where she set an NCAA record for career saves with 3,809. She was a 4-time MVP at Robert Morris and first team All-College Hockey America in 2008 and 2009. She earned a pair of Silver Medals for the US team in Vancouver (2010) and again in Sochi, Russia (2014). She is the daughter of Briant and Susan McLaughlin and the sister of Michael. She currently resides in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. Briant was inducted in the ESHOF in 2013.

1977 EHS Women’s Sprint Relay Team, Elyria High

The Elyria Sports Hall of Fame welcomes its second track relay team to the exclusive list of inductees. The 1977 Elyria High Women’s 880-Medley Relay team won the state title with a record shattering time of 1:49.1. Gloria Barbee (sophomore), Betsy Riccardi (senior), Tammy Porter (junior) and Betty Halliburton (sophomore) took first place in record time. The girls also scored points at the state meet in the Mile Relay by breaking the four minute barrier for the first time, finishing with a time of 3:59.6 to finish second behind Upper Arlington. Rhonda Ransom (senior) and Tina Brown (sophomore) joined Riccardi and Halliburton on the mile relay team. The record time in the mile relay stood as an Elyria High record for 29 years. Elyria’s girls finished seventh overall with 19 points, one point shy of a four-way tie for fourth place. It was the first time an Elyria relay team became state champions in a single event. It’s only the second EHS relay team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The 1935 men’s mile relay team was honored in 2000.

 
Steve Kaminski, Distinguished Service

Since 1991, the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame has honored those individuals with the Distinguished Service award for being active in the community in a variety of ways. The late Steve Kaminski is receiving the honor this year for his outstanding service to the Elyria community during his lifetime. Steve was an original member of the ESHOF board of trustees when the group was first organized in 1971 to honor those outstanding athletes and coaches from the city of Elyria. He was also the chairman of the Elyria Boxing and Wrestling commission and served as manager and coach for many Little League Baseball teams. He was a great supporter of high school and sandlot sports throughout his life. Steve competed in an unprecedented record 65 straight Mud Bowl Softball game – an Elyria tradition – on New Year’s Day at Elyria’s Hamilton School field. Steve passed away in 2014 but his legacy continues.

Alex Boros Heygood, Elyria High Softball

One of the best softball players to come out of Elyria High School, Alex Boros was All-Ohio, All-County, All-Conference in her senior year (2005). She earned a scholarship to Butler University where she lettered all four seasons. At EHS, Boros was Miss Softball her senior year. She batted .405 with 46 runs scored, 22 RBI, 13 doubles, seven triples and three home runs. On the mound, she was 23-3 with a 0.58 ERA in 168.1 innings. She also was an outstanding volleyball player earning all-district, all-county and all-conference accolades. She’s a member of the National Honor Society. Her parents are Dan and Debra Boros. Her sister Kristen followed her softball career at Elyria. She recently married Anthony Heygood and they reside in Indiana. At Butler, Boros played in 183 varsity games for the Bulldogs. She was the starting at 2B where she hit 16 home runs in her career. She batted .303 as a senior and named to the second team for the Horizon League. Boros played for Ken Fenik (softball) and Carol Russo (volleyball) at Elyria High.

Tori Davis, Open Door Basketball

Tori Davis not only is the career leading basketball scorer at Open Door Christian High School but he holds the career scoring mark for Baldwin Wallace as well (2,232 points). Davis was a three-time All-OAC first team conference selection. Davis was twice named the Division III NCAA player of the year. He is among the career leaders at BW in 14 different categories. BW was 81-31 during his four year stint from 2003-2007. At Open Door, Davis led the Patriots to their only state final four appearance in 2003.

Angie McCall Nicholson, Elyria High Softball

A graduate of Elyria High School and an All-Ohio softball player, Nicholson was given a full-ride to Cleveland State University where she later would coach the varsity softball program. As a player, Nicholson was a two-time All-conference catcher. She was named as the Horizon League’s Coach of the Year in both 2008 and 2010. Nicholson has fashioned an outstanding record as a coach (430-337-1). She has recently accepted the head coach position at Hampton University in Virginia. She began her coaching career at Cuyahoga Community College where she posted 94 wins and qualified for the Region 12 tournament in three of her four seasons. At Eastern Illinois, Nicholson was 82-74 before resigning to take the job at Hampton this spring. At Cleveland State, Nicholson was 211-152. She also coached at Butler University.

Clarence “Eddie” Russell, Elyria High Track

Russell, an Elyria High grad, was a six-time Mid-American champion in the triple-jump and long-jump for the Univeristy of Toledo. He set records in the indoor in both events and earned All-American status in the long jump in 1997. He was the MAC long jump champion in both 1996 and 1997 and was a member of Team USA for the 1993 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. While at Elyria, Russell played both football and basketball for the Pioneers in addition to his track. He was the UT record holder in both the long jump and triple jump.

Dr. Levi Wingard, Elyria High Basketball and Track

Dr. Wingard graduated from Elyria High in 1965 where he excelled in both basketball and track but it is his collegiate and professional life that separates him from the average athlete. Dr. Wingard was an outstanding rebounder and captain for Wittenberg University basketball team in 1968-69. Dr. Wingard has been in public education for 36 years. He began his career in the Pittsburgh area and later became assistant principal of Francis McClure Junior High School in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. He moved on to Chester County to become assistant principal at West Chester East High School in 1975 and later principal of Great Valley High School for eight years. He became assistant superintendent for the West Chester Area School District for two years and was Director of Research and Development for the Chester County Intermediate Unit before retiring in 2006 as the Superintendent of the Downington Area School District. Dr. Wingard and his wife Marcy reside in Downington, Pennsylvania. He joins his brother, Dr. Eddie Wingard, with the Hall of Fame honor.

