INDUCTEE Although there have been 321 inductees into the Ed Romance Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Ana Ditchey becomes only the 17th female to earn the honor. And earn it she did! As a four-year starter for Coach Steve Lapotsky, Ana excelled on the basketball court for MCA, leading them to a third place finish in District IV play in 1999. It was the highest finish for any Lady Tornado team since the 1985 District Championship won by the Fantanarosa-led team. It was also the last team to enter state play until the 2010 team began the current run of 9 consecutive trips. Ditchey became only the 7th player in MCA history to record 1000 points, finishing with 1246 – still good enough for 10th on the all-time list. She also ranks 8th in foul shots made in a season – 103, 7th in a career – 261, and 8th in 3 point goals with 71. She also led the team into District play as a senior co-captain. In the spring, Ana took her talents to the Silver Bowl with the Lady Tornado track team. She was a 3-time District IV Champion in the javelin and three-time state qualifier. As a sophomore, Ditchey broke the 20 year old javelin record held by Cheryl Kent and then upped the mark to 138’9”. This throw was noted by Track and Field Magazine as the 6th best throw in the country in 1999. Although the individual marks were great, she was proud of the fact that her teams complied a 32-0 record in the Schuylkill League and won the SIAL Championship for four consecutive years from 1997-2000. Ironically, that would be the last undefeated team until 2017 – a team coached by Ditchey herself. Ana also made a little MCA history as she became the first female golfer in the annals of MCA golf, earning a varsity letter in 1999. Ditchey recently took over the Lady Tornado track program in 2012. They have continued to get stronger each year, culminating in that undefeated 6-0 team in 2017, winning the Heartland Conference Championship – MCA’s first-ever. During that time she has produced 49 District medalist performances, as well as 14 state qualifiers with 4 District Champions. Her most heralded pupil was Maura Fiamoncini, who won 3 state medals, including 2 state championships in the AA javelin. The 4 x 800 team of Lauren Hause, Marissa Kleman, Jen Bolick and Ali Varano also earned a 7th place medal at the PIAA State Championship with a school record 9:39.8. She is also proud to currently have 6 athletes competing at the college level at Bucknell, Kutztown, Bloomsburg and Susquehanna, while 2 more will be added following the 2018 season. Ditchey has been coaching since 2004 as an assistant with MCA track while previously coaching MCA basketball and volleyball. Ana received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in 2004 from Bloomsburg University and added a Master of Science in Instructional Technology in 2007. She has been teaching at MCA for 14 years at Mount Carmel Area Elementary and also serves as a Committee Member for the MCA Think Big Pediatric Dance Marathon. She is the daughter of Tootsie and Bill Ditchey of Mount Carmel.

INDUCTEE During its previous Championship runs, the Pittsburg Steelers were led by their “Bus” Jerome Bettis. Mount Carmel Area had its’ own “Bus” during its state championship era – Big Jon Else. Jonathan started 42 consecutive games at center for the Red Tornadoes, winning 39 of them. Along the way MCA picked up two state championships in 1996 and 1998. Big #75 was the man at the point of attack for Big Red, leading the way for MCA backs to gain close to 10,000 yards rushing and another 3500 yards passing while scoring over 180 TD’s and 1335 points. His 1996 team was a perfect 15-0, noted as the first team to win 15 games in a season and had the distinction of never trailing in a game. That team averaged 8.1 yards per rush which is the best ever for an MCA team. The 96 team with 533 points scored and the 98 team with 505 are 2 of the top 3 in MCA history. Coach Whitey Williams was so confident in Jon that he gave quarterbacks Vic Kornaski and Nick Sebes the greenlight to audible to a QB sneak whenever they felt it was there. In three years, they were never stopped short of first down yardage. Jon was chosen a senior captain of the 98 team after garnering 2nd team all-state honors as a junior – only the 8th underclassman in history to be named to the all-state team. As a senior in ’98, Else was named to the first team all-state lineup by the Associated Press and was named the Lineman of the Year by the Reading Eagle. After mulling over offers from Georgetown, Lycoming, and Susquehanna, Jon chose to stay closer to home and play for MCA’s Frank Sheptock at Wilkes University. After enrolling at Wilkes, Jon started in 18 games for the Colonels in 1999 and 2000 at the center position. In ’99, the Colonels qualified for the ECAC Southeast Playoffs and registered a 27-6 win over FDU Madison. They also qualified for the 2000 playoffs before losing to Muhlenberg by a 22-26 score. Jonathan then decided to concentrate on golf and lettered for 4 years from 2000-2003, serving as a co-captain for 3 of those years. After graduation Jon, continued to compete in professional bass fishing tournaments and was ranked 9th overall in 2010 in the Eastern Division of the FLW Series. Jon still is the owner/operator of Lone Goose Guide Service where he conducts tours for waterfowl and smallmouth bass on the Susquehanna River. Else earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 2003 and a Master of Business Administration in 2005 from Wilkes. He returned to the area following graduation and served as the Vice President and then President of Operations for King Coal Tours from 2005 to 2013. Jon is now an insurance producer with Klebon Insurance Group of Elysburg. He is the son of Kathy and the late Bob Else of Elysburg and currently makes his home in Elysburg with his wife, Diane.

