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Centre County Sports Hall of Fame Unveils 2023 Inductees

State College - Condo2

JON CONDO is one of several standout athletes being inducted into the Centre County Sports Hall of the Fame. (Submitted photo)

Ron Bracken

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STATE COLLEGE — A pair of record-setting Philipsburg-Osceola Area High School athletes highlighted the recently announced 2023 Centre County Sports Hall of Fame class of inductees.

Leading the way was 2000 graduate Jon Condo, who received more votes for induction than any other athlete in the voting history of the CCSHoF.

Arguably the most decorated athlete in P-O’s history, Condo was a first-team all-state linebacker, a first-team all-state catcher and a PIAA wrestling champion. He was named to the Big 33 team, then went on to play at the University of Maryland, where he started 50 consecutive games as a long snapper, earned a Special Teams Player of the Year recognition and captained the 2004 Terrapins.

He was drafted by the NFL’s Oakland Raiders and played for 15 years as a professional, twice being named to the Pro Bowl. The Raiders also named Condo a team captain and awarded him with a Commitment to Excellence Award during his tenure.

Kelly Kephart Rees, P-O Class of 1997, joined Condo as a 2023 inductee. She was a four-year starter in four sports for the Lady Mounties and earned a total of 16 varsity letters.

Rees played in 10 District 6 championships, including four in volleyball, three in softball, two in golf and one in basketball.

On the diamond, she never committed an error in the 48 Mountain League tilts she played in and still holds the Lady Mountie record for all-time hits with 108. Her athletic diversity also produced 1,262 points on the basketball court, and she furthered her education while playing golf at Penn State, where she earned a doctorate degree.
Kephart Rees is currently P-O’s athletic director.

In softball she did not commit an error in her 48 games of Mountain League play. She holds the Lady Mountie record for hits with 108.  In basketball she scored 1,262 points.

Nine other local individuals were also inducted into the 2023 class from the voting members of the CCSHoF.


DAVE BREON
Bald Eagle Area — Softball

Dave Breon launched a stellar softball career as a fast-pitch hurler after graduating from BEA in 1971. He compiled a 561-396 record over a 33-year career. 

He began coaching the game as an assistant coach with the Lady Raiders of Bellefonte. He then led the Lewistown High School softball team as head coach for five years before taking the helm at BEA in 2004. There, he led the Lady Eagles to five conference titles, four District 6 championships and four western regional titles. BEA won PIAA championships in 2005 and 2009 and was runner-up in 2004 and 2008.

Breon carried his softball experience and knowledge into the business world by providing private instruction to softball athletes. He tutored 11 pitchers whose teams reached the PIAA finals, and 35 whose teams reached the District 6 finals.

ERIC BRUGEL
State College — Wrestling

Eric Brugel collected a pair of PIAA wrestling titles for the Little Lions and was named Outstanding Wrestler of the 1983 state tournament. His grappling resume also includes two northwest regional and three District 6 championships.

His wrestling career continued at Penn State, where he was a two-time team captain of the Nittany Lions. He won the Eastern Wrestling League championship twice and was named an All-American by the 1984 season.
Brugel’s other career highlights included a national junior Greco-Roman championship and induction into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame.

JOSH HULL
Penns Valley — Football

Following a distinguished career at Penns Valley Area High School, Josh Hull earned a spot at linebacker as a walk-on with the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, eventually working his way into a starting position. As a Nittany Lion, Hull’s football resume included second-team All-Big 10 linebacker status and selection to the All-Big Ten Academic team, and he was a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award winner. He also earned Academic All-American status.

After his playing days in Happy Valley concluded, Hall went pro and spent time with the NFL’s St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins, New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars. His final professional season played out in 2014.

DOUG TAYLOR
Bald Eagle Area — Wrestling

Doug Taylor graduated from BEA in 1988 and carried with him some very successful wrestling accomplishments. Over the course of three years, he compiled a 109-17-2 record, with 59 dual meet wins to just six losses and two ties. He was a three-time Centre County Tournament winner, a two-time champion of the Manheim Tournament and a two-time Top Hat winner.

He also won the District 6 title and regional title twice and placed in the PIAA tournament on three occasions. He captured PIAA gold in 1988.

His grappling career continued at West Virginia, and in 1993 he placed fifth as an All-American in the 1993 NCAA tournament. He was also named as the Mountaineers’ Outstanding Wrestler in 1993.

KEN WALKER
Bellefonte — Football

Ken Walker showed his athletic ability as a three-year letter winner on the gridiron and on the mat at Bellefonte Area High School. He also won a pair of letters on the baseball diamond.

As a senior, he placed third in the PIAA wrestling tournament and was the third baseman for the Red Raider baseball team, which finished the season as the third best team in the state.

After graduating in 1987, Walker continued his football career at Lock Haven, where he was a four-year starter on the football team. He captained the team in 1990 and 1991 and was named a PSAC Defensive Player of the Year. He currently ranks four in the college’s history in total tackles.
Walker also wrestled while at Lock Haven and was a two-time PSAC place winner and two-time NCAA qualifier.

His sports career continued after college as a 10-year football coach and wrestling coach of the Ashley Ridge High School football team in South Carolina. His football team appeared in nine playoffs during his 10-year stint, and his wrestling team won seven state championships.

LARRY WISER
Bald Eagle Area — Football

Larry Wiser is a member of the Pennsylvania Football Coaches Hall of Fame for good reason. The 1968 BEA graduate posted a 217-97-1 record as the head coach at Clarion High School, which makes him the winningest coach in school and conference history. He is also the second winningest coach in the history of District 9.

His teams appeared in 10 District 9 Class A and two Class AA championships, winning in 1997, 2009, 2013 and 2017. Clarion reached the state’s semifinals in 2013 and the quarterfinals in both 1997 and 2017. His teams won or shared 10 conference championships.

Wiser was a three-sport athlete at BEA and won the prestigious James Snyder Award.

The above individuals will be inducted with the rest of the class at a banquet on Oct. 22 at the Scholar (formerly the Penn Stater) at Penn State.
Three Centre County athletes were inducted posthumously.

ANN INFIELD
State College — Track and field and cross country

Some coaches coach, while other coaches do. Ann Infield was certainly one that did.

Infield coached the State High girls track and field team through eight undefeated seasons, capping it with a state championship in 1978. She was also the founder of the Lady Little Lions’ cross-country team that lost just one contest over a five-year period. Her teams placed in the top five in each year they participated in the PIAA meet under her guidance.

She is a member of the Pennsylvania Track and Field Hall of Fame.

The same year her State High girls won the state championship, Infield set a women’s world record for 10,000 meters while winning the New York City Mini-Marathon. Also that year, she was recognized as Pennsylvania’s High School Track and Field Coach of the Year, due in part to her team winning the  Pennsylvania high school track and field championship.

She was the first high school women’s coach selected as an honorary coach of the Penn Relays and was the only woman coach honored when State College Area High School won the CENPAC track and field championship.

Upon retirement after the 1978 season, Infield worked as athletic director for women’s sports at State High.

RON PAVLECHKO
State College — Football

After lettering as an offensive lineman for the Nittany Lions of Penn State from 1968-1970, Ron Pavlechko embarked on a remarkable coaching career.

He accepted an English teaching position with State College Area High School in 1971 and joined the varsity football program as an assistant coach. Six years later, he replaced Jim Wiilliams as the head coach after Williams moved on to become an assistant coach at Penn State.

During his coaching career with the Little Lions, Pavlechko put together a 117-103-4 record and coached teams to undefeated regular season records in 1981 and 1992.

His Little Lions won four District 6 championships under his leaderships and reached the PIAA semifinals in 1992.

He accepted the position of athletic director at State High in 1996 and served in that capacity until his retirement. He was also president of the Central PA Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

GAWEN STOKER
Bald Eagle Area — Football

Gawen Stoker proved he knew the game of high school football with his 248-197-4 career coaching record. 

The majority of that time was with the Bald Eagle Area varsity football program, where he posted a 152-85-2 overall record and led the team to the school’s first District 6 championship in 1988. He also coached at Wellington, Ohio; Trinity High School in Washington, Pennsylvania; and at Indian Valley in Lewistown.

He was the District 6 and District 7 director of the Pennsylvania Football Coaches Association and served as the head coach of the west squad in the 1981 Big 33 game.
His involvement in the Big 33 continued in 1984 when he was named game director. That title carried on for him to the Mid-State/Uni-Mart Classic from 1985 through 1995 and to the National City Classic in western PA from 1997 to 1999.

He was one of the founders of the CPFCAA All-Star Game, which is now known as the Lezzer Lumber Classic.

He was inducted into the PA Scholastic Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2000.

“We are excited about our 2023 Class of Hall of Fame inductees,“ said CCSHOF President Keith Bierly. “We are pleased that it was a record voter turnout. The popular Centre County sports including football, wrestling and softball led to the selection of great athletes and coaches.

“It was particularly satisfying to see an inductee from every Centre County public high school,” Bierly said.