Claymont inducts inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame members

Claymont High School inducted its first class of athletes into the Claymont Athletic Hall of Fame Jan. 9. The Hall of Fame recognizes and celebrates the outstanding achievements and contributions of athletes, coaches, teams and contributors who have left a lasting legacy on the Claymont athletic program.

The induction ceremony took place between the Junior Varsity and Varsity boys' basketball contests against the Strasburg Tigers.

The 1981 OHSAA State Champion Girls Basketball team will never forget “the shot heard around Ohio” when they pulled out a double overtime win in the regional semifinals against Riverview. They rebounded the ball after a Riverview foul shot and brought it down the court.

“I was not supposed to get the ball. It was going to go down to the post, to Cynthia Carter or someone else, when they left me wide open, and she gave it to me,” Natalie Cotton Colaner said. “It was my go-to shot, and I made it with one second to go and we won.”

That shot provided the confidence they needed to continue in the tournament and win the state title.

The team are still friends, and they greatly miss two of the team’s players who are deceased, Cynthia Carter Jackson and Leslie Shelley.

Ryin McDaniel has wonderful memories of his time on the 1992 OHSAA State Champion Wrestling team. Dedication helped them win the title.

“We worked very hard and we had great coaches. I feel like we had more coaches than we did wrestlers at times. So, we had a lot of individual attention,” McDaniel said. “We were up at 6 a.m. lifting weights and running and working out to about 6 p.m. after school.”

Justin Jones, Claymont Athletic Director, and Superintendent Brian Rentsch hope the members in the Hall of Fame will inspire future athletes at Claymont High School. Information about the inductees and their accomplishments will be available on an interactive board near the gym. The information will also be added to the Claymont Schools website.

Inducted were:

1981 Girls Basketball State Champion Team. Team members included Cynthia Carter, Natalie Cotton, Mitzi Cottrell, Tammy Gribben, Becky Hillyer, Kathy Johnson, Teresa Kastor, Debbie Reed, Leslie Shelley, Lynn Smith and Renea Smith. Assistant coach Kevin Keffer.

Rhonda Funkhouser, Head Coach of the 1981 State Girls’ Basketball Champions. She coached girls basketball for 20 years, girls track and field for 27 years, and volleyball for 5 years. Received numerous coaching awards.

1992 Wrestling State Champion Team. Team members included Jeff Abel, Shane Affolter, Rob Armstrong, Ryan Armstrong, Chris Baughman, Ray Beckett, Troy Beckley, Demi Carrothers, Casey Clark, Jason Freeman, Ryan Garabrandt, Ben Greer, John Heavilin, Kirk Henry, Sam Jennings, Jason Johnson, Todd Johnson, Jeff Kilpatrick, Brian McCray, Scott McDaniel, Ryin McDaniel, Chad Mehok, Kurtt Peters, Shawn Robinson, Eric Seibert, Craig Shaw, Jason Shaw, Scott Shaw, Walter Stevens, Deric Vanderpool, Marc Vermillion, Joe Western, Tim Zurcher and Tom Zurcher. Assistant coaches Mel Peters, Bob Johnson, Mike Trimmer and Brett Peters.

Eric Toukonen Head Coach of the 1992 Wrestling State Champions. Served as head wrestling coach for 35 years at Claymont. Named Ohio Coach of the Year in 1992. Career coaching record of 359 wins and 93 losses. Member of Ohio High School Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Jeff Arthurs Head Track and Cross Country coach with several state champions and state placers. 1967 graduate of Claymont. Coached boys track and field for 49 years and boys cross country for 34 years. Received numerous coaching awards.

Andy Pentecost was the 1984 and 1985 state discus champion and a 1985 track and field All-American in the discus. He is the only track and field All-American in Claymont history. He still holds the school record in the discus at 194 feet, 10 inches.

Rich Ronald 1989 State Champion Cross Country, 1990 1600m State Champion. All-Ohio in cross country in 1988, 1989, and 1990. All-Ohio in Track and Field in 1989 and 1990. Claymont’s first and only state champion in cross country to date.

Troy Sproul 1993, 1994 Discus State Champion. All-Ohio in Track and Field in 1993 and 1994. 1994 Track and Field honorable mention All-American in the discus. Currently holds second place at Claymont for discus throw of 186 feet 6 inches.

Dave Smith 1971-72 season Ohio Basketball Player of the Year. Averaged 28 points per game. Voted into the Ohio All-Star Basketball Game. Ranks second in career points with 1,172 points. First Team All-Ohio baseball in 1972-1973. Played in the 1973 Ohio Baseball All-Star game. Hit a .752 average his senior year in baseball.

Gary Watkins, 1988 Ohio AA Player of the Year in Basketball. As a sophomore in 1986, played with the Mustangs in the state final four tournaments. Holds Claymont career records of total points for three seasons of 1782, and most steals of 204.

Nominations are being accepted for next year's Hall of Fame class. The form is online at the Claymont Schools website.