Huron ready to add to athletic hall of fame

HURON — There will be some sadness mingled in with the pride that will surround the 31st annual Huron High School Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Jeff Wentz, a 1972 graduate and wrestling standout, passed away in late April, shortly after learning he would be a member of the Class of 2024. Michelle Grate, Amanda Fox VanLaningham, Voni Rasnick, the father-son duo of Joe Esposito Sr. and Joe Jr., and the 1976 undefeated Huron football team will join Wentz in the induction class. In addition, John Nichols, who was selected for induction in 2015, will be part of the class after missing the ceremony due to his military commitments. Nichols recently retired from the Air Force as a major general. The induction banquet will take place at 6 p.m. on Sept. 19 at Mesenburg's Plaza Place in the Huron Plaza. Tickets are $35 and available at the Huron High School office. Wentz, a two-year letter winner in wrestling, reached the state tournament as a senior in 1972. He was an SBC champ at 107 pounds in 1970. Joe Esposito Sr., a 1957 graduate, was an all-conference lineman on the 1956 Lakeland Conference football championship team that went 8-0. He was also a two-time state participant in wrestling. Joe Esposito Jr. is a 1982 graduate who was a standout in football. He had 36 catches and six touchdowns during the 1981 season and followed that with school records for receptions (54) and yardage (715) during an 8-2 run through the 1981 season that included first-team SBC honors. Grate is a 1988 Huron graduate who earned two letters each in volleyball and basketball and three in track. She earned spots on the SBC honorable mention list in volleyball and basketball during her career and was the 1988 Class AA regional high jump champion, finishing fourth in the state as a senior. Rasnick enters the HOF as a community member inductee after years of service to the athletic program as scorekeeper for volleyball and basketball. She kept score for volleyball from 2000-19 and was the scorekeeper for the boys and girls basketball programs for more than 20 years each. VanLaningham, a 2005 Huron graduate, was part of the Tigers' state volleyball championship team in 2002 and the lead player on the undefeated team that reached the regionals the following year. She earned first-team All-Ohio honors in 2004 and was listed on the state honorable mention list the year before. She ended her career with 805 kills, 494 points and the school mark for kills in a single match (35 vs. Margaretta). The 1976 football team was the first Huron squad to reach the state playoffs, going 10-0 in the regular season before losing to Elyria Catholic. The squad outscored its opponents by a 246-65 margin with five shutouts while becoming the first team in SBC history to have two running backs to finish with 1,000 yards in a season (Greg McGory with 1,157, Dave Cramer with 1,082). Nichols, a 1988 graduate, led the Tigers with 121 tackles as a junior. Huron went 7-4 and lost in the opening round of the playoffs to Clearview. As a senior, Huron went 10-2, won the SBC championship and reached the second round of the state playoffs. Nichols caught 34 passes for 415 yards and five scores, and earned first-team All-Ohio recognition at end.