SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT Up until 2007, Mount Carmel Area had only had 4 athletes who had achieved 100 wins in their varsity wrestling careers. They were Mike Garcia at 140-9, Eric Lupatsky at 122-24, David Evans at 112-23, and David Fantini at 105-17. MCA has added three more grapplers to that special club, all under the tutelage of head coach Randy Reidler. Josh was the first to surpass the mark in 2007 with his win in the 2007 Northeast Regionals vs Ryan Burns. Malick would go on to a 39-4 record in 2007 and earn an 8th place finish at 112 lbs. at the PIAA State Championship meet. Malick was also a 7th place finisher at the PIAA meet in 2006 at 103 lbs. Josh is one of only nine 4-time Schuylkill League Champions and is a two-time Sectional Champion. His consistency is evidenced by his 27-6 record as a freshman, 37-5 as a sophomore, 39-4 as a junior and entered State competition with a 36-2 record this year .He went on to win the Sectional title,repeat as a District IV Champion, and would earn his first ever Regional Championship. After winning his preliminary match at Hershey, Josh lost to Aaron Schopp in the 1/4 finals and would finish his career with a loss in 2nd round consolations. Josh ended his career at 140-19 – the 140 wins matching those of Mike Garcia as the most ever at MCA. Josh is the son of Donald and Patti Malick and will be attending Clarion University to major in radiology.

SAINT PAULINE VISINTAINER SCHOLARSHIP The first-ever recipient of the St. Pauline Visintainer Scholarship is James Lesko. Jimmy has earned the honor by exhibiting the qualities set forth by the scholarship committee. He has participated in athletics during his four years at MCA, and has set himself apart by showing strong Christian Leadership and by participating in some type of church-related activity. Lesko is a senior student-athlete at Mount Carmel Area and currently ranks in the top 10 of his class. He actively pursues the AP courses offered at the school and will have earned 12 college credits before his graduation in June. His current 4.0 GPA has placed him on the Distinguished Honor Roll throughout his time in high school and is a member of the Junior and Senior National Honor Societies. He has been chosen to receive the Junior High Pride Award in both 7th and 8th grade and has been named the Rotary Student of the Month for January. Lesko was chosen as a sophomore to attend a National Youth Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C. That experience gave him the opportunity to prove too himself and his peers that he could – and would – become a leader in whatever path he chose to pursue. Jimmy is currently vice-president of Student Council and has been a writer for “Tornado Times” for 3 years. He is an anchor for WKMC in the morning and is a co-anchor of “The Red Zone”, MCA’s newest addition to WKMC’s line-up. He has earned two state championships in the Odyssey of the Mind on the state level and was a finalist in the world competition. James has served as an altar server at Divine Redeemer Church since 6th grade and is a Divine Redeemer picnic volunteer. He has helped to serve dinners at Divine Redeemer during lent and also volunteers as a St Pauline Visintainer picnic worker. As an athlete Jim has been a four-year member of the MCA baseball team and will serve as a captain for the 2008 season. His speed and quickness have made him one of the best outfielders in the Schuylkill League. His two spectacular defensive plays in a game against Tamaqua last season helped to preserve Ty Klusman’s no hitter. He also helps out as an assistant in the Mt Carmel Area Junior Baseball League. Jimmy resides in Kulpmont with his parents Corrine and James Lesko and will continue his education at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland to major in philosophy with the hope of becoming an attorney.

