2024 Inductees

 

 

Front Row (L to R): Lori Nierer Eckhart, Kim Henninger Stasko, Jen Horner, Aileen Gula Yadush, Tracie Seiler Merkle, Ronda Reitz Schiavone, Steph Mack, Bob Hicks (Asst. Coach), Brian Schell (Head Coach)

Back Row: Bryan Geist (Athletic Director), Heather Eitner, Lisa Wanamaker Myers, Cathy Fronheiser, Chris Kraynik, Sharon Mack Conway, Dennis Hock (JV Coach), Joanne Warmkessel (Mother of Nicky Warmkessel Chirico), Michael Chirico (Son of Nicky Warmkessel Chirico), Gary Warmkessel (Father of Nicky Warmkessel Chirico)

Missing from photo: Lynn Yochimowitz Zakos (Player), Sue Litzenberger Neff (Player), Tracy Rauch Pelligrino (Stat), Cherie Dye Bachman (Stat)

 

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Brian Schell

Coach - 1979-2018

 

Coach Brian Schell coached at Slatington/Northern Lehigh High School from 1979 through 2018.  Brian taught U.S. History at Slatington Junior High School/Northern Lehigh Middle School for 35 years from 1979 until his retirement in 2014. He was head softball coach for 14 years (1979-1989 and then 2007-2010) and was an assistant softball coach for another 8 years. As head coach, his teams amassed a record of 181 wins and 112 losses.  Coach Schell was named Colonial League Coach of the Year in 2010. The 1988 and 1989 teams were Centennial League Champions and the 2010 team was Colonial League Champion (as was the baseball team coached by Erv Prutzman). The 1988 team was District XI runner-up and State AA Champion. The softball teams made the District XI playoffs in 11 of the 14 years and while never winning the title, they were runners-up several times. Coach Schell’s final year of coaching was as an assistant coach on Head Coach Bob Hicks’ 2018 Colonial Championship team. Coach Schell also coached Junior High School Basketball and JV and Varsity Field Hockey for 7 years from 1981 through 1988.  Since retiring from teaching in 2014 and to the present, Brian has been the Director of Transportation at Sights For Hope in Allentown, which provides services for people with visual impairments. Coach Schell would like to thank his Athletic Directors Bryan Geist, Dick Smith & Glenn Rissmiller, the Northern Lehigh Administration and School Board for their support over the years he coached. He would also like to thank his longtime assistant coach and good friend Bob Hicks and other coaches that he got to coach with: Dennis Hock, Jim Yadush, Mark Hoffman, Kate Farber, Patty Jones, Jeff Jones, Bob Kern, Gary Warmkessel, Nicky Chirico and Missy Defrain for their help and loyalty. Coach Schell is also grateful for the cooperation and friendship of baseball coaches Frank Carazo and Erv Prutzman for sharing the gym and bus rides for many years.  But none of the success of the Northern Lehigh teams would have been possible without all of the incredibly talented, hard working and dedicated athletes that Coach Schell had the pleasure of coaching over the years. And last, but certainly not least, Brian is most appreciative for his supportive family; the love of his life and wife of 43 years Sharon, his daughter Allison and her fiancé Chase Diem, and daughter Erin Steiner, her husband Nick and grandson Freddy.

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1988 PIAA State Championship Softball Team

37 years ago, the Northern Lehigh Girls Softball Team, who were nicknamed “The Golden Girls” by Channel 13 and the Times News, won the State AA Softball Championship. The team had a record of 24 wins and 3 losses.  They were Centennial League Champions and District 11 runner-up.  They were the first girls team and the 2nd team overall (1985 Wrestling Team was first) to win a state championship for Northern Lehigh.

 
On the road to winning the State Championship, the Lady Dawgs accomplished the following:

• Defeated Minersville (who were defending state champs) in the State Semifinal (and avenged the loss to them in the District 11 Final)
• Defeated 4 League and District Champions
• Defeated 3 undefeated teams
• Gave up only 8 runs , but scored 28 runs in the District, Intra-District and State playoff games

During this season, the team broke 16 team records and the players broke 38 individual records.  8 of the 9 starting players had a batting average over .300 for the season: Heather Eitner, Cathy Fronheiser, Kim Henninger, Jen Horner, Chris Kraynik, Steph Mack, Lori Nierer & Tracy Seiler.

And eleven players received Centennial League Honors: 4 First Team Selections (Sharon Mack, Lori Nierer, Tracy Seiler, Lynn Yochimowitz), 3 Second Team Selections (Heather Eitner, Nicky Warmkessel, Steph Mack), and 4 Honorable Mention Selections (Kim Henninger, Chris Kraynik, Jen Horner, Lisa Wanamaker).

Heather Eitner - #38 (1B)	Steph Mack - #28 (CF)
Cathy Fronheiser - #30 (2B)	Lori Nierer (Kieffer) - #35 (C)
Aileen Gula (Yadush) - #37 (SS)	Ronda Reitz (Schiavone) - #34 (3B)
Kim Henninger (Stasko) - #23 (3B)	Tracie Seiler( Merkle) - #20 (DH, OF)
Jen Horner - #33 (SS)	Lisa Wanamaker (Myers) - #27 (DH, 2B)
Chris Kraynik - #39 (LF)	Nicky Warmkessel (Chirico) - #40 (P)
Sue Litzenberger (Neff) - #22 (RF)	Lynn Yochomowitz - #17 (RF)
Sharon Mack (Conway) - #32 (P)

Head Coach: Brian Schell
Assistant Coach: Bob Hicks
JV Coach: Dennis Hock
Managers/Stats: Cheri Dye (Bachman), Tracy Rauch (Pelligrino)

The team would like to accept this Ring of Honor nomination in memory of two players who are no longer with us: Sue Litzenberger Neff, who passed in 2014 and Nicky Warmkessel Chirico , who passed in 2021.  Nicky is represented tonight by her parents, Gary and Joanne Warmkessel.
The team would like to thank Mrs. Renee Evans (our team’s biggest fan in 1988) for nominating us for this honor and also to Athletic Director Bryan Geist, the Northern Lehigh School Board of Directors and Administrators.  Our last and biggest thanks goes to the late Jack Follweiler (who always wanted to drive the bus for our games), the members of the Northern Lehigh Communities and especially our friends and family for their love and support back then and all through the years!