Berlin High School Athletic Hall of Fame Elects New Class

BERLIN, CT — The Berlin High School Athletic Hall of Fame has announced its electees for the Class of 2018. They are Larry Kellum (Class of 1947; baseball, football, basketball), Dave McCain (Class of 1950; baseball, football, basketball), Sherwood “Woody” Anderson (Class of 1965; cross country, track); Sara Szczepanik Sayko (Class of 1993; volleyball, gymnastics, track); Cory Carlson (Class of 1995; soccer, basketball, baseball); Paul Coccomo (Class of 1995; football, baseball); Nancy DeBlasio (Class of 1998; soccer, volleyball, basketball, softball); Chris Greene (Class of 2004; cross country, indoor and outdoor track); Barbara Breslin (Class of 1981; as a contributor in wrestling); and the 1989 and 1990 baseball teams, which won back-to-back state championships and lost just once in two years.

The Hall of Fame induction dinner is scheduled for Sunday, April 22, 2018 at the Aqua Turf Club, 556 Mulberry St., Plantsville. For ticket information, contact Marie Siegal at 860-828-1115 or mvs7581@yahoo.com. For more information, visit bhshalloffame.org.

Here is a look at the Class of 2018:

Larry Kellum - Graduated from Berlin High in 1947. While at Berlin he was a four-year athlete in baseball, football and basketball and was the captain of the football team. After graduating Larry went to Central Connecticut State College where he played football as a freshman before being drafted into the Army and serving in Germany during the Korean War.

Dr. David McCain - Graduated from Berlin High in 1950. A competitor both in the classroom and on the field, David excelled in football and baseball throughout his high school and college years. At Berlin he was a 4-year member of both the football and baseball teams where he was co-captain of the football team and captain of the baseball team his senior year. The football team won the league championship in 1947 and 1948 with the 1948 team going undefeated. The baseball team won its second Central Valley League championship his senior year. At Teachers College of Connecticut (now CCSU), he earned a varsity letter in both football and baseball and received his B.S. degree in 1955. A shoulder injury altered his plans for a professional athletic career. David had received invitations from the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team as a pitcher and the Los Angeles Rams football team as an offensive lineman.

Woody Anderson - Graduated from Berlin High in 1965. While at Berlin he was co-captain of the cross country and track teams and among the top runners in school history. He set the mile record of 4:49.7 and the two-mile record of 10:14, both of which stood for many years. He was among the first in school history to qualify for the state meet. After graduation he attended UConn where he ran cross country and joined the school newspaper, becoming its sports editor. After graduating from UConn, Woody joined the Hartford Courant sports department in January 1970, where he spent 36 years as a sports writer, covering thousands of local events, from high school to college, and was known for his writing style as well as his flair. He won more than 40 state, New England, and national awards during his career.

Sarah Szczepanik Sayko - Graduated from Berlin High in 1993 where she was a three-sport participant. In volleyball she was a tri-captain in 1992 and received the Ace Award with 102 for the season. The 1992 team was the Northwest Conference Champion. Sarah also participated in gymnastics and in 1991 was an All- Northwest Conference selection. The sport where Sarah really excelled was in track and field. In 1990 she set the school record in the 4x100 in 52.5 sec and duplicated it in 1991, a record that was broken in 2008. She was three time All Northwest Conference for the 300-meter hurdles. In 1991 she set the sophomore record in the 100 meters (12.9 sec) that stood until 2006. In 1992 she qualified for states in the 100-meter hurdles, 4x100 relay, and the 300-meter hurdles. In 1992 and 1993 she was a team co-captain and won the Coaches Award both years. During the 1993 season she made the All-Northwest Conference team for the 100-meter hurdles and was selected to the All-Herald area team. She set the school record for a senior in the 300-meter hurdles (47.44 sec) that stood for 15 years and was the State Class M Champion in that event. She was the first Berlin athlete to compete in the CIAC heptathlon. After graduating Berlin, Sarah attended Wheaton College in Norton, MA where she was a member of the volleyball team for her four years 1993-1996. In 1993 and 1994 the team was the New8 Conference Champion and in 1994 they were the ECAC Tournament Champion. Sarah was a co-captain her senior year.

Cory Carlson - Graduated from Berlin High in 1995. During his time at Berlin he was a member of the soccer, basketball, and baseball teams. In soccer he was a four year participant receiving All Northwest Conference honors his senior year and being selected as the Defensive Player of the Year. Cory was a member of the
basketball team for three years, 1992-94. As a four-year member of the baseball team he had a career pitching record of 18-1 and was a tri-captain his senior year. He was an All Northwest Conference selection two times, 1994 and 1995. In 1994 he received the Outstanding Pitcher Award and in 1995 he was a CHSCA/Hartford
Courant All-State selection as a pitcher and was selected to play in the CHSCA All-Star game. The 1995 baseball team was the Class M state champion with a 22-1 record and the #1 ranked team in the state. Cory was the recipient of the Richard E. Patterson Award which is presented in his memory as the first Berlin High
graduate to have sacrificed his life in World War II. It is awarded to a senior who has shown outstanding ability in the field of sports, good scholarship, good sportsmanship on and off the field, and has been a credit to Berlin High. After graduating from Berlin, Cory went to Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL where he was a varsity starter for his four years and a tri-captain his senior year.