INDUCTEE Just as he had done throughout his playing career, Bob “Buddy” Royer has earned his spot in the Ed Romance Chapter Class of 2018. Buddy was recruited out of Mount Carmel High School following his graduation in 1960 by Head Football Coach Earle Edwards to travel south to join the Wolfpack at North Carolina State University. Edwards’s tenure at N.C. State covered the time from 1954 to 1970 and was credited with laying the foundation for future success of the Wolfpack in the very strong Athletic Coast Conference. Buddy Royer was a great part of that foundation. Buddy had completed a very successful freshman year at North Carolina State on a team that was 4-0 and defeated North Carolina, Wake Forest, Duke, and Virginia. He was a starter at Middle Linebacker and Tight End at a time when freshmen were prohibited from playing varsity college athletics. At the start of his sophomore year during summer workouts, Coach Edwards moved him to center and he found himself on the 5th team looking up. He gradually moved to the 3rd team before the start of the season and insured a place on the travel team. By the third game of the season, Royer had progressed to the starting center position for All American and All Pro quarterback Roman Gabriel. Gabriel later played with the Rams and Eagles in the NFL. At that time, players played two ways, giving Royer the opportunity to play and start at middle linebacker for the next two years. He also played with Joe Scarpati (Eagles and Vikings) and against the famous Leroy Jordan of the Dallas Cowboys, Bob Brown (Eagles and Rams) and Gary Collins (Cleveland). In the year following his time there, the Wolfpack played in the Liberty Bowl which was only the second bowl game in school history. Buddy has great satisfaction in knowing he was an integral part of the Wolfpak’s return to the national stage. Buddy’s career began with Coach Mike Terry and the Red Tornadoes. He was one of only a few freshmen ever brought up to the varsity in 1956 and would go on to letter and start for three years. He played a number of positions including guard, end, linebacker, halfback and returned kicks. During his junior campaign, the Tornadoes won their first 8 games. Unfortunately one of Shenandoah’s greatest ever teams would have them finish 8-2-1. Royer also ran track for Coach Gerald Breslin, competing in the 100, 220 and 440 yard runs, as well as, relays, low hurdles and the javelin. He was part of a medal team in District IV in the 4 x 220 with Steve Bolick, Joe Menapace and Fred Hynoski and he also medaled in the javelin. Royer was only one of only three underclassmen to play Tornado Basketball for Coach Glen Menges in 1959 and he became a senior co-captain in 1960. Following his stint at NC State, Uncle Sam called and had Buddy serving for 3 years with the US Army. He was part of an MP Unit and served with security at the NATO headquarters in Versailles, France and later served for 16 months in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, always with Top Security Clearances. After returning home, Buddy moved to Philadelphia and was a computer programmer for International Union in Center City for more than 13 years. Seeking a change of pace, Royer moved on to Atlantic City with the emergence of the Casino industry. He eventually became a games supervisor at the Claridge Casino and worked for a total of 5 casinos, staying until his retirement at age 65. He and his wife Jan made their home in the Lindenwold Area of New Jersey and are the parents of two daughters Nicole and Stephanie, as well as three awesome grandchildren Alexis, Anthony and Jason

