The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Inaugural class inducted
Seven inductees, one team in Amherst Athletic Hall of Fame
When Athletic Director Casey Wolf joined the Amherst Exempted Village Schools family about four years ago, he saw a need.
The school district with so many positives and pride had no athletic hall of fame. He soon found others felt the same need.
On Feb. 11 the Amherst Athletic Hall of Fame inducted an inaugural class of seven inductees and one team.
“When you’re going into an event like that and it’s the first one, I don’t want to say you set your sights low, but you don’t know what to expect,” Wolf said. “But having over 200 people in that room for a first event was really awesome. Everybody was invited. It was open to the public. Typically people who know the inductees
want to attend.”
The committee invited 2016 state qualifying students to be honored as well, he said.
“That was so they could see where they could be some day,” Wolf said. “It was an opportunity to link the past and the present together.
“Everybody in the room was intermingling with everybody else,” Wolf said, “either getting to know somebody, or touching base with somebody they haven’t seen for a long time.”
The inaugural class includes: Richard S. Cooley, Theresa (Feldkamp) Brannen, Sheri (Horvath) Scanlon, Amy (McKinley) Agrella, Jack Moskal, Phil Parker, Chris Russo, and the 1962 boys cross country team.
Also, the committee recognized the 2016 state semifinal softball team, and individual 2016 state qualifiers: Josh Hill, cross country; Nathan Moore, swimming; Brooke Armbruster, Undrea Ballard, Audrey Fayer, Taylor Hooks, Madison Reynolds, and Gracen Siegenthaler, track and field; and Todd Hastings and Matt Lee, wrestling.
The committee also presented Comet Spirit Awards to two most loyal fans: Tom Capasso and Danny Koch, Wolf said.
According to information on the inductees provided by Wolf:
Richard S. Cooley
Cooley coached track and field and cross country from 1957 to 1981 at Steele. This included state championships in boys cross country in 1962 and 1977, and a state runner-up finish in 1981. He coached girls cross country to a state runner up finish in 1978.
He coached three individual state cross country champions: Glen Wilburn, 1971, and Peter Kummant, 1973 and 1974; and three individual track and field state champions: Ken Greer in the 1880-yard run, Tom Schoemig in the mile in 1965, and Peter Kummant in the two-mile run in 1975. Cooley coached the Steele Boys Cross Country teams to 19 Lakeland Conference Championships in 24 years, 12 Boys Track and Field Lakeland Conference Championships, and four Lakeland Girls Cross Country Championships.
He was inducted into the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame in 1972, and the Lorain County Track and Cross Country Hall of Fame in 2011. He served as a pole vault official at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Theresa (Feldkamp) Brannen
Brannen won back-toback state championships in track in the 800-meter in 2000 and 2001. She was All-Ohio four times, and holds the school record with a time of 2:10.05 set at the 2001 state meet.
She was a four-time regional and district champion and placed in the 800-meter run at the Indoor and Outdoor National Track and Field meet in 2000 and 2001, earning All-American honors in 2001. Theresa ran at the University of Michigan where she was an Indoor NCAA Champion in the distance medley in 2005. She was a two-time NCAA Indoor Track and Field All-American. She was inducted into the Lorain County Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2010.
Sheri (Horvath) Scanlon
Scanlon excelled in volleyball and basketball. In her senior year of 1991-1992, she was an honorable mention All American, 1st Team All Ohio, Lorain County Miss Basketball, 1st Team all district, Northeast Ohio District Basketball Player of the Year, Plain Dealer Player of the Year, and Southwestern Conference Player of the Year.
She went on to play basketball at Hofstra University and Robert Morris College. She finished her career at RMC fourth in total career points. She was 1st Team All Northeast Conference in 1997 and 2nd Team All Northeast Conference in 1995 and 1996.
She was inducted into the Robert Morris College Hall of Fame in 2009.
She played professionally for Pembroke Basketball Club in Malta and averaged 19 points per game.
Amy (McKinley) Agrella
Agrella ran cross country and track. She won individual and team girls cross country state championships in 1991, and was the 1600-meter state champion in 1993.
She was the state runner up in cross country in 1992 and in the 3200-meter run in track in 1993. She finished fourth at the state cross country meet in 1990, leading her team to a runner-up finish. She was a two-time Southwestern Conference Cross Country MVP and the Southwestern Conference Girls Track & Field MVP in 1993.
She currently holds the school record in the 1600-meter (4:54.23), 3200-meter (10:42.5), and in cross country. Agrella was a USA Today High School All-American in the 1600-meter and 3200-meter runs as one of the top ten fastest girls in 1993 in the United States. She was All-Ohio eight times. Agrella ran for the University of Arkansas where she earned All-American honors in 1995 in the 10,000-meter run.
She was a member of the NCAA Division I Cross Country Team runners-up in 1993.
Jack Moskal
Moskal was a threesport standout. He was a member of the football, basketball, and track and field programs from 1950 to 1954. He was a high jump state qualifier and conference high jump champion in 1954. He was the conference football player of the year in 1953.
He scored 752 career points in basketball. In one season he averaged just over 22 of his team’s 35 points per game.
Phil Parker
Parker was a football star during his time at Steele. In 1980 he was 3rd Team All-Ohio, 1st Team all-district, 1st Team All Lakeland Conference, & 1st Team All-Lorain County.
He led the team in tackles and tied a team record with 15 career interceptions.
Phil played at Michigan State University where he was a 2nd team All-American twice, AllBig Ten three times, and the Defensive MVP of the All-American Bowl (1984). Parker was defensive MVP at Michigan State in 1983 and 1985, and was the MVP of the 1984 Cherry Bowl. His 16 interceptions ranked 3rd all time at the time his career ended.
His collegiate coaching career has made stops at his alma mater, as well as the Universities of Toledo and Iowa, where he currently serves as the defensive coordinator.
Chris Russo
Russo was a wrestling standout at Steele where he was a two time state runner-up at 112 pounds in 1988 and 1989. He was an OHSAA Regional Champion, three-time district champion, and Southwestern Conference Champion.
He held records in multiple categories until the OHSAA changed the number of matches competitors are allowed to wrestle. Russo wrestled at Indiana University where he placed eighth at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at 126 pounds in 1994, which earned him All-American honors.
1962 cross country team
The 1962 cross country team won the OHSA A State Championship, the first team title in school history. The team was coached by Hall of Fame inductee Richard S. Cooley and consisted of Richard Brumagin, Kenny Greer, Bert Koontz, Jim Loutzenhiser, Bob Miller, Tom Schoemig, and Dennis Traster.
The Amherst Athletic Hall of Fame currently is displayed digitally in the South Lobby at Steele, Wolf said, adding a permanent location will be announced at a later date.
“This is important to show the greatness we’ve had in the past in our athletic programs,” Wolf said, “and to keep the Comet pride going.”