1967 Little League North Seniors

The Elyria Sports Hall of Fame welcomes its third Little League State Champions with the induction of the 1967 Little League North Seniors. They’ll join the 1958 Little League South Majors and the 1969 Little League West Majors State Champions that advanced to the World Series in Wilmington where they finished third in the world. In just the second year of the program being started, Little League North Seniors rolled through the competition to win the state crown in July of 1967 and went on to compete in a double-elimination regional tournament in Gary, Indiana. To win the state, North had to get past All-Star teams from Little League South, Collinwood, Little League East, Ashtabula, Mansfield and Dayton.  The 5-4 win over Dayton clinched the state title. North, after beating the state champion from Michigan, lost to the Missouri state champion to fall into the loser’s bracket. However, they defeated Indiana and gained revenge by beating Missouri before losing to Wisconsin, 6-5, in the finals. Wisconsin went on to the Senior Little League World Series. The team was managed by Don Dull and coached by Lee Heighberger (both deceased). Members of the team included: Front Row (Left-to-Right): Donny Kowaleski, Gary Beury, Carl Miksanek, Jim Dunn, Tony Korzan and Danny Sweigard. Back Row (Left-to-Right): Coach Lee Heighberger, Robby Sheldon, Jim Churpek, Pat Mullholland, Al Heighberger, Danny Terrell, Bill Dull, Scott Byrne, Tom Szabo and Manager Don Dull. Tom Schue wasn’t present for the picture. Of note, Sheldon and Szabo are both inductees of the ESHOF for individual performances.

Tim Gebhardt, Distinguished Service

A Three-time ESHOF Chairman, Gebhardt is the latest to be honored as the group’s Distinguished Service Winner. Gebhardt has served as MC at the banquet for several years and welcomes back the past inductees who attend the banquet. As a Chronicle-Telegram sports writer, Gebhardt has covered little league, high school, collegiate, and professional events his entire adult life. He has been assigned to cover Elyria High’s football and boys basketball teams since 1995. He has been inducted into both the county football and basketball Hall of Fame as well as receiving the first annual Jim Allen Lorain County Administrator’s Award for the 2014-15 school year. He was also honored by the State Basketball Coaches for their Hall of Honor in 2012 and by the Northeast District Board in 2014. He chaired the Hall of Fame committee in 2005, 2015 and 2016. In 2019, Gebhardt was recognized by the National Football Foundation as Northeast Ohio’s Sportswriter of the Year. A lifetime resident of Elyria, Gebhardt and his wife Sharon have two adult children and four grandchildren.

Mike Inge, Elyria High Track

Mike Inge was only eight years old when he first stepped on the track as a sprinter under the late Tom Below’s guidance for the Speed City Track Club in Elyria. Eventually, Mike found the 400 to be his event and he later added the 800. After a great career at Elyria High (2002 graduate), Mike followed his sister to Kent State. At Elyria, Mike helped the Pioneers to the state title in the 3,200 meter relay and earned All-American honors by helping Elyria place fifth at the Adidas National Outdoor Scholastic meet. At Kent, he still holds the 800 record at 1:47.77 set in 2004 and he is listed among the top ten times for both the 400 and mile runs for the Golden Flashes. In addition, Mike was a part of record-setting relay teams in the 4 X 400 and the distance medley. In 2003, Mike qualified for a berth at the Pan-Am games in Bridgetown, Barbados after winning the USATF Junior National Crown at Stanford with a personal record time of 1:?47.89. In 2005, Mike led Kent by winning both the indoor and outdoor 800-meter and 1500-meter titles. He earned All-American honors. “He is a proven champion,” said Kent State track coach Bill Lawson. “Not only when considering his physical performance, but his ability to take those around him to the next level.” Mike currently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Jessica Patton, Elyria Catholic Cross Country

One of the most proficient runners ever at Elyria Catholic, Jessica Patton won seven varsity letters as a Panther runner before graduating in 1996. Jessica established five school records at EC under coach John Boylan and won the state title in the 1600 meter run. Jessica also set the 5K record in Cross Country for Elyria Catholic. Her top times at EC were 5:04.22 for the Mile, 4:47.48 for the 1500 Meter, 2:16:64 for the 800 Meter, 11:04.4 for the 3000 Meter, 11:52.6 for the two mile run and 18:55.31 for the 5 K. She was named Elyria Catholic’s outstanding female athlete in 1996. At the University of Missouri, Patton was a three-time All-Big 12 performer in the 800, 1000, 1500 and Mile distances. Jessica currently resides in New York City.

Jenn Snyder Larrick, Elyria High Volleyball

Overcoming adversity after suffering a serious knee injury as a junior in basketball, Jenn Snyder-Larrick came all the way back from that setback to win the Miss Volleyball Award in 1998 for Elyria High. Under Hall of Fame coach Carol Russo, Jenn was the Lake Erie League’s Player-of-the Year in 1997, leading the Pioneers to the league title and a berth at the regional. As a senior, Jenn was named All-Ohio, Lorain County’s Player-of-the-Year, District 3 Player-of-the-Year, and the District 3 representative at the All-Ohio match. “When (teammate) Erin (Kingman) won the Miss Volleyball award (in 1996), I knew this is what I wanted to be,” she said when presented the Miss Volleyball Award. “So I went after it. After I injured my knee, I knew I was going to be behind and that I’d really have to work.” Jenn earned a scholarship to Akron where she remains listed at the top of several statistical career and season marks. Jenn and her fellow Hall-of-Fame husband Brett, are raising their two sons in Elyria. Jenn is the head volleyball coach at Brookside. Brett is the head basketball coach at Elyria.

Tom Ternes, Elyria High Wrestling

Ask any Lorain County Wrestling fan and the name Tom Ternes will certainly be at the top of the list of accomplishments both as a wrestler at Elyria High in the mid-1960s and for his coaching career at Southview High School in Lorain where he and his brother Dan established one of the best programs in the State of Ohio. At EHS, Tom was a four-year letterman, winning the Buckeye Conference championship in 1963, 1964, and 1965. He was voted the outstanding wrestler at the Lorain County Invitational in 1964 and 1965 and was a state qualifier in 1965. He finished with a record of 26-1 his senior year. After high school, Tom continued his wrestling career in AAU and YMCA tournaments — winning both the freestyle and Greco-Roman National titles at 136 pounds. He first started his coaching career at Elyria High and then joined his brother and fellow Hall-of-Famer Dan to form the program at Southview. The Saints never had a losing season in his 37 years at Southview. Tom resides in Grafton and still competes in horse barrel racing and pole bending where he has earned many local and national accolades.

Lisa Verhoff Medvetz, Elyria High Volleyball and Basketball

One of Elyria’s most famous families — the Verhoffs — add another chapter to its legacy with Lisa Verhoff-Medvetz’s induction into the ESHOF. Lisa followed her older sisters Sarah and Jessie and set a standard for her younger sister Kate by winning both the Miss Volleyball and Miss Basektball awards her senior year at Elyria High in 2001 and 2002. She earned All-Ohio status in both sports. She went to join her sister Jessie at Indiana State where she earned four letters and remains the leader in 3-point shooting percentage a 44 percent and free throw shooting at 89 percent. She scored over 1000 points at both Elyria High and Indiana State. In volleyball, she was an outstanding hitter for Carol Russo. In high school, she averaged 20 points, five assists, five rebounds and four steals over her career under coach Mike Walsh. She currently is the head basketball coach at Lake Ridge Academy and lives with her husband Steve and family in Elyria. Steve, in his own right, was an outstanding basketball player at Elyria HIgh.

2002 and 2003 Elyria High Girls Track Teams

Led by one of Elyria’s most reknown athletes — Tianna Madison — now known in Track Circles as Tianna Bartoletta — the Pioneer Women’s track team took runner-up honors in the state in the spring of 2002 and came back to win the state title a year later. Bartoletta will certainly earn her spot in the Hall of Fame individually once her renown professional career is complete. In 2002 and 2003, Tianna Madison broke ground for the Pioneers at the state meets in Columbus. Under the direction of head coach Jackie Below, Elyria finished second to Beaumont in 2002. Elyria scored 45 points, nine less than Beaumont but in 2003, the Pioneers weren’t denied. Elyria scored 41 points to beat out Canton McKinley by 12 points to win the state title. In 2003, Madison won the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.72 and Maria Whitely came in eighth at 12.46 to earn Elyria 11 points. Elyria also won the 4 X 100 meter relay led by Madison, Whitely, Heather Davis and Christina Madison. Madison also won the 200 meter with a time of 22.02 and the long jump with a 20-foot, 5.75 inch leap. In 2002, Elyria won the 400M relay and finished 8th in the 800M. Whitely, Marita Below, Heather Davis and Madison ran the 800M while Whitely, Below, Heather Davis and Mystal Davis ran the 800M. In addition, Marielle Brinda was 5th in the Pole Vault.

Larry Dixon, Distinguished Service

Larry Dixon (left) has dedicated his life to being an official on the football field or track as well as being a member of the ESHOF board since 1988. Larry has chaired the ESHOF banquet three times. Larry has officiated track for over 30 years and has been a USATF official for the past 25 years. He’s been assigned to 25 regional events, 12 state meets, 10 indoor and outdoor national championships and participated in two Olympic Trials in 2004 and 2008. In football, Larry began his referee career in 1990 and he has had playoff assignments in 60 playoff games including five state semi-final games and six state championships. He is a past president of the Northern Ohio Football Association in 1999 and has served as the secretary/treasurer of the organization since 2002. He’s being handed his Distinguished Service Award by ESHOF Chairman Tim Gebhardt.

Jon Burger, Elyria High Football

Not only did Jon Burger excel on both the baseball and football fields but in the classroom as well. Burger, the Lorain County Golden Helmet winner in 1979, carried a 3.8 GPA and was ranked 25th in a class of 625 students. He was president of his class and a member of the National Honor Society. His versatility was apparent in both sports that he participated. On the football field, Burger was an outstanding linebacker on Elyria’s undefeated 10-0 team that allowed only 15 points all season. He also handled a lot of the kicking chores for the Pioneers and calmly booted the winning point against Lorain to cap the undefeated year with a 9-8 victory over Elyria’s biggest rival. In fact, Burger’s 37-yard field goal earlier in the year was instrumental in Elyria’s win over Sandusky and his 25-yard field goal against Fremont in his junior season also won the game. Against Sandusky, Burger accounted for 11 of Elyria’s 17 points with a touchdown, a field goal and two extra points. He was also used on occasion at fullback. After winning the Golden Helmet Award, Berger took the time to thank those responsible by writing a letter to the Chronicle Telegram — thanking coaches, teammates, fans and family. He was selected All-Buckeye Conference, All-Lorain County and All-District and third team All-Ohio. In baseball, Burger was a pitcher, catcher and infielder in leading the Pioneers to a Sweet 16 berth.

Billy Joe Hewitt, Elyria West Football

A long-time junior high coach at Franklin, Billy Joe Hewitt moved on to take over the fledging football fortunes at Elyria West High School for the 1976 school year. West was in just its fourth year. Playing an independent schedule, Hewitt directed the Wolverines to its first winning season in 1977 with a 7-3 mark that included a dramatic 14-12 win over Midview to close out the year. In 1978, Hewitt’s team finished 8-1-1 including a memorable 0-0 tie with Elyria Catholic. The team scored 225 points and allowed only 61 and finished just three points shy in the computer rankings of qualifying for a playoff spot. In track, Hewitt coached state qualifying athletes from 1983 through 1990. Hewitt was the Chairman of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.

Don and Doug Jones, Elyria High Football

When Elyria High’s football team was blessed with the presence of twins Don and Doug Jones, long-time Chronicle Telegram sports editor and Hall of Famer Russ Davies put the Jones twins right up with the best to ever wear the Pioneers colors. Don (right), who wore No. 23, was supposed to be a half-step faster than Doug, who wore No. 24, but both could run the 100-yard dash in close to 10 seconds in full football gear. They both earned three letters for football at EHS. As juniors, the two were key members of Elyria’s 1951 Lake Erie League champions. Don scored 144 career points and Doug 132 — both still listed among the best in EHS history. Against arch-rival Lorain in 1951, Don rushed for 129 yards and Doug 109. Both scored twice as the Pioneers clinched the league title with a 32-12 pounding of the Steelmen. They both went on to play at Philander Smith College in Arkansas before joining the Air Force where they continued to play football from 1955 through 1959 with just NFL stars as quarterback Zeke Bratkowski and receiver Max McGee. They returned to Elyria to own and operate a cement business. Doug’s son Greg Jones was enshrined in 1985 after a great career at Elyria West and Miami of Ohio. Doug passed away in September, 2016 and Don passed away in 2019

