INDUCTEE Bolick, Eshmont, Ficca, Filopowicz, Hynoski – these are the professional athletes who make up the marquee names of the Romance Chapter Hall of Fame. Coaches like Breslin, Diminick, and Terry are mentioned when you talk about all time records. Athletes like Diminick, Fantanarosa, Sheptock, Glowtaski, and Varano have all distinguished themselves on the collegiate level. But the heart, and the soul, of the local chapter is made up of athletes who were told that they were too small, too slow, or not strong enough. They all reached down to prove every one wrong, and went on to have very successful careers in their chosen sport and helped their teams to reach the highest possible level of success. I guess you can call it good, old fashioned, “coal region” work ethic. Tom Weldon was one of those athletes. Tom played for coach Jazz Diminick’s Red Tornadoes from 1977 to 1979 and would help them to a 28-7 record, with 5 of those losses coming at the hands of Berwick and Pottsville. Tom would become the starting strong safety as a junior and led the team in tackles with 97, the 6th best season ever at the time. He would post five 10-tackles games that year, including a 13 tackle effort against Berwick and adding 16 more in the clash with Pottsville. As a senior, Tom would add 87 tackles to place his career total at 186, good enough for the 7th best total in Tornado history at the time. He posted five more 10-tackles games in his senior season, including another 13 against Berwick. Weldon showed his versatility on offense where he contributed as a running back, receiver, punt and kick off returner. In addition, he punted and kicked off . His highlight game on offense came during a 22-14 victory over a powerful State College, where he had 4 receptions for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns of 23 and 49 yards. Tom would be given the Len Eshmont Award following the ’79 season and earned Reading Eagle honorable mention. Tom’s leadership qualities were recognized when he was chosen to captain the football, wrestling and track teams during his senior year. He would win Schuylkill League Gold Medals in the long jump, 200 meter and 400 meter relay in 1980. Tom was also a two-time PIAA State Meet participant in track after winning District IV gold in 1978 and 1980 as part of the 4 x 400 meter relay team. Following graduation, Tom went to Bucknell University where he earned a BSBA in 1984. He also received degrees from the Central Atlantic School of Trust at Bucknell University in 1989 and the National Graduate Trust School at Northwestern University in 1991. Tom and his wife Stacey have a son, Sawyer (8) and daughter, Piper (18 months) and reside in State College. Weldon is the Vice President/Trust Officer at the Northwest Savings Bank in State College Today, Tom joins teammates Bob Zavarick, Jed Karpinski,Ed Diminick, Paul Szymanski, Dan Glowatski, Tom Cole, Frank Sheptock, and John Diminick as members of the Ed Romance Lower Anthracite Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

SPECIAL HONOREE “Wait until next year!” That was the cry around the Mount Carmel area even before the start of the 1954 football season. After all, Mount Carmel High was coming off a 3-7-1 campaign in 1953 and had a team that was mainly sophomores and juniors, sprinkled with a senior here and there. Little did anyone know , that during the season to come, the Tornadoes would establish a standard of excellence that all future teams would strive to match. The Tornadoes were led by co-captains Frank Ficca and Tom Vershinski and coached by Mike Terry and assistants George Wrona, Charle Karlow and Vic Dallabrida. They opened the ’54 season on the road at Sayre, coming from behind in the 4th period on a 58 yards touchdown pass from Wayne Kautter to Vershinski. It was the first opening game victory for the Red and White since 1949 and perhaps was a sign of things to come. The Tornadoes then did in Tamaqua by a 25-14 score as Kautter threw for 184 yards and Frank Ficca ran for three scores. Four more Kautter to Vershinski TD passes paced the Tornadoes to wins over Mahanoy City and Berwick. Glenn Wetzel scored four touchdowns at home against Kulpmont as the Tornadoes won their fifth straight. The game also marked “Homecoming”and “Walter Diehl Night” in memory of the former Tornado gridiron great. Hurricane Hazel would then cause a delay in the showdown between the Tornado eleven and Coal Township’s Purple Demons. Playing on Saturday night at the Silver Bowl, the Tornadoes found themselves down by a 7-0 score with less then 2 minutes remaining. Two passes from Kautter to Vershinski and Ficca put the ball at the 2, where Speedy Butela took a pitch