Ricky Lewis, Elyria High Wrestling
Lewis didn’t just win a wrestling state championship his senior season at Elyria High, he helped guide the Pioneers to their first team state championship in any sport. Elyria’s Class AAA state title in 1973 is still the only wrestling team title won in Lorain County history.
Lewis was the sectional runner-up that year, then went on to win the district championship before finishing on top of the podium in Columbus.
He joined older brother Wilbur Lewis as a state champion – Wilbur won the 138-pound title as a senior in 1967 – and joins Wilbur as an Elyria Sports Hall of Fame enshrine – Wilbur was inducted in 2006.
Ricky was previously inducted into the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame with the 1973 Elyria High wrestling team in 1993.
He reportedly put a scare into Elyria wrestling coach Bill Pierson by weighing in 2.5 pounds over the night before the state meet, then weighing at 2.5 under during the day of competition.
Lewis went on to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps, wrestled during his freshman year at Lorain County Community College before injuring his knee and went on to be an assistant coach under Skip Fair for the Elyria West wrestling team in 1979.
P.J. Mahone, Elyria High Football
While Mahone wasn’t the first Elyria High player to win the Golden Helmet Award as Lorain County’s top senior football player, he was the top player on the first Pioneers team to earn a spot in the Ohio High School Athletic Association playoffs.
Mahone had a prolific senior season in 2005 to capture the area’s top individual honor and help his team make history.
During that season, Mahone rushed for 1,676 yards, added 805 receiving yards and set school records with 30 touchdowns and 184 points.
Under the direction of coach Mark Solis and with Mahone’s cousin Roger Smith, who transferred from Clearview, as the quarterback, the Pioneers became just the second Division I program in the county – joining the 1984 Admiral King Admirals – to qualify for the playoffs. Elyria’s 21-9 win over Toledo St. John’s Jesuit in the first round was the county’s first playoff victory by a Division I team.
He rushed for 268 yards against Medina as Elyria came from 21 points down to defeat the Bees 44-21 to conclude the regular season with an 8-2 record and earn a share of the Pioneer Conference crown with Brunswick.
Mahone, who was also a three-year letterwinner for the Pioneers baseball team, was named the Offensive Player of the Year in the district, the Player of the Year in the county, the MVP of the Pioneer Conference and an All-Ohio first-team selection.
Mahone went on to play defensive back for at Bowling Green, where he led the team in tackles (95) while grabbing three interceptions and finishing with seven pass breakups in 2008. During his sophomore season, he was named to the All-Mid-American Conference second team after leading the league with seven interceptions and finishing third on the team with 90 tackles.
Alexis McCall, Elyria High Track
McCall put her stamp on the area track and field scene and is considered one of the greatest even when it comes to girls shot put at Elyria High or in all of Lorain County.
McCall was a four-time conference champion, a four-time district champion, a four-time state qualifier and captured the 1999 Division I shot put state championship. She was also a two-time conference champion in discus, qualifying to the state tournament in that event and placing fourth her senior season.
McCall won the final Erie Shore Conference shot put title during her freshman season with a throw of 36 feet, 3 inches. She won her last three titles in the Lake Erie League, as well as her two discus crowns.
McCall won district and regional shot put titles as a freshman – winning the regional title at Oak Harbor with a throw of 41-1 – and then finished ninth at state with a throw of 38-5. She repeated the performance as a sophomore – winning the Amherst district title with a throw of 40-6 and the Margaretta regional title with a throw of 42-8 – before placing third in the state with a throw of 43-8.
McCall finally broke through during her junior year. She once again swept the first two postseason stages – winning the Amherst district title with a throw of 46-5 and the Amherst regional title with a throw of 47-4 – before earning her spot on top of the state podium with a throw of 44-5. She placed third in the discus at the district with a throw of 128-2, and seventh at the regional with a throw of 117-3.
