City League Hall of Fame to add 6 individuals, 1 team

Oct. 12—Four athletes, one state championship team, one of Ohio's winningest boys basketball coaches of all time, and a man who excelled as a basketball coach and an official in the sport will be honored at the 38th Toledo City Athletic League Hall of Fame ceremony and dinner, set for Nov. 1 at the Premier Banquet Hall in Toledo.

Joining the hall as athletes will by Damon Hueston of the former Macomber High School (Class of 1984), Clarence Carter of Cardinal Stritch (1985), Mallory Strall Jesko of Central Catholic (2006), and Shareese Ulis McBrayer of Waite (2007).

Also honored will be Start's 2000 Division I state baseball championship team, which was coached by Rich Arbinger, highly successful 40-year St. John's Jesuit basketball coach Ed Heintschel, and Rick Kaifas, who coached Whitmer to a state basketball final four berth and later became one of the area's top basketball officials.

While at Macomber, Hueston excelled in football and also competed in basketball, and track and field for the Macmen. As a senior, he earned first-team Class AAA All-Ohio honors as a defensive lineman.

Carter was a football standout for the Cardinals, earning second-team Class AA All-Ohio honors at running back. He also played on two Stritch basketball teams that reached Class AA regionals, and he also ran track.

Hueston and Carter both later played football at the University of North Carolina.

Strall Jesko was a three-sport standout at Central, competing in volleyball, basketball, and softball for the Irish. She later played volleyball at the University of Toledo.

Ulis McBrayer, a four-year basketball standout for the Indians, led Waite to three straight City League championships and a trip to the Division I regionals in 2006. She was named first-team D-I All-Ohio in 2006 and 2007 after earning third-team honors in 2005. She later played in the Big East Conference at the University of Cincinnati.

The 2000 Start baseball team won the school's second state championship, closing a 25-3 season with 7-2 wins over Dublin Coffman in the Division I state semifinals and Cleveland St. Ignatius in the finals.

The Spartans' starting lineup included Andy Hudak (3B), Matt Birr (catcher), Derrick Peterson (pitcher-1B), Chris Arvay (SS), Justin Laraway (P-1B), Eddie Lutz (2B), Jimbo Schonter (LF), Dave Von Sacken (RF), and Chad Ditmyer (CF).

Laraway got the complete-game pitching victory in the semifinals, and Peterson did the same in the finals.

Arbinger's 31-0 team of 1994 won Start's other state baseball crown, and his Spartans were state runners-up three times (1987, 1997, 2005).

Heintschel, who will be inducted as the honored coach, took over the St. John's head coaching position in 1979-80 and posted a career record of 725-224 (.764) before retiring after the 2018-19 season.

In between he led the Titans to 17 league titles (City League and TRAC), 16 district crowns, and six trips to the Ohio Division I state final four. His 1993, 1996, and 2004 teams ended as D-I state runners-up.

Kaifas, who will be honored as a distinguished citizen, guided Whitmer's Panthers for 12 seasons (1977-89), posting a 187-85 overall record. That mark included a 68-8 record in his final three years. His 1987 Panthers ended 24-3 with a 54-49 loss to Canton McKinley in the Class AAA state semifinals, and his 1988 and 1989 teams each reached Division I regional semifinals.

Kaifas later officiated basketball for 22 years (1990-2011), working six state final fours, four in boys tourneys, two in girls.

The Hall of Fame event at the Premier begins with a social hour at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 6:30 and the induction ceremony at 7:30.

Tickets are $45 per person for adults, $25 for age 15 and under. For ticket reservation information, contact Lynn Moran-Gajdostik by email at lmgage21@gmail.com. The deadline for reservations is Oct. 21.

The 2021 inductees had to wait a year to be honored. Last year, because of the coronavirus pandemic, the TCAL Hall of Fame banquet was canceled for the first time ever.

First Published October 11, 2021, 4:28pm