Rodney Moore, Elyria High Track

Rodney Moore literally exploded on the local track scene for Elyria High starting in 1985. He was a six-time All-Ohio Division I sprinter in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter dashes, where he specialized. In 1986 and 1988, Moore was second in the 400 and finished third in 1987. He helped the Pioneers to a fourth place finish in both the 400 and 1600 meter relay and was a two-time state qualifier in both the 100 and 200 meter dash events. He was a part of eight Buckeye Conference and four Erie Shore conference titles and he was the 400 meter record holder in Lorain County with a time of 47.19. At Lincoln University was a 17-time Division III All-American and won six national titles. He was inducted into the Lorain County Track and Cross Country Hall of Fame in 2014. He graduated from Elyria High in 1988, Lincoln University in 1996 and got his master’s degree from Bowie State University in 2001.

Brent Petrus, Elyria Catholic Football and Basketball

It’s not often a high school athlete has the credentials to play at a Division I program but Elyria Catholic’s Brent Petrus was talented enough to play at the University of Cincinnati in both football and basketball. At Elyria Catholic, Petrus was one of most versatile athletes. He lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track. He was the offensive MVP in football his senior year and was the baseball team’s MVP his sophomore and junior years but as a senior he ran track instead and qualified for the regional in the 400-meter. He earned a scholarship in football to Cincinnati and wound up being the sixth man on Bob Huggins’ nationally ranked basketball team. Near the end of the 1997 football season, Petrus practiced with both squads — participating in three hour workouts for both teams. On December 27, 1997, he practiced with the football team as it prepared for the Boise, Idaho Humanitarian Bowl and then flew back to Cleveland for a basketball game against Massachusetts. He was recruited as a quarterback for the Bearcats and wound up playing wide receiver as well. As a back-up, he rallied Cincinnati in a couple games — throwing four career touchdowns and catching one. He signed a professional contract with the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League and played three seasons for the Dragons.

2002 Elyria High School Softball

Midway through the spring of 2002, not many, including coach Ken Fenik, gave Elyria High’s softball team much of a chance of going very far in the annual state tournament let alone winning the whole thing. A disappointing 8-0 loss to North Olmsted at its own Pioneer Invitational turned out to be the turning point for the Pioneers and their dominate right-handed All-Ohio pitcher Aubrey Oliver. However, Elyria started winning from that point of the season — winning 16 of its next 17 games including six straight to close the seaosn. The Pioneers marched through the tournament including a 1-0 win over the very same North Olmsted team that it lost to earlier. The Pioneers wound up 27-4 and clinched the state title with a pair of come-from-behind wins at the Ashland finals — beating both Cincinnati Sycamore and Hamilton by identical 2-1 scores to bring home Elyria High’s first team state title in its history. The tournament run included seven one-run victories including as 5-4 win over Midview where the Pioneers scored three runs in the seventh inning to win. Oliver logged 163 innings, striking out 218 hitters in winning 23 games and losing only twice. Batters hit just .191 against her and her ERA was a sparkling 0.69. Elyria’s hitting was led by Calli Ryan’s .394 average and 28 RBI. Freshman Alex Boros hit .385 with 21 RBI and Amy Mazur drove home 19. Ryan, Boros and Amy Koutsopoulos each had better than 30 hits on the season. Boros, Koutsopoulos, Ryan and Mazur all scored more than 20 runs and Koutsopoulas and Boros combined to steal 27 bases in 28 attempts. Other members of the team included Natalie Baker, Megan Anderson, Danielle Cross, Julie Sito, twins Elizabeth and Lisa Nunn, Jessica Lorbach, Samantha White and Molly Curtis. Assisting Fenik were Gordie Cohagan, John Srnis, Jen Plas, Joclyn Noe and Michelle Kirsch. The bat boy was Chad Kothe.

Ken Kaiser, Distinguished Service

Few people have had the opportunity to serve in so many ways as Ken Kaiser, a 1967 Elyria High graduate. Kaiser was considered a good athlete in his days — including being No. 1 singles and doubles at Lorain County Community College. He earned his basketball officiating certificate in 1972 and has been an active football official for 27 seasons with 21 post season assignments including 14 state semi-final or state final games. Ken has also officiated softball for 15 years. At Ohio State, Kaiser has been the official scoreboard operator/official timer for 25 years and the official scorer/timer for the men’s basketball team for 35 years. He’s also been the public address announcer for both OSU’s women’s basketball and volleyball teams. Kaiser has been the state tennis tournament manager for both girls and boys — managing both for better than 30 years. He’s also been the University’s liaison to the Special Olympics summer games. He has been honored by a number of organizations for his service. Kaiser has never forgotten his roots and often wears proudly the colors and logo of his high school.

Mike Kozma, Elyria Catholic Track

At a young age it was apparent that Mike Kozma was a champion in both track and field. Kozma won many AAU Junior Olympic events including the shot put, high jump and the long jump but it was in the 100- and 220-yard dash that Kozma really made some noise. At Elyria Catholic, Kozma’s name was always listed among the area’s track honor roll — running the 100-yard dash in a state-fastest 9.62 and the 220 in a school record 21.6. A 1979 EC grad, Kozma finished seventh at the state meet as a sophomore in both the 100- and 220-yard dash. As a junior, Kozma was third in the 100 and second in the 220. He finished third at the AAU National Championships. After establishing the fastest 100 time in the state, an injury prevented Kozma from competing at the state meet. Kozma earned a scholarship to Indiana earning four varsity letters and was a member of the Big Ten champion 4 X 100 relay team.