McCall wrapped up her high school career with a fourth straight district shot put title (45-9), was the regional runner-up (46-5) and finished as the state runner-up (45-8). She also captured the district discus championship that season with a throw of 121-11, took third at the regional with a throw of 133-6 and placed fourth at state with a Lorain County-record throw of 140-10.
McCall also excelled at The Ohio State University, setting the school indoor record in shot put multiple times, winning a Big Ten indoor championship in 2002 and qualifying for the indoor and outdoor national championships that season. She was named an All-American during the 2002 season.
McCall graduated with a degree in criminology from Ohio State.
Emily Taylor, Elyria Catholic Basketball
Taylor was part of a senior class that helped lead Elyria Catholic girls basketball to its first state tournament appearance in 2011. The point guard was named to the All-Ohio second team after the breakout season – her third straight year earning All-Ohio recognition as she was given special mention as both a junior and sophomore.
Reaching the 1,000-point plateau during her career with the Panthers, Taylor was an All-Lorain County first-team selection all four years and was named the Division III Player of the Year as a senior. She was also a three-time first-team all-district and All-North Coast League selection.
Playing for coach Eric Rothgery, Taylor finished with 12 points, three steals, three assists and seven rebounds during a 53-49 loss to unbeaten and top-ranked Oak Hill in the Division III state semifinals. The Panthers finished a program-best 24-3 that season.
Taylor went on to play at Walsh University for a season – appearing in 29 games and making six starts while averaging 3.8 points per game – and then transferred to John Carroll University, where she became a full-time starter and averaged 10.9 points and three rebounds in 27 games her senior season. She connected on a team-high 48 3-pointers while leading the team with 80 assists.
Taylor started all 27 games her junior season, too, finishing fifth on the team at 9.7 points a game and knocking down 41 3-pointers and averaging 3.1 assists per game.
After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Criminology, Taylor stayed at JCU for three years earning her Master of Education degree in Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services while also serving as a graduate assistant coach for the women’s basketball team.
For the last four years, Taylor has served as a full-time assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Merrimack College women’s basketball team in North Andover, Massachusetts.
Ron Traut, Elyria Catholic Football
Traut was a three-sport star at Elyria Catholic and even within those sports he often showed his versatility and ability to compete at an elite level.
It was the football field where he was one of the shining stars for the Panthers’ defense, helping EC roll to a dominating 45-20 victory over Cincinnati McNicholas in the Division III state championship game in 1984.
Traut, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound senior defensive back, intercepted a pair of passes in the title game and returned both for touchdowns. He was also part of the Panthers squad that captured the state championship in 1983.
“Traut was unbelievable,” EC linebacker Paul Yeager, Traut’s cousin, was quoted as saying after the 1984 state final. “He was like the heart of our ‘D’ this whole playoffs. He’s been the star.”
In a 7-6 win over Lima Bath, Traut was credited for helping the Panthers advance with his punting skills. In a 14-13 win over Orrville, Traut gave EC the edge with his rushing skills and another momentum-stealing interception.
Traut’s big season, which included a school record-tying eight interceptions, paid off in big postseason accolades. He was named to the All-Ohio, all-district, All-Lorain County and all-conference first teams, and was selected to play in the prestigious North-South All-Star Game in 1985 – his North squad won 31-10.
Traut also played basketball and ran track for EC. He advanced to the state finals in the long jump in 1984 and was a member of the Panthers 400-meter relay team that advanced to the state finals in 1985. Traut also competed in the Lorain County decathlon in 1984 and ’85.
Traut eventually earned a full scholarship to the University of Cincinnati.
Ann Hamker – Distinguished Service
It’s funny how things turn out sometimes. If it weren’t for an injury when Ann Hamker was a freshman softball player at Keystone, who knows where she might have ended up.
“I got injured my freshman year in softball,” Hamker once said. “I met the Athletic Trianer. He came out and checked my shoulder and told me what to do. I thought this is kind of cool. My sophomore year, I was asked by the local Athletic Trainer if I wanted to go to a camp over at the old Lorain Catholic High School. I went and thought this was really cool.”
