Emotions run high during 53rd Alle-Kiski Valley Hall of Fame induction ceremony

By: Ted Sarneso
Saturday, May 4, 2024 | 10:40 PM

In a night filled with excitement, gratitude and memories, Brice Flenory was the last inductee to speak.

His speech was heartfelt and a testament to his journey. He thanked his wife, his coaches, his teachers and the leaders in his community while also quoting scripture.

“Just staying true to myself and showing how I kept my nose to the grindstone and stayed focused throughout these years to get myself here,” Flenory said.

Flenory was one of eight athletes enshrined during the 53rd annual Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame banquet Saturday in front of more than 375 friends and family at the Pittsburgh Shrine Center in Cheswick.

Flenory, a 1998 Valley graduate, finished his basketball career with 1,200 points, which ranks fifth all time in the school’s rich history.

He joins his uncle, B.B. Flenory, who was a 1997 inductee.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Brice. “I’m humbled and honored to share this moment with former area athletes.”

The others enshrined Saturday were: Shane Bartha (Apollo-Ridge basketball); Scott Higgins (Riverview football, basketball, baseball/Westminster football, baseball); Fred Paganelli (Har-Brack/Point Park baseball, Highlands coaching); Mark Perry (Springdale/Wheeling Jesuit, soccer and WPIAL coach); Anthony Recchia (Kiski Area, football and basketball/Pitt football); Melissa Baustert Schaeffer (Kiski Area/Carnegie Mellon, cross country and track and Freeport coach); and Ellen Toy (posthumous; Kiski Area/Pitt, volleyball and Plum/Leechburg/Kiski volleyball coaching).

In a moving speech, Tim Toy accepted the induction on behalf of his late wife, Ellen.

“The only way I’m getting up at a dais like this is this way,” Toy said. “It’s such an honor, looking at the people being inducted tonight and those who have been enshrined before, and to have Ellen inducted is a big deal.”

Toy used his time at the podium to allow those who never knew Ellen get a sense for not just the outstanding volleyball coach she was but the kind of influence she made as a person.

“It’s things like this that will help keep her memory alive, and I’m immensely grateful for the opportunity to be here and tell a little bit of her story,” Toy said.

The largest contingent of those in attendance were there to see Paganelli, who coached the Highlands baseball team from 1985-2000.

“It was quite a surprise to learn that 75 of my closest friends and family would be here,” Paganelli said. “It’s nice that I have that many friends and that my relatives still like me enough to come to the banquet.”

Paganelli had a lot to choose from in his speech considering his 70 years of baseball as a player and coach.

“Cutting the speech down was hard. I was worried that if I went on too long, they were going to bring the hook out and yank me away,” Paganelli said with a laugh.

For Bartha and Perry, this was an evening for them to join their fathers in the Hall of Fame.

“I kept teasing my dad that I was going to catch him because we’re in the Armstrong County Hall of Fame together, and now we’ll be in this one together,” Bartha said. “We both put in a lot of time and hard work, so it’s nice to be in the same Hall of Fame.”

Bartha was a member of the 1991 Apollo-Ridge girls basketball team that won the WPIAL title, and she is the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,500 points. She set six other school records, including 15 steals in a game.

It was Perry’s second induction in as many weeks, as he was enshrined in the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. He has been a WPIAL soccer coach for 37 years, and his teams won 17 section titles. He was named WPIAL coach of the year in 1995.

“Last week was great, it was an awesome night, just like tonight will be,” Perry said. “I’m anxious, excited, it’s a special night, and looking forward to celebrating the evening.”

The inductees thanked families, friends, teachers and coaches who inspired them and shaped their lives.

“I remember my track coach, the late Bill Halli, the most,” Schaeffer said. “He was very inspirational; he changed my life, and I would not be here without him.”

Said Recchia: “I remember my high school coaches, Dick Dilts, Frank Morea, Ken Fassio. They were incredible motivators and made you feel like you were invincible and nothing was impossible.”

For the first time, the Alle-Kiski Valley Hall of Fame inducted two noteworthy teams.

Joining this year’s class were the 1946 New Kensington High School football team and the 1979 Valley boys basketball team.

Melvin Thrower accepted the induction on behalf of the 1946 New Ken football team. His father, Willie Thrower, was a member of the team and was the first Black quarterback to appear in a game with the Chicago Bears in 1953.

Ron “Mac” McNabb accepted the induction on behalf of the 1979 Valley boys basketball team, which won the state championship.

The addition of the teams brought the total number of those enshrined in the A-K Hall of Fame to 400.

Of the previous inductees, 19 were in attendance this year.

Trib Total Media sponsored student awards given to several athletes from the this school year.

Recognized were Springdale’s Billy Lawrence, the VND boys soccer player of the year; Riverview’s Lola Abraham, the VND girls soccer player of the year; Deer Lakes’ Derek Burk, VND football offensive player of the year; Highlands’ Luke Bombalski, A-K Valley defensive player of the year; Deer Lakes’ Billy Schaeffer, VND boys basketball player of the year; St. Joseph’s Julie Spinelli, two-time VND girls basketball player of the year and MVP for the East in the Cager Classic; Kiski Area’s Abigail Johns, MVP for the West in the Cager Classic; Butler’s Braylon Littlejohn, MVP for the East in the Cager Classic; Highlands’ Cam Reigard, all-section in basketball, MVP for the West in the Cager Classic; and Knoch’s Giona Lavorini, who won a state title in the 100 breaststroke.

Deer Lakes’ Carson Vioral received the Allegheny County Labor Council Courage Award.

Vioral, an athlete with Down syndrome, was a part of the Lancers basketball program.

His teammates stepped up to get him playing time in a Jan. 12 game against Valley. Vioral scored six points that evening.