Dr. Dave Krol, Elyria Catholic Baseball

Elyria Catholic has had many great pitchers in its baseball history but one of the best was righthander Dave Krol, who led the Panthers to a berth at the state tournament in 1986. At one point in the season, Krol had won eight games without defeat with a 1.02 ERA. He struck out 84 hitters and walked only 14. As a hitter, Krol batted .481 with 20 RBI and two homers. Krol was EC’s quarterback for the 1985 season but his pitching earned him a scholarship to Toledo where he’s already been enshrined in the Toledo Hall of Fame. He was All-MAC in 1988 and 1989 and was the first Toledo baseball player to be named Academic All-American. In 1987, Krol was 6-3 with a 3.13 ERA. In ’88, he was 6-7 with a 2.19 ERA in 119 innings pitched and led the MAC in strikeouts with 90. As a senior in 1989, Krol was 7-3 and again led the team in strikeouts and innings pitched. He ranked among the top 10 in seven pitching categories at UT. He graduated magna cum laude and played in the Minnesota Twins organization for three years. He later earned a medical degree from Yale and is practicing pediatrics at University Pediatrics in Toledo.

T.J. Staton, Elyria West Baseball

The only Lorain County team to ever bring home a state baseball title was the Elyria West Wolverine’s in 1992. Usually there’s one standout hitter and one standout pitcher on a champion but Staton was both for West. He won four of six decisions for the Wolverines and batted .392 with six home runs and 29 RBI. Staton had a 10 year minor league career in the Pirates and Expos organizations. Today, he runs Staton Sports in Lorain, Ohio helping the area’s youth become better baseball players.

Tim Sweigard, Elyria High Wrestling

To be a champion in the sport of wrestling takes a lot of desire, fortitude, strength and agility. Tim Sweigard proved to have all those qualities in winning the 175 pound state title in 1972. Sweigard was also a prominent member of Elyria High’s undefeated 1971 football team.

Jessy Verhoff, Elyria High Volleyball

It’s one thing to be named Miss Volleyball or Miss Basketball but for one individual to win both is simply amazing. Jessy Verhoff claimed both those glamorous titles her senior year at Elyria High in 1999 for volleyball and 2000 in basketball. Jessy went on to play at Indiana State on the basketball team with her sister Lisa. She was special mention All-Ohio in Basketball and first team All-Ohio in Volleyball. She won four letters in both sports.

1964 Elyria High School Football

Yes, the team lost a game — 6-0 to Barberton to open the season, but after that upset loss, it went on to win the next nine games including a decisive 32-6 win at Strobel Field over the vaunted Sandusky Blue Streaks in front of a standing room only crowd.

Sandusky had won 28 straight football games to that point. Elyria’s long-time and winningest coach — Bill Barton — called it his best win ever.

At Ely Stadium against rival Lorain for the final game of the season, the Pioneers overcame a 14-0 first quarter deficit to beat the Steelmen, 23-14, and wrap up the 9-1 season and 7-0 Buckeye Conference title. Elyria averaged 29 points a game while giving up less than four.

It was Elyria’s first out-right Buckeye Conference championship and the highest state ranking attained since the legendary 1947 team finished runner-up to Barberton. The Pioneers finished third in the final poll of the year behind unbeaten Massillon and once-beaten Canton McKinley. Sandusky wound up 7th, Barberton 14th, Lorain 19th with Admiral King and Findlay each getting votes.

Because the state playoffs wouldn’t start until 1972, neither the ’64 or the ’47 teams had the opportunity to play for the state championship on the field.

Halfback Al Campbell and defensive middle guard Jim Westbrook were named All-Ohio and Elyria placed 15 players on the All-Buckeye Conference first or second team including eight on the first team offense or defense. Campbell, tackle Dan Andrick and end Al Fields were named to the offensive first team. Westbrook, end Ray Rounds, linebacker Randy Stevenson and defensive backs Fields and Gary Krone were named on the first team defensive unit. Center Geza Kozmits, guard Walt Fabian and tackle Tom Bolinski along with backs Bill Alley and Houston Love were picked for the second team offense. End Bill Humphrey, linebackers Pete Christensen and Merle Wilford were chosen on the defensive second team. Honorable mention went to Lowell Cavin, Dick Glover, Dave Strickler and Krone on offense. Lewis “Buster” Edwards, Duane White, Bill Corder and Mike Aquilino were named on defense.

Jim Tomsic, Distinguished Service

The groundwork for the state championship teams at Elyria Catholic was set up to a great extent by the work of the CYO coaches at the elementary and junior high levels. One of the best was Jim Tomsic. Tomsic also helped make the Labor Day picnic at St. Judes the success it is today.

Brooke Bader, Elyria High Volleyball

Elyria High’s rich volleyball tradition has produced many outstanding All-Ohio volleyball players under the leadership of Carol Russo, a 1999 inductee of the ESHOF. This year, Dr. Brooke Bader joins that group enshrined as a member of the exclusive club. Bader along with Erinn Kingman, were members of the 1996 state runnerup and both were selected All-Ohio. Kingman and the team were enshrined as part of the 2012 Class. Elyria won 28 straight games before losing in the State Finals against Cincinnati Seton. Bader was awarded a scholarship to Bucknell University – graduating in 2001 after winning four volleyball letters. She graduated from Ohio State College of Optometry in 2005 and is currently partners in Avon Eye Care. Bader was also Elyria’s leading rebounder on the Erie Shore conference champion basketball team as well as a member of the softball team. Brooke, her husband Jeff and two daughters reside in Avon.

Ken Fenik, Elyria High Softball

One of the most successful softball coaches in the state of Ohio, Ken Fenik joins the elite group of mentors inducted into the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. Under Fenik, Elyria High has won three state softball championships, finished runner up four other times and qualified for the final four on eight different occasions. Under his tutelage, Elyria has produced many All-Ohio and Collegiate softball stars and his program has become one of the most respected in the state. Fenik retired from coaching following the 2019 season. He compiled an amazing 596-114 record with the Pioneers. He is in the top ten all-time for Ohio High School softball coaches.

Adam Larrick, Elyria High Basketball

Sometimes being the little brother gets lost in the shuffle but Adam Larrick found a way to strike his own mark in the lore of Elyria High basketball. He followed his brother Brett’s legacy as an outstanding player for the Pioneers. Adam also followed Brett to Charleston Southern where is remains one of the school’s most prolific 3-point scorers. He scored 1,078 points at Charleston. At Elyria, Adam averaged over 20 points a game during his junior and senior seasons – scoring a career 954 points – ninth all-time at Elyria. In 1994-95, Larrick led the Pioneers to their last conference championship. As a junior, his high game came against Southview when he scored 37 points in an 81-68 win over the Saints.

