SPHS Inducts Past Legends At Hall Of Fame Dinner

By Kevin Murnane
At Severna Park High School, the combination of parents, coaches and community spirit has raised some very special athletes, as well as a strong supporting cast. Eleven of those people were recently honored as the 2010 class of the Severna Park High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

The athletes, recognized at a dinner held in their honor at Chartwell Country Club by the Athletic Boosters Club, used the repetitive themes of pride, community spirit, success, teamwork, and life-time friendships during their acceptance speeches. Many became emotional as they recalled special moments in their high school careers.
“Every high school in the county should have a Hall of Fame… We have had some outstanding players and coaches at Severna Park,” said athletic director Wayne Mook. “We have 200-300 nominations each year.”
As the inductees spoke on their success, it was apparent that part of the Falcons’ great athletic history is a result of the longevity of coaches and athletic directors. Coaches such as Lil Shelton and Joyce Stefancik, as well as athletic directors Andy Borland and Wayne Mook, have built the foundation that Falcon athletics rests on today.
“This is a great tradition,” said former athletic director and football coach Andy Borland. “These kids are a part of Severna Park history that people don’t want to forget.”
Master of Ceremonies and current SPHS Athletic Boosters Club President Jim Laite allowed the coaches to introduce the athletes into the Hall of Fame and also introduced two community members and two coaches into the prestigious group.
The Athletic Hall of Fame inducted four female athletes who had outstanding careers at Severna Park and could recall the women’s sports program started with humble beginnings.
“We had one soccer ball to begin practice in 1979 and just had t-shirts as uniforms,” recalled former soccer coach Joyce Stefancik. She also recounted that because of the great tradition of sports at Severna Park, in 1988 the Falcons won championships in every sport.
One of the female inductees, Shelby Kerridge Englert, said she just moved back into the area and this was a “homecoming” of friends and families with whom she spent that afternoon.
“We reminisced on our championships and how we pushed each other to be the best,” she confessed.
Coach Stefancik called Shelby Kerridge one of the finest female athletes ever at Severna Park. “In her senior year Shelby’s soccer and lacrosse teams did not lose a game,” Stefancik declared.
The roster of inductees included:
Twin sisters Katie Hart Mangione and Mary Hart Gagnon, who accepted the honor together, are both English teachers today. They both attended Loyola College after Severna Park and both played field hockey and lacrosse.
Shelby Kerridge Englert went on to play soccer for one year and four years of lacrosse at William and Mary.
Jane Petersen played field hockey at the University of Maryland and was named Regional All-American in 1991.
Jon Briggs set SPHS records for most points in a game (39), had a 26.7 points per game average, and still has the record for most rebounds in one season (320). Jon went on to play freshmen basketball at Virginia.
William Emrich was all-county in football, basketball and baseball. He went on to play quarterback at Wesley Junior College and was a starting wide receiver at the University of Maryland.
Mark Frye was all-county in football and lacrosse and went on to play lacrosse at Loyola College where he earned All–American honors. He went on to play professional lacrosse and made the practice squad for the British Columbia Lions in the Canadian Football League.
Ronda Bowerman is heavily involved with the Falcon Boosters Club and the manager of the concession stand for all sports throughout the year. She started the after-school football meal program.
Bill Willey started the Athletic Hall of Fame with Wayne Mook in 2003. He has been involved with fund raising, the construction of the field house and the baseball and softball scoreboards.
Tim Dunbar has been the head coach for the volleyball team for 13 years and has earned 11 county championships, eight regional championships, and three state championships.
Ed Purpura has coached both the boys and girls cross country teams as well as outdoor track and has been named the Cross County Coach of the Year 27 times.