Carol Sherman

Carol Sherman was a freshman when Lenape Valley first opened its doors. A woman for all seasons, she had an immediate impact on the developing athletic programs of Field Hockey, Girls Basketball and Softball. Earning a combined 11 varsity letters in all 3 sports Carol was one of the “pioneer” players that paved the athletic paths for future Patriots. An accomplished athlete on the basketball court and softball diamond, it was on the Field Hockey field that Carol’s athleticism truly shined. Carol was recognized as a gifted offensive player by her peers whom she captained for two years, by her coaches who acknowledge her contributions in naming Carol the Outstanding Offensive Player in both her junior and senior season. According to her coach, Jan (Skagen) Kovacs, “Carol physically displayed coordination, quickness and took advantage of her low center of gravity. She possessed advanced stick skills, demonstrating the ability to move left and right under control. Carol was a quiet leader of the team, leading by her example. She worked tirelessly to achieve the skill set required to score goals. Carol was respected by her teammates and coaches and feared as a force to be reckoned with by opposing teams”. In her junior season (1976) Carol achieved Honorable Mention All-County. In her senior season (1977), Carol was named to the 1st team All-County as well as to the 1st Team All-Area. In that season, Carol was the highest goal scorer for the entire Sussex County Interscholastic League with 19 goals. Her goal total was 2nd highest in the entire area covering Morris, Sussex and Warren counties. The 1977 team that Carol captained compiled an SCIL record of 13-1 capturing the first SCIL Field Hockey title for Lenape Valley and an overall record of 14-2. On the basketball court, Carol was named the MVP of the team her senior year receiving All County 1st Team recognition. On the softball diamond, the Patriots won the SCIL in both her junior and senior year for which Carol was named to the 1977 and 1978 All SCIL 1st Team and the 1978 All Area 1st Team. She was also the recipient of the Players Award as voted on by her teammates. Honored by the Netcong Sports Club as the top Female Athlete in 1978, Carol went on to Caldwell University where she received her BA in Psychology. She then attended Jersey City University earning certification as Teacher of the Handicap. A teacher of students with disabilities, Carol’s career path led her to the Lakeview School in Edison, NJ. In 1996 Carol was named the NJ Education Technologist of the Year and in 2007 she was awarded the NJ ASHA Teacher of the Year. Carol recently quoted “I have fond memories of my teammates and coaches during my time at Lenape Valley. The wins, the losses, the bus rides and camaraderie will be memories I’ll always cherish”.

Rich Hall

Looking back at Lenape Valley’s 40 plus year athletic history, there are teams and individual legacies that set standards of excellence for both the inside and outside arenas of athletic competition. During Lenape Valley Boys Basketball’s infancy, one needs to look no further than Rich Hall and his individual achievements to find the roots of success in a program that would thrive well beyond his graduation year. In Lenape Valley’s 2nd and 3rd seasons as a school, Rich poured in 892 points (17 points per game average) and pulled down 725 rebounds (14.8 rebounds per game). A 1st Team All-League selection in both his junior and senior year, Rich was also named to the 1976-77 All Area Team and the 1976-77 All State-Group II Team for his performance in his senior year when the Patriots won their first SCIL Championship and garnered their first ever state tournament win – a 70-55 defeat of Saddle Brook. What makes Rich’s two year statistics even more impressive is that they were achieved absent of what today’s scoring champions have available to them – the 3 point line. In his junior year Rich scored 326 points and controlled the boards with 320 rebounds. Against Mendham, Rich established a Lenape Valley game record with 22 rebounds, a record he would break the following year. With a remarkable 44% field goal percentage, Rich was poised to lead the Patriots to their ground-breaking performances in the 1976-77 season – Rich’s senior year. Averaging 20.5 points per game marked by a career high of 32 points against Kittatinny, Rich Hall and his 54% field goal percentage led the Patriots to a 15-1 SCIL record and a 22-4 overall record. The 1976-77 Boys Basketball team was the first Patriot team to record 20 wins in a season. Rich also broke his single game record (25 rebounds against Franklin) and season high record of 405 rebounds (15.5 per game average). Upon graduating Lenape Valley, Rich attended Lehigh University where he received his BS degree in Civil Engineering. Working in construction as a civil design consultant his entire career, Rich is currently the Senior Project Manager for construction projects at the Atlanta airport. He is the proud father of his daughter who resides in Tampa, Florida.