JAMES M. BACH SCHOLAR ATHLETE The first-ever recipient of the James M. Bach Scholar Athlete Award is Chris Johnson. Chris is a senior at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional High School and has been a four-year standout in basketball, football, and baseball. Johnson’s hard work and determination has allowed him to become a four-year starter for Coach Pete Long’s Red Raider basketball team as a point guard and shooting guard. Chris has consistently been among the region’s top scorers and has been named to the News-Item All Area team as a first team guard. Chris’s play has helped the Raiders to a third place finish in District IV Playoffs in 2005 and 2006 and eventually into the state playoffs. Johnson’s leadership helped the Raiders win the Division III crown of the Schuylkill League in 2008 with a 17-7 regular season record. The Raiders took North Schuylkill, the Div II champions to the buzzer before losing by a 28-34 score in the Schuylkill League semi finals. The Raiders would eventually lose the District IV Championship game to North Penn with Chris leading the way with 11 points. They would finish at 19-10 with Johnson averaging 10.9 pts per game. In addition to basketball, Chris also takes to the gridiron for Coach Mike Klembara and the Red Raider football team. He was a three-year starter at linebacker and wide receiver. He has been an area leader in receptions and has paced the Raiders from the defensive side of the ball. He was named to the first team of the All-American Football Conference as a wide receiver and linebacker following the 2007 season.. Johnson has been a starter for the Raider baseball team since his freshman year and has won the award for highest batting average for two consecutive seasons,In addition to his success in the athletic area, Chris currently ranks #1 in his class of 50 at Our Lady Of Lourdes Regional High School. He is a member of the National Honor Society and has been an active part of Student Council throughout his high school career. He also takes part in the Respect for Life Club, Students Against Destructive Decisions, the Business Club, Boys Service Club, as well as, many others. He is also an active member of Divine Redeemer Parish in Mount Carmel. Chris is the son of Ed and Colleen Johnson of Wilburton and plans to attend Penn State University to begin pursuit of a medical degree with an emphasis in anesthesiology.

JOSEPH D. WASILEWSKI FEMALE SCHOLAR ATHLETE Holly Ibanez was this year’s runaway choice as the Ed Romance Chapter’s Joseph B. Wasilewski Female Scholar Athlete. Ibanez earned the distinction by her performance on the field and in the classroom. Ibanez has helped to establish the girl’s soccer program as one of the elite in the region. They have won 70 games over the past four years, including 37 consecutive games at home. The Tornadoes have won two consecutive Schuylkill League Division Titles , as well as, two consecutive Schuylkill League Crowns. She also helped the Lady Tornadoes into State play during her freshman and sophomore seasons. Ibanez finished her career as MCA’s all-time leading scorer with 105 goals. She led the Schuylkill League in scoring with 28 goals and 4 assists for a total of 60 points. She is a 2-time Schuylkill League all-star and was the Pottsville Republican Player of the year in 2006 and News-Item Player of the Year in 2007. She was also named the Schuylkill League’s All State Player following the 2007 season. Only 60 girls state-wide are fortunate enough to receive this honor. Holly served as a team captain in 2006 and 2007. She has also played Club Soccer with the Bloomsburg Teal Wave and Bloomsburg Tornadoes for 6 years. Holly also excels on the track, running the 100, 200, 400, 400 meter relay and 1600 meter relay, She has qualified for the state meet in 2006 as a member of the 4 x 100 meter relay team with Hannah Kolody, Elyse Johnson and Alecia Nolter in a best time of 51.3. Ibanez, along with Sarah Novack, Karrisa Tocyloski, and Danielle Lawler sprinted to an excellent 4:13.02 in the 4 x 400 meter relay in the 2007 District IV meet. She has been named a News Item all star. It is in the class room where Ibanez really stands out. She currently ranks second in a class of 111 with a GPA in the neighborhood of 99.8. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Distinguished Honor Roll, and was the September Merit Award winner. She is also a News Anchor for WKMC TV, and is a News Staff Editor and Tornado Times Editor. She is a member of the Interact Club, Science Club, Spanish Club, SADD, and Future Teachers of America.. Holly plans to attend the Florida Institute of Technology in Melboune, Florida to major in engineering and to play women’s soccer. She is the daughter of David Fetter and Marcy and Kevin Kelly.