Paul Coccomo - Graduated from Berlin High in 1995 where he was a member of both the football and baseball teams. In football he was a varsity player three year and while playing alongside his brother Mike dominated the offensive and defensive lines. Paul was a three time All Northwest Conference selection and recognized as a CHSCA/Hartford Courant All-State selection and a New Haven Register All-State pick. During his senior year he was a co-captain and in 1994 received the Coaches Award and was a two-time defensive player of the year in 1993 and 1994. Paul was part of the goal line stop against Middletown at the end of the game that gave Berlin the Nutmeg Conference title with a 7-0 record. During his baseball career at Berlin he was an All Northwest Conference selection in both his junior and senior years. He was an Honorable Mention All-State selection as a junior. Paul played all positions in the outfield and as a junior played in 22 games batting .380 with 25 RBI. He ended with a three year batting average of .364 and the team won the state championship his senior year.

Nancy DeBlasio - Graduated from Berlin High in 1998 where she participated in four sports. She played softball for four years where she was a member of the Northwest Conference All-Academic Team all four years, All-Northwest Conference three times, received the Coaches Award twice, CHSCA/ Hartford Courant All-State selection two times being the first Berlin athlete to be named All-State as a freshman. As a junior she had no errors fielding throughout the season, but was charged with two throwing errors. As a senior she was Berlin’s softball defensive Player of the Year, team captain, and participated in the CHSCA All-Star Game, East Team. During her four years of basketball she was a member of the Northwest All-Academic team all four years, All-Northwest Conference three times, Holiday Tournament-Wethersfield All-Tourney team as a junior, and as a senior was team captain, received the William A. Gibney Basketball Award and the Greater Hartford Hoop Club Scholar-Athlete Award. She played volleyball during her junior and senior years and both years was a Northwest Conference All-Academic Team selection. As a junior she received the Aces Award with 86 and the team was the Northwest Conference champion with a record of 19-1. As a senior she won the Aces Award for the second time with 97 and the team repeated as Northwest Conference champion. Nancy was a participant in the Senior All-Star game. Nancy also played soccer as a sophomore and was a
member of the Northwest Conference All-Academic team.

Chris Greene - Graduated from Berlin High in 2004 and other than excelling in the classroom he was an outstanding runner. He participated in cross country and indoor and outdoor track where he set numerous Berlin records. In cross country Chris was undefeated in dual meets, an NWC champion, and captain of the team. He placed 3rd in Class M Championships with a time of 16:34. In the State Open he placed 5th with a time of 16:08, gaining All-State recognition and was a Coaches Award recipient. In indoor track Chris was the Northwest Conference champion in both the 100 and 1600m. He was the Class M champion in the 1600m and placed 3rd in the State Open and 6th in the New England Open. He won the NSIC National Championship in the 800m receiving All-American recognition. He set Berlin High records in the 600m in 1:26, 800m in 1:56:19, 1000m in 2:39:19, 1600m in 4:20:77, and the 3200m in 10:02:77 which was broken in 2010. In outdoor track Chris was a Northwest Conference champion in both the 800 and 1600m. He placed 2nd in the Class M and 5th in the State Open in the 1600m. He set Berlin records in the 800m in 1:56:19, 1600m in 4:20:77, 3200m in 9:56, and the steeplechase in 10:04:26.

Barbara Breslin - Graduated from Berlin High in 1981. She became involved in the sport of wrestling when her brother became involved in the sport. She was a volunteer team manager from 1982-1987 and became an assistant wrestling coach from 1988-2011, being the first female assistant coach in Connecticut history. She was one of the co-founders of the Berlin Youth Wrestling program in 1988. In 1995 she was selected as the Connecticut Coaches Association Person of the Year. Barb ran numerous wrestling tournaments at Berlin High including two state championships. She was a member of the Board of Directors of USA Wrestling from 1992 to 2000.

1989,1990 Baseball Teams - The success of Berlin’s baseball program starts at the instructional level and continues to the high school level. The Little League and Babe Ruth programs have received national recognition with Connecticut and New England championships, and Babe Ruth World Series appearances. At the high school level, the 1989 and 1990 baseball teams won back to back Class M state championships. The 1989 team was ranked 1st in the state all season, suffering only one loss to Middletown. Senior Sean Garrison had an undefeated regular season and states as a pitcher, garnering All-State and State Gatorade Player of the Year recognition. Dave Swanson, a junior, also had an undefeated regular season and states. The middle infield of Tony Santoro and Matt Giana was errorless all season and the team was led in batting by Scott Coletti with a batting average of .381 and Sean Garrison with a .422. Other members of the 1989 team were Steve Biscoglio, Kyle Cooney, Kevin Crowell, Dan Dombrowski, Scott Gentile, Steve Gentile, Rob Manzo, Eric Miranda, Peter Veleas, Todd Zup. They were coached by Leo Veleas assisted by Rob Langanauer and Mike Reilly. The team’s motto was “we came to play ball.”

The 1990 team had an overall record of 22-0 going 11-0 in league play. They received national recognition with 7 straight shutouts. In 22 games played the pitching staff recorded 12 total shutouts. Dave Swanson and Steve “Jake” Biscoglio received All-State recognition. Dave Swanson was the State Gatorade Player of the Year. The team averaged 8.09 runs per game while allowing their opposition only 0.86 runs per game. For the season the team scored 178 runs while giving up only 19. From the end of the 1989 season thru the 1990 season the team won 27 straight games. Both teams had several members that went on to play in college. Scott and Steve Gentile went on to Western where Steve was drafted by the Expos. Dave Swanson was drafted by the New York Mets. Other members of the 1990 team were Jason Albert, Fred Alkas, Tom Coccomo, Kyle Cooney, Scott Coletti, Kevin Crowell, Mike Church, Matt Giana, Cleve Huggins, Rob Manzo, Steve Petit, Tony Santoro, Dave Stefanowicz, Todd Zup, and Bryan Zup. They were coached by Leo Veleas assisted by Frank Naples and Nick Pepe.

Photos courtesy of Berlin High School Athletic Hall of Fame