By Hal Levy, Shore Line Newspapers
Special to MaxPreps.com
The Connecticut High School Coaches Association conducted its 43rd annual Recognition Dinner May 17 at the AquaTurf Club in Southington.
The organization honored coaches of the year in 27 sports plus athletic director and also presented several major awards.
The Joseph J. Fontana Distinguished Service Award goes annually to an individual who functions outside the CHSCA, CIAC, or National High School Athletic Coaches Association and who makes substantial contributions to high school sports in the state.
The winner was John Frank of West Hartford, who has coached a variety of youth and high school sports and has been active with the Governor's Cup all-star football game (Connecticut vs. Rhode Island) as its Sponsorships Chair, Golf Tournament Chair and as an assistant to the director. He is CEO of KeyTech, a staffing company and is past president of the Connecticut Association of Personnel Services.
The Thomas R. Monahan honor award goes to a member of the education profession who has made significant contributions to high school athletics. The winner was John Kuczo, executive secretary of the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC).
Kuczo, a CHSCA Hall of Famer, founded the track programs at Rippowam High in Stamford and has served as an athletic director and administrator in Stamford as well as in his current FCIAC post. He also is a member of the Stamford Old Timers Hall of Fame and the FCIAC Hall of Fame.
The Joseph Calvanese Sponsorship Award is presented to a corporate sponsor of the CHSCA. This year's winner was Stadium System, an athletic equipment and reconditioning service run by Ed Schopp, Mike Schopp and Ken Schopp.
The CHSCA past-president's award was given by current president Joe Madaffari (Norwalk) to past president Don Pisati of Hartford's Metropolitan Learning Center.
Coach of the year selectees were led by retiring Glastonbury athletic director Barb Startup and also included Brian Adkins, Branford (boys' lacrosse); Walter Beck, Suffield (girls' swimming); James Bryers, Berlin (boys' golf); Ron Cersosimo, Conard-West Hartford (football); Carl Charles (Weston, Ridgefield), boys' basketball; Jemal Davis, Norwich Free Academy (boys' outdoor track); Janet Dickey, Westbrook (field hockey), Leslie Doe-Koehler, Ledyard (cheerleading); Lynn Fenn, Bethel (softball); Sal Follo, Milford (boys' ice hockey); Jeff Gee, Wilton (girls' cross country); Pete Golansky, Mercy (Middletown), girls' golf; Roy Gurnan, Ellington (boys' soccer); David Jockle, Bunnell-Stratford (girls' volleyball); Peter Leeds, Tolland (boys' cross country); Lisa Lindley, Darien (girls' lacrosse); Jim Matthews, Cheshire (boys' tennis); Gail Overbeck, New Canaan (girls' tennis); Deb Petruzzello, Middletown (girls' outdoor track); Beryl Piper, New Britain (girls' basketball); Carl Reichard, East Lyme (indoor track); Brian Reiff, Brookfield (boys' swimming); Michael Ridley, Lewis Mills-Burlington (boys' volleyball); Ricky Shook, Danbury (wrestling); David Sullivan, Suffield (girls' soccer); Lauren Walling, Norwich Free Academy (Unified Sports) and Art Wheelock, Rockville (baseball).
Chris Anderson of Woodland Regional-Beacon Falls, has been selected to coach the New Haven County all-stars in the 11th annual Hall of Fame Classic senior football game between New Haven and Fairfield counties Friday, July 13 at West Haven High School.
The game is run by the Gene Casey-New Haven County Chapter and the Ralph DeSantis-Fairfield County Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame for graduated seniors from the two areas. Proceeds benefit the college scholarship funds of the two chapters.
Anderson has been an assistant for the New Haven team for two years under Dennis Wanzie of Wilbur Cross-New Haven in 2005 and Mike DeVito of Amity Regional-Woodbridge in 2006.
Anderson, whose teams are 38-8 in four years of varsity football with two league and two state championships, will be assisted by Woodland coaches Tim Shea, Tom Phillips and Adam Shulz, plus Wanzie, Jeff Roy of Shelton, Alex Velardi of North Haven and Pete Griffen of Hamden Hall-New Haven.
Tickets for the game are on sale in advance for $5 through game chairman Paul Cirscuolo, 110 Damascus Road, Branford, 06405. Gate sale tickets will be $7.
Hall of Fame Classic sponsors include the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the New Haven Register, Town Fair Tire Company and McGladrey and Pullen, CPAs.
The Southern Connecticut Diamond Club will present a new coach-of-the-year award at its annual banquet June 6. The award will be named after Sam Burrell of Hamden, one of the founders of the club and the father of legendary Connecticut athlete Scott Burrell.
The elder Burrell has coached at both Hillhouse and Wilbur Cross high schools in New Haven and was the head freshman baseball coach at Yale. He is thought to be the first black intercollegiate coach in Yale history.
Burrell also coached American Legion baseball in New Haven.
The Diamond Club also will honor a player from each area high school team with awards named after long-time West Haven coach and pro area scout Whitey Piurek.
For ticket information, call Tony Mentone at (203) 281-3897.