JOSEPH “JAZZ” DIMINICK MALE SCHOLAR ATHLETE This year’s Joseph Jazz Diminick Male Scholar Athlete is a prime example of perseverance in trying to find your niche, Wally Watkins has participated in 6 varsity sports during his career as a Mount Carmel Area student athlete. As he grew up, everyone was sure that he would become a high school baseball player. But soon after his freshman season, Wally turned to track and found the place where he would have the most success. As an 800 meter runner, Watkins would run to a 4th place finish in the District IV meet in 2007. He, along with, Mike Fletcher, Andrew Graeger, and Matt Kozloski, would finish 2nd at the Distict IV meet in the 4 x 800 meter relay in a time of 8:14.79. At the state meet, the same foursome ran an 8:10.64 in the preliminaries, qualifying for the state finals, but would finish out of the money for the 2nd consecutive year with a 12th place finish. The 8:10.64 ranks in the top 3 all-time at Mount Carmel Area. Wally would be chosen captain of the Cross Country team in 2007 and would be recognized as a Divison II all-star. Also a three-year letter-winner in soccer, Wally would be recognized as the Schuylkill County Scholar Athlete in 2007. Wally jumped into the pool for Coach John Backes.during his 9th, 10th, and 11th years. He, along with, Bill Joraskie, Colin Menapace, and Dan Betz would be the only swimmers on the MCA boys team, but would do enough to finish 6th at the League Meet as a team. The quartet would place 5th in the free relay and 6th in the medley relay. The same group would come up with a 7th place finish at the District IV meet in the 200 freestyle relay in the time of 1:45.96, and an 8th place finish in the Medley relay in 2:03.40. Watkins has also managed to rank 9th in his class of 111 with a 98.6 GPA and over 1450 on his SAT’s. He is a member of both the 700 and 1300 Clubs at MCA. He has been chosen as Class President as freshman, sophomore, and junior; and Student Council president in his junior and senior years. He has been involved with Odyssey of the Mind, winning the state championship with his team as a sophomore. He is involved in many community service organizations, especially with Relay for Life. He has also managed to work at Wal Mart and Lazarski’s.. Walter is the son of Amy Watkins and Walter Watkins and plans on continuing his education at Bucknell Univeristy to major in history and economics, and eventually attend Law School.

INDUCTEE Dan was elected to the Hall in 2006 and was unable to attend the banquet, He will be inducted today with the as a member of the Class of 2007 FAKE 44 – X CORNER – That was one of the many plays that would separate Danny Rupp from others on his way to becoming the career completion leader at Mount Carmel Area following his graduation in 1980.Dan would connect on 210 of 438 passes from 1976-1979 as a three-year starter for Coach Jazz Diminick’s Red Tornadoes. The fact that he surpassed the legendary, and fellow hall of fame quarterback, Joe Buchinski would make the accomplishment that more meaningful. The completions still rank third today behind David Shinskie and Michael Higgins. His ’78 season, with 89 completions, still ranks 9th on MCA’s all-time list. Dan’s single game effort with 15 completions stood atop the list until 2001. Rupp’s season total of 1,502 yards in 1978 was the 3rd best at the time and still ranks 10th all-time. His career total of 3,584 stood behind Buchinski’s 3,763 at the time of graduation and still ranks 4th today. His 32 career touchdown passes still rank 4th all time. All of these marks are more impressive when you consider that Dan played before wide open offenses took over the game of football. Dan’s career started when he opened at quarterback in the opening game of the 1977 season and lead Big Red to a 50-12 win over Marion Catholic. He completed 4 of 6 passes for 113 yards and 2 TD’s. He would lead the Tornadoes to a 28-7 record over the next three years and register 15 – 100 yards games and 4 – 200 yards games, while throwing at least one TD in 22 games. His 15 of 24 – 257 yard game vs Panther Valley is especially interesting in that all of his completions in that game would go to fellow hall of famers – Paul Szymanski, Jed Karpinski, Ed Diminick, and Bobby Joe Niglio. Dan would also excel on the track for Coach Diminick as a high hurdler. Following graduation, Dan enrolled at Delaware Valley College and would earn four varsity letters playing for the Aggie football team that won the MAC North Championship in 1981 and 1983 under Coach Al Wilson. He graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and earned the DVC Football Scholastic Achievement Award – given to the graduating senior football player with the highest GPA. He is currently employed by QTG ( Quaker, Tropicana, and Gatorade) a subsidiary of PepsiCo. He is the Senior Manager of Logistics for the Southern Region. , Prior to QTG, Dan worked for Nabisco Brands, Inc. in Pennsauken, NJ. He and his wife Susan live in Wewahitchka, Florida with their daughter Sara, 14.

