The tenth class of the Cooperstown Central School Athletic Hall of Fame will include a state championship basketball team, a state championship high jumper and a track and field team that had two state champions.
Five individuals, four teams and one group of community organizers will be honored at the induction ceremony, which will take place during the school’s Homecoming Weekend.
Lucy Ford, who won a Division II state title in the high jump in 2013, and the 2014-2015 girls basketball team, which won a Class C state title, are among the inductees.
The other individuals are: Samantha Fox, Dana Leonard, William Reis and Scott Waller.
The other teams are: the 2010 boys track and field team, the 2011-2012 boys basketball team and the 2013 softball team.
In addition, Pat Dietz, John May, Susie Knight and Cheryl Rock will be inducted as the founders of the school’s swimming and diving program.
Ford, class of 2014, made the final podium at the Division II state track and field meet three years in a row, including by her junior year title in 2013. She was also a key member of the 2012-2013 girls basketball team that won a section title.
Fox, class of 2008, and Leonard, class of 2006, were standout basketball players, with each netting more than 1,000 varsity points. Fox was the leading scorer in program history for nearly a decade.
Leonard was also a captain on the soccer team that made the 2005 Final Four.
Fox helped take Cooperstown to the basketball Final Four in her senior season. Teammate Jen Wehner was inducted in 2023, as was their 2007-2008 team.
Reis, class of 2011, was part of the 2010 track and field team that is also being inducted. He also ran cross country and was a swimmer. His won multiple section titles, team and individual, and his 3,200 relay team placed fourth in the state in 2010 and his 1,600 team placed fifth in the state in 2011.
Waller, class of 1993, was a four-year starter in soccer and also ran track. He held the school’s single season scoring record for about two decades. He was on the 1991 team that made the Class C Final Four and won The Daily Star’s boys soccer Player of the Year Award in 1992.
The 2015 girls basketball team went 25-2 and won a Class C state title with a 61-34 win over Northern Adirondack. They were coached by Mike Niles, with Class C Player of the Year Liz Millea and senior Christina Noto as the team captains.
The 2011-2012 boys basketball team went 21-3 winning Class C section and regional titles before losing in the Final Four to Middle College, 58-57. They were coached by Dave Bertram.
The 2010 boys track and field team coached by Joe Kennedy had two state champions, Alec Silvera (110 hurdles) and Brandon Lane (high jump), as well as podium finishes for Caleb Edmonds (second in the 3,200) and the relay team of Edmonds, Reis, Jeremiah Ford and Jacob Miller.
The 2013 softball team, coached by Dave Bliss, was the first in program history to win a section title, beating Herkimer for a C-1 title before losing to Sandy Creek in the next round.
The group of Dietz, May, Knight and Rock were the coaches and assistants who began the boys swimming program in the early 1990s. All four were volunteer coaches who had other jobs.
The HOF induction will take place in the Cooperstown’s Sterling Auditorium, with the ceremony taking place either Friday, Sept. 25, on Saturday, Sept. 26. Details will be announced at a later date.
Editor’s Note: Sports Editor Greg Klein is on the Cooperstown Central School Athletic Hall of Fame committee.