Watervliet Hall of Fame Class of 2016

Hall of Fame Class of 2016 Inductees

Class of  1991 Baseball Team

The Watervliet High School 1991 baseball team finished with a 24-5 season record and won the Colonial Council Section 2 Class CC, the Class C-CC, and Class C Regional title games en route to winning the NYSPHSAA Class C State Championship. The 1991 team became the second Cannoneer baseball team to capture a State baseball crown—the 1985 team was the first. The team’s State title capped off an incredible athletic school year for WHS—a “Triple Crown” year during which the football and basketball teams also won State titles. As of this date, no other high school in New York State has won State titles in all three sports in the same school year.

Leading the Cannoneers over the course of the season were Jeff Hotaling who hit .402, Yorden Huban and Dennis Moffre who each hit .398, and pitchers Jeff Hotaling, Bob Hotaling, and Bill Williams who tossed 23 of the team’s 24 victories. Dom Fruscio and Rusty Ratigan collected 36 and 33 RBI’s respectively. In the Regional final, Bob Hotaling—the State tournament MVP—struck out 15 Ticonderoga batters. In a tense and exciting State semifinal game, the Cannoners rallied from an 8-4 deficit to beat Greene Central, 15-10, to advance to the State final. In the championship game, WHS beat Norwood-Norfolk, 9-2.

Coach Tony Curro, and his assistant coach Jeff DiNuzzo, guided the team during this incredible season. Tony also coached the 1985 State championship baseball team, and Jeff DiNuzzo was a pitcher on that team.

Dom Fruscio, Yorden Huban, and Bill Williams played on all three of the “Triple Crown” teams during the 1990-1991 school year.

Currently, six members of the team and coaching staff are WHS Hall of Fame members: Tony Curro, Jeff DiNuzzo, Dom Fruscio, Keith Heid, Bob Hotaling, and Yorden Huban.

Khalan Heid, 2004

Khalan played five years of varsity basketball and four years of varsity soccer. She was a starter in both sports every year. Khalan was the Captain of both the basketball and soccer teams during her junior and senior year.

As an eighth-grader and also as a freshman, Khalan was chosen to the NYSPHSAA Class CC All Tournament Team. She was selected to the Troy Record’s All City Basketball Second Team in both her freshman and junior year, and she was named to the All City First Team in her senior year. Khalan was selected to the Colonial Council’s All League Third Team as a junior and to the All League Second Team as a senior.

In her senior year, Khalan was named to the Colonial Council Exceptional Senior Roster, and the Times Union named her a Basketball Female Athlete of the Week. She also received Watervliet High School’s Elise Donlon Memorial Award during her senior year.

In soccer, Khalan was selected to the Colonial Council’s All Star Second Team as a junior and to the All Star First Team as a senior. In her senior year, Khalan was selected to the Troy Record’s All Area Soccer Third Team, and she was also named to the Colonial Council Exceptional Senior Roster.

Khalan was named the WHS Female Co-Athlete of the Year for 2003-2004, and in 2011 she was named to the WHS 2000-2010 All Decade Basketball Team.

Academically, Khalan was a four-year member of the National Honor Society, and graduated sixth in her class. In her senior year, she was named a Sports Foundation Scholar Athlete and a Colonial Council Scholar Athlete.

Khalan received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from The College of St. Rose. She resides in Watervliet, and is beginning her eighth year as a teacher in the Watervliet Elementary School. Khalan is the proud aunt of two nieces, and a nephew.

Mark Hotaling, 1986

Mark played three years of varsity baseball at Watervliet High School and was a three-year starter for the Cannoneers. In his first year, as a sophomore, Mark hit over .300, and the team went on to become the Class C Sectional runner-up.

In 1985, as a junior, Mark collected 47 base hits and helped lead the Cannoneers to the NYSPHSAA Class C State Championship title. This was the first team in WHS history to ever capture a State title in any sport. The team finished with a record of 28-2, which included 21 consecutive victories en route to the State championship. Mark batted .425 to become a member of the WHS .400 Hitting Club.