INDUCTEE Jazz, Farmer, Hoosie, Sugar, Boogie – Just say the name and most folks know which Kulpmont athletic great your are talking about – Joe Diminick, Steve Filopowicz, Joe Pezelski, Michael Lashendock, FrankNicola. You can add “Booker” to that instantly recognizable list. Although his athletic exploits were at Lourdes Regional, Kulpmont’s Daniel Zlockie brings instant recognition to the name “Booker”. Zlockie was three-sport standout in the mid 80’s at Lourdes in football, basketball, and baseball. Booker would have his coming out party as a sophomore against West Hazleton when coach Bob Chesney inserted him in as a defensive back. Dan would respond with 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries and 13 tackles. He would register 250 tackles over his career – 187 solo and 63 assisted. He may have been part of one of the most memorable games in Raider history in 1985 vs Southern Columbia. Despite being 4 touchdown underdogs, Daniel would go 19 for 31 and 303 yards and 2 TD’s in leading Lourdes to a 20-19 upset win over Jerry Marks’s Tigers. As he completed his career, Dan would own records for completions in a season – 99, completions in a game – 19, most passing yards in a season – 1499, and most rushing yards in a game by a QB – 125. He would eventually throw for 2,595 yards on 182 completions in 380 attempts – still good for second place on the all-time Raider list. He would also rush 229 times for 529 yards. He would also add 6 interceptions, 6 fumble recoveries, and 3 QB sacks to his defensive totals. He was given honorable mention all-state as a junior and Big 33 honorable mention as a senior. Dan would eventually take his talents to Kutztown University and would graduate in 1992 with a degree in marketing. Daniel was also a two-year letterman for Coach John McKay’s Red Raider basketball team and would help the Raiders to a District IV – A title with a 22-8 record in 1986 and a AA title in 1987 with a 22-7 mark. He was a three-year letterman as a catcher in baseball and was named to the Schuylkill League all-star team in 1987. Booker now lives in Mountain Top with his wife Jeanine (Mirarchi) and three children, Braden, Marley, and Kennedy. He is employed in Wilkes-Barre as a Branch Manager for First NLC Financial Services

INDUCTEE Ending up where you started. Most would believe that not to be a good thing. For Rodger Williams, it was a very good thing! When he walked off the field at the Silver Bowl following his last football game at Mount Carmel in 1958 as a player, I’m sure Rodger had no idea that he would culminate 44 years of officiating by walking off the field at the Silver Bowl. Williams finished that game with Mount Carmel and Selinsgrove without being noticed; just the way officials like it. Williams cam back “home” to Shamokin as a teacher in 1965 following two years of teaching and coaching in New Jersey. Roger has officiated a number of Eastern Conference Championship games, several Eastern Final games, as well as, a number of District and interdistrict playoff games He also officiated the PIAA AAAA State Championship game in 1996. In addition to high school, Roger has officiated at the college level. For 25 years. He has worked games in Division III, Division II and Division I-AA, including the Ivy League, Yankee Conference, and Patriot League. He was chosen to work in two NCAA playoff games. In 1976, Williams was one of 33 finalists from which the NFL hired six officials. Rodger also spent more than 25 years umpiring baseball, working two PIAA finals at Shippensburg. He worked his last game behind the plate in 1986 in a PIAA playoff game in which Montoursville ace and New York Yankee Mike Mussina defeated Boyertown. Williams played freshman football at Lafayette College in 1959 and participated in baseball in 1960.Following graduation, Williams worked as an assistant baseball coach at Waldwick High School in New Jersey in 1965, before returning to Shamokin as an assistant in 1966. He served as the head coach for the Indians from 1967 thru 1972. Rodger’s playing career started at Mount Carmel where he would earn 8 varsity letters in football(3) basketball(1) and baseball (4). Williams and his wife, Dianne, have operated a real estate appraisal firm for the last 20 years.

