8 ‘slam dunk choices’ headline the first Schalick High School Sports Hall of Fame induction class since 2015
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – When it’s been a while since you’ve had a Hall of Fame induction, it’s really important to make a splash on the night you bring it back.
The Schalick High School Sports Hall of Fame is inducting the seventh class in its history tonight with a group described as eight “slam dunk choices” for their first enshrinement ceremony in 10 years.
The Hall will welcome athletes Zyra Thomas, Sam Gerstenbacher, Joyce Perry, Sandra Cook and Jeremy Simkins, coaches Mike Hars and Steve Pierangeli and the Cougars’ 1996 South Jersey Group 1 champion boys tennis team into its lineup of Schalick luminaries in ceremonies at the high school auditorium.
“It’s just been a long time coming,” Hall of Fame chairman Erik Cagle said.
The Hall last welcomed a class in 2015 and after a brief pause were preparing to install another group when COVID infringed on everybody’s plans.
They were gearing for a reboot in early 2020 when COVID turned the world upside down and threw the project into a tailspin. They restarted the process about a year and a half ago with some new committee members and some new ideas and the result of their efforts will be on display tonight.
“We just needed to get the ball rolling and get things moving in the right direction,” Cagle said. “People asked from time to time if we were going to do the Hall of Fame again and I said please be patient with us, we’re going to get there. One year turned into two years turned into ten years.
“We’re giving new life to this and hopefully this is something that catches on it a big way. We just really had to kick ourselves in the pants to get moving again.”
One of the biggest changes involved taking the ceremonies from a successful run at a nearby country club back to the high school where it literally all began for the inductees. Now, a walk down the hall to the auditorium is a walk down memory lane.
“It’s a nice bit of homecoming for the athletes,” Cagle said.
With all the excitement surrounding the renewal, organizers are anticipating their largest turnout ever. They’ve already pre-sold a good number of tickets and expect a large walk-up crowd at the door to push attendance to record numbers.
A welcoming reception is scheduled for 6 p.m. with the program to begin at 7.
“I’d like to think it’s going to really reinvigorate the school’s attitude towards the Hall of Fame,” Cagle said. “Ten years, you start to wonder is this ever going to restart again? I’m glad I wasn’t there for the death knell of it. It’s nice that I’m able to keep it going.”
The plan is to have another induction next year and perhaps the year after, then do them every other year.
Cagle said he’ll breathe a huge sigh of relief after tonight’s closing remarks. There was a lot that went into planning this year’s renewal – fundraising, finding a venue, dotting and crossing all the Is and Ts, all the while sifting through an impressive list of nominees still in the fold from classes gone by to the ones nominated over the last 10 years.
“Obviously when you shut down for 10 years a lot of worth candidates accumulate,” Cagle said. “We need to clear the deck a bit, get some of the people who should have been honored a while ago back here.”
Those who turn out tonight will hear a lot more about the inductees, of course, but here’s a snippet (written by Cagle) of what they can expect.
Schalick athletics director and HOF co-chair Doug Volovar called the group “a quality class of people who have done some tremendous things at Schalick High School and helped build a legacy of quality athletes and sports and programs.”
SANDRA COOK (basketball): This is technically Cook’s second Schalick Sports Hall of Fame induction; she joined the ranks of Cougar greats in 2012 when her 1983-84 state champion girls basketball team was honored. She was a devastating paint player who averaged 22 points and 17 rebounds as a senior. She had 38 points in state semifinals and went for 16 and 12 in the title game.
SAM GERSTENBACHER (track/cross country): The 2016 graduate holds school records in the mile, 1500, 3200 and 3000 steeplechase and is the only Schalick runner to clock in under 10 minutes in the 3200, a feat he also accomplished in the 3000-meter steeple chase. Upon graduating, he held the Salem County records for the 3200, steeplechase and cross country.
JEREMY SIMKINS (football/track): It’s safe to say that Jeremy made his senior season with the Schalick football team a memorable one. On offense he piled up 26 catches for 634 yards and 11 touchdowns and on defense he reeled in seven interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He scored at least one touchdown in every game and holds eight program records. On the track he was a three-time Tri-County champion in the 110 hurdles and two-time champ in the 400 hurdles and as senior won the Group II state 400 hurdles crown.