The rest as they say, is history. Hamker graduated from Ohio University in 1994 and got her Master’s degree in 1995. She started at Elyria High in the summer of 1998 along with working at Jaworski Physical Therapy. She’s been on EHS’ training staff for over 25 years, impacting countless athletes and their minor – and sometimes major – injuries and pain. She’s helped thousands regain their mobility and strength through her work at Jaworski’s.
Ask any Elyria coach and they’ll tell you, Ann goes above and beyond working with athletes across all sports to improve their strength, conditioning and rehabilitation from injuries on a daily basis. Her impact is immeasurable.
2009 Elyria Softball Team
Elyria Softball Coach Ken Fenik, ESHOF Class of 2013, had the best line in the post-game interview room following Elyria’s third straight championship loss at Akron in 2008.
“Do they give you a cake or something for losing three in a row,” he deadpanned following a heartbreaking, 10 inning, 1-0 loss to North Canton Hoover, marking the third straight shutout loss for the Pioneers in the state title game.
It wouldn’t happen again in 2009 when Elyria took on Hudson, a team that handed Elyria one of those three stinging losses. In the fourth inning, the Pioneers broke a scoreless state title game 28 inning drought by batting around and scoring six runs, capped off with a grand slam home run off the bat of then sophomore Kristen Boros. Tess Sito, the All-Ohio senior pitcher, took care of the rest, striking out 11 batters, walking none and allowing only two hits. Elyria (29-3) won, 10-1.
“It feels like a weight has been lifted,” said Fenik, sitting at the same table in the post-game press conference. “I thought if we could score just once, we’d win.”
Sito, who was inducted into the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame in 2022, had a splendid year on the mound. She finished with 26 wins. Hudson’s only run came on a home run to centerfield that freshman Alanna Williams tried to reach by knocking down two sections of the temporary home run fence.
Even though the final score might not indicate as much, the Pioneer’s defense played a huge role in the win. Junior Ashlee Stolarski made two splendid plays at third base. Boros made a leaping grab of a liner at shortstop and Sito herself made a bang-bang stab of a hard liner right back at her.
It was Stolarski that got the offense untracked in the fourth inning. She led off with a single to center and freshman Alyssa Barker and senior Kristen Fyffe followed with infield singles, scoring Stolarski. Sito was walked intentionally and Barker scored on Williams’ single to right.
Boros crushed a 1-1 pitch over not one but two fences in left field more than 200 feet from home plate to clear the bases and give Elyria a 6-0 lead.
The mob scene at home plate lifted three years of frustration for Fenik and the Pioneers along with over 300 fans that made the trip to Akron.
“Finally,” said Sito. “I feel relief.”
The roster included Williams, Alexis Cross, Barker, Taryn Hershberger, Darien Ward, Cynthia Woodard, Boros, Stolarski, Fyffe, Sito, Paige Pileski, Sarah Bracy and Alesha Mahone. Assisting Fenik were Joclyn Fada, Caroline Loomer, Julie Sito and Gordy Cohagen. Ann Hamker, this year’s DSA winner, was the team’s trainer.
Ellen Borowy Casey, Elyria Catholic Volleyball
From a three-sport star at Elyria Catholic to being inducted into Clarion University’s Athletic Hall of Fame, Ellen Borowy Casey has established herself among the very best female athletes. She graduated from EC in 1981 and won the Gilgenbach Award, given to the Outstanding Female Athlete. She earned 10 letters participating in three sports – volleyball, basketball and track. In track, she held the school and conference discus record. In basketball, she was All-Conference and 2nd team All-County in 1981. Her best sport was Volleyball where she earned MVP honors both her junior and senior years. She was All-Erie Coast Conference. She continued her volleyball career at Clarion University. Not only a good athlete, Borowy Casey was an extraordinary student. She was the first two-time Academic All-American from Clarion and was the 1982-83 Athlete of the Year. She was inducted into Clarion’s HOF in 2022. She has been a volleyball coach at several schools since graduating from Clarion.
