HoVal’s Doldy, Pennington’s West get scholar recognition
It was basketball taking center stage amongst Delaware Avenue schools in Pennington this week, as the Pennington girls were in Thursday’s Mercer County Tournament championship game and the Hopewell Valley boys put forth a strong showing in the MCT semifinals before falling to Trenton.
But in a little more than two weeks, the focus will be on football as Pennington’s Brandon West and Hopewell’s Steven Doldy will be their school’s honorees at the 57th Annual George Wah ScholarLeader-Athlete Dinner, sponsored by The Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.
The dinner is Mar. 10, 4 p.m., at the Princeton Marriott. Players from 22 schools will be honored with $1,000 scholarships, while three special winners will receive the $5,000 Jack Stephan Scholarship, the $2,500 Ron Rick Sr. Scholarship, and the $1,500 Ed Cook Scholarship.
For tickets or ad book information, contact Ron Hoehn at 609731-6610.
Other Colonial Valley Conference players being honored are Nick Campbell (Allentown), James Kim (Ewing), Eddie Fennell IV (Hamilton West), Michael Quigg (Hightstown), Krystian Hajduczka (Lawrence), Evan Collins (Notre Dame), Robbie Bennett (Nottingham), Connor Coffee (Princeton), Paul Milo (Robbinsville), Tim Toomer (Steinert), Aaron Bennett (Trenton) and Brian Zhong (West Windsor-Plainsboro).
Other Mercer County prep school honorees are Malcolm Brunson (Hun), Diassa Diakite (Lawrenceville) and David Harris (Peddie). Area school athletes being recognized will be Jack Parker (Bordentown), John Woolston (Florence), Connor Healy (New Egypt) and John Stothoff (North Hunterdon).
Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri will receive the Robert F. Casciola Distinguished American Award, George Kloutis will receive the Contribution to Youth Football and Jack Rice will receive the Youth Scholar Award. Charlie Thompson will get the George O’Gorman Contribution to Amateur Football Award, Abe Johnson is the Jack Millard Officials Award winner and the Nick Gusz Good Guy Award goes to Sharron Grady. Other honors will go to Brian Pitts (Eunice Kennedy Shriver Champion), Max Busca (TCNJ’s Earl H. Dean Scholar-LeaderAthlete), Tom Johnson (Princeton University Judge Arthur Lane Scholar-Leader-Athlete) and Santuzza Oilers (Tony Persichilli Meritorious Service Award).
Doldy was a four-year varsity letter winner and captained the Bulldogs this past fall. His leadership is unquestioned, as he was the ice hockey captain this winter and will serve as captain this spring for the lacrosse team, for which he earned All-County last year.
“When I first met Steven I knew that with time he would develop into an excellent leader,” Bulldogs coach Dave Caldwell said. “He had a relentless work ethic, was very coachable and understood concept of team. With these attributes he would grow to be an excellent leader who could lead under adverse situations.
“During the football season, when the team was faced with adversity, Steven’s teammates looked to him for guidance. This is where Steven’s confidence and maturity allowed him to lead his team through the difficult situation. Steven looked at these situations as learning opportunities and relished in the opportunity to lead. Due to his relentless work ethic and a desire to be successful, Steven was always ready to lead and inspire his teammates.”
Sporting a cumulative grade point average of 90.52 while taking Advanced Placement courses in Physics and U.S. Government & Politics, Doldy has been a Naval Sea Cadet for the past three years, serving as a Petty Officer as a junior and senior, an assistant squad leader as a junior and a squad leader as a senior. His community involvement includes the Wreaths Across America fundraiser and serving as a volunteer actor in the Law Enforcement Active Shooter Drill. He also cleaned up litter around his township for the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space Community Clean-Up.
“I would describe Steven on the quieter side, with a calm demeanor and humble about his intelligence,” HVCHS guidance counselor Nicole Getman said. “He doesn’t’ seem to get easily rattled or insulted. He’s attentive and helpful. His hard work is always evident and the passion for what he does in infectious. He could be described as a quieter student in the classroom and athlete as a freshman but has stepped up to not just lead by example but improve his communication with his classmates and teammates.”
West, a Lawrenceville resident, played two years for Lawrence High before finishing up with Pennington. This past fall, he earned the 12th Man TD Club Offensive Back of the Week Award and firstteam All-Area, was named the Red Raiders Most Valuable Player and was an Ironman Award winner for three straight years. As a senior, he set school records throwing for over 1,600 yards and 21 touchdowns while tossing just one interception.
“We have watched him grow and mature into one of the best quarterbacks in the history of The Pennington School,” coach Jerry Eure said. “Brandon is without a doubt one of the finest student-athletes that I have had the privilege of coaching in my many years. The best way to describe Brandon is reliable, consistent, and hard working. When you combine these qualities with his leadership ability, you get a great quarterback and an even better young man.
“Brandon has outstanding character and a mature attitude that was a positive influence on our program and school as a whole. Many of our younger players looked up to Brandon for guidance and direction throughout the years. He has distinguished himself in many ways over his years at The Pennington School and he will be sorely missed.”
West has a cumulative GPA of 3.44 in three years at Pennington. He is a member of the school’s Tea Club, which discusses current events, politics and social issues. He serves as a campus guide, giving tours to prospective Pennington students, and served as an athletic liaison, working with members of the athletic department to make sure gameday tasks and operations were completed. He also did community work as a Supervisor for Lawrence’s Safety Town and an umpire for Lawrence Little League.
“Brandon is a responsible and compassionate young man,” said Melanie Litzinger, Pennington’s Associate Director of College Guidance. “He is a leader on and off the field. He leads by example, but he can also balance leadership with having fun. He always gives his best and he has a solid work ethic in and out of the classroom.
“He does not seek to be in the spotlight or the center of attention. He is an independent thinker without feeling the need to do whatever everyone else is doing. Brandon is empathetic and inclusive of others. He enjoys mentoring children with special needs, and he also likes visiting his mom’s preschool class just to read, play, and have a snack with them.”
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