In his senior year, Mark pounded out 57 base hits, blasted three home runs, and helped lead the Cannoneers into the Regional qualifiers. Mark possessed an exceptional throwing arm and set a WHS record by collecting nine assists in the outfield during his senior year.

Mark grew up in a baseball family, and was the oldest of three brothers who played baseball for WHS—his brothers Brian (WHS Class of ’87) and Bob (WHS Class of ’91), also played for the Cannoneers. His brother, Bob, a WHS Hall of Fame member, played on the 1991 WHS baseball team which also won a State championship.

After high school, Mark played fast-pitch and modified-pitch softball in the Capital District for many years. In 1996, playing for Kelty’s Ironhorse Pub in the North Albany Men’s Softball League, Mark led the team to the 10-Man American Softball Association Modified Pitch National Softball Championship title. During the national tournament, which was held in Meadville, PA, Mark hit a blistering .500 and blasted nine home runs. His brother, Bob, also played on the team.

Mark is a shop manager for Albany Fire Protection, and resides in Middleburgh, NY.

John Pastore, 1961

John played four years of varsity baseball, three years of varsity football, and one year of varsity basketball. In his senior year, he was captain of the football team, and named to the Capital District League All Star Baseball Team. He capped off his WHS athletic career by blasting a home run in his last at bat. After high school, John played four years of amateur baseball in the Albany Twilight League.

John earned an A.A. degree from Hudson Valley Community College, a B.S. degree from Murray State University in Kentucky, and his M.S. degree from the University at Albany, majoring in physical education and history. John played soccer and baseball in college. During his sophomore year at HVCC, he was named the team’s MVP, and selected to the NJCAA All Regional Baseball Team. As a soccer player, John was the goalie on the first team in HVCC history to capture a NJCAA Region III championship.

John spent 33 years as a Professor of Physical Education, and many years as a coach at HVCC. As coach of the men’s baseball team, he guided them to three NJCAA Region III Championships, one District Championship, and was named NJCAA Coach of the Year in 1971, when his team went 25-3 and played in the NJCAA National Tournament in Colorado. As coach of the men’s tennis team, he led them to four NJCAA Region III Championships, and six league championships. He helped start the football program at HVCC, and served as an assistant coach for five years. He started the women’s soccer program at HVCC, and coached them for several years.

After retiring from HVCC, John went on to coach at Russell Sage College and RPI. He began the women’s soccer program at Sage, and served as the coach for five years. At RPI, John coached women’s softball for 11 years, and was named Conference Coach of the Year in 1997, and the NYS Women’s Athletic Association Coach of the year in 1998. In 1999, his women’s softball team was named the RPI “Team of the Year.”

John also had a very successful 35-year career as a high school and college basketball official.

John resides in Latham, NY, with his wife Janis. They have two daughters, Theresa and Josette, and two grandsons.

George Perry, 1954, Contributor

George played two years of varsity football, and three years of varsity baseball at WHS. As a football player at 145 pounds, George played both offensive and defensive guard, and defensive end. On the diamond, George was the starting centerfielder all three years he played. As the lead-off hitter for most games, he compiled a three-year batting average of over .300.

George also played amateur baseball in the Albany Twilight League, where, after capturing the league’s batting title in 1954 with a .471 average, he became the league’s first Rookie of the Year. He was elected to the Twilight League’s Hall of Fame in 2005.

George went on to earn his B.S. degree in Physical Education at SUNY Cortland, where he also earned varsity letters in baseball and wrestling. He later earned his M.S. and C.A.S. degrees in School Administration from Syracuse University.

George began his 35-year career in public education as a physical education teacher and coach at Brookfield Central School in Brookfield, NY. He returned to the Capital District to become the Principal at Hudson High School, and then served as the Principal and Assistant Superintendent in the Cohoes School District for several years. In 1974, George returned to his alma mater—the Watervliet City School District (WCSD)—where he was the Superintendent for 18 years. Under his reign, George oversaw the addition of the junior high school wing, the conversion of a Norton Company building into the District’s elementary school, as well as continual improvements to many other District educational facilities. George was especially supportive of the District’s athletic programs—overseeing the expansion of the original high school gymnasium, the addition of a girls’ softball field, and numerous renovations to the high school’s athletic fields. He was a strong advocate for girls’ athletics, and instrumental in the startup of the girls’ varsity soccer and tennis programs.