Erik Burnett, Elyria High Wrestling
Elyria High has always had an excellent wrestling program over the years but Erik Burnett took the Pioneers to new heights in his 25 years at the helm. Frank Fiore is credited with starting the Pioneer wrestling program and his successor, Bill Pierson, took the team to the state championship in 1973, the first EHS athletic team to win a state title. Both have been enshrined in the ESHOF. When Burnett took over in 1997, he immediately restored Elyria as a state wrestling powerhouse. His teams won 299 dual meets and finished as the state’s individual team runner-up three times. In the state dual competition, Burnett’s teams finished second twice. Elyria won 13 conference championships under his leadership. He was named Ohio Coach of the Year in 2015 and his teams were nationally ranked six times. He’s been awarded multiple Coach of the Year awards. He coached 12 state champions, 27 state finalists, 66 state placers and 108 state qualifiers. Thirty-nine of Burnett’s wrestlers won over 100 matches in their career. Burnett is one of only 27 wrestlers to win four state championships while at Oberlin High. He went on to great acclaim at Clarion University where he is a 2000 Hall of Fame inductee.
Chase Farris, Elyria High Football
Chase Farris, a 2011 Elyria High grad, has pretty much done it all as a football player. Farris was All-Ohio on both sides of the ball for the Pioneers in 2010 and went on to Ohio State where he helped the Buckeyes win the National Championship in 2014. He was also a member of New England’s championship team in Super Bowl LI. While at Elyria, Farris was a dominating two-way lineman. He led the Pioneers in sacks both his junior and senior seasons. He led the team in tackles and sacks as a senior. He had 19 career sacks at Elyria. As a basketball player, Farris led the team in rebounds in all three of his varsity seasons. As a senior, twice he scored 26 points in a single game and finished with 250 points (13.9 average) and pulled in 178 rebounds. He shot 53 percent from the field.
Mary Lanette Taylor, Elyria West Basketball
Perhaps the best basketball player – male or female – to come out of Elyria West High School was Mary Lanette Taylor Eggleston. She graduated from West in 1988. Playing under ESHOF inductee Tom Kubuski, Taylor led the Wolverines to state rankings and the regional tournament twice during her four years on the varsity. She holds West’s career scoring (1,088 points) and rebounding (803) marks. She also holds the single season rebound record of 289. She earned a scholarship to Cleveland State and remains the only female CSU basketball player to attain All-American status in 1992. She was inducted into the Viking’s Hall of Fame in 2003. While at Cleveland State, Taylor held five school records including the single-season rebound mark of 352 in 1992. Career-wise, she ranks in the top 20 in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, steals, field goals made and games played. After her historic career at CSU, “Lanette” went on to play five years professionally in Europe and the Middle East; in Austria, Spain, Israel and Switzerland. She is the only basketball player from Elyria West to play professionally and the first female from Lorain County to play professionally.
Kate Verhoff, Elyria High Volleyball
The Verhoff name is synonymous with winning volleyball and basketball at Elyria High. Kate Verhoff, a 2005 graduate of Elyria High, joins her older sisters Jessie and Lisa as members of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. It’s hard to say which sport Kate excelled in more. She was All-Ohio and Miss Volleyball her senior year and duplicated the feat on the basketball floor – following in the footsteps of her sisters. She was four-time All-Conference, All-County and All-District in volleyball and was named second team All-Ohio in 2002 and 2003. As the team’s setter, she had 630 assists her senior year, 554 her junior year and 524 as a sophomore. She’s the all-time career assist leader with 1717. She also holds the career ace record with 154 aces. Elyria won 91 matches, lost only 13 during her career. In basketball, she finished her career with 1,420 points, 412 rebounds and 112 3-pointers. Elyria was 76-18 over those years. She played collegiately at the University of Southern Florida (volleyball), Kent State and Notre Dame – Cleveland (basketball).
1979 Elyria Catholic Baseball Team
When Andy Pavlenda, a previous ESHOF inductee, was selected to start the baseball program at Elyria Catholic, little did anyone know just how successful the Panthers would be in their inaugural season. The Panthers surprised everyone by becoming the first baseball team to qualify for the state tournament since Lorain High in 1957. Earning a trip to Columbus wasn’t easy. Because of rain postponements, Elyria Catholic had to win two games at the regional tournament on the same day. The Panthers defeated Painesville Harvey, 2-1, and Orrville, 2-0, to earn a spot in the final four. Charlie Zepp, who won nine games without a loss, pitched a two-hitter against Harvey. Mike Baumbick and Ed Henderson drove in the runs. Against Orrville, Mitch Boehm and Zepp combined on a two-hit shutout. John Swansinger and Tommy Taylor drove in the runs. The team lost in the semi-final to eventual state champion Columbis St. Francis DeSales, 5-4, in nine innings. Baumbick had a triple and a home run, driving in two of EC’s runs. Jeff Kovacs and Swansinger had the other RBI. The team won 16, lost 5. Taylor was named the MVP of the team.
Bill Troyer, Distinguished Service Award
For nearly four decades, William E. (Bill) Troyer was the glue that kept the Parks and Recreation Department the pride of Elyria. Troyer could do it all, from organizing leagues to umpiring and officiating several sports. His expertise and knowledge in all sports was invaluable to setting up leagues for young and old in the city. He was District 4 Softball Commissioner for many years and was an officer of the Elyria Softball Umpires Association. He volunteered to be a line judge for middle school volleyball games as recently as 2022. He moved to Elyria in 1961 and worked at LaGrange Screw Products and Ohio Screw Products for 45 years. As an athlete, Troyer was respected as an outstanding softball player and bowler. He passed away unexpectedly on December 12, 2022.
Tianna Madison, Elyria High Track
Tianna Madison is arguably the most-decorated athlete the city has ever had. She participated in two summer Olympics (2012 at London and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro) – twice winning Gold in the 4 X 100 relay and claiming the long jump Gold Medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro with a personal best jump of 7.17M (23.52 feet). In October, 2012, Madison showed her versatility by being named to the US Bobsled team. In November, 2012, Madison and her teammate Elana Meyers placed third in the World Cup Bobsled competition. She won many other indoor and outdoor World Competitions in the 60M, 100M, 4 X 100M relay and long jump. She was the fourth fastest woman in the world in 2012 with a time of 10.85. In high school, Madison earned nine career high school state championships and became only the third athlete in Ohio history to win four events at the state meet two years in a row in 2002-03, joining Susan Nash (1983-84) and Jesse Owens (1932-33) in that elite category. Elyria High won the Girls State Championship in 2003 and finished runner-up in 2002. She set state records in the long jump and the 4 x 100 relay. She won both the individual 100M and 200M races at the state meet. Before turning professional, Madison attended the University of Tennessee, winning the SEC indoor and outdoor long jump and the NCAA long jump titles and All-America honors. She was a member of the Lady Vol Academic Honor Roll. She is currently third all-time on Tennessee’s indoor performer list in the 60m dash and long jump, fifth all-time in the triple jump and 55m and sixth in the 200m. She is ranked first all-time in Tennessee history in the outdoor long jump (6.89 meters or 22-7 ½ feet).