JOYCE PERRY (field hockey/track): In field hockey, she’s the program’s single-season goal scoring leader with 31 and held the career goals record until 2020. In track, she holds the program best in the 400 hurdles, one of several events in which she flourished,. She also played four years on the girls basketball team.
ZYRA THOMAS (track): It’s easy to consider Zyra the greatest shot put thrower in Schalick history. She is a five-time state champion in the event and holds the South Jersey record with a heave of 48-9, which won her the national championship at the Armory in New York City. She also holds the distinction of being the first female Cougar football player in program history.
“I remember her being a really tough competitor and giving everything she had while she was on the field of competition,” Volovar said.
COACH STEVE PIERANGELI: “Coach P” is in his 97th season in 45 years of coaching Schalick athletics. He’s coached baseball, boys track, boys and girls cross country and girls basketball. His teams have amassed 383 victories, 61 championships and three South Jersey titles. A dozen of his former charges have gone on to become coaches themselves, three of whom he’s working under as a current Schalick track assistant.
“I’m honored to be recognized by the group and to be part of a long history of great athletics at Schalick,” he said. “Over the years with the programs I’ve been entrusted with I think we did a good job in developing the programs, individual athletes and individual people. I’m quite proud of what we’ve accomplished.”
COACH MIKE HARS: A beloved teacher, coach and colleague for 28 years, his passion for doing it right helped an array of athletes become legends at Schalick. Whether on the football field or at the throwing venues in track & field, Hars drove his charges to excellence. His name is on the Hars-Lake Trophy that goes to the winner of the annual Cumberland-Schalick football game.
1996 BOYS TENNIS TEAM: The Cougars went 20-1 with a school-record 15 shutouts. They won the Tri-County Classic Division, overall Tri-County Conference, South Jersey Group I Championship and finished runner-up in the State Group I Championship. The team was led by coach Karen Bowman, a member of the inaugural Schalick HOF Classic, and led on the court by singles players Ryan Jackson, Bryan Nardone and Chris MacNeill and doubles teams Scott Wark-Jim Zee and Rob Thomas-Ian Gardner.
“These are what I would call the ‘slam dunk choices,’” Cagle said. “Think back to the first Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony where you had Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson, Ty Cobb, all the greats. These are people who have really accomplished great things at the state level, not just South Jersey. They were really easy to identify. We could have easily selected five more. That’s why we’re going to do it again next year – hopefully.”
A.P. SCHALICK SPORTS HALL OF FAME
The Class of 2009: Jayme Majek, Karen Bowman, Crystal Bailey, Candyce DeLoatch, Donnie Jackson-Bey, Kevin Jackson, Brent Mathers, Sean Collins, Josh Hedgeman, Charles Armstead, Karl Haywood, Robert Johnson and Mark Boyle.
The Class of 2010: Paul Gause, Sharon Hawk, Mary Brown, Aisha Morgan, Greg Frith, Mike McGowan and the 1978 Softball Team.
The Class of 2011: Lorraine Hunt, Nicole Vit, Rachel Johnson, Darryl Gause, Andy Hughes, John Donovan, the 2001 South Jersey Group 1 champion and state finalist Boys Soccer Team.
The Class of 2012: Matt Newton, Dan Mannella, Laura Hodson, Aaron Wicox, Scott Baldwin, Rose Johnson, Dave Ewart, the 1984 Girls Basketball Team.
The Class of 2013: Rashonda Scurry, Pete Mavroff, Amadi Eze, Matt Bailey, G.R. Schalick, Erik Cagle, 2004 South Jersey Group 1 Champion football team
The Class of 2015: James Woodley, Ashley Hansen, Janet Ricards, Joey Mannella, Jimmy Tuller, Coach Dale Driver and the 2009 South Jersey Group 1 Champion field hockey team
The Class of 2025: Zyra Thomas, Sam Gerstenbacher, Joyce Perry, Sandra Cook, Jeremy Simkins, Mike Hars, Coach Steve Pierangeli, 1996 South Jersey Group 1 Champion boys tennis team
Riverview Sports News 