June 3, 2015

Holyoke Catholic holds sixth annual Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony

 

REGIONAL

Story and photos by Stephen Kiltonic

CHICOPEE – Ten athletes, a football/baseball coach and two championship teams were honored at the sixth annual Holyoke Catholic High School Athletic Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.

The event was held May 30 at the Castle of Knights in Chicopee.

The honored athletes, representing seven decades of Gael sports, included Timothy Campbell, Class of 1997; Tessa (Simmons) Demers, Class of 1989; Brian Donoghue, Class of 2000; Gerald Greaney, Class of 1951 alumnus; Fred Krajewski, Class of 1952; Francis McKenna, Class of 1945; John McKissick, Class of 1970; Monique Piotte, Class of 1983; Wayne Robillard, Class of 1976; and Howard Wallis, Class of 1964.

In addition, the 1956-57 boys basketball team, which won the Valley League crown, was recognized for going undefeated for 17 regular season games before losing in the New England Catholic and Western Massachusetts tournaments. Coached by Tom Griffin, the team featured Richie Kelly and Jack Flanagan as co-captains. 

Also enshrined was the 2002 cheerleading team, which won the Pioneer Valley and Western Massachusetts championships. Coached by Jill Gagne of the Class of 1975, the team finished third overall in the state.

“They were very committed, dedicated and talented and represented Holyoke Catholic so beautifully. They were very close-knit and tight and that’s why they were so successful,” said Gagne, who coached the school’s cheerleading squads from 1992-2006.

“They’re just great people. They’ve gone on to be terrific women and we’ve kept in touch all these years,” added Gagne.

Michael Bligh, a 1975 graduate and co-chairman of the Athletic Hall of Fame since its inception in 2010, said the common denominator among all the athletes is that “they excelled in their individual sports and then went on to become great citizens and supporters of Holyoke Catholic High School.”

According to Bligh, head football and baseball coach Stanley Skypeck was honored because he “brought out the best in the individual performers.” One of his crowning achievements was his 1970 baseball team, which won the Western Mass. Small Schools Baseball Tournament with a 5-0 win over Lee High. Skypeck, who was honored posthumously, coached the baseball team from 1966-1971 and the football team from 1966-1971.

Piotte was on the Holyoke Catholic’s first girls ski team. “I raced with the boys my freshman and sophomore years before we started our own league. I drove Mr. Frugiletti crazy to join that league.”

Piotte’s individual honors include winning the Western Mass. ski titles her junior and senior years. During her senior year, Piotte was also selected as the team MVP winner and the Holyoke Transcript Telegram’s Athlete of the Week. After graduating, Piotte went on to a successful career at Westfield High School where she has coached the boys and girls ski teams for the past 16 years.

Wallis was a three-sport standout for Catholic and earned a number of accolades during his four years at the school. He was named All-Western Mass. at shortstop and was selected as the winner of the Myles Barrett Award as the outstanding junior basketball player. Wallis served as captain of the football, basketball and baseball teams and was voted Most Athletic Student/Player.

Wallis’ favorite memories of his athletic career include striking out 17 batters against Springfield Trade; scoring 40 points his freshman year in basketball; and beating Holyoke High in basketball his senior year.

“I went to Catholic schools for 12 years and the education, the camaraderie, the whole Catholic environment was an inspiration later in life,” said Wallis.

Demers was a four-year cross country and track and field star for the Gaels. The two-mile was her best event in track. Demers was named All-Western Mass. in cross country and All-Western Mass. in track and field.

Demers also won the PVIAC cross-country title four straight years. She credits her “excellent” coach, Owen Donoghue, for “being very supportive and encouraging.”

This year, the evening took on a new twist when all the Hall of Fame athletes from the previous five years processed into the hall with banners. “We didn’t want to honor people one night, we wanted to keep on honoring them throughout (the year),” said Bligh.

Francis Kane, a 1954 graduate of Sacred Heart High School, was also awarded the 2015 Msgr. Timothy J. Leary Award, which is given to an outstanding individual or group for community leadership and commitment to Holyoke Catholic as well as for embodying Msgr. Leary’s spirit and ideals.

Kane is a former 24-year member of the Holyoke Catholic Board of Trustees and was employed with Standex International Corporation for 40 years. He credits Msgr. Leary for bringing together the sports programs of the four Holyoke parochial schools under the Holyoke Catholic banner.

“He had the vision in wanting to make them a powerhouse in athletics so they could compete with the Division One schools,” said Kane. “He used athletics to bring the spirit to Holyoke Catholic and we have that today.”

This is likely the last year Holyoke Catholic High School will celebrate an induction ceremony under the current Holyoke Catholic banner. The new regional high school – combining Holyoke Catholic and Cathedral High – will be called Pope Francis High School.

“It’s a little sad but, hopefully, the Hall of Fame could be included with the new school. There still are some great athletes that played at Holyoke Catholic that should be inducted in the near future,” added Wallis. “The main thing is that Catholic secondary education will continue on, wherever they decide on it, and I think it’ll make it much stronger,” acknowledged Bligh.

The evening concluded with alum Ronald Jendrysik leading the crowd in a stirring and emotional rendition of “Oh Mamie Reilly,” the school’s football fight song.

A special segment on the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will air on an upcoming edition of “Real to Reel,” the Springfield Diocese’s weekly newsmagazine which airs Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. on WWLP-22NEWS.