Darrell Mayne, Elyria West Football
Mayne brought a winning attitude to the Elyria West football team. West had won only two games in 1984 but by 1987, Mayne took the Wolverines to the co-championship of the Lorain County Conference. West had two undefeated regular seasons – 1992 and 1994 – winning the first playoff game in school history by beating Amherst in the D-II playoffs. Mayne was 76-36 in his 11 years as the football coach. His 1992 team outscored their opponents by 399-66 and the 1994 team outscored their opponents 327-62. Both were state ranked. The 1992 team finished third in the state, losing its only game in the regional finals to eventual state champion Fostoria on a fluke, trick play that has since been outlawed by the OHSAA. In addition to a number of All-Ohio athletes, he coached Golden Helmet winners Tyrone Nelson (1987), Steve Tovar (1988) and LaRon Trice (1992). In track, Mayne coached many state track qualifying relay and individuals and won two conference championships. His 1996 team won a district title, finishing sixth in the state in Division II. The 4X100 relay team was state champion. He created the “West Wall of Fame” that is now located at Elyria High. In 1996, he was selected to take over the consolidated Elyria High School and led the Pioneers to the Erie Shore Conference championship in its final season. His total of 87 wins at both schools is second only to Bill Barton (152) in City of Elyria history. He left Elyria for Upper Arlington and led the Golden Bears to a undefeated State Championship in 1998. Mayne and his wife Leslie , have two daughters — Erin (Kyle) and Katie (Cody). They have two grandchildren.
Steve Mitcheff, Elyria High Wrestling
Elyria’s long and proud wrestling history has included many state champions. Mitcheff followed in his brother Dan as a champion wrestler and Hall of Famer. Mitcheff was a four-time state placer and four-time conference champion for the Pioneers, winning the 2006 103-pound state championship as a sophomore. His career mark was 159-24 at Elyria and he was unbeaten in dual meet competition. He graduated as the all-time leader in take downs (488) and technical falls (37). He had 15 of those in 2006. He was named Lorain County’s Wrestler of the Year in 2008. He continued his wrestling career at Kent State, and finished with a 30-13 record as a senior. He is currently an assistant coach at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy.
Tess Sito Herchler, Elyria High Softball
Finally during an historical four-year run to the State Tournament for Elyria High in softball, the Pioneers won the championship behind a stellar performance by Tess Sito in the semi-final and finals in 2009. Elyria lost a heartbreaking 1-0, extra inning championship game to North Canton Hoover the year before but in 2009, Elyria beat Hudson, 10-1, in the final with Sito striking out 11 hitters and giving up just two hits. It avenged a 4-0 loss to Hudson in 2007 when Sito came in to pitch after the Pioneers fell behind 4-0 in the first inning. She shut out the Explorers the rest of the game. In the semi-final win over Hillard Darby, Sito struck out 17 and allowed just one hit in Elyria’s 2-0 win. She didn’t walk a single hitter in either the semi-final or final game. Sito won 19 games as a junior and was 27-2 as a senior with a 0.22 ERA with a pair of no hitters. She struck out 313 hitters in 188 innings. As a batter, Sito hit six home runs and drove in 30 while batting .450. Sito was named Gatorade State Player of the Year for the second year in a row and second team Louisville Slugger NFCA All-America honors. She was two-times named All-Ohio. She played for Hall of Fame coach Ken Fenik and was recruited by a number of D-I colleges. She decided to take the scholarship to Cleveland State to stay close to home for her parents and relatives to follow her career but later transferred to Georgia. She excelled at both schools. After graduation from Georgia, she played professionally for the Akron Racers. She also played basketball for Elyria High. During the summers, she played for the SunDogs, coached by Duane Sunagel, from age 9 to 19 (2001-2010), leading her team to two ASA State Championships, two NSA State Championships and one NSA Super World Series Championships in Peoria, Illinois. Her team was the 2009 USA/ASA National runner-up of 136 teams in Las Vegas and 13th in the 2010 USA/ASA National Championships. She is considered by many to be the best softball player ever from the city of Elyria.