around the end to paydirt. The all-important extra point was booted by Frank Ficca and the Tornadoes escaped with a 7-7 tie. The paid attendance of 8,025 was believed to be the largest since the ’36 Thanksgiving Day battle with Shamokin, estimated at 10,000. Wins over Pottsville – 24-12 , Ashland – 43-12, Shenandoah – 32-7 and Sunbury – 19-7 set the Tornadoes up for their annual Thanksgiving Day clash with Shamokin, Only this year, all the marbles were at stake. A win would propel the Red and White into the Eastern Conference championship game. The Tornadoes would go with their usual starting lineup of Ron Jelus and Vershinski at the end spots, Tom Revak and Bill Coyne at the tackles, Dan Ficca and Bill Luskus at the guard spots and Tom Sarisky at center. Kautter would be the quarterback, with Frank Ficca, Glenn Wetzel and Speedy Butela at the halfback spots with Bob Shannon at fullback. Mount Carmel racked up a 31-13 over Shamokin with touchdown runs from Shannon and Butela and three by Jiggs Ficca. The 10 wins in a season represented the most ever by a Tornado eleven dating back to 1893. The Tornadoes and coach Terry then went to Scranton Memorial Stadium to take on the Invaders of West Scranton in the Eastern Confernece Championship tilt and came away with a methodical 34-13 thrashing of coach Sam Donato’s squad. Wetzel scored 2 TD’s. while Kautter and Vershinski scored one each. Ron Jelus returned a fumble 40 yards and Ficca(2), Zenyuh and Vershinski chipped in with extra points. The 34 points established a new record for most points ever scored in a championship game and the win marked Mike Terry’s 50th coaching win at Mount Carmel High School. He was also believed to be the first coach to win Championships with 2 different teams (Kulpmont – 1945). Next year did turn out to be a great one with a 10-1 record, but it was this year – 1954 – that set the standard for all Tornado teams to come.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT Tim has achieved the distinction of being one of those rare athletes to be honored for his achievement in two different sports. As a football player, Tim has placed himself amongst the best receivers in MCA history. This past season, Tim became MCA’s all-time leading receiver with 1866 yards, surpassing the 1850 by Joel Gonzalo in 1994. Tim also finished third in his career with 107 receptions – only the third player in history to accomplish the fete. Tim also established a new career record with 29 touchdown receptions, surpassing the 24 by Frank Niglio in 1966. In 2003, Tim has 49 receptions for 863 yards and 16 TD’s . His 9 receptions vs Line Mountain established a new single game mark at MCA. For his efforts, Tim became the 35th player in MCA history to be named First Team All State by the Associated Press. He was also given first team honors by the Pennsylvania Football News and WNEP TV 16 Dream Team. In basketball, Tim became only the 10th 1000 point scorer at Mount Carmel and established himself as the all time leading scorer in MCA history with 1363 points, surpassing the 1319 by Bob Zavarick in 1978. Tim established the mark in a game with Panther Valley where his team qualified for the District IV tournament. Tim was a four-year starter on the hardwood, completing a career where he was known for his hustle and team play. Wargo is the son of Joe and Donna Wargo.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT Full scholarship to Ohio State University! What more needs to be said about Jon Skinner’s ability on the football field. At 6’5″ and 280 pounds, Jon’s service were sought by a number of Division I schools, but it was coach Jim Trestle who convinced Jon to become a Buckeye. Jon first broke into the starting lineup as a freshman near the end of the 2000 season. That experience helped him to become a three year starter at offensive tackle for the Big Red. A devastating pass blocker and a superb run blocker, Jon helped the Tornadoes to a 47-7 record during his four years at MCA. He helped the offenses gain over 18,000 yards for an average of 342 yards per game. His teams also averaged 32.4 points per game while setting a new MCA record with 26 consecutive wins. He was part of two State Championship teams in 2000 and 2002 and an Eastern Conference Championship in 2001. For his efforts, Jon was recognized as a first team offensive lineman on the Patriot News Platinum 33 team, as well as being named first team all-state by the Associated Press. Jon also picked up first team honors by the Pennsylvania Football News and as a member of the WNEP – 16 Dream Team. Skinner ranks 3rd in a class of 128 with a 100.15 average and 1230 SAT. He is the son of Judy and John Skinner, Mount Carmel.