INDUCTEE With girls sports still evolving at Mount Carmel Area, it has been difficult to find enough role models to satisfy all of the disciplines. Cheryl Kent, Maria Fantanarosa, Joanne Menapace – all come to mind. You can now add Tammy Trione to that short list, for she has helped to establish standards of excellence in both Cross Country and Track and Field. In 1985, Tammy was the first Mount Carmel Area High School female to go undefeated in dual cross-country meets and would earn the Bonne Bell Award as the outstanding runner on the Schuylkill County League All Star Team. She was the top runner and team captain for the ground breaking Lady Tornado cross country team, which captured the first ever PIAA District Championship title and the Schuylkill All League Meet in the fall of 1985. Trione was a two-time PIAA State Meet participant in cross following the team championship in 1985 and a top ten finish in 1984. Tammy also won three District IV gold medals in track and field, capturing the AA 800 meter in 1986 and followed that with a 7th place finish at the PIAA AA State Championships. She was also a part of the 3200 meter relay team, consisting of Margot Guinan, Angela Vaughan, Joanne Menapace and Trione, which placed 4th at the PIAA AA State Championships with a regional record 9:42.8. Trione, Menapace, Val Zbicki, and Holly Green established another regional record in the 4 x 400 meter relay with a time of 4:12.7. In total, Trione won 7 S.I.A.L. gold medals during her high school track career. Following graduation, Tammy attended Bloomsburg University and achieved the distinction of earning varsity status in women’s cross country and track. She competed in the legendary Penn Relays and the 800 meter in a 2:23.1 to qualify for the PSAC Championships. She then completed her academic studies at Penn State University, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a Business Minor in 1990. Trione moved to Los Angeles in 1996 to pursue a career in the Entertainment Industry. Since then, she has worked as an International Publicist at major studios (20th Century Fox), small independent film companies (PolyGram) and is currently employed at Rogers & Cowen, a top Hollywood Marketing and PR Firm. Tammy still enjoys running as it fits perfectly into her busy schedule. All she needs is a pair of running shoes and off she goes, whether it is Hyde Park in London or the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.

INDUCTEE Hard work, dedication, commitment, and perseverance! Words that are usually reserved for someone who has made it the hard way. BJ Swaldi did just that. As an undersized lineman on the MCA ’79 football team, BJ failed to letter. In 1980, he began to see some time at tackle and earned his first letter. In 1981, after committing himself to the weight room, he became a two-way starter for Coach Diminick’s Red Tornado football team. He was one of the strong points on the offensive line and contributed 47 tackles and 2.5 QB sacks on defense. His efforts made him an All Anthracite Defensive tackle and a scholarship to West Chester University. He would letter as a long snapper during his freshman year, playing every game of the 1982 season. That was only the beginning! BJ continued to get bigger and stronger – 6’3″ – 278lbs – and would transfer to Bloomsburg University. He would rejoin former Tornado teammate Frank Sheptock, and, together would be among the players who would take the Huskies from 0-10 to 14-0. BJ was a mainstay on the offensive line while starting 37 consecutive games over a three year period. The 1985 team would go as far as the Division II semi-finals before losing to Northern Alabama in 1985. That team also came away with the PSAC Championship. Swaldi would succeed his old teammate, Sheptock, as captain of the 1986 squad and, was named an honorable mention All-American following the 1986 season. He was a two-time first-team PSAC all star at offensive guard. At Mount Carmel Area, Swaldi was also a three-year letter-winner for the Tornado basketball team under coaches Ken Kline and Al Madalis. The 1979-80 team is the team with the most wins in school history – 27. That team also won a school-record 12 consecutive games. Swaldi would serve as the co captain of the 1981-82 Tornadoes.. Swaldi would continue his weight lifting after college and would place second in the AAU Mr. Maryland competition in 1989 and 5th in the 1990 Chesapeake Regional Competition. He owns Max Muscle – a retail company of sports related nutritional products and apparel. He has proposed to fiancé Julie on a valentines Day- Sharon Osborn Special on National TV.