John Walker, Elyria Catholic Football
It’s not often a high school football team has an individual running back clear the 1,000 yard milestone in a season let alone have two backs reach that standard. Walker and his fellow Hall-of-Famer Kevin Ziegman were the first to accomplish that feat for Elyria Catholic in 1979 when the Panthers were 9-1. Walker rushed for 511 and scored eight touchdowns in 1978. In ’70, Walker was named the conference Back-of-the-Year. Walker led the area in scoring with 22 touchdowns and 136 points. He was first team All-Conference, All-District and All-County and earned special mention on the All-Ohio team. His two biggest games came against EC’s Lorain rivals. He ran for 222 and scored five touchdowns and a two-point conversion in the first half of EC’s 50-0 win over Lorain Catholic. He had 202 yards and three scores in a 47-0 win over Southview. Against Bedford Chanel, Walker returned a kick 87 yards for one touchdown and had a 71 yard punt return for another. As a wrestler, Walker qualified for the state tournament at 167 pounds, finishing second. He was first place in the conference and the sectional and district champion his senior year. He was named the outstanding wrestler at the Elyria Pinter tournament, the Willard tournament and the Richwood tournament. He finished with a record of 39-2 for the Panthers and was named the team’s MVP, setting six school records at the time. In track, he was named the team’s MVP. Walker won the sectional 100 and 200 meter championships and finished seventh in the state at 200 meters. He won the prestigious Lou Rotunda Award and earned a full scholarship to Toledo, earning letters in 1981, 82 and 83. He gained 498 yards as a sophomore as the Rockets won the MAC championship and the California Bowl. He led the team in rushing TDs as a senior. He also wrestled at Toledo in 1981 before a neck injury cut short his career. Walker has been an assistant football and wrestling coach at Toledo Central Catholic and Toledo St. Francis. He was an assistant wrestling coach at St. Pius High School in Atlanta, where he currently resides. He also assisted at Cumberland County in Tennessee and coached a two-time state champion wrestler at Brookwood in Georgia.
Linda Schuster, Distinguished Service Award
Schuster has been a long-time, behind-the-scenes athletic secretary at Elyria Catholic since 1992. If you needed a roster, a schedule, tickets, contacts or any other information regarding the Panthers athletic teams, Schuster is the one to contact. Not only that, but she assisted in selling tickets and setting up the seating arrangements for many of the ESHOF banquets. Schuster was a former Gilgenbach Award winner at EC in 1977, signifying the outstanding female athlete at the school. She played basketball four years for the Panthers. Schuster went on to play basketball and field hockey at LCCC for two years. Thirty-four years later, her daughter Ashley was named the Gilgenbach Award winner.
1992 Elyria High Baseball Team
The City of Elyria celebrated a state champion in 1992 when Elyria West took the Division II honors at Columbus. It almost won two titles that year as the Pioneers nearly duplicated the Wolverines miraculous run through the tournament. The 1992 Pioneers were the first and – to date – the only Elyria High baseball team to qualify for the state finals. Coached by ESHOF inductee Curt Karpinski (2012), Elyria finished the season with a school record 23 wins against only two losses. In its 5-1 loss to North Canton Hoover, the final score is deceiving. Mark Stomieroski, Elyria’s clean-up hitter, hit two hard shots – one came in the third inning with no out and a runner on first. Stomieroski smoked a liner toward right field but Hoover’s second baseman leaped and caught the liner and doubled off the runner at first. Later, in the seventh inning, Stomieroski came up with the bases loaded and hit a long drive to right field that may have been a home run in a lot of parks but the right-fielder chased it down for an out to end the game. Stomieroski batted .467 for the season. Elyria’s lineup was loaded. In the state tournament game, shortstop Matt Neuschaefer (.355) led off followed by leftfielder Troy Kurtz (.368). Catcher Joe Norton (.384), Stomieroski, rightfielder Shawn Travers (.310) and centerfielder Antoine Perkins (.400) batted next. Brian Goodman (.394) was the designated hitter, Dave Modock (.308) played third and Danny Negin (.267) played second base. Lefthander Phil Kuchta (1.44 ERA) started on the mound but Karpinski had Scott Young (6-0, 1.74 ERA), Chad Montgomery (4-1, 1.76) and Travers (3-0, 0.86) on the staff. On the bench were Rob Garland, Zeke Overy, Bryant Lieux, Abdul Mallory, Brian Goodman and Chuck Harold.