Briant McLaughlin, Elyria Catholic Football

The first of three state champion football teams had a number of outstanding players but the quarterback of the first champion was Briant McLaughlin. At EC, McLaughlin won three letters as a quarterback and defensive back. He was second team All-Ohio. At Ashland University, McLaughlin was the Eagles interception leader in 1981 and remains fourth all-time in career interceptions. His daughter Brianne joined him in the Hall of Fame in 2018.

Jan Sito, Elyria and Elyria Catholic Softball and Basketball

The most difficult task of the Validation Committee of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame was not whether Jan Sito belonged in the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame but rather deciding what category she fell under. An outstanding athlete in her own right, Sito is a member of the Lorain Sports Hall of Fame (inducted 2000) through her association with the Old Dutch Brewerettes from 1961-1969 where she was the hard-hitting catcher on three state championship teams. She was a successful softball and basketball coach at both Elyria and Elyria Catholic as well as Southview. She continues to officiate at local softball and volleyball contests in the area. In 1969, she competed at LCCC in softball, field hockey and basketball. Sito comes from a well-known athlete family with scrapbooks full of memories and great contributions to the Elyria sporting scene.

1973 Elyria High and Elyria Catholic Basketball Teams

The City of Elyria not only sent one team to the final four in 1973 but two when both Elyria High (below, right)) and Elyria Catholic (left) made history by winning weather-delayed regional championships in the same season. The Panthers, coached by Hall of Famer Bob Guinta, finished 24-2 and won the North Central Conference crown. The Pioneers, coached by Mike Riley, finished 21-4, losing the Buckeye Conference crown to Admiral King by a single game but both teams came through with several clutch performances at tournament time. EC won the Elyria AA Sectional by edging Independence, 56-55, and North Ridgeville by the bizarre final score of 10-8, a game that the Rangers decided to just hold the basketball. Earlier in the year, the Panthers won easily, 54-34. At the district, EC defeated Olmsted Falls, 54-53, and Twinsburg, 57-45, to qualify for the Sweet Sixteen. Elyria Catholic (below-right) got past Warren LaBrae, 68-63, and Youngstown North, 59-45, to make it to the state tournament where Delphos St. John won, 72-61. Russ Sherman, the first EC player to be named All-Ohio, led the Panthers with an average of 17.5 points and 10 rebounds a game. Rick Schneider, Paul Zemanek, Al Noll, Mike Rushinsky and Mark Ta lerek made up the others of the primary six players legendary coach Guinta utilized during the season. Talarek led the team in assists with 145. Schneider was second in scoring and rebounding. EC’s defense held opponents to less than 50 points a game while scoring nearly 63. Elyria Catholic won 18 straight games after an early season loss to Clearview. For Elyria High, the road to the state tournament was similar. The Pioneers beat both Lakewood St. Edward and North Olmsted by a scant three points each to win the sectional before knocking off host King in the district semi-finals by 58-57, in a wild nip-and-tuck contest. Elyria qualified for the Sweet Sixteen by knocking off Medina. At the John Carroll regional, Elyria pulled consecutive upsets – beating Cleveland Kennedy, 56-55, on Friday night before finally beating favored East Tech on Sunday after a postponement of Saturday’s game due to a crippling snow storm. At the state tournament, the Pioneers rallied against eventual champion Cincinnati Elder before losing, 64-59, after a controversial blocking foul call prevented Elyria from a chance to tie the game. Jay Underman, who a few years later died in a tragic automobile accident, was Elyria’s leading scorer (17.3) and rebounder (12.4). John Mongerson (12.6) and Jerry Gilbert (10.5) could also be counted on to score. Dave Sellers, Gary Stevenson, Jeff Smith, Eclister James and Bob Bosely all played key roles.

Cooper Hudnutt, Distinguished Service

The Chronicle Telegram in general and the Hudnutt family in particular were always an integral part of the success of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. Art Hudnutt, who was inducted for his outstanding golf career, was the ESHOF Master of Ceremonies for many years. Cooper, an avid Cleveland Browns fan, became a great supporter of the Hall of Fame. With Cooper’s support, The Chronicle was always willing to share its expertise in creating and publishing the program for the event each year and gave the Hall of Fame tons of valuable free promotion. “Coop” was also a great supporter of Little League East.

Paul Fritz

The youth of Elyria owes a great deal of gratitude to Paul “Polly” Fritz, who along with Herman “Shorty” Lappin, organized Little League Baseball in the city of Elyria. In 1940.  Fritz is 94 years old but has left a legacy of great achievements in the city among them the formation of the New Year’s Day Mud Bowl, a tradition that started in 1937. This past New Year’s marked the 75th annual game pitting the 38 Club and Bittner-DeCarlo Funeral Home on the Hamilton School field. In 1936, Fritz was a starter on Elyria High’s state tournament basketball team – the first EHS team to qualify for the state tournament. Fritz was an outstanding fast pitch softball pitcher, a scratch golfer and very good bowler. Fritz passed away in September, 2016.

Curt Karpinski, Elyria High Baseball

Karpinski, already enshrined in four other Halls of Fame, won 236 games as Elyria High’s baseball coach including six conference championships, five sectional crowns, three district titles and one final four appearance in 1992. “Karp” as he’s affectionately known as, has also been enshrined in the Baldwin-Wallace College, Keystone, NE Ohio Baseball Coaches and the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Halls of Fame. He was always able to keep the game fun for his players but his team’s were always fundamentally sound and disciplined on the field.

Erinn Kingman (Dobos), Elyria High Volleyball

Erinn Kingman was first team All-Ohio as a setter for the Pioneers who were ranked as the best team in Ohio during the season and finished runner-up at the state tournament in Dayton. She was Lorain County’s Miss Volleyball her senior year and was named the County’s and Conference’s Player-of-the-Year in both 1995 and 1996. The year before, as a junior, Kingman was named to the 2nd Team All-Ohio. Twice during her career the Pioneers qualified for the state tournament. Kingman’s teams won 74 games and lost only eight during her three years on the varsity. Kingman also lettered in basketball and softball at EHS. She was an acedemic All-Ohio in basketball and earned a total of 10 letters at EHS. At Cleveland State, Kingman graduated as the career leader in Assists and Total Sets for the Vikings. She won CSU’s Director’s award for having the highest accumulative grade point average for student athletes. She also was a prominent member of the 1996 Elyria High Volleyball team, also enshrined in the ESHOF in 2012.

