James C. Metzger, Hofstra University and Half Hollow Hills High School star athlete, was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame earlier this month along with a squad of eight other local players, coaches and athletic directors. The Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame honors outstanding people who have gained prominence and have made substantial contributions on behalf of themselves and Suffolk County in professional and amateur sports.
Metzger was an All-American lacrosse player during high school and college. A three-sport (football, basketball and lacrosse) player at Half Hollow Hills, Metzger now is an athletic benefactor for both schools. He joined Ray Enners and Rich Wrase as the only Half Hollow Hills students in the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame. Cathy Vayianos, a 30-year tennis coach at the school, also is in the hall of fame.
Teammates, Coaches And Opponents
Supporting Metzger at the induction ceremony were Half Hollow Hills School District Superintendent Kelly Fallon and Half Hollow Hills Athletic Director Joe Pennacchio along with Half Hollow Hills board trustees Eric Gerringswald and Paul Peller.
Former teammates and coaches from both schools along with several opponents and others in the high school and collegiate sports arena also attended the induction ceremonies. Among Metzger’s high school teammates were Joe Maher, Joe Marotta, Steve Spinnelli, Victor Emanuello, Steve Sands, Scott McLam, Jerome Merkeson and Mike Everett. Metzger considers Merkeson and Everett two of the best players with whom he has ever played.
Other attendees included Jim Miller (All-Conference Half Hollow Hills fullback and Colgate University football), Roger Stehlin (Half Hollow Hills football player and wrestler), Vinnie Sombrotto and Bobby Quinlan (All-American lacrosse players at Hofstra University), Walt Whitman High School’s All-Long Island and All-Universe running back Myron Bell and All-Conference Anthony Yabroughty, and West Hollow coaches Bill Russo and Lou Dominick.
Lou DiBlasi, Metzger’s football and lacrosse coach at Half Hallow Hills, was in attendance along with Richie Moran, three-time Cornell University national championship coach.
“To have my former teammates and coaches there to support me meant the world to me,” said Metzger, who is chairman and CEO of The Whitmore Group, one of the leading full-service independent insurance agencies in the New York Metropolitan Area. “It brought back great memories I will treasure for the rest of my life.”