JOSEPH D. WASILEWSKI FEMALE SCHOLAR ATHLETE Each year since 1979, competition for becoming the Ed Romance Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete has been intense. So much so, that the Hall decided to award a male and female award in 2000. In order to be named, students found that they had to distinguish themselves in some way to stand above the rest. This year’s female scholar athlete, Roxana Guerra, did something that none of the other previous winners had done – score a perfect 800 on her verbal SAT. Roxana is truly a scholar with her 100.78 average ranking first in a class of 128 students. In addition to the 800, Guerra scored a 680 in math for a total of 1480. Roxana was recognized as the Rotary Student of the Month for November and was named a 2004 Horatio Alger Association Pennsylvania Scholar. She placed third in the 2002 Northeast Science Olympiad and in the 2002 Voice of Democracy contest. She won the 2000 American Legion Auxiliary Americanist School Award and attended the Pennsylvania Governor’s School in the summer of 2003. She was also one of MCA’s representatives at the Bloom Math Contest. In addition to her studies, Roxana is very active at Mount Carmel Area, serving as a typist and “on air” anchor for WKMC-TV. She is the assistant editor of “The Watch” – Mount Carmel Area’s school newspaper. She is the President and past Historian of the French Club and Secretary of the Interact Club. Roxana is also a member of the marching and concert bands at MCA and serves presently as treasurer. Athletically Roxana has earned two varsity letters in her three years with coach John Backes and the Tornado swim team. She has also lettered in cross country, where she was a member of the All News Item Team following her sophomore season. Roxana has also served as the statistician for the Mount Carmel Area track team for the last three years. Roxana is involved in her community as a volunteer for the Meals on Wheels program and has participated in the Annual Crop Walks. She helped organize a Halloween Children’s Festival in October of 2002 and is currently working on her senior project – a peace-themed garden. Guerra is the daughter of Mrs. Mirend Matukaitis of Mount Carmel and plans to attend a four-year university, majoring in history, with hopes of entering medical school. Her life goal is to work with the Red Cross and be able to help people who need assistance.

JOSEPH JAZZ DIMINICK MALE SCHOLAR ATHLETE GPA – 100.4, Class Rank – 2 out of 128, SAT – 1290 , Sports participation – 12 varsity letters in three sports and captain of 2, Extra curriculars – enough to fill two pages – Community service – plenty! This year’s scholar athlete, Matt Demczko, certainly fits the mold of previous recipients of this prestigious Romance Chapter award. In 2000, Matt found himself on the first-ever soccer team at Mount Carmel Area. He has the distinction of scoring the first goal in Mount Carmel Area soccer history against Northern Lehigh. That team went 1 and 19, with its first win coming in game 19 vs Lourdes Regional. As a result of his play, Demczko was named a co captain following his freshman season and has held the title for all four varsity seasons. During the last two years as a mid-fielder, Matt has scored 33 goals in addition to 11 assists while helping the Tornadoes to a 9-10-1 record in only their 4th year of play. Matt received News Item first team honors in 2001, 2002, and 2003 and was given Schuylkill League honorable mention in 2002 and 2003. Matt has also been a four- year letter winner as a member of the Tornado basketball team, where he has played both the point guard and shooting guard positions. Matt has averaged 8 points and 4 assists over his career in helping the Tornadoes into post season play on 2 different occasions including this past year. Demczko has also lettered for four seasons with the Tornado track team as a hurdler and high jumper, receiving News Item honors as a junior. Demczko was named Rotary student of the month for September and was named the School Board Merit Award winner for February. He is a member of the National Honor Society and is listed among “Who’s Who Among American High School Students.” Matt’s leadership qualities continue as President of the Art Club, Vice President of SADD, and Vice President of Student Government. He is involved with the Yearbook Committee, Spanish Club, Tornado Times – MCA’s feature magazine – is a reporter and cameraman for MCA Live – MCA’s morning news broadcast, and will take on the role of Nathan Detroit in this year’s production of “Guys and Dolls.” Matt’s community service includes volunteering as a referee for Mount Carmel’s Youth Soccer Program, as an altar server in his church, as a member of the Interact Club and as peer tutor and mediator. Demczko has received the John Marshall Scholarship from Franklin and Marshall College and will enroll in the fall as a Biochemistry major with an interest in pre-med. Marshall scholars are chosen for having demonstrated a passion for learning, an intense interest in probing specific areas of study, and for superior academic achievement. His is the son of Mrs Ann Demczko, Kulpmont.

