Twenty-two former Wadsworth High School athletes and coaches will be inducted into the Wadsworth Sports Hall of Fame Nov. 14, 2015 at the Galaxy Restaurant in Wadsworth.
Social hour will run from 6 to 7 p.m., with dinner served at 7 p.m. Induction ceremonies will begin immediately following dinner.
Reservations are $32 for adults and $20 for children under 12. They can be made at the Wadsworth Athletic Director’s office at the high school.
Coaches to be inducted include Tom Cranston, Todd Osborn and Joe Turbett. Coach Ann Roher will be inducted under the Meritorious Service category for her contributions to the women’s sports program.
Athletes will include Kristin Hoover, Stephanie Schaffter, Margaret Grammas, Cara Busson, Kari Eaton, Megan Montoni, Kent Ely, Reggie Ray, Andy Sonnanstine, Dan Kiser, Todd Craig, Ben Falkenberg, Clint Cochran, Gregg Townsend, Drew Saylor, Matt Kallai, Sean Watters, and Paul Macko.
Cranston, a 1963 graduate, was a three-sport star for the Grizzlies, and went on to Ohio University where he excelled in soccer, captaining the NCAA Div. I tournament team. After college, he was head soccer coach for three years at Malone College before returning to Wadsworth to found the boys soccer program.
Osborn led the Wadsworth girls basketball team to three state tournament Final Fours and the 1997 Div. I state championship. Six time winner of the Medina County Coach of the Year and two-time Ohio AP Coach of the Year awards, he finished his coaching career with a 18039 record and a winning percentage of .822.
Turbett, the 1980 state pole vault champion at Pickerington High School, came to Wadsworth in 1983, coaching girls gymnastics for 16 years and track and field for 29 years. During his career as a gymnastics coach, he had two state champions, eight state placers and seven Medina County championships. As pole vault coach, he produced two state champions and created one of the elite pole vault units in Ohio.
Ann Roher, a 1967 Wadsworth graduate, started the Wadsworth softball and volleyball programs, coaching the first volleyball team to a 120 record. She finished her volleyball coaching career with a 437 mark. There were only intramural and Girls Athletic Association opportunities for her to play high school sports, but she participated for four years in the Kent State University volleyball program while a student.
Kristin Hoover was the fifth starter on the 1997 girls state champion basketball team, earning county honors as the Defensive Player of
the Year. She earned 11 letters in four different sports and the Helen Liebert Memorial Award at WHS and went on to play varsity basketball at Canisius College for two years.
Stephanie Schaffter is one of only a handful of Wadsworth athletes to earn 12 letter during her career, with four letters each in volleyball, basketball and track. She was Senior Female Athlete of the year in 1998 and three-year first team county volleyball players. She also won numerous All Suburban and All District honors.
Margaret Grammas played basketball, volleyball, softball and soccer for the Lady Grizzlies, but her forte was basketball. She attended Wittenberg University from 198690 where she was a four-year starter in basketball. When she graduated, she held school records for career points (1,209) and career rebounds (658). She served as Thomas Worthington High School’s basketball coach from 1993-1997, winning two Ohio Capital Conference championships.
Cara Busson earned three letters in basketball and four each in track and soccer, and was named Medina County Female Athlete of the Year. She captained all three sports. She was All-League, All-County, All-District and two-time All-Ohio in basketball before taking her talents to Northeastern State University in Oklahoma where she was a fouryear starter and still holds the career assist record at the school.
Kari Eaton was a fourtime Medina County Gazette MVP in cross country, leading her team to three county and three Suburban League titles. She qualified four years to the state crosscountry meet, earning All-Ohio honors. She also excelled in track, and was a four-time Suburban League champion in the distances. She went on to compete at Notre Dame University and ran in the Boston Marathon.
Megan Montoni was a member of the 1997 state girls’ basketball champions, but her greatest accomplishments came in track and field. She was county, league, district and regional champion and placed fourth in Ohio in the shot put. She also was a district and regional champion in the discus. She competed in shot put, discus and hammer throw at Ashland University and was an NAIA All-American.
