It was an evening of celebration and reunion as the Deer Park School District’s athletic department inducted 10 individual athletes, three coaches, three honorary members and one former team to its inaugural Hall of Fame, held in the auditorium on Oct. 13.
“Each of you left your mark at Deer Park High School in your own unique and special way,” said Athletic Director Dominick Fontana, who congratulated and welcomed the inductees. “Your hard work, dedication, passion and abilities were recognized back then, and I am proud to say will now be remembered forever.”
After each inductee was presented and given a commemorative plaque, they were invited to view their announcement plaques placed on the school’s new Hall of Fame wall outside of the school gymnasium. The group also mingled and reminisced over coffee and dessert at the end of the program.
Congratulations to the following inductees:
Team Category:
1978 softball team – Won League title, Suffolk County title and Long Island Championship with overall record of 25-1.
Honorary Members Category:
Al Centamore (Class of 1965) – Captain of district’s first football team; MVP baseball player; the district’s first to be named All-League in football; started Booster Club in 1980; raised more than $500,000 through fundraisers and events; organized and started first homecoming parade; personally built press booth, dugouts and fencing around baseball field and scoreboard on soccer field; added foul poles on girls softball and baseball fields; and helped athletes with personal struggles.
Denise Maniscalco – Director and coordinator of the Deer Park Track Invitational concession stand and a liaison for businesses associated for sponsorship; coordinator of the team fundraising lottery; assists in the end-of-year track awards dinner.
Frances Theiss (Class of 1980) – President of the Booster Club and held fundraisers to raise money for scholarships and awards to graduating seniors; volunteered during football games and homecoming.
Coaches Category:
Carmine Argenziano (Class of 1964) – Three-sport athlete (football, baseball and basketball); started coaching career in 1970 for 35 years for football, basketball and baseball; earned numerous recognitions as Coach of the Year and seventh place in Suffolk County history with 474 wins; and led his teams to 10 league championships, three Suffolk County championships, three Long Island championships and the New York State finals.
Warren Deutsch – Retired physical education teacher and athletic director; coached various sports including lacrosse; started the school’s lacrosse program and won five league championships; served on the U.S. Lacrosse Coaches Board of Directors and was president of the Suffolk County Lacrosse Coaches Association; and elected to the Long Island Metropolitan Area Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1992.
Ed Luksik – Social studies teacher and wrestling coach at Deer Park High School from 1992-1996; led team to 1995 Suffolk County championship, 233 dual meet victories and five league championships; named Suffolk County Coach of the Year in 1975; earned Lifetime Service Wrestling Award from National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Oklahoma in 1999; coached 60 league champions and several state champs; and the school hosts the annual Coach Ed Luksik Classic wrestling tournament in his honor.
Athletes Category:
Kevin Baugh (Class of 1980) – Hansen Award winner as best football player and Yastrzemski Award winner as best baseball player in Suffolk County; All-League basketball winner; and attended Penn State University on full scholarship for football (1980-1983).
Michael Becker (Class of 1977) – Middle distance and distance runner; named All-State and All-County in cross-country (1976); Long Island representative in the Millrose Games in Madison Square Garden; earned Scholar-Athlete recognition and Victor Rugg Scholarship; and won Suffolk County championship in one-mile run.
Adam Brown (Class of 1995) – Twice named All-Long Island for football; recipient of the Zellner Award (best lineman in Suffolk County); runner-up for Hansen Award (Best player in Suffolk County); named to Newsday All-Decade Team for the 1990s; earned All-County in lacrosse in 1994.
Joseph Downey (Class of 1980) – Four-year varsity wrestler; earned All-League as a Section II Qualifier; competed at National Junior Greco Roman Wrestling Championships in 1978; and was named Section XI county champion and runner-up in the New York State High School Championships (1979) and champion in New York State Freestyle and Greco-Roman (1980).
Raymond Downey (Class of 1985) – Varsity wrestler (grades 8-12); named All-American, New York State Champion and Suffolk County Wrestler of the Year; was a two-time New York State Freestyle Champion, two-time New York State Greco-Roman champion and a Greco-Roman All-American; and was a New York State Triple Crown winner in his senior year.
Aaren Edmead (Class of 2014) – Long Island Top Ten Freshmen in basketball; earned Long Island’s Top 10 Sophomores, All-League, All-County, Newsday All-Long Island and a place on All-New York State Team as a junior; named League 4 Player of the Year, Suffolk County Player of the Year, Newsday 1st team All-Long Island, and Newsday Long Island Player of the Year as a senior; named Longislandbasketball.com Long Island Player of