Elyria Sports Hall of Fame enshrinees focus on love and family

ELYRIA — It might be hard to believe, but Chase Farris almost didn't play football. The only reason he went to seventh-grade tryouts was because his best friend wanted to play. After one day, Farris realized he wasn't much of a runner and didn't want to come back, but every time he wanted to call it quits, his coach kept telling him one more day. All those one mores added up to a standout high school career at Elyria, a national championship with Ohio State, a Super Bowl with New England and now a spot in the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame. Farris was formally enshrined at the LCCC Spitzer Center on Saturday night. "For me it all boils down to love," Farris said. "The Chase Farris you see in front of you is a product of love. The love I received from my mother, my No. 1 supporter. The love that has a high school football coach reach out to a middle school secretary to call a grandmother to call a mother because they see something special in one child. We're all connected." Joining Farris in the class at the 51st banquet were Elyria Catholic volleyball standout Ellen Borowy Casey, legendary Elyria wrestling coach Erik Burnett, Elyria West basketball great Mary Lanette Taylor Eggleston, Elyria two-sport star Kate Verhoff and the 1979 Elyria Catholic baseball team. The organization also named Bill Troyer the recipient of its Distinguished Service Award. Borowy Casey excelled at volleyball, basketball and track for Elyria Catholic, earning 10 varsity letters. She was all-conference in basketball and volleyball, all-country in basketball, the MVP for two years in volleyball and held the school and conference records for discus throw. She continued her athletic career at Clarion and helped the school build its volleyball program, eventually becoming the school's first academic All-American. "Growing up in Elyria during the 1960s and '70s was such a great experience," Borowy Casey said. "If you also grew up during that time, you can't help but remember how instrumental the Elyria Parks and Recreation were in filling our summers with fun activities and at the same time nurturing and building future Elyria athletes." Burnett helped build Elyria into a state wrestling power, leading the program to a 299-99 dual meet record with 13 conference championships. He coached 108 state qualifiers, 66 state placers, 27 state finalists and 12 state champions while the team was ranked among the top 40 in the nation from 2014-2020. The Pioneers finished in the national top 20 from 2016-19 and among the 10 best in 2020. Burnett was a four-time state champion at Oberlin and went on to become an All-American at Clarion University. "Everything was incremental," Burnett said. "Most importantly, we were trying to help young people become productive older people. The winning didn't come right away, that's why I'm so proud of what these guys are doing. Not just the guys I mentioned, but all the guys who came through our program. Some went on to state, but they're all doing big things. If all we do is teach takedowns and pins, we're not doing our job." Taylor Eggleston rewrote the Elyria West record book, leaving as the program's career scoring (1,088 points) and rebounding (803) leader, also setting the season rebound record at 289. She led Elyria West to the Sweet 16 and an Erie Coast Conference championship in 1985, then helped the Wolverines finish as the regional runner-up and as Lorain County Conference co-champion in 1988. She went on to star at Cleveland State, where she remains the only Vikings women's basketball player to be named an All-American. She became the first female basketball player from Lorain County to embark on a professional basketball career, spending four seasons playing in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Spain. While playing overseas, she met her husband — current LCCC men's basketball coach Marty Eggleston. "He became my best friend," Taylor Eggleston said. "That year I was the only professional athlete who had a car in Switzerland. So my husband was making me come and get him after I played my practice, practice with him and work out with him. Not only did he make me play with him, but I had to guard him. I was the only female professional athlete there, but it made me stronger. He'd block my shots, dunk on me, but I appreciated everything because it made me a stronger player. And although I had to guard you then, I thank you for guarding my heart now." Verhoff joins her three sisters in the Hall. She was a three-time All-Ohio honoree in volleyball and another in basketball, winning Lorain County Miss Volleyball and Miss Basketball during the 2004-05 season. "Thank you for your endless support and love throughout this journey," Verhoff said to her family. "I could not have done this without all of you. You challenged me to be a better person and inspired me to become the best athlete I could be." Elyria Catholic's 1979 squad was the first sanctioned baseball team in school history and went on to become Lorain County's first baseball team to reach the state tournament in nearly three decades. The Panthers captured the regional championship by sweeping a doubleheader — a 2-1 win against Painesville Harvey and 2-0 against Orrville. They lost in the state semifinals 5-4 in nine innings to Columbus St. Francis de Sales, the eventual state champion. Finally, the Hall of Fame bestowed its Distinguished Service Award to Troyer, who died Dec. 22. He helped the Elyria Parks and Recreation Department organize sports tournaments for more than 37 years. He also served as an umpire and official within the city. His wife and two daughters accepted the award on his behalf. Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on Twitter.