Coach Pete Corea

Coach Pete Corea was there for the “opening bell” in 1974 when Lenape Valley opened its doors to the new home of the “Fighting Patriots”. For almost two full scores (38 years), Pete Corea was an integral part of the very fabric that defined the qualities and attributes of those who wore the Patriot uniforms. Dedicated and passionate about sports, Pete Corea’s influence most notably touched the Softball and football programs however his influence ran much deeper than that as the first head Girls Basketball coach, an assistant Boys Basketball coach, an assistant Baseball coach and even Golf coach. Lenape Valley “scored” big when it hired Pete Corea in 1974, Lenape Valley athletes scored even bigger from a legacy that is being enshrined into the school’s Hall of Fame. As Head Girls Softball Coach at Lenape Valley, Pete Corea compiled a record of 268-59, winning an incredible 82% of the games – a winning percentage that is higher than legendary coaches John Wooden, Dean Smith and Mike Krzyzewski. During his tenure as softball coach, the Lady Patriots won 7 SCIL championships, 5 state sectional championships, and his career was capped off by winning the programs 1st Group II State Championship in 1990. Inducted into the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2005 and honored with the NJSIAA Sports Award for Softball in 2000, Coach Corea was the recipient of several accolades throughout his distinguished coaching career. During an 8 year span between 1983 and 1990, Pete Corea was named on 9 different occasions as Coach of the Year. These included: Daily Advance – 1983, 1987 New Jersey Herald – 1984, 1987, 1990 Morristown Daily Record – 1987, 1990 National HS Coaching Award Scholastic Magazine - 1988 Star Ledger – West Jersey – 1990 Pete Corea’s ability to touch the lives of students was not limited to the athletic arenas. In 2001 Pete was named the winner of the Governors Teacher Award. In 2011, his professional career was capped when his colleagues at Lenape Valley honored him as the District’s Teacher of the Year. Pete Corea’s passion for sports extended beyond just the community of Lenape Valley. His home town of Madison, NJ was another beneficiary of Pete Corea’s desire to positively impact the community’s youth through athletics. Coaching 3 different sports (Little League Baseball, Junior Football and the Tri-County 7th & 8th Grade Basketball) in Madison, Pete also was the founder and past president of the Madison HS Baseball booster Bullpen Club, past president of Madison Junior Football, and the past president of the Madison HS football booster Huddle Club. Residing in Madison, NJ Pete and his wife Susie are the proud parents of Amy, Christopher and Peter and remain actively involved in the lives of their 7 grandchildren.

Paul E. DiRupo – Contributor

The seeds to Lenape Valley’s Athletic success were planted a year before the school opened to students in 1974 when the Board of Education named Paul E. DiRupo as Supervisor of Grounds. A long-time resident of Netcong, NJ, Paul E. DiRupo served his community as Chief of the Netcong Fire Department and as a Little League Baseball coach. He was also an official for High School basketball. It was however, in his role as Supervisor of Grounds, that Paul E. DiRupo served the athletes of Lenape Valley Regional High School in such a way that the Patriots became the envy of others, for they played on fields that were manicured to perfection. Long before Kevin Costner starred in a movie about an Iowa cornfield, Paul E. DiRupo had created “Fields of Dreams” for decades of Lenape Valley athletes. He built the fields, and the Patriots came. The concept of “Patriot Pride” was not limited to the coaches, teams and players. Paul E. DiRupo and his assistants epitomized the meaning of the phrase whether they were preparing the fields for practice or lining the fields for games. Responsible for maintaining over 20 acres of school property, the Baseball, Softball, Soccer, Field Hockey and Football fields alike were meticulously tended to both in-season and off-season. Lenape Valley Coaches and players deeply appreciated the efforts of Paul E. DiRupo and his staff especially when they visited other schools where lines were not quite straight and the turf was blotched with bare spots. The goal of all Lenape Valley athletic teams was to qualify for the state playoffs. When they did and when they were seeded high enough to be the home team, special efforts were put forth by Paul E. DiRupo to enhance the venue in recognition of the hard work put forth by players and coaches throughout the season. Paul E. DiRupo was proud of his fields and proud to provide the best possible playing conditions for the Patriots as well as proud to present athletic facilities that were second to none. The centerpiece of the school’s athletic facilities was the football field aka “Patriot Field”. Recently renovated with artificial turf and permanently lined, it now serves as the home field for football, field hockey, lacrosse and soccer. Beneath the surface of Patriot Field lies the legacy of Paul E. DiRupo – a legacy of love and the deeply rooted tradition of Patriot Pride.

