Islip High School recognized the Hall of Fame 2022 inductees during homecoming weekend, beginning with a Sept. 23 induction ceremony at Marconi Manor. This year’s honorees included former Islip High School Athletic Director Robert Jay “Doc” Holliday, who was honored posthumously; alumni Patrick M. Rogers and Christopher Wade; and the 2015 New York State champion varsity girls soccer team.
The ceremony featured an introduction by teacher and Hall of Fame Committee member Renee Clock, as well as comments from Principal Dr. Lara Gonzalez and Assistant Principal Meghan Stern.
Holliday began his athletics career as East Islip High School’s assistant football coach, from 1969-1979. He served as head football coach for Kings Park High School from 1981-1984, then returned to East Islip for the 1985 and 1986 seasons, where his teams won the league championships both years. Holliday served as Islip’s athletic director from 1991 until his 2002 retirement, passing away in 2018. Chris Clehane, a health teacher at Islip High School, provided the introduction for Holliday’s induction.
Rogers, a member of the Class of 1974, earned All-League honors in both football and wrestling in his senior year at Islip, earned a football MVP award and was a member of the Bucs league champion baseball team. Recruited by Baldwin Wallace University for both football and wrestling, he played both sports as well as rugby for the school. Rogers spent 24 years with Toshiba International Corporation, where he managed the company’s Electric Motor Division in Houston. He then joined TECO Westinghouse as a regional manager, eventually becoming the company’s president and growing its sales from $30 to $145 million. Upon his retirement after 17 years, TECO Westinghouse established the annual Pat Rogers Award of Excellence. Islip High School staff member Eileen DeBitetto introduced Rogers’ induction.
Wade, a member of the Class of 2005, was a star wrestler for the Bucs, holding a 123-19 record during five years on the varsity team. During his high school career, he earned two All-County, four- All-League, two League championships and a League Most Outstanding Wrestler honors. He won the Suffolk County and New York State championships in 2005 in the 140-pound weight class. At the collegiate level, Wade was an All-American, a 2007 National Junior College Athletic Association finalist for Nassau Community College and placed fifth in the NCAA Division III finals for SUNY Oneonta. He became a professional mixed martial artist in 2011, earning a record of 5-0 and later joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship and then the Professional Fighters League, where his current record stands as 22-8. Wade also runs an MMA program for adults and children at a local gym. Wade’s induction was introduced by Joe Patrovich.
The 2015 varsity girls soccer team, led by head coach Mike Reilly and assistant coaches Elizabeth Pyz, Megan Schierhorst and Kevin Sheehy, earned the very first New York State championship in the program’s history. Ranked No. 1 in the state, No. 2 in the region and No. 11 in the nation, the Lady Bucs were undefeated league champions, Suffolk County Champions and Long Island Champions. The team included seniors Alexandra Bondi, Daniela D’Acunto, Hannah Flynn, Mary O’Hara, Kamryn Hill, Cassidy Hock, Kerri McDonald, Taylor Pizzimenti, Jessica Rizzo and Perianne Smith; juniors Emma Baumbusch, Gabriella Columbo, Ashley Giorgio, Delaney Kissane, Valentina Lopez, Emma Rafferty, Lyndsey Sparks and Katie Warnokowski; sophomores Julia DeSantis, Hannah Franco and Kayla Multer; and freshmen Dominique Bono, Julianna Eastwood, Hailey Franco and Alyssa Sparks. Current Director of Health, Physical Education, and Athletics John Sparacio introduce the team’s induction.
The inductees and their family members also marched in the homecoming parade the following afternoon, then proceeded to the high school’s Hall of Fame wall, where the inductees’ plaques were unveiled. They were honored a second time with an introduction at the 50-yard line during halftime of the homecoming football game.