Margaretta to induct three to athletic hall of fame

The Margaretta High School athletic hall of fame will add three members Saturday night. Kalie Mahnke (Bodey), Jon Sessler and Devin Jones will be inducted at the conclusion of the JV boys basketball game against Clyde before the varsity gets underway. That should mean an approximately 7 p.m. ceremony in the Margaretta gymnasium. The three new inductees will raise the total number of individuals in the hall of fame to 81, along with five teams. The first class, chosen in a process run by the Margaretta Athletic Booster Club, was inducted in 2002. This will be the 17th induction class overall with a few years featuring no inductees, including last year. Mahnke was a member of the Margaretta class of 2011. She was a four-year letter-winner in both football and basketball cheerleading. During both her junior and senior football and basketball seasons, Mahnke was named most valuable cheerleader for the Polar Bears. As a senior, she participated at halftime of the Hula Bowl, and then after graduation, Mahnke attended the University of Louisville where she cheered for four years at both football and men's basketball games. Mahnke cheered at four bowl games and at two Final Four games. She was the UofL coed cheerleading team captain in 2014-15. In 2015, Mahnke was selected to the USA National Cheer Team. She also spent the 2015-16 season as a Cleveland Cavalier Girl as the Cavs went on a run to the NBA championship. In 2015, Mahnke graduated from Louisville with a degree in communications. She now lives in Sandusky with her husband Jacob and daughter Harper, and they're expecting another child soon. Mahnke is the owner of Champion Cheer and Tumble Center in Castalia. Sessler graduated from Margaretta in 2002. He won three letters in football, three in baseball and one in basketball. Sessler earned two seasons of All-SBC linebacker honors and was also an All-SBC running back as a senior. He twice was all-district for his linebacker play. On the diamond, Sessler twice earned first team All-SBC recognition as a catcher for the Polar Bears. He also twice placed in the top-10 at state powerlifting. After graduation, Sessler played four seasons of football at Kent State University, and he was the team captain in 2005. As both a junior and senior, Sessler earned All-MAC honors. He proceeded to play two seasons of professional football in the Arena Football League and AF2. Sessler earned his bachelor's degree in education at KSU, then got his master's in special education at Grand Canyon University. He now lives in Riverdale, Ohio, where he teaches and coaches in the Riverdale Local School District. He and his wife Ashley have three children: 7-year old twins Beau and Liam, along with 1-year old daughter Sawyer Kate. Jones was also a member of the Margaretta graduating class of 2011. He lettered four years in basketball and three years in both football and track. On the gridiron, Jones played quarterback and cornerback, culminating in SBC Player of the Year honors in 2010. He also twice earned first team All-SBC basketball recognition. Jones placed eighth in the 300 hurdles at the state meet as a junior, and he was a two-time top-10 placer at state powerlifting. After high school, Jones lettered four seasons at Ohio University as a football player. That included taking part in three bowl games with the Bobcats. Jones graduated from OU with a business management degree in 2015, then joined the United States Army Reserve in 2017. Jones spent a couple of years in Findlay working with Marathon and coaching defensive backs at Findlay High School. In fall 2021, Jones' job with Marathon resulted in a move to San Antonio, where is a pipeline analyst for Marathon.