By Andy Loigu

With no local games to attend during recent weeks, this columnist has had more time to watch “blast from the past” encore game broadcasts and old favorite movies like Forrest Gump, which qualifies as a sports movie since Forrest was depicted as a lightning fast kick returner for the Alabama Crimson Tide (“run, Forrest, run”) and a world class ping pong player. Also, he was the most “long distance” distance runner of all time, going from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast and back again several times. 

While watching a documentary on the Big Ten Network about the 1976 Rutgers men’s basketball team, which reached the Final Four with an unbeaten record going on, I enjoyed seeing Mike Palko get interviewed, As far as I know, he’s the only player from Hackettstown High School to ever play in the “March Madness” Final Four.

He’s regarded by folks my age as the greatest Tiger ever in boys basketball, However, there are fans who may dispute that. In five decades of sports writing I’ve found there are fans who would dispute anything when it comes to all-star teams and Most Valuable Player awards. I’ll always remember something a high school girl told me in 1974, about the All-Ocean County Baseball Team I’d selected. “You picked your team based on batting averages, not ability,” she said. Since she was the girlfriend of an honorable mention third baseman, I thought she was biased, and just let it slide, “Well, he strikes out a lot and he never reminded me of Brooks Robinson in the field, either,” was all I said in response. Since she did not know who Brooks was, I figured she does not know much about the great game of baseball.
I’ve never enjoyed arguments about this sort of stuff. I try my best to honor deserving athletes, but you simply can’t please everybody. 

Whenever I’ve been involved with things like honors, Hall of Fame nominations, and so on, my biggest fear has always been that I’d overlook someone who is deserving. In boys basketball a case could be made for Brandon Zaleski, the 2001 Warren County Male Athlete of the Year in a vote of athletic directors and local media. Brandon was the Tigers’ top scorer (over 1,000 points) and rebounder on some winning teams coached by Scott Tomlinson and went on to break records at Moravian College. He was a consistently proficient foul shooter, as I recall, which makes a big difference in close games. Mike Morgan and Mike Rossi also come to mind as Hackettstown standouts.

To me, what a player did at the next level matters. In girls basketball, Desire Almind did it all at North Warren, scoring over 2,000 career points in leading the Patriots to a section final in 1999 and the state final in 2000. In Division One college hoops at Bucknell, she was second in the nation in rebounding, but there were local people who used to complain that I gave her too much space in the newspaper. Desi showcased her basketball talents to the whole word for another decade, playing professionally in Europe and in the USA. 

Other superb girls basketball players from the local area include Hackettstown Hall of Famer Christina Fowler, who was the county’s top scorer before Almind hit the scene. Fowler went to D-1 basketball with Rutgers. Katie Terhune starred at Warren Hills and then led Boston University in scoring. Caitlin Flood become the county’s second all-time scorer when she became the featured player at North Warren, following in Desi’s footsteps from 2001 to 2004 A.D. (after Desi). She went on to play at Manhattan College and into a coaching career.

In baseball, in 2011 Cole Kimball of Hackettstown, as a Washington Nationals relief pitcher, became the first player from Warren County to play in Major League Baseball’s regular season since 1945. However, Cole would be the first to admit he was not the best pitcher in the history of Tigers baseball. He shined in high school as a hitter and outfielder, but developed as a pitcher at Centenary College and in competitive high profile summer leagues. He was what the writers call a “late bloomer.”

In Hackettstown baseball a case could be made for Jon Lucas, or Jake Hall, or others who have led Tiger teams to various conference, county and sectional championships.Lucas was an outstanding big-game pitcher for coach Gary Poyer, and went on to pitch at Wagner College and the Toronto Blue Jays’ farm system. Hall is arguably the best hitter ever at Hackettstown, who went on to break school records at County College of Morris and now is on the D-1 Siena College squad, rated as a big-time prospect.

Our friends in Washington and Mansfield would say, don’t forget about Warren Hills. The Blue Streaks are proud of the baseball accomplishments of Greg Terhune (pitched at Seton Hall and the LA Angels’ farm system), Mike Nemeth (a splendid hitter and infielder at the University of Connecticut and the Milwaukee Brewers’ system) and Anthony Veneziano, a stellar pitcher who went on to Coastal Carolina University and then was drafted by the Kansas City Royals.

In track, Alexa Westley of Warren Hills recently won three straight state championships in the 3,200 meters and now runs for the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Conference.  Other Warren Hills girls track legends include the Farrell sisters, Julie and Colleen, who excelled in various events and went on to Stanford and Ohio State, respectively.

In boys track, Mark Bahnuk practiced social distancing long before it became the essential watchword it has become today. Mark won distance races for Hackettstown in which you had to wait a couple of minutes for the second place runner to reach the finish line. He went on to run at James Madison University and still is in the area as a banking professional who lends a hand to various worthwhile community organizations.

For recognition in the area of community service, how can you top Tom Kitchen? A three-sport Tiger as a high schooler, he went on to serve our country during the Vietnam War and then was employed by the Hackettstown municipality supervising the road department and public works. He spent 20 summers coaching softball and enabled many players to develop their skills and become college players. The list of local players he helped is a long one, sports fans.

Hackettstown and Warren Hills each have established a Hall of Fame to ensure that their finest student athletes will not be forgotten. In looking over the lists of who has gotten in, the importance of coaching and good team chemistry becomes most evident. So many have played football for “Chot” Morrison and wrestled for John Goles.

There are far too many greats in local high school sports lore to do justice to them in just one column. We encourage you to use the comments section provided at the end of each story to share your memories and make a case to honor someone who has made you proud of your school’s sports heritage. The best “sports chatter” has to be two-way, interactive, and respectful. The thrills of high school sports have produced many of the most memorable moments in my lifetime as a student athlete and journalist.

There is nothing like the energy and excitement of championship competition. The life lessons that are learned on the field, track, or court, are timeless and precious.

One of my coaches used to say, “There are people who dream of success, while others wake up and work hard to earn it.”

We may end up putting together all-time all-star teams in several sports. Your input is essential, and would be most appreciated. Shoot us an email to offer your thoughts to info@insidewarren.com (in the subject line ATT: Andy). Got a general sports story idea? Email us!

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building. Stay safe and stay well through this perilous time.