Community Corner

BlueClaws Hosting Shore Sports Hall of Fame Induction

Local athletes and coaches to be recognized June 29.

When the Lakewood BlueClaws take on the West Virginia Power in a night game on June 29, the team will also help welcome the newest class to the Shore Sports Hall of Fame. 

This is the first time a new class has been inducted and includes a Little League team that made national headlines, a current and past professional football player and a mixed martial arts champion among others. The class also has strong representation for several Shore Conference schools especially Toms River East and Lacey.

Before the scheduled fireworks display BlueClaws General Manager Brandon Marshall said fans should get a good show seeing the wide variety of inductees. "We're very excited to bring the Jersey Shore Sports Hall of Fame to FirstEnergy Park," he said. "This is an outstanding class that will provide quite a thrill for our fans."

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Along with the individual inductees the 1998 Toms River East American Little League squad will also be inducted. It was just over 15 years ago when the team that includes current Cincinnati Reds player Todd Frazier worked their way to the Little League World Series title. 

Former UFC Champion Frankie Edgar will also be inducted at the game. Before conquering the octagon Edgar was a star on the Toms River East High School wrestling team where he made three trips to the state finals. It was during his junior year that he finished as the runner-up in the state before a successful career at Clarion University. 

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Toms River East will also be represented by wrestling coach Warren Reid. In 33 years of guiding the Raiders Reid has helped his team win 369 matches which includes three conference titles and a number of division titles. Edgar is one of 37 state place-winners that Reid has had during his tenure. 

The Raiders will also be represented for their basketball skills when former player and current University of Denver Coach Joe Scott accepts his induction. During his high school career Scott played basketball but also stood out on the school's baseball and football fields. He eventually took his skills on the court to Princeton University and coached the Tigers before heading to the mountains. 

The lone female member of the class is Michele Carson-Neveling who played two years each at Central Regional and Toms River East. After a strong high school career she took her game to Trenton State College where she was a 3-time All American for the Lions and was also named Player of the Year twice. She also played in the Women's Professional Fast Pitch Softball League. 

Lacey High School football will also be represented in the class as Coach Lou Vircillo and running back Keith Elias are set to be members of the class.

Elias also took his talents from the Shore Conference to the Ivy League where he made a name for himself as one of the most prolific rushers in Princeton history. He also played for his hometown New York Giants as part of a successful professional football player.

This past fall Coach Vircillio finished his 32nd season with the Lions where he has won an impressive 258 games. He is also a member of the Shore Football Coaches Foundation Hall of Fame. 

Monmouth County will also be well represented in the class including former Red Bank Catholic running back Donald Brown. His last year in high school he ran for over 2000 yards and 27 touchdowns before joining the Huskies at the University of Connecticut. He was picked by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2009 draft. 

On the softball field at Brookdale Community College Coach Bo Scannapieco has made a name for himself as one of the most successful coaches in the country. Originally a player with the Jersey Blue's in the 1970's  the team has won three national titles and numerous regional titles as a coach of the team. Under his leadership the Brookdale squad has won more than 900 games and in 2007 he was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame.

The BlueClaws will offer two options to fans on this special night. With the ceremony scheduled to start at 6:10 and the first pitch set for 7:05 a picnic option will be available that includes an all you can eat buffet in the BlueClaws Picnic area. Fans can also buy individual tickets that do not include the buffet.

For more information on the ceremony and all the BlueClaws news check out the team's website





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