Kent Ely lettered in four sports at WHS: cross country, baseball, basketball and soccer. He was named the Outstanding Senior Athlete in 1982. He was a member of the State runner-up basketball team, and won the defensive player of the year twice. As a soccer player, he set a record for most saves (24) against the defending state champions. He went on to play at the U. S. Coast Guard Academy and served as varsity assistant coach of the Toledo St. John which reached the state finals in 1993.
Reggie Ray attended Wadsworth High School only one year, but starred in football, track and wrestling for the Grizzlies, earning a fifth place finisher in the state wrestling meet and a first place finisher in four events in the Suburban League track meet. Voted Outstanding Senior Male Athlete in 1996, he continued his career in football and track at the College of Wooster where he still holds five track records in the sprints, finished second in the nation in the 200 meter dash and was a threetime All American and seven time NCAC champion in track.
Andy Sonnanstine’s strongest sport was baseball. During his junior and senior years, he struck out 157 batters in 113 innings. He was named to All-Beacon, All-Plain Dealer and All-Gazette teams. At Kent State University, he set single season records for innings pitched (125), wins (11) and strikeouts (117) while compiling an 114 record, earning him All-MAC honors. Drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, he pitched the team into the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Dan Kiser was a threesport athlete for the Grizzlies in cross country, track and basketball, earning Outstanding Male Athlete honors in 1989. He was named first team in the county and league in cross country and basketball and scored first places finishes in the 1600 and 3200 in the Suburban track meet. After playing collegiate basketball at Wilmington College in Delaware and at Mount Vernon Nazarene, he coached for 12 years at the collegiate level.
Todd Craig was a fouryear starter for Wadsworth’s soccer team, earning first team AllSuburban three times and Medina County MVP in 1991. He later played at the University of Akron, where he was a twoyear letter winner, and was named Most Improved Player in 1994.
Ben Falkenberg still holds two Wadsworth school records in basketball: most points in a single game (46) and most threepointers in a season. He was Medina County MVP two years running, District Player of the Year and first team AllOhio in 2004. At Mount Vernon Nazarene University he set scoring records that still stand, including 2,616 points upon graduation. In 2007 he was the American Mideast Conference Player of the Year after winning several other college honors.
Clint Cochran finished his WHS football career with the best passcompletion percentage, most total years and most career completions,
leading the Grizzlies two backtoback playoff appearances and a trip to the Regional Final in 2003. He was also one of the area’s top pitchers. He went on to play collegiate football at the University of Toledo, where he was three-time Academic AllMAC selection and valedictorian of the College of Engineering.
Gregg Townsend was a sevenletter winner for the Grizzlies. He was outstanding in the field events for the Grizzlies track team, but excelled in football where he was an All-Ohio lineman his senior year. He went on the letter four years in football for the University of Akron and played in the NCAA Div. II national playoff game.
Drew Saylor carved out an amazing baseball career, earning Medina County MVP awards in 2001 and 2002, and first team AllOhio, second team All-American and Ohio Player of the Year awards in 2002. He played two years each at the University of Cincinnati and Kent State University, where he captured the MAC batting title and first team AllAmerican status. He was drafted by the Florida Marlins and played minor league ball for the Marlins and Houston Astros. He has coached and managed in the minor leagues for the Colorado Rockies.
Matt Kallai was Wadsworth’s Outstanding Senior Athlete in 2002 after a wrestling career that included four SL titles, four Sectional championship and four District championships. He was the first WHS wrestler to qualify for state four years in a row, finishing with one sixth place finish, two third place finishes and a senior year 440 record and state championship. He later wrestled in the NCAA tournament for Cleveland State University.
Sean Watters twice made the state championship match and finished his career with 110 wins. He won three North Canton Hoover championships, three SL titles, two Grizzly Invitational championships and was sectional and district champ his senior year. During his senior year, he led his team in points, most wins, most takedowns and most pins, major decisions and near falls. He wrestled at Ohio University and Western State College in Colorado, where he still resides.
Paul Macko was a foursport athlete for WHS in football, basketball, track and baseball, a member of the 200 regular season basketball team the 2002 baseball that that was ranked fourth in Ohio and the 2003 regional football team. He was named Outstanding Senior Athlete. He holds the record for most pass reception ns in a career. He earned three varsity letters at Clemson University and was considered the strongest member of the football team pound for pound after setting a team record with a 600-pound squat in the weight room.