Karlee Bruck, Elyria High Volleyball
Elyria High’s excellence in volleyball continued with the play of Karlee Bruck, a 2007 EHS graduate. She graduated from Elyria High as the school’s all-time solo blocks leader with 210 over her career. The team, coached by Hall of Famer Carol Russo, was 71-9 in her three years on the varsity. Karlee earned a scholarship to the University of Michigan where she lettered all four years. She is currently the coach at Rocky River High School.
Aubrey Oliver, Elyria High Softball
Elyria High’s 2002 softball team broke through to win the school’s first state championship with Aubrey Oliver in the circle for the Pioneers. Oliver was 18-2 as a junior with a 0.28 ERA and followed that up with a 23-2 record and a 0.69 ERA during her senior season capped by the state championship. The team, coached by Hall of Famer Ken Fenik, was previously inducted into the ESHOF in 2015. Oliver struck out 215 hitters in 151 innings in 2001 and followed that up with 218 Ks in 163 innings during the championship season.
Dave Phiel, Elyria High and Elyria Catholic Hockey
A 1975 graduate of Elyria High, Dave Phiel made his impact felt at both EHS and EC. At Elyria, he led the Flyers in scoring three straight years, earning an eventual scholarship to Bowling Green. Phiel was the Flyer’s MVP. He also played one season in Canada in the junior program. After graduation from BG, Phiel helped found the Elyria Catholic hockey program as the school’s first coach from 1994 through 2010. The Panthers were three time district champions under his tutelage and he was named as the league Coach of the Year three times.
Brian Schneider, Elyria Catholic Football
Elyria Catholic’s second of three state championships (1976, 1983 and 1984) was led by Lorain County’s Golden Helmet winner — Brian Schneider in 1983. Schneider was part of the two-headed monster backfield for the Panthers in 1983. Both he and Al McKinney rushed for over 1,000 yards during the undefeated state championship season, capped by a 14-9 win over Urbana in the title game at Columbus. Schneider was named Lorain County’s MVP as an offensive back in 1983. He was the leading scorer in the Erie Coast Conference both his junior and senior seasons. He also played basketball and baseball for EC.
Rebecca Yarish-Bowen, Elyria Catholic Volleyball
Rebecca Yarish was Elyria Catholic’s first Miss Volleyball in 1987, her senior season with the Panthers. She was EC’s Gilgenbach Award Winner in 1988 as Elyria Catholic’s outstanding female athlete. Yarish earned a scholarship to Kent State where she excelled on the court and in the classroom for the Flashes. She was named to ESPN’s Academic All-American team in 1990 and was named to the Mid-American Conference All-Academic team both in 1989 and 1990. She was a four-year letter-winner for Kent State and finished in the top five in six career categories. She also ranked in the top five in six individual game stats at Kent. She held the school’s record for kills upon graduation.
Steve Kirsh, Distinguished Service Award
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. For 32 years, Steve Kirsh has been a dependable and reliable force behind both the Elyria Catholic football and basketball programs as the scoreboard operator. Kirsh was also a past ESHOF chairman in 2006 and has served on the board for many years..
2003 Open Door Basketball Team
It was the first time the City of Elyria celebrated a Final Four team in basketball in 26 years when Open Door stunned the D-IV field at the regional tournament by beating favored Sebring-McKinley, 43-42. Led by Tori Davis, the Patriots finished the season 20-6. Al Januzzi was Open Door’s coach in 2003. Other members of the team were Tony Madolone, Brett Schmidt, Mike Asbury, Jason Piper, Adam Freeman, Jared Herron, Aaron Freeman, Steven Miller, Matt Galati and Gene Mason. David Freeman and Lee Schmidt assisted Januzzi. The school qualified for the state tournament in spite of having only 61 boys enrolled in the school.