Erika Kleinholz, Elyria Catholic Soccer

Kleinholz becomes the first-ever soccer player to be enshrined in the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. An All-Ohio player in 1999, Kleinholz is Elyria Catholic’s all-time leader in assists and goals scored for a season and career. She was Lorain County’s MVP and was the Plain Dealer’s Player of the Year. She continued her career at the University of Michigan where the Wolverines twice qualified for the NCAA “Sweet Sixteen” and once qualified for the “Elite Eight”. She ranks eighth in terms of games and minutes played. Kleinholz also played professionally for the Detroit Jaguars.

Mark Somieroski, Elyria High Baseball

Elyria High has had its share of outstanding baseball players including hard-hitting Mark Stomieroski, a 1993 graduate. A first-team All-Ohio, Stomieroski hit .562 during Elyria’s state tournament run in 1992 – smacking four doubles, a triple and a home run with 14 runs batted in. At Fairmont College, he hit over .300 before transferring to Baldwin-Wallace where he batted .397 with two home runs and 13 RBIs in just 20 games. Coach Curt Karpinski, who is also being inducted this year, called Stomieroski one of his best hitters he had coached.

1996 Elyria High Volleyball Team

Carol Russo created a dynasty in volleyball at Elyria High during her 26 year Hall-of-Fame career but perhaps the pinnacle was her 1996 team that advanced all the way to the state finals before losing to unbeaten Cincinnati Seton at Dayton. The Pioneers finished the year 28-1 led by seniors Erinn Kingman, Brooke Bader, Amber Nagy, Courtney Shaffstall and Sarah Verhoff. Other members of the team were juniors Alison Mattey, Heather Brady, Stacy Fenwick and  Rachel Cragun along with sophomores Kristi Branam, Jenn Snyder and freshman Jessy Verhoff. Kingman and Bader were named to the All-Ohio team.

Jim Mackert, Distinguished Service

Jim Mackert has long served area athletes in a variety of officiating sporting events including baseball, softball, volleyball and track. Mackert has represented Elyria by running in the Cleveland Marathon for each of the years the event has been held.

Matt Wilhelm, Elyria Catholic Football and Basketball

Wilhelm, Lorain County’s Golden Helmet winner in 1998, excelled at Elyria Catholic in both basketball and football – leading the Panther basketball team to the “Sweet 16” and leading the football team in rushing and tackling. In basketball, Wilhelm scored 411 points as a senior, averaging nine rebounds a game. He scored nearly 1000 points for the Panther basketball varsity. On the football field, Wilhelm never left the field – setting a school and city record by rushing for 328 yards against Trinity and scoring four touchdowns. Wilhelm earned a scholarship to Ohio State where he was an All-American linebacker on the Buckeye’s National Championship team in 2002. This past season, Wilhelm played on the special teams for the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.

Tyrone Nelson, Elyria West Football

Nelson virtually set every Elyria West rushing mark. He was a letterman in four sports – football, baseball, track and wrestling where he qualified for the 1988 state tournament. He became a three-year lettermen fullback at Akron University. He was the Lorain County Golden Helmet winner in 1987. Nelson was All-Ohio in 1987 and set single game, season and career rushing records for the Wolverines. He piled up 293 yards against Oberlin, tied Cory Wilkerson for single season yards with 1633 and holds the career mark of 3973 yards. He rushed for over 1000 yards in all three years on the varsity.

Ron Fenik, Elyria High

Fenik, a 1953 Elyria grad, walked-on at Ohio University and proved to be an inspiration for overachievers. By the time he graduated, Fenik had not only worked himself to a starting position for the Bobcats but was twice selected on the All-Mid-American Conference team. He was captain for his senior season. After graduation, Fenik successfully coached at a number of high schools in Ohio and later was on the staffs at both Muskingum and Xavier Universities. He was previously inducted in the OU Hall of Fame.

Bob Walsh, Elyria Catholic and Elyria High Basketball

Walsh is the only person to coach both the Pioneers and Panthers – taking each school to the regional tournament. Twice he had EC just one step from the state finals and in his final season as head coach, he led Elyria High to its first district championship in 31 years. Walsh, who won 643 games and two state championships during his 42 year career as a head coach, won 80 games at EC and 50 more at Elyria over the course of his final nine seasons. He was on the Panther bench for Elyria Catholic’s only victory over Elyria High during the 2001 Holiday Classic at the Pioneer gym.

Scott Burnett, Elyria Catholic

Burnett is the only Elyria Catholic wrestler to win three state championships. After placing at state as a freshman, Burnett won state titles at 112 pounds in 1996, 119 pounds in 1997 and 130 pounds as a senior in 1998. Burnett won his last 114 matches and finished with a career mark of 152-4. He was a perfect 36-0 his senior year. Burnett was credited with a staggering 267 takedowns in just one year (1998) and had 741 takedowns during his career. Currently, Burnett assists his brother Erik with Elyria’s summer wrestling program.

1971 Elyria High Football Team

The Pioneers, coached by 1973 ESHOF inductee Bill Barton, rolled through the ‘71 season unscathed piling up 336 points and allowing just 44 – none in the fourth quarter and only six points total in the second half. Lorain’s veteran coach Doug Thompson called the ’71 Pioneers the best area football team he’d ever seen after Elyria had beaten his Steelmen, 41-0, to put the wraps on its third undefeated season in four years. Elyria was rated as the second best team in the state in an era prior to the present play-off format. Les Miles, currently the head coach at LSU, was a member and All-Ohio lineman for the Pioneers in 1971. Ike Maxwell was the offensive star – rushing for 1870 yards and 27 touchdowns. The team racked up more rushing yardage (3059) and gave up less (1234) than any other team in school history to that point. Remarkably, the team only lost eight fumbles and had only five passes intercepted. On defense, it picked off 20 passes and recovered nine fumbles. The team beat Toledo Scott, 35-7, to open the season and West Tech, 41-0, and East Tech, 31-0, in non-conference play. The Pioneers opened Buckeye Conference play by beating Marion Harding, 55-6, before routing Admiral King, 54-12. In its three toughest games of the year, Elyria defeated Fremont Ross, 15-7, Sandusky, 19-6, and Findlay, 6-0, back-to-back before finishing the perfect season with huge wins over Mansfield, 39-6, and Lorain 41-0. There were no post-season playoffs at that time so the Pioneers had to settle for the Wire Service Polls to determine the state champion. Elyria was rated second in both the Associated Press and United Press International polls behind Warren Harding. Fremont was rated 7th in both polls.