INDUCTEE “Superman” – That’s what they called him. No, he wasn’t able to leap tall buildings at a single bound, he wasn’t quite as fast as a speeding bullet. Nick, though, was able to run 9 races over a two-day period to lead his MCA track team to the 1998 PIAA AA State Championship. He medaled in the 100 and 200 meter runs, and anchored the 4 x 400 meter relay team to a new school and regional record 3:23.9 attaining a silver medal finish, allowing the Tornadoes to win the team championship. During his four year track and field career at MCA the Tornadoes won 4 consecutive District IV team titles, while he won 13 individual golds. He would then win back to back PIAA titles in the 400 meters in 1999 and 2000. His times of 10.5(100 meters) 21.7 (200 meters), 48.56 (400 meters), 4 x 100 meter relay (43.3) and 4 x 400 meter relay (3:23.9) still remain as school records 20 years later. Sebes would once again lead a team to a state title and this time it was as the quarterback for the 1998 edition of the Red Tornado Football Team. For his efforts, he was named the PIAA Small School Player of the Year, as well as, AP First team All-State. He would repeat the all state performance during the 1999 season, helping the Tornadoes to the State Championship game once again. A hand injury, however, prevented him and Big Red from repeating. Nonetheless, Nick was recruited by Stanford Head Coach Tyrone Willingham to play for the Cardinal as a wide receiver. He then participated in Pennsylvania’s Big 33 game in the summer of 2000. Upon arriving at Stanford, Nick made an immediate impact with the Cardinal, scoring receiving touchdowns in each of his first two collegiate games. His contribution against Notre Dame is fully noted as he is featured early in Alan Grant’s book “Return to Glory” – the story of how the same Willingham would lead the Fighting Irish back to credibility. He went on to earn 3 varsity letters as a Stanford wide receiver and kick returner. Though it may be hard to believe, Nick saved his best for last as a member of the Stanford men’s track team, earning 4 varsity letters in races from the 100, 200, 400, 4 x 1, 4 x 4 and distance medleys. His name is very noticeable today, as his 4 x 1 times rank 2nd, 4th, 6th and 9th with a best of 38.71, 4 x 4 meter relays still rank 2nd, 6th, 8th and 10th, with a best of 3:07.23, and 200 meter time of 21.4 – good for 5th. His indoor times of 21.58 in the 200 and 46.58 in the 400 still rank 3rd. His indoor 4 x 4 times still appear in 2nd, 3rd, and 6th. Sebes went on to graduate from Stanford with a BA in Human Biology in 2005 and then earned a Masters from Columbia in 2006. He received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Michigan in 2011 and did his primary residency at the Crozer Chester Med Center in 2011-12. He followed that up with a residency in dermatology at the University of Michigan, serving as the chief resident in 2013. He is currently a dermatology specialist at Geisinger Health System in Danville. He makes his home in Danville with his wife Carrie and two daughters, Ava and Arbor. He is the son of Francine and the late Albert Sebes of Mount Carmel.

