He said he told her it was God, who had told him how he gives you all the trophies when you’re going through life and then, when you die, you have to give them back.
Saturday night was trophy night at CJ as seven former Eagles standout athletes and a coach -- all part of the 2020 Induction Class -- were enshrined into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, which began in the early 1980s and is one of the longest running in the area.
Former athletics director Mike Raiff was the engaging emcee.
The honorees were:
--Todd Barhorst (2010 grad) – A six-time varsity letter winner in baseball and soccer, he was the GCL Player of the Year in baseball and now coaches the sport at CJ.
--Micaela Cronin (2010) – A three-time All-State golfer and school record holder, she helped launch the Eagles’ program with her best friend Madeline Kaminski.
--Madeline Kaminski (2010) – A nine-time varsity letter winner in golf and swimming, she was an All Ohio golfer and the Southern Ohio PGA Junior Player of the Year.
--Chris Myton (2009) – A three-time Miami Valley Soccer Coaches Association honoree, he is one of the top five goal scorers in school history.
--Joe Staley (2010) – A 1,000 point post player in basketball, he was the GCL North Plyer of the Year and an All-State honoree. He now assists his dad, Joe Staley, the Eagles’ longtime head basketball coach.
--Matt Vest (2010) – A two-year varsity player who transferred from Carroll and made an immediate impact in the Eagles program as an All-State first team selection.
--Samarie Walker (2010) – A basketball standout who was the Gatorade Player of the Year, a McDonald’s High School All American and the two-time GGCL Plyer of the year, she scored 1,720 points at CJ and grabbed 1,075 rebounds.
--Bill Cheslock – Already a Miami Valley Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame member, he coached the Eagles to 97 wins and five consecutive sectional titles in the mid-1980s. Twice he was named the MVBCA Coach of the Year.
“With everything going on in the world with COVID, this is an amazing accomplishment to put this on tonight,” Raiff told the modest crowd who had gathered in the CJ auditorium after a reception in the cafeteria. “Take a second to congratulate everyone around you for being here.”
During the pandemic, CJ has had to give some trophies back, none more so than a pair of beloved mentors, Ann Szabo, the Alumni Relations Coordinator, who passed away last September, and Rich Kidd, the longtime assistant basketball coach, who died last month.
Principal Greg Mueller, Joe Staley and Mark Vest, filling in for his son Matt, all mentioned Szabo and Kidd in their remarks.
Vest relayed how Matt hoped he and the other honorees would strive to one day become the next Ann Szabo or Rich Kidd and impact young lives as they did.
Ten days ago, the CJ Hall of Fame also lost Terry Dunham, who was a basketball star in the mid-1960s, a two-time MVP and then played at Tulsa. He was enshrined at CJ in 2009.
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