By Tom Kendra
LocalSportsJournal.com

MUSKEGON—Two teams – representing two different sports, two different genders and two completely different eras – highlight this year’s Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame induction class.

The Mona Shores girls golf dynasty of the 2000s, winning four consecutive state championships from 2009 to 2012, is one of those two teams.

The other team goes back 70 years to 1953, when the Muskegon St. Joseph boys basketball team caught fire in the postseason and never slowed down until it had won a Class D state championship – despite not having a gymnasium of its own.

That St. Joe’s basketball story is the Muskegon-area ‘Hoosiers’,” said MASH President Dan Beckeman, a longtime board member who moved up to the head of the organization earlier this year.

That was a team that didn’t even have its own gym, but they were able to overcome that, which speaks volumes about their skill.”

The “Class of 2023” will be enshrined at the MASHF’s 36th annual induction banquet on Saturday, June 10 at VanDyk Mortgage Convention Center in downtown Muskegon. Tickets will go on sale in April and will be available for purchase on the group’s web site at www.mashf.com.

The featured teams will be joined by individual inductees Dan Potts, the legendary Fruitport volleyball coach and beach volleyball standout, and Joe Berger of Newaygo, who played 12 years in the NFL as an offensive lineman, many of those for the Minnesota Vikings.

Ravenna’s Frank Coletta, a longtime volunteer and supporter of Ravenna youth and school  sports, was selected for the Distinguished Service Award – presented annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to sports in the area, but not as an athlete.

In May, the Hall will announce its male and female Student-Athlete of the Year winners, as well as the nominees from every area school.

We couldn’t be prouder,” said Beckeman, who is just the fourth president in the 37-year history of the MASHF. “It’s an exciting time for the Hall of Fame and we are really looking ahead to the future and taking things to the next level.”

Former Muskegon Chronicle sports writer Dick Hedges was the group’s first president, from 1986 to 1994, followed by local educator and broadcaster Gene Young from 1994 to 2018.

Mike Mack, a longtime teacher and coach at Mona Shores, succeeded Young in 2018 and served until January of this year.

The MASHF was formed in the mid-1980s as a way to recognize and remember the outstanding accomplishments of area men and women in the field of sports and to provide the community with a sense of the Muskegon area’s rich sports history. The hall’s exhibits will be displayed at the Trinity Health Arena in Muskegon and can also be viewed at www.mashf.com.

Mona Shores girls golf (2009-2012)

Mona Shores’ girls golf program made Michigan High School Athletic Association history with four consecutive Division 2 state championships from 2009 to 2012.

The Sailors, who were coached by John Brainard, won each of those titles in convincing fashion, finishing ahead of the nearest competitor by 15, 26, 27 and 41 shots, respectively.

The foursome of Morgan Smith, Hailey Hrynewich, Britni Gielow and Kelsey McKinley were the mainstays all four years as the Sailors went 72-0 in matches and won virtually everything, including conference, GMAA, regional and state titles. All four of the teams also earned Academic All-State honors.

1953 St. Joseph basketball team

St. Joseph won a magical Class D boys basketball state championship in March of 1953, just a few months before the school closed for good to become part of the new Muskegon Catholic Central High School.

Talk about going out in style, as the team caught fire in the postseason and capped its improbable run with a 58-51 overtime win over heavily-favored Detroit All Saints in the state championship game.

St. Joseph, which was coached by Charles Wiersma, won the title despite not having a gymnasium of its own. The Saints practiced at the old Catholic Youth Organization gym in downtown Muskegon and played its home games at Muskegon High School and other locations.

Photo courtesy of Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame

Dan Potts

Dan Potts put Fruitport High School on the volleyball map, leading the Trojans to the state’s final four six times in eight years, highlighted by the Class B state championship in 2005.

The Trojans were runners-up four times, in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2006.

Potts, a standout amateur and professional beach volleyball player as well, later coached for three seasons at Mona Shores and led the Sailors to back-to-back OK Black Conference titles and the 2014 GMAA City title.

Potts’ daughter, Kennedy Potts, was the Hall’s 2016 Dick Hedges Female Student-Athlete of the Year honoree.

Photo courtesy of Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame

Joe Berger

Joe Berger came out of tiny Newaygo High School and rose to the highest ranks of the National Football League.

Berger, who played offensive line and linebacker at Newaygo, was unheralded coming out of high school and had to walk-on at Division 2 Michigan Tech. He came of age during his years in Houghton, twice earning first team all-conference honors in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, then getting drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the sixth round (207th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft.

Berger, who was 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds during his professional playing days, played primarily with the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings (seven years). He appeared in 145 games and made 84 starts during his 12-year NFL career.

Photo courtesy of Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame

Frank Coletta

Frank Coletta, who was born in Muskegon and moved to Ravenna in 1953, spent most of his life volunteering and giving back to his adopted hometown.

Coletta was board president of Ravenna Summer Recreation for 25 years and ran the clock and scoreboard for Ravenna High School home football games for 45 years, as well as 10 years for basketball games.

He worked on the committee that brought Rocket Football to Ravenna, plus he was a member of the Lions Club that helped complete the youth baseball and softball complex at Conklin Park. Additionally, Coletta was a Ravenna Village Council member for 18 years and served on the Ravenna Board of Education for five years.

Photo courtesy of Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame