Sparta HS Hall of Fame induction
SPARTA — Sparta High School is proud to announce the creation of the Sparta High School Athletic Hall of Fame. The inaugural Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is slated for Oct. 5 at the Skyview Golf Club, from 6 to 10 pm.
Established in 2016, the Sparta High School Athletic Hall of Fame preserves the tradition of Sparta High School athletic programs by honoring those who have made a significant contribution to Sparta Athletics. A hall of fame committee was established in 2015 as part of the high school’s three year vision and includes school administrators, counselors, coaches and community members.
For induction, members of the Athletic Hall of Fame may have contributed to Sparta Athletics as an Athlete, Team, Coach or Contributor, such as Community Member, Trainer, Administrator, BOE Member, etc. Athletes and Teams become eligible for induction 10 years upon graduating from SHS. To nominate a notable alumni,go to the Hall of Fame page located on the Sparta.org website, click on the High School, then click on Athletics, then click on Hall of Fame. Donations can also be made to this non-profit organization utilizing the same steps mentioned above.
Our inaugural class will be inducted on October 5, 2017 and inductees will be honored at an annual banquet as well as on the Wall of Fame currently under construction at Sparta High School. For more information, please visit the Sparta Athletics web page at sparta.org to get information on nominating members, and contributing to the Hall of Fame.
Sparta High School 2017 Inaugural Inductees: There are a total of 15 inductees this year.
Coaches:
Richard “Dick” Cassels- Football Coach (Posthumous)-
● 1959 - 1977, Record: 125-33-7, Eight Skyline Conference Titles , Coached SHS First Undefeated Football Team 1968, Cassels Football Field Named in Memoriam
● First Sparta High School Athletic Director 1959
Manny Reis - Boys Soccer (Posthumous)
● 1960-1980,“Father of Sparta Soccer”, Record: 194-72-20, 8 League Titles, 1 State Sectional Title
Ron Earl- Football
● Coached 1959-1989, Record: 76-27-3,Three State Championships: 1979,1980 and 1982, Four SCIL Championships ,Two Undefeated seasons 1980 and 1982
Gene Mendes- Football Coach, Baseball
● 1979-2008, Baseball Head Coach 15 Years, Football Asst 28 Years, Two SCIL Baseball Titles: 1981 & 1983, 11 Total SCIL Titles
● 5 NJSIAA State Sectional Titles; Four in Football, One in Boys Basketball
Fred Geffken- Girls Bball Coach
● Coached 1980-2012, Record: 693-166
● Three State Championships,Twelve Sectional Championships,18 SCIL Championships, 14 County Festival Championships, Six Undefeated Regular Seasons
Jeff Hughes- Boys and Girls Tennis Coach
● Boys Tennis 1978-2005, Record: 429-121, 17 SCIL, 11 SCIL Tournament Championships, First Team All Area Boys Tennis Coach 2004
● Girls Tennis 1976-2017, Record: 629-163, 23 SCIL, 16 SCIL Tournament Championships, NJSIAA Sports Award 2001, NFICA NJ Girls Coach of the Year 1995
Robert “Bobby” Cannon- Golf coach
Athletes:
Greg Baty- Boys Football 1982
● 1978-1982 ,State Championships 1980, 1982, Undefeated Season 1980, 1982
● Football Captain 1982, All-State Selection Tight End and Defensive End, NJ Top 25 Players 1982
● First 1000 Point Scorer for SHS
Chris Jent- Boys Basketball 1988
● 1984-1988, SHS and SCIL All Time Career Points Leader - 2,287
● Parade All American, Top 50 High School Seniors
● 1st Team All State, 3 Time All West Jersey, Street and Smith All American, Converse All American
John Place- Football, Wrestling 1983
● 1979-1983, District 3, Region 1 Champion Wrestler 1982 & 1983, NJ State Champion Wrestler 1983, Undefeated at 188 lbs; 1982-83 Season
● All State Group II Football Champion, Football State Championship 1980, 1982, Athlete of the Year 1983
Kevin Rogers - Football
● 1965-1969, First Undefeated Football Season at SHS 1968, State Championship 1968
● All County Football, Baseball, All-State Baseball, MVP Baseball, Two-time District Champion Runner-up Wrestling
Louis Seville-Football, Baseball 1983
● 1979-1983, Football and Baseball Captain 1983
● Two State Championships: 1980, 1982, SCIL All-Time Career Rushing and Scoring Record, Only Player Selected to NJ North/South All-Star Game in Two Sports, 1983
● First Team All-Area, All-SCIL, All-State, All-Group, Played on 6 Championship SCIL Teams
Catherine Wille- Girls Basketball, Track 1986
● 1982-1986, Basketball Undefeated 1985-86 seasons, All SCIL 1985-86, SHS MVP 1985-86, MVP State Championship Game 1985, 1st Team Group II 1985 and 1986
● North I, Group II Track Champions 1985, SHS Athlete of the Year 1986
Teams:
1985 Girls Basketball Team
● Captains: Helene Geissel (Reigstad) and Diana Seville
● Undefeated 29-0,SCIL, Sectional and Group 2 State Champions , Sussex County Festival Champions, First Female Team in Sussex County to Win a State Championship
● Three 1,000 Point Scorers; One 1000 Rebounder
● Six Division I Collegiate Players
1978 Boys Golf Team
● Captain: Mark Kehoe, Record: 18-0, SCIL Champions, North Jersey Sectional Champions, Sparta Quadrangular Champions, District 7 Champions, NJ All Group State Champions