INDUCTEE Today, Bobby Veach gets to join his father Robert as a member of the Ed Romance Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, an exclusive fraternity within the Hall. Bobby spent four years with the Leopards of Lafayette College as a safety for Coach Bill Russo. Bobby helped to make history with Lafayette as Russo made his way to the winningest coach in the annals of Lafayette football. Lafayette football has been around since 1882 and Russo managed to win 103 games from 1981-1999. Veach was there as the Leopards won the Patriot League Championship in 1994 and was on the field for great program wins over Harvard, Columbia, Colgate, Bucknell, Cornell, and Holy Cross among others. He earned 3 varsity football monograms as a safety while with the program. Bobby’s football training began with Coach Jazz Diminick and extended into the Whitey Williams era. Bob played mostly safety and tight end with the Tornadoes and was an integral part of laying the groundwork for the state championship teams to come. He led the 1993 team with 7 interceptions and also chipped in with 6 TD’s on 17 receptions for 309 yards from the tight end spot. He ended with 111 tackles and 9 passes defended. That ’93 team would qualify for the District XI playoffs and ended up losing to Allentown Central Catholic by a 27-6 score. (ACC ended up winning the state AAA Championship with a 47-6 win over Blackhawk). Bobby was named to the Press Enterprise All-Area team and earned the Ed Romance Award at the annual football banquet. Veach was also a huge part of the history-making boys basketball team at MCA, winning the first-ever District Championship in 1991. As a freshman, Bob was Coach McKay’s defensive specialist and was almost always assigned the opposition’s best player. He was a huge part of what has been recognized as MCA’s most successful era in basketball, qualifying for District play on 3 separate occasions and playing for 2 Championships – winning one. Bob also contributed offensively with 373 points, 91 steals, 111 assists, and 230 rebounds. He was the annual winner of the VFW defensive player award on a number of occasions. Bob also was a mainstay of MCA track and Coach Mike Woytowich, specializing in the sprints and relays. He and Scott Sebastian, Gary Spears, and Joel Gonzalo were the District XI 4 x 400 meter relay champions in 1993 and just missed the medal stand with a 9th place finish at the PIAA meet. He, Dave Slater, Spears and brother Brett won a 2nd place District medal in 1994 in the 4 x 100. Bob went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Lafayette in 1998 and a Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from MCP Hahnemann in 2001. He is currently a Physician Assistant for Sun Orthopaedic of Evangelical Hospital in Lewisburg. He and his wife Amy make their home in Selinsgrove and are the parents of a daughter Giovanna (8) and son Robert (4).

INDUCTEE Stanley was a 1937 graduate of Kulpmont High School and immediately took off for New York City. There he trained as a middle-weight boxer at a time when the sport was booming. Stanley trained and fought in 18 fights with a 13-4-1 record. He did most of his work in the famous Gleason’s Gym in the lower Bronx, the same gym that champions such as Jake LaMotta, Mike Belloise and Phil Terranova blossomed. He worked his way through the ranks and in 1941, found himself in the finals of the prestigious Golden Gloves Championships at Madison Square Garden where he eventually lost to Charles Hayes from Detroit, MI. The Golden Gloves has been an avenue for amateur boxers since 1927. It was through the Golden Gloves that guys like Sugar Ray Robinson, Floyd Patterson, Jose Torres, Emile Griffith, and Riddick Bowe found their way to national prominence. Stanley continued to box as a member of the Army Air Corps during World War II. He was stationed at Laughlin Air Base as a technical sergeant in the advanced test flight program. He was the middleweight boxing champ at both Laughlin Air Base and Clark Air Base in the Philippines. Following WW II, Stanley utilized the GI Bill to attend Alliance College in Cambridge Springs and eventually completed his Bachelor of Arts in political science at Penn State University in 1950. He then matriculated to Catholic University Law School and graduated in 1953 after being selected to the university Law Review. Upon graduation, Stanley returned to Northumberland County and entered into the law practice of long-time attorney Carl Rice Sr. In 1955, Zlocki opened his own law practice focusing on estate planning and general law until retiring in 2003. During his 50 year career, Stanley was influential in the civic development of his community. He served as the solicitor for the Mount Carmel Area School District and was instrumental in leading them through the process of building the current Junior-Senior High School in 1977. He was also very active in Kulpmont as the attorney for St. Casimir’s Parish, the American Legion and the Kulpmont Knights of Columbus. He was married for 60 years to the former Norma Petrucelli at the time of his death in 2009. Stan is the father to three sons, Matthew, Michael, and Chris.