The Hill welcomed basketball and hockey alumni back to campus on Saturday, February 9, 2008. Below are recaps of the games and photos of the teams.
BASKETBALL GAME RECAP
There was another solid turnout at the Alumni Basketball Game this year, with regulars Bill Kister ’74, Phil Kendis ’89, and Kris Boyd ’93 showing little rust from last year. Boyd had the hot hand early, draining countless first-half threes. Grey team coach Doug Beaver ’73 would have to make defensive adjustments and get the ball inside to workhorse Kendis to bring back his team. Young alumni Pat Hagarman ‘04, Chris Threadgill ‘02, Josh Farman ‘02, and current Hill assistant coach, Shaun Strickland ’02, made the game almost unsafely quick.
It was great to welcome back all of our alumni. Our current players enjoyed visiting with former players who share their pride in Hill basketball. During the day, The Hill honored longtime basketball coach Don Ronnie and presented the Don Ronnie Scholarship to David Singleton '08 from Coatesville, Pa. Coach Ronnie’s former players continue to return to connect with their cherished leader as he approaches 50 years on a Hill bench, a milestone which will be celebrated during the 2009-10 season. The Hill is fortunate to have dedicated basketball alumni who continue to impact the strength of the program with their donations to support the Don Ronnie Scholarship Fund.
After the alumni game was held in the morning, participants joined the rest of The Hill community in watching the Blues defeat nearby Perkiomen Prep, 88-50. The win secured Hill to a record of 16-4.
HOCKEY GAME RECAP
A cadre of ironmen from the late '90s took the ice on Saturday, February 9, 2008 at Hill’s annual Alumni Games, leading a mere 18 players in three desperately long 20-minute periods in a tightly fought 6-4 win for the Blues.
The Blue team featured a balanced lineup. Brian Laing '96 showed flashes of brilliance, while TJ Eaton '98 played a strong brand of defense and Stuart Seiden '98 found himself behind the Gray team’s defense on more than one occasion. Even Rob Shaner '96 showed up for a couple of periods for the Blue.
For Gray, hard-hitting Chris Vaughan '95 was a physical force on the ice and Matt Bedwell ’98 led the way offensively. The Brothers Rominger--Adam '96 and Erik '95 --played Gray, along with Chris Adukaitis '93. Chris Bala '97, ex-Reading Royal, helped the Blues to victory, a mercy placement to offset the aging athletic mendacity of Rob Isham '70 and Bill Thomas '80.
Jason Ebersole '91, Dave Gorelick '89, Rob Mitchell '89 also played.
Varsity coach, and former Boston College standout, Matt Mulhern, along with assistant coach Brian “Backhand Sauce” Cheek, suited up for Gray and kept Bala in check. But, it was the veteran leadership of girls’ varsity assistant coach, Mark Nelson, that really made the difference for the Blues.
Paul Oberbeck '80 played a strong right defense for the Gray and then stuck around to watch his son, John '10, beat the L'Ville JV 3-1.
Girls’ varsity goaltender Kerri Haley ’09 was outstanding between the pipes for the Blues stopping Bedwell on a penalty shot. She later stopped 36 shots in the girls’ 6 - 4 victory over the Susquehanna Rapids. Varsity assistant coach, Justin Cerenzia, dusted off his pads and jumped in net, making several acrobatic saves for the Gray team.