Huron to induct new hall of fame class Thursday

HURON — Six individuals and the 1964 Huron wrestling team will be inducted into the Huron High School Athletic Hall of Fame on Thursday. Hannah Cantrill and Rafaella Gioffre were selected in their first year of eligibility while Rudy Berger and Cody Thompson were chosen in the first year after their nominations were submitted. Bill Kovach and Doug Wentz round out the induction Class of 2025. Hospitality for the 32nd annual induction ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. at Mesenburg's Plaza Place, followed by the banquet at 6:30 and induction speeches. Tickets are $40 and are no longer available at the high school, but through the Huron Athletic Booster Club. For reservations, call or text 1-440-670-3575. Tickets will also be available at the door Thursday. Berger, a 2000 Huron graduate, earned four letters each in cross country, wrestling and track, advancing to the state tournament in cross country in 1997 and in wrestling in the 152-pound class in 2000. He was a captain on the 2000 wrestling team that set a school record with 15 dual meet wins. He has gone on to become a CrossFit Games champion in 2022 and 2023, following that up by winning the Masters Fitness championship in 2023. Cantrill (2015) earned Division III first-team All-Ohio recognition in volleyball as a junior and senior after second-team recognition as a sophomore. She was the 2014 state volleyball tournament MVP and was a four-year letter winner and scholar athlete at Edinboro University. Gioffre (2014) collected four letters in golf and three in track at Huron. She earned first-team all-league honors four years in a row in golf, leading the Tigers to three SBC titles, two sectional crowns and a pair of district titles. She was also a state qualifier three times and finished 14th at the state meet as a senior. She went on to play college golf at Rio Grande University and is the school's two-day tournament scoring record-holder with a 144. Kovach was selected as a community member for his more than 20 years serving as athletic trainer at Huron. The Amherst Steele graduate has helped Huron athletes since 2001 and was a volunteer football coach in 2016. Thompson was a three-year starter in football, earning second-team SBC honors as a junior and first-team recognition as a senior. Thompson was first-team All-Ohio as a senior. He starred at the University of Toledo, earning first-team Mid-American Conference honors as a wide receiver in 2016 and 2018. Thompson set the Toledo school record with 30 receiving touchdowns and is second all-time in receiving yards (3,312) and yards per catch (18.3). After college, he was on the practice squads for four NFL teams and made his regular-season debut with Seattle during the 2021 season. Wentz was one of the leaders on the 1964 state wrestling team that finished fourth. Wentz also finished fourth in the 112-pound weight class. Huron finished with 29 points in the 1964 state tourney. The Tigers collected their points as John Sharpe captured the state title at 145 and Wentz, John Perrin at 154 and Terry Harmon at 165 all finished fourth. Frank Mount, who would go on to finish fourth in the 1966 state tournament, was a sophomore on that team.