INDUCTEE Just mention #19 to a long time football fan and they will probably tell you about Johnny Unitas, the Baltimore Colts All Pro quarterback and NFL standout. Mention #19 to a veteran Mount Carmel Area fan and they will tell you about Joe Buchinski. For the last four decades, Joey was the standard by which all future MCA quarterbacks were measured. At a time before passing was looked at as a way to move the football, Buchinski established marks that stood for over 30 years. As a senior, Buchisnki led the Red Tornadoes to a record of 8 and 2 while throwing for 1963 yards and an incredible 27 touchdowns. His career record of 3,763 yards stood until broken by Mike Higgins in 1994, while the 1963 yards stood until 2002 and Dave Shinskie’s record breaking season. Buchinski’s average of 10.8 completions per game and 196.3 yards per game remain as standards of excellence. Joe’s 284 yard – 5 touchdown performance vs Shenandoah in 1965 still ranks as the best game in MCA history. Joey also three for 4 TD’s in a game on three occasions and over 200 yards 3 times. For his efforts, Joe was named first team all state by the Associated Press and to the third team by United Press International. He also became only the second player in MCA history to be named to the Big 33 team and played against Texas in the summer of 1966. Buchinski then took his talents to the University of Miami where he was a member of the varsity football from 1966 thru 1969. He played most of his career behind George Mira – a future All American and NFL player. Joe did, however, get to play in the Liberty Bowl in 1966 and the Blue Bonnet Bowel in 1967.Joe graduated from the University of Miami in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education. Joe then took a position at Miramar High School in Florida and worked his way up to being the head track coach and head football coach from 1979 -1987. He recorded a 56-38 record as the head football coach and won District Championships in 1981 and 1982 and a Regional Championship in 1979. He was named Coach of the Year after each of those seasons. During his stint as head coach, Joe was a guest speaker at the University of Alabama Coaching Clinic as well as the University of Kansas Coaching Clinic. From 1989 -2001, Joe served as the Offensive Co-ordinator-Quarterbacks Coach at St Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale. While at ST Thomas, his teams went 140-30 and won three Florida State Titles and were Runners Up on 5 occasions. Joe works as a Physical Education Instructor and Behavior Management Specialist at Miramar Highs School. He lives in Cooper City, Florida with his wife, Patricia, and step-children Anne and Zachery . Joey also has a son Michael, 30, and Chris, deceased. Today, Joe joins teammates Bob Pizzoli, Steve Zarlinski, Jeff Greco, Bob Hamernick, Frank Niglio, Joe Greco, Ron Lewis, and Tom Beierschmitt as members of the Ed Romance Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

INDUCTEE Mike Doviak graduated from Kulpmont High School in 1964; he last graduating class before its merger with Mount Carmel in 1965. Mike earned 10 varsity letters for the Wildcats; four in basketball, three in football, and three in baseball. He was an end in football, pitched and played the outfield in baseball, and was the center on the basketball team for coach Ed Stavinski. He also served as president of his class during his junior and senior years. Doviak was awarded a basketball scholarship to Alfred University and began his studies there in the fall of 1964. He played basketball for four years for the Saxons and also threw the javelin on the track team. Mike graduated in 1968 as the all time leading rebounder in school history and left himself as the second leading scorer in the Saxon record book. He averaged over 20 points per game as a senior. He was voted to the weekly “all-east” team on four separate occasions during his career. Mike was inducted into the Alfred University Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. Following his graduation from Alfred in 1968. Mike attended graduate school at Bucknell University, majoring in mathematics. While at Bucknell, he renewed relationships with several local athletes who were also attending Bucknell, including his brother Greg, who was a sophomore at the time. While at Bucknell, he continued playing basketball recreationally and spent more time than he should have on the university golf course. Mike attended the University of Florida from 1970-1975, and received his Ph.D in statistics in March of 1975. As a graduate assistant in the Department of Statistics at Florida, he had the opportunity to do some teaching, enjoyed it and decided to make teaching his career. After completing his graduate work at Florida, Mike accepted a position in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where he is currently employed. It was there that he met his wife Sue, an instructor in the Department of Economics. They currently reside, with their daughter Meaghan, about a mile from the Old Dominion University campus. Today, Mike joins brother Greg as an inductee in the Ed Romance Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