Ron “Rick” Carr, Distinguished Service

In addition to the inductees, the ESHOF is honoring long-time football official Ron Carr with its Distinguished Service Award. Carr was a well-respected football official for 27 years, serving as president of the Northern Ohio Officials Association for many years. He also was an assistant baseball coach at Elyria West (16 years), North Ridgeville (four years) and Elyria Catholic (one season) as well as an assistant for Elyria West’s football team from 1992-1995.

Barry Diedrich, Elyria Catholic Football

Elyria Catholic’s defense was as good as anyone’s in 1981 – allowing just 33 points during the regular season with four shutouts. At the middle of that defense – literally – was middle guard Barry Diedrick, an All-Ohio selection and Northeast Ohio District lineman of the year.  Diedrick, at 5-foot-11, 188 pounds, led the Panthers to their fourth straight Erie Coast Conference title and an unbeaten but twice tied regular season. EC qualified for the playoffs and defeated Bellevue, 7-6, in the first round before losing to in the state semi-finals to Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary. Diedrick was selected as Lorain County’s AA-A defensive Player-of-the-Year.

Amy Filliaggi (Scordino), Elyria High Volleyball and Track

Lorain County’s only three-time Pentathlon champion, Amy Filiaggi was no doubt one of the finest all-around women athletes ever to represent Elyria High. Filiaggi was outstanding in both volleyball and track for the Pioneers. She earned a scholarship to Kent State where she earned four letters in volleyball. As a senior, she was the only player to be ranked in the top 10 in seven different categories. At Elyria, Filiaggi earned seven letters – four in track – where she set the school record in the high jump at 5-foot-8.  During her three years on the volleyball team at EHS, the Pioneers won 74 games and lost only six. The 1990 team finished the regular season unbeaten and ranked as the top team in the state by the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association.

Walter Keith, Elyria High Wrestling

Elyria High’s wrestling program marked its 50th season recently – the first program established in the county.  It didn’t take long for the first of many state champions to be crowned when Walter Keith, a chiseled 154-pounder, rolled through the state tournament in 1963 as a junior.  A year later, Keith was denied a second title only by referee’s decision. Keith went on to wrestle at Lorain County Community College. He passed away in 2019.

Keith Rybarczyk, Elyria Catholic Football 

Elyria Catholic’s two straight state championship football teams obviously had a lot of great players. Among those was its quarterback – Keith Rybarczyk. Rybarczyk was a rare four-sport athlete for the Panthers – football, basketball, baseball and track. In fact, Rybarczyk performed at the state track meet and state baseball tournament on the same day – running a leg of the 4 X 100 relay and playing third base for EC the same day. It was Rybarczyk’s two-run home run that propelled the Panthers to the regional title against unbeaten Poland at Barberton. Rybarczyk threw for over 1,000 yards as a junior and completed 55 percent of his passes as a senior. At Mount Union, Rybarczyk earned Division III All-American honors as a quarterback for the Purple Raiders.

Rob Woolbright, Elyria West Track

To be a National Champion is pretty special. Elyria West’s Rob Woolbright experienced that special feeling four times in two events while running track at Lincoln University, located in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania. In 1997, Woolbright anchored the Lion’s 4 X 400 meter relay team to an indoor national championship with a time of 3:16.58 and he duplicated that feat in both the 1997 and 1998 outdoor national championships with a time of 3:13.74 in ‘97 and 3:11.59 in ‘98. Individually, Woolbright won the 1998 national indoor 440 meter dash with a time of 49.03. While at West, Woolbright was a part of a couple of school records in the 4 X 200 relay (1:33.1) and 4 X 100 relay (43.1). He also was a starter on West’s last basketball team that advanced to the district semifinal and finished with a record of 18-4. The Wolverines won the Lorain County Conference title in both basketball and track.\

1992 Elyria West Baseball Team

The city of Elyria was well represented at the 1992 state baseball tournament. Both Elyria West and Elyria High won regional championships in Division II and Division I respectively but it was the Wolverines that brought home the title from Thurman Munson Stadium in Canton behind the outstanding pitching of senior right-hander Damon Mathis (5-0) and junior lefthander Tarrance Staton (4-2). It was the first state baseball championship for a Lorain County school. Coached by Tom Kubuski and assisted by Jim Slaughenhaupt, West (21-4) finished the year with an eight game winning streak culminated with an 11-inning 2-1 victory over Steubenville in the semi-final and a 5-2 championship victory over Marlington. B.J. McGee led the team in hitting at .425 with 18 RBI while Staton batted .392, hit six home runs and drove in 29. Other members of the team included Shawn Kilgore, Ryan Dolata, Laron Trice, Eleon Henry, Jim Clark, Adrian Peyton, Dan Lachman, Bob Sweene, Eric Gerhart, Ben Pyles, Paul Hamrick, Marc Smith, Kevin Curtis, manager Chris Lawrence and scorekeepers Brenda Lundberg and Paula Miller.

Jack Schumacher, Distinguished Service 

An outstanding head and assistant coach at both Elyria High and North Ridgeville, Jack Schumacher was also instrumental in the organization of a number of recreational sport activities in the city of Elyria – softball, touch football, baseball, and volleyball along with youth programs. In 16 years at Elyria High, Schumacher was a part of a number of championship coaching staffs at Elyria including football, basketball, baseball and golf and his summer Merchants baseball team won back-to-back Cuyahoga County League titles in 1979 and 1980.