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT Manus McCracken has had a breakout year as a linebacker for the Mount Carmel Area Red Tornado football team. As a result he has been named to a number of Pennsylvania All-State football teams. McCracken has distinguished himself as only the 10th player to record over 100 tackles in back to back seasons by racking up 77 solo and 56 assisted tackles for a total of 133 – 22 of them for loss. The 133 stops rank as the 9th best season ever at MCA. He also added 7 QB sacks, 2 passes defended, 1 fumble recovery, 1 QB hurry and 1 blocked kick. He also had 7 games with 10 or more tackles with a high of 20 tackles against Danville. For these efforts and more he was named to the PA Sportswriters AA all-state team as a first team linebacker. He was also recognized by Eastern PA Football as a first team backer and recently was named to the Pennsylvania Football News with a spot on the second team. Additionally WNEP has honored him as a member of their Dream Team. Manus ended his career with a total of 332 tackles – 35 for loss – The 332 ranks as the 7th best total ever at MCA. He has been recognized as the Kiwanis Award recipient, the Bob Pizzoli Award, and has been a two-time Breakfast/Supper Club Award winner as the team’s outstanding defensive player. His plans are to attend an Ivy or Patriot League school to major in Mathematics or Engineering.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT The Romance Chapter generally recognizes athletes who have hit the 1000 point plateau or earned all-state in their sport. Nicole Varano has accomplished the first and has earned the second- twice! Nicole surpassed the 1000 mark on the basketball court last year and has since also surpassed the 1700 point milestone on the way to becoming MCA girls second leading scorer behind only Maria Fantanarosa. Varano has distinguished herself on the hardwood being recognized and named to the Pennsylvania 3rd team all-state in 2017. Nicole has helped her team to 2 District IV Championships in 2016 and 2017. She has proven to be an all-around player by placing herself as the 2nd leading foul shooter in history, the career leader in steals with over 450 and is in the top 5 in rebounding with over 950. She was also named the News-Item and Sunbury Daily Item player of the year in 2017. On the soccer field, Nicole recently became the girls’ all-time leading scorer with 111 goals during her four-year career, even though she spent part of one season in goal. She was the three-year captain and PHAC 1st Team All-Star all four years. She was the News-Item Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017 and was named to the Pennsylvania All State Soccer Team in 2017. She is the first and only female ever at MCA to be named all-state in two sports. Varano is also an excellent track athlete at MCA and now has 5 District IV medals to her credit. Her District IV second place finishes in the 110 Meter Hurdles and 300 Meter Hurdles qualified her for the PIAA State Meet at Shippensburg as a junior. We look forward to this spring’s track and field season with her senior season on the horizon.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT Dream it – they did! Expect it – not so much! After looking at the seed positions for the 1998 State Championship Meet, Coach Al Yackenchick and his team felt really good about their prospects as they made their way down Route 81 to Shippensburg. The Tornadoes had just come off of a win in the District IV Championship Meet – their second consecutive district championship and 24th overall. (The Red Tornadoes would also win District Titles in 1999 and 2000 to give MCA 26 overall titles). The Tornadoes were paced in the District Meet by their star, Nick Sebes, who won the 100 and 200 meter runs with a District record 10.7 and 21.9 and anchored the 4 x 100 meter relay team of Jon Veach, John Kalinoski, and Pete Avellino to a 43.5 and did the same for the 4 x 400 meter relay team of Bryan Dettrey, Jed Gonzalo, and Matt Montgomery with a new District Record time of 3:24.1 to win the meet by an 82-80 score over Central Columbia ( The 3:24.1 was never recognized by District IV due to a clerical error and would still be the District record today). Additionally Pete Drey won gold in the 1600 (4:24.1) and Jay Malakoski in the shot (52’11”). Jake Shellhammer and Matt VanDoren also scored points, enabling the victory. At the state meet, the Tornadoes were once again led by Sebes, who earned a silver in the 200, 8th place finish in the 100 and a silver medal in the 4 x 400 MR with Dettrey, Gonzalo, and Montgomery setting a new Regional record of 3:23.9. Drey was 4th in the 1600, as was Jay Malakoski in the shot put. The 27 points allowed the Tornadoes to tie Fort