INDUCTEE During the 25 years of its existence, the Ed Romance Chapter has inducted over 200 men and women into its halls. All have excelled at the local level. Many have distinguished themselves on the state level by being named all state or winning a state championship. Very few have brought national recognition to their school, their town, and to themselves. Dan Glowatski is one of those few. During his junior and senior seasons, as a member of the Delaware Valley College Aggies, Dan was named a LittleAll-American by the Associated Press. Dan was also selected as the team’s Most Valuable Player during the 1984 season. Following the 84 campaign, Dan was recognized by the Philadelphia Football Writers and the Maxwell Club of Philadelphia. He was also named to the All Middle Atlantic Conference and All Eastern College Athletic Conference football teams for three consecutive years. Dan’s honors were all hard-earned as a receiver at Delaware Valley College. At the conclusion of his career, Dan held eight all-time receiving records at Del Val, including career yardage-2,645, career receptions – 154, longest reception for TD – 78 yards, receptions in a season – 53, single season yards – 867, single game receptions – 11, and also caught at least one pass in 35 consecutive games. Most of those records have held up until this last year, when Richard Gear – another Del Val All American – broke many of the marks in a pass- oriented offense. As dominating as he was on the field, Dan really excelled in the classroom, where he was named to the NCAA All Academic team as a result of his 3.827 GPA. He was named the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Scholar Athlete in 1984. He received one of 12 Post Graduate Scholarships awarded that year by the NCAA. Dan caught the eye of the New York Jets and was given a free agent tryout in the summer of 85. Dan’s athletic career was honed on the fields of Mount Carmel Area where he was an outstanding receiver and defensive end for Red Tornado teams in 1978,79,and 80. His 23.9 yards per reception is still one of the best seasons ever at MCA. As a basketball player, Dan was a starter on the 1979-80 team, coached by Ken Kline, that went 27-8 and made its’ way to the eastern semi-final against Lourdes Regional. The 27 wins represent the most in school history. Dan ran the hurdles in track and was a part of the team that won three consecutive Schuylkill League titles. After his career had ended, Dan continued to bring recognition to himself by being inducted into the Delaware Valley College Hall of Fame in September, 1994. Dan currently resides in Mount Carmel with his wife Lisa and sons, Danny-15, and Brett-11. He is a self employed paper broker.

INDUCTEE Dave Shinskie has rewritten the record books during his four year career as the quarterback for the Mount Carmel Area Red Tornadoes. Shinskie became the starter in his freshman year during the playoff run following and injury to Nick Sebes. During his tenure, David has compiled a 41-6 record as the starting QB, more than any other QB in MCA history. During the 2002 season, Dave completed 160 of 250 passes for 2,524 yards and 26 touchdowns. All are new marks at MCA, except the TD’s which are one away from Joe Buchinski’s 27 in 1965. Shinskie also established new career marks with 400 completions in 711 attempts for 6,334 yards and 57 TD’s. Dave also connected on 16 passes in a game 3 times, had 14 consecutive completions at one point, and 94 passes without an interception. He had a streak of 11 consecutive games with a TD pass and threw for TD’s in 14 of 15 games this season. He has racked up 28 100 yard passing games, 8 – 200 yard passing games, and has the 2nd- 283, 5th – 273, 7th – 267, and 8th – 264 yard passing games in MCA history. His career total offense of 6,072 yards is second only to Jon Veach. Shinskie was honored as MCA’s fourth Small School Player of the Year in 2002 and was named as the first team quarterback by the Associated Press and Pennsylvania Football News. PFN also named him offensive player of the year. After offers from Temple, Iowa, Indiana, and Toledo, Dave has accepted an athletic scholarship to The University of Delaware, where he will also play baseball. He is the son of Joann and Dave Shinskie, Kulpmont.