Wellsboro inducts Hall of Fame Class of 2017

by - September 4, 2017

The Wellsboro Hornets Sports Booster Club and the Wellsboro Athletic Department held their 2nd annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony at halftime of the Wellsboro vs. Sayre football game on Friday, September 1.

Making up the Hall of Fame Class of 2017 are athletes John Deibert and John Antoine Prevost, and the 1998 Girls Track 4x800m Relay State Championship team.

Deibert was a 1960 Wellsboro High School graduate and was a member of the first undefeated Wellsboro Football team in 1958. Deibert played two years of football, three years of basketball, and four years of baseball. Deibert was named Tioga County League MVP in basketball during the 1959-60 season and helped the baseball team win hree straight league championships in 1958, 1959, and 1960.

“Wellsboro High School was where I got my start,” Deibert said. “I was born and raised in Wellsboro, born at Soldiers + Sailors Memorial Hospital in 1942, lived my whole life here until I went to Penn State. This community and the school system and everything is responsible for me having the background to be successful. When I got the notice that I was selected for this honor I told my wife that I had to go. I live in New Jersey but I came up just for this.”

Prevost, who Wellsboro’s Male Athlete of the Year Award and Female Athlete of the Year Award are named after, graduated from Wellsboro in 1953. Prevost was the captain and starting guard of the 1951-52 District IV Boys Basketball Championship team, captain of the 1953 Baseball team, a Babe Ruth Leadership Award winner, President of the Sophomore and Junior Class, members of the National Honor Society, band, Glee Club, and Senior Class play before being killed on Navy Air Duty serving on the U.S.S. Oriskany in Subic Bay, Philippines in preparation for the Vietnam conflict on August 20, 1960.

“It’s everything, his dedication to sports is something that my kids, John, his namesake, Connor, I want them to look up to,” said John’s nephew Matt Prevost. “Our entire family, extended family, we get excited every time we come up to Wellsboro. My dad, my uncles, my aunts, it means a lot to the family as it has over time. Since his passing it means a lot to our family for the namesake and also the tribute to him in the gym.”

The 1998 Girls Track 4x800m Relay Team, consisting of Flori (Simonis) Prough, Daria (Guelig) Keyser, Tara Guelig, and Kim (Sayre) Williams, set a new Wellsboro High School record (9:35.7) in their first time running together the entire year at the District IV Championships at Williamsport Area High School. After a first place finish at Districts, the team won their qualifying heat on the first day of States, then captured the gold medal with a time of 9:36.65, nearly 8 seconds ahead of the 2nd place Nativity BVM (9:44.93).

Nominations for the Hall of Fame Class of 2018 are now open, running from now until January 1, 2018.