LeBoeuf for the team title. It was the first and only state championship in the storied MCA track program. The 1998 team dominated its competition with a perfect 9-0 record in dual meets and capped the season off with a 1st place finish in the Schuylkill League meet. The Tornado thin clads were also victorious in the Purple and White Relays, Mount Carmel Invitational, and Williamsport Coaches Invitational. Their only blemish was a second place finish to AAA Selinsgrove in the MCA Breslin Relays. Records established during the ’98 season were: 100 meter dash – Sebes – 10.5, 200 meter dash – Sebes – 21.7, 4 x 100 meter relay – Sebes, Veach, Kalinoski, Avellino – 43.3, 4 x 400 meter realy – Sebes, Montgomery, Gonzalo, Dettrey – 3:23.9, 1600 meter – Drey – 4:22.4. Al Yackenchick spent three years at the helm and he would leave following the ’98 campaign with a 24-6 record. Coach Yak and the 1998 team set the gold standard for MCA track and field.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT The road to the ’98 State Championship had begun on a cold and snowy day in November of 1997 as the Red Tornadoes lost the District Championship to South Williamsport by a 14-6 score. Right there on the muddy turf of the Silver Bowl where they vowed to never feel that way again. They knew what it would take – a total commitment from each member including freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, the coaches, the administration, and support staff. They were never arrogant about it. Each and every one of them just knew. Hard work, family attitude, and their desire would get them there. Big Red opened the season with a 35-0 white-wash over Tamaqua, followed by a 35-6 drubbing of Panther Valley. Mike Sinkovich established a new career record for PAT’s in this game by going 5 of 5. Jon Veach had the 4th best game in MCA history, running for 240 yards in the 21-7 win in the Southern rivalry game. The defense came up big with a school record 9 sacks against Shamokin, holding the Indians to -8 yards rushing in the close 21-7 win. Steve Sinkovich and Dan Dowkus had 2.5 sacks each with Jay Malakoski adding 1.5. Even though MCA speedster Nick Sebes ran back a kickoff for 93 yards. Allentown Central Catholic –the eventual AAA State Champion – scored in the 4th quarter for an 18-15 win over the locals. Malakoski, Steve Sinko, and Parisella paced the defense with 13, 11, and 11 tackles each. The Tornadoes regained their winning ways on the road with a 28-0 blanking of Marion Catholic. Veach ran for 178 yards in this one with Sinkovich establishing a new school record making his 19th consecutive PAT. It would take 20 fourth-quarter points for MCA to get past North Schuylkill by a 27-12 score with Veach again leading the way with 229 yards. Then came one of the all-time classics as MCA eventually won a shoot-out with the Bartosic – Bowman Shikellamy Braves by a 42-38 score. Veach and Sebes ran for 194 and 165 yards respectively while the Braves threw for 456 yards and 6 touchdowns – the most ever against an MCA team. Their 488 total yards also established a new standard against MCA. Malakoski would establish a new MCA record for career sacks with 26.5, adding 2.5 against the Rams of Wyalusing. MCA then established a new mark with 537 yards of total offense in a 48-7 win over Selinsgrove. Sebes would run for 114 and throw for 120 with Josh Parisella grabbing 7 passes for 91 yards and 2 scores. Big Red opened District IV play with an easy 48-12 win over Line Mountain, followed by a convincing 31-3 win over Hughesville in the Championship game. Steve Sinko with 13 and Jeff Evans with 10 paced the Tornado D. Veach (128), Sebes (124), and Al Bailey (108) registered the trifecta as all gained over 100 yards in a 47-6 smashing of Wyoming Area at our home away from home Shamokin. In an encore meeting with Marion Catholic, Big Red prevailed by a 30-0 score with Sebes running for 105 and scoring 4 TD’s. Terry Meyer registered 12 tackles with Malakoski and Chris Cuff grabbing 2.5 sacks. Next would be the trip down 81 for our first visit to Hershey, but looming was Shady Side Academy and their 7 Division one prospects. Veach and Sebes scored 2 touchdowns, with Al Bailey adding one, all on the ground. Then Aaron Zeigler took an onside kick attempt 50 yards for another TD and the rout finished by a 44-7 score. The team would score 505 points and only gave up 122, while registering 5201 yards of total offense. Sinkovich (128), Meyer (116) and Malakoski (105) would pace the defense with Malakoski (14) and Cuff (13.5) the sack leaders. Nick Chesney grabbed 9 INT’s. The 553 yards given up rushing ranks as the fewest ever given up in a season, regardless of number of games. Chesney, Sebes, Veach, Malakoski, Steve and Mike Sinkovich, Jon Else, and Chris Cuff would earn all-state honors. And at the end of the day and the 1998 Tornadoes football season the Big Red would fulfill their promise to each other as the 1998 PIAA State Champions.