Lorain Sports Hall of Fame: Track provided stage for Clearview revenge against Marion Pleasant (VIDEO)

VERMILION — Coach Wayne Ross and star tailback Otis Jenkins bided their time after Clearview's football team lost the first state championship playoff to Marion Pleasant on a fluke play in 1972. Marion Pleasant returned not one, but two fumbles for touchdowns including the game-winner as time expired, breaking the Clippers hearts, 20-14. Ross couldn't wait for a chance to redeem his school. Was revenge on his mind? "Oh, boy, was it," said Ross on Saturday night at the 55th annual Lorain Sports Hall of Fame banquet held at German's Villa. "We went into that meeting knowing we'd see them. We should have beaten them in football. They had some great athletes. We got 'em back in track. Same kids. That was on my mind going in." "It was one of the greatest honors for me and for my high school," said Jenkins, who said grace and closed the banquet with a prayer. "Coming from a small school, the way we were, to rise up and be as good as we were, was sweet. It was very sweet." In the spring of 1973, Jenkins won both the 100-yard dash and 220-yard dash, setting a state record in the 220. He also finished second in the long jump. Larry Fortner tied Skip Lakia of Fairport Harbor with a record 6-foot, 6½ inch high jump, tying for first in that event. Randy Dlugosz came in fourth in the 880-yard run and Larry Harris finished sixth in the 120-yard high hurdles. The irony was Jenkins, Fortner and Harris all played in that 1972 football championship game. The Clippers had to feel some sense of revenge by beating out Marion Pleasant, 45 points to 36 points, to claim the Class A track title. The next school year, behind Harris and Fortner, Clearview won the state basketball championship under Bob Walsh. "It was such a relief to do that knowing what happened to us in football," Ross said. "The '70s were magic for Clearview. I'll tell you one thing. Bob and I got the kids out (to play). He wanted his basketball players to play football and run track. I wanted my football and track guys to play basketball." All three of those teams have now been enshrined and if variety really is the spice of life, Lorain's Sports Hall of Fame had it all Saturday night. Bowling and bodybuilding in addition to mainstream sports like football, basketball and baseball along with coaches and sports executives who grew up in Lorain were all represented with this year's class. Amanda Berry, a 2000 graduate of Lorain Catholic who earned 12 varsity letters in basketball, tennis and softball for the Spartans, earning a scholarship to Youngstown State to play softball, where she earned the school's female athlete of the year in 2003. For her career at YSU, She posted a .333 batting average, with 47 doubles, 17 home runs, 13 triples and 113 RBIs. She finished as the Penquins' all-time leader in hits, triples, doubles, RBIs and slugging percentage. You've heard the saying about "owning" a bowling alley because of great skill. Joe Dominguez, a Southview grad, literally owned the alleys in his career that including proprietorship of the Shoreway Lanes in Sheffield Lake from 1992 to 2010. Dominguez dominated the local scene on the alleys in the 1970s. He rolled 24 perfect games and had high series marks of 877 and 858 during his career. His lifetime average was 204. Clearview's Jeff Golini, a 1978 grad, was a three-sport stalwart for the Clippers, playing football, basketball and running in track. He scored 15 touchdowns and played both ways as a senior at Clearview and was one of the leading scorers and rebounders in basketball. He later played football and participated in weightlifting at the College of Wooster. He later became a professional bodybuilder. Christine Saladin, a graduate of Lorain High in 1988, excelled in volleyball, basketball and softball for the Steelmen under the maiden name Nagy. She also participated in track and field, earning 12 varsity letters. She scored 1,617 career points for Lorain and was named Miss Basketball. She went on to play basketball at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In the special category, Tony Flores, a 1980 Lorain High graduate, made his mark as a professional baseball executive. Flores played football and baseball at Lorain but his degree in sports management from Bowling Green led him to a professional career in the front office of several minor league MLB affiliates, including the Cardinals, the Orioles, the Devil Rays and the Blue Jays. Also from the special category was Michael Gallagher, a 1968 Lorain St. Mary grad who distinguished himself in coaching numerous sports, most notably girls basketball although he spent some time as an assistant at Elyria Catholic when the Panthers won their three state championships in football. His best years were at Wooster High where his girls basketball team won 416 games and qualified for the state final four twice. Kathy McConnell also was inducted in the Special Category as an outstanding volleyball coach at Lorain Catholic. McConnell built the volleyball program into a state power, going 225-88 in 13 seasons. Her best year was 1994 where the Spartans finished as the state runner-up with a record of 26-1. She also played volleyball and basketball at Lorain Catholic, graduating in 1978. She spent two years playing at Lorain County Community College before playing at Youngstown State. The late Elizabeth "Nanny" Parobek was the recipient of the organization's Distinguished Service Award. Scholarships were awarded to Clearview's Annaliese Garcia and Josiah Longo along with Lorain High's Samone Whitt and Luke Wilson. Jay Ferguson filled in for Tim Alcorn, the voice of the Cavaliers. Larry Reardon served as this year's president. Contact Tim Gebhardt at (440) 329-7135 or timothygeb@msn.com.