Dapper Dan banquet enters 74th year Sunday; Fitzgerland guest speaker

Apr. 15—CUMBERLAND — For the ninth time in the Dapper Dan's history, there will be a repeat winner of the George W. Stevenson/Nicholas A. Perlozzo Top Award this Sunday.

Cumberland swimming sensation Daniel Diehl, the Class of 2024's No. 1 swimmer who competed in the Olympic Trials two years ago, will receive the honor for the second year in a row.

The Top Award is given annually to the individual or organization which brings the most national attention back to Allegany County.

Diehl will be one of 28 area athletes honored at the 74th Dick Sterne Memorial Dapper Dan Sports Banquet, which is slated to begin at 4 p.m. at the Ali Ghan Shrine Club on Sunday.

Appetizers will be served beginning at 2:30 p.m. with the presentations beginning after the invocation.

The 2022 guest speaker is DeLane Fitzgerald, the winningest head football coach in Frostburg State history with a 62-19 record in eight seasons.

When Fitzgerald arrived in Frostburg, he inherited a program that had eight consecutive losing seasons and had won just 18 games over that span. The Bobcats began a streak of three straight 10-win campaigns in just his third year.

The Lovingston, Virginia, native also guided the program through its elevation from Division 3 to Division 2. In Fitzgerald's final season at FSU in 2021, the Bobcats went 10-1, shared the Mountain East Conference title and finished the season ranked No. 22 in the nation.

Fitzgerald, who played college football at James Madison, is entering his second year as the head coach of Southern Utah, which competes in the Western Athletic Conference of the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision of Division 1.

Southern Utah went 5-6 last year in Fitzgerald's first year at the helm.

In addition to the area athletes who will be honored, Brooks Durham is the Child of the Year, and the Potomac Lodge 100 A.F. and A.M. is the Howard L. NorthCraft Unsung Hero Award recipient.

Durham is a seventh-grade student at Braddock Middle School, who is a patient at The Children's League where he is closely followed for his spastic diplegia cerebral palsy.

The Potomac Lodge 100 is the main non-profit organization that provides funding for the Children's Adaptive Sports League, a sister organization of the Dapper Dan Club that provides an adaptive sports and socialization program for children with disabilities.

The Sports Shoppe Award given to the volleyball Player of the Year is Ella Snyder of Mountain Ridge.

The Averey Bridges Memorial Award softball Player of the Year is Abi Britton of Allegany, and the John "Skip" Cook Memorial Award baseball Player of the Year is Griffin Madden of Allegany.

In girls soccer, the Miriam Sincell Goalkeeper of the Year is Lindsey Ternent (Fort Hill); the Times-News Defensive Player of the Year is Lya Smith (Allegany); the Times-News Offensive Player of the Year is Sydney Snyder (Mountain Ridge); and the Times-News Player of the Year is Avery Miller (Allegany).

In boys soccer, the recipient of the Dave Searles Goalkeeper of the Year will be Ethan Wilt (Mountain Ridge); the Joe Rowan Defensive Player of the Year will be Sam Rose (Mountain Ridge); the Dr. Raul Felipa Offensive Player of the Year will be Evan Cook (Mountain Ridge); and the Ebbie Finzel Player of the Year will be Blake Powell (Allegany).

The following football players will receive awards: John B. "Jack" Gilmore Memorial Award Co-Linemen of the Year — Peyton Miller (Mountain Ridge) and Chase Snyder (Frankfort); Pepsi-Cola Defensive Player of the Year — Carter Hess (Fort Hill); Morton W. Peskin Sr. Memorial Award Offensive Player of the Year — Mikey Allen (Fort Hill); and Times-News Player of the Year — Uma Pua'auli (Mountain Ridge).

Thirteen track and field athletes and four teams will also receive recognition awards.

The 2022 Dapper Dan Little League champions Tigers (Major Division) and Red Sox (Minor Division) will be honored.

At the high school level, Fort Hill will be recognized for capturing the 2022 Class 1A football title, as will the Allegany softball team for capping an unbeaten season with a state championship.

Star Mountain Ridge runner Mary Delaney is the big individual winner, as she'll be recognized for winning four state championships. Delaney took home the cross country and outdoor 1600-meter titles in 2022 and indoor 800- and 1600-meter championships in 2023.

Miller was also a multi individual-event winner during last outdoor track and field season, collecting the 800 meter and long jump state titles.

Fort Hill standouts Hannah Custer (pole vault), Brooklyne Noel (triple jump), Carly Bennett (discus) and Hess (discus), and Allegany's Brandi Gochenauer (shot put) also won at states last spring.

A pair of Mountain Ridge relay teams will also be honored. The 4x800-meter team of Reis Howard, Will Stark, Casey Culler and Will Haberlein won the 2022 outdoor state title, and Culler, Haberlein, Ackerly Mulcaster and Brendan Kline won the same event during the 2023 outdoor season.

The award presenters this year are Adam Sterne, Dapper Dan banquet chairman and past president; Sean Fradiska, treasurer; Dave Winner, Allegany High softball coach; Jeremey Irons, executive board member; Erich Bean, past president; Mike Mathews, former Times-News sports writer; Chuck Moran, executive board member; Matt Gilmore; James K. Cunningham, past president; and Cathy Growden, The Children's League executive director.

Alex Rychwalski is a sports reporter at the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @arychwal.