After retiring from the WCSD, George served as Executive Director of the New York State Association of School Business Officials, from 1992-2005. George was also a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, with 33 years of service.

George lives in Clifton Park, with his wife, Barbara. They have three children, George, Jr., David, and Jill, and five grandchildren.

George Seymour, Coach, 1973-1984

George started a wrestling club when he began teaching at Watervliet High School in 1972. He began the first-ever varsity wrestling team the following year, 1973. George continued to coach varsity wrestling at WHS for the next 11 years, compiling an overall record of 81 wins and 58 losses.

Shortly thereafter, in order to compete with the other teams in the Colonial Council, George also implemented a junior high wrestling program.

During his coaching career, George coached 8 Colonial Council wrestling champions, 11 Section 2 “Class C” champions, and one Section 2 “Class C” finalist. Watervliet wrestlers also won the Watervliet Wrestling Invitational, the Catskill Wrestling Invitational, and the Lansingburgh Wrestling Invitational tournaments. WHS had numerous individual champions in each of those invitational tournaments over the years.

George wrestled at Farmingdale High School, on Long Island, and had an overall career record of 56-4. He continued his wrestling career at Binghamton University, where he was 27-2 against other collegiate wrestlers. He was captain of the team during his junior and senior year, and was named team MVP in 1970 and 1971. George was the runner-up in the New York State Collegiate Wrestling Tournament in 1971.

George taught biology, biotechnology, and AP biology during his teaching career at WHS, from 1972-1994. In 1990, George was named the Teacher of the Year in the Watervliet City School District. After leaving Watervliet, George taught for six years at Bethlehem High School, and then became the K-12 Science Coordinator for the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake School District from 2000-2010. After leaving Burnt Hills, George worked for three years at Hudson Valley Community College as the Director of a Biotechnology Grant. Currently, George works as a Science Improvement Specialist for Questar III—a regional BOCES.

George and his wife, Linda (Salo), WHS class of 1971, live in Burnt Hills. They have two daughters, Taryn and Caitlin, and three grandsons.

Larry Starks II, 2002

Larry played three years of varsity football, and four years of varsity track & field at Watervliet High School.

Larry helped lead the Cannoneers to a 15-2 regular season cumulative record, in the Capital Conference, during the three years he played. During his senior year, Larry was named the NYSPHSAA Section 2 Offensive Player of the Year, the Troy Record’s Offensive Player of the Year, the Times Union’s (TU) Back of the Year and Co-Player of the Year. He was selected to the TU’s All Area Team, and the New York State Sports Writers Association’s 2001 Class C First Offensive Team. In July of 2002, Larry participated in the prestigious NY – NJ Governor’s Bowl, which featured the top 50 high school players from each state. Although, NY lost the game, Larry was named NY’s Offensive Player of the Game.

Larry currently holds several WHS football records: Career Rushing – 4114 yards (13th in Section 2), Season Rushing – 2038 yards (10th in Section 2)Game Rushing – 369 yards (9th in Section 2), Career Scoring – 401 points (7th in Section 2), and Season Scoring – 200 points (12th in Section 2).

As a track & field athlete, Larry ran the 4x100m relay, and was a triple, and long jumper; he competed in States (NY) all four years. In the States, as a junior, Larry placed fifth in the Boys Class C Triple Jump competition, with a jump of 41’. 09.00. The following year, as a senior in the States, he finished 3rd in the Boys Class C Long Jump, with a jump of 22’. 02.75.

Larry went on to play one year of football at Hudson Valley Community College, where he led the Vikings in kickoff returns (8 attempts – 232 yards), punt returns (20 attempts – 223 yards), and punting (18 punts – 640 yards). As a running back, Larry was the second leading rusher for the Vikings. One of his fondest football memories at HVCC was playing against (and defeating) his brother, who played for SUNY Canton.

Larry is currently employed in the construction trades as a floor installer and roofer. He resides in Mechanicville, NY, with his wife, Ashley, and 7-month old daughter, Lola.

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