Doug Vetter

“Country roads, take me home to the place I belong…” Doug Vetter walked through the front doors of Lenape Valley as a 15 year old transfer student form Dover in the summer of 1986. The country roads of Sussex County brought Doug to his new home where he would accumulate 9 varsity letters (4 in wrestling, 3 in football and 2 in track) and be named a 2 year captain of the Lenape Valley Wrestling team. On the gridiron, Doug was a stalwart defensive end and a member of the 1989 11-0 Undefeated State Championship Football Team earning 1st team All-SCIL and 1st team All North Jersey recognition. But it was in the friendly confines of the wrestling room that Doug Vetter honed his athletic skills where he would emerge as Lenape Valley’s 1st wrestling state finalist. Building a career record of 58-13-0, Doug was a 3 time Region 14 qualifier; 2 time District 14 runner-up; was the 1990 Team NJ Freestyle State runner-up; and was named All-SCIL at the 189 pound weight class. For his prowess in both athletic and academic arenas, Doug was named the 1990 Lenape Valley Scholar Athlete. Upon graduating from Lenape Valley in 1990, country roads brought Doug Vetter to his next home at the University of West Virginia. As a “walk on” wrestler, Doug became a 3 year starter for the Mountaineers achieving recognition as an Academic All-American his senior year. Ranked 12th in the nation at his weight class, Doug was named captain of the West Virginia wrestling team. His skills on the mat also led to his arm being raised as the 1994 West Virginia Open Champion and the 1994 Navy Classic Champion. He also placed 6th in the 1995 Freestyle earning All American status. In 1997, country roads brought Doug Vetter back home to the place where he belonged - Lenape Valley where he would teach Math and Phys. Ed. and coach wrestling, first as an assistant and then as Head Coach. Serving as Head Coach from 2001-2017, Doug’s teams won the league championship in the 2014-15 season; were District Champions twice (2005-06, 2006-07) and State Sectional Champions 3 times (2008-09, 2014-15, 2015-16). Doug coached 43 individual District Champions, 47 individual Regional Medalists, 15 individual State Medalists including 3 state finalists and Lenape Valley’s 1st State Champion – Nick Palumbo (2017). Doug was named the Daily Record Coach of the Year (2002-03); Mugs Media Coach of the Year (2009-10); NJ Herald Coach of the Year (2015-16) and his 21-3 team of 2015-16 was named the Mugs Media Team of the year. Doug is married to Maggie Fritzky (LVR class of 1991) and has 4 children: Meg (15) a present freshman at LVR, Will (14), Cali (8) and Nolan (6). Looking back, Doug notes “The teachers, counselors and coaches treated me with respect and believed in me and my abilities, and that boosted my confidence as a student-athlete. Its 31 years later and my present-day colleagues and fellow coaches continue to treat me with the finest integrity and character as a fellow teacher and as a coach. I have been and will continue to be thankful and feel blessed for everything that the Lenape Valley Family and community has offered me throughout my lifetime”

1978 Field Hockey Team

In Field Hockey terminology, the word “corner” is synonymous with the best opportunity to score. Mastering the corner play from both an offensive and defensive position became the cornerstone for the 1978 Lenape Valley Field Hockey Team – a cornerstone constructed by Head Coach Jan (Skagen) Kovacs and assistant coach Sarah (Bomberger) deMarrais. In nominating the 1978 Field Hockey Team, Coach Skagen noted “coaching the Field Hockey program was especially rewarding because the girls were dedicated, serious, and eventually skilled. The greatest joy was watching this team play as a TEAM – open field, change of direction play…truly a thing of beauty!” The 1978 Lenape Valley Field Hockey team, inspired by the success of the 1977 team, once again captured the SCIL title with an astounding 17-1 record. Entering the State Playoffs as a top seed, the 1978 Field Hockey team went on to capture the programs first State Sectional Title before losing to the eventual State Champion. In 18 SCIL games, the Patriots scored 49 goals while giving up only 5. Registering 13 shutouts, no SCIL opponent scored more than 1 goal against the Patriots. During the season, 356 corners (an average of 17 per game) were awarded to Lenape Valley while a mere 59 (3 per game) were awarded to their opponents. Mastering the ‘hand stop” in corner situations, the Patriots scored one-third (16) of their goals off of corner situations. For its achievements, the 1978 Field Hockey team named as the number 1 team in the area. Led by team captains Linda Dayer and Lynn Roe, six players were name to the All SCIL team (Linda Dayer, Cheryl Hosler, Jean Mol, Kam Patton Sherri Patton and, Lynn Roe). Team Awards were given to Linda Dayer and Lynn Roe as Outstanding Defensive Players; Cheryl Hosler as the Outstanding Offensive Player; and Sherri Patton as the team’s Most Versatile Player. Seniors Juniors Sophomores Pat Chando Karen Gralinski Margurite Gallagher Linda Dayer Pam Magnuson Cathy Oscovitch Martha Harrison Sherri Patton Kam Patton Cheryl Hosler Wendy Williams Denise Stanneck Lee Matuska Sue Sweerus Jean Mol Michelle Volker Lynn Roe

The 1998 Wrestling Team

“A major part of becoming a team is the establishment and collective acceptance of standards. Once a group of individuals formulate and agree to these standards, they become united, single minded in purpose.” Mike Krzyzewski – Duke Basketball Coach. The 1998 Lenape Valley Wrestling Team established not only high standards for themselves, they set standards for future wrestling teams to strive towards. As a team, this collection of individuals captured the Lenape Valley Holiday Tournament for the 4th year in a row. As a team, this collection of individuals held the title as Undefeated SCIL Champions. As a team, this collection of individuals won the North Jersey Section I Group III State Championship. As a team, this united group of athletes were honored as the NJ Herald Team of the Year and were ranked 2nd by the Daily Record and 15th in the State final rankings. Consider the following school records that the 1997-98 Lenape Valley Wrestling Team established: Most District Finalists – 6 Most District Champions – 4 Most District Medalists – 9 Most Region Finalists – 4 Most Region Champions – 3 Most State Qualifiers – 4 Most State Medalists – 3 Most Points Scored in Districts – 171 ½ 6 members of the 1997-98 Wrestling Team were named to the SCIL All League Team 5 members of the 1997-98 Wrestling Team were named to the Daily Record All Area Team Coached by Head Coach Bob Poggi and assistant coaches Vince DiRenzo, Doug Vetter and Brad DiRupo, we honor a special collection of individuals who united themselves with the single-minded purpose to become not only outstanding wrestlers, but great teammates who worked together to create a standard that is tough to beat. Pete Deignan, Derick Nagy, Dan Smith, Pat DeWald, Derrick Goduto, Joe Olivo, Sean Ryan, Mark Marotta, Doug Graziano, Chris Ressa, Steve Ryan, Bryan Nagy, Gary Mikolay, Frank Schweiger, Frank Fritzky, Matt Schwartz, Dan Truppo, Dave Baulier, Paul Pellek, KevinKresker, Brendan Trezza, Mike Misurelli, John McDonald, and Jeff Jacobson.

Carlleen Allisson – Class of 2005

In 2002, Carlleen Allison, a freshman, burst onto the Lenape Valley Track scene establishing school records in 3 events: The 100 Meter race, 200 Meter race, and the Long Jump. Her records would not last long, for the following year, each was broken by Carlleen. History does indeed repeat itself, for in her Junior year, Carlleen’s record in the Long Jump was once again broken by the individual who had set the record – Carlleen Allsion. In her senior year (2005), Carlleen’s records were reset once again by Carlleen - records to this day have not been touched. 2002 2003 2004 2005 100 Meter Race 13.03 12.30 12.30 11.9 200 Meter Race 27.30 25.70 25.80 24.00 Long Jump 15’10” 16’2.5” 16’11” 17’4” Carlleen’s performances on the track established herself as one of the premier track athletes both in Sussex County and the broader State of New Jersey. Capturing 1st place in all 3 events at the SCIL Track and Field Festival during her Sophomore year, Carlleen’s development at the statewide level was nothing short of remarkable. As a freshman at the Group II State Championships Carlleen placed 4th in the 200 Meter Race and 3rd in the Long Jump. A year later at the same meet, Carlleen would place 2nd in both the 100 and 200 Meter Races. The following year (2004), Carlleen captured the gold finishing 1st in both the 100 and 200 Meter Races while finishing 2nd in the Long Jump. That year Carlleen went on to finish 14th in the 100 Meter Race at the Meet of Champions. In her senior season (2005) Carlleen successfully defended her Group II State Championship titles in the 100 and 200 Meter races. During the winter months, Carlleen took her athletic skills to the basketball court where she would duplicate her track status as team MVP and captain. Receiving a full scholarship to attend Temple University, Carlleen’s leadership was recognized by her Owl teammates when she was named team captain and MVP of the outdoor Track Season. She also received recognition as the Atlantic 10 and ECAC Track Performer Of The Week for her performance at both the TCNJ Lions Invitational and Penn Relays. Graduating in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology, Carlleen presently works for Mondelez International (a.k.a Nabisco) as a sales representative. A nationally qualified competitor of the National Physique Committee, Carlleen and her fiancé, Paolo Terlazzo enjoy spending time with their 5 year old daughter Nevia.

Lenape Valley Regional High School District

Hall Of Fame

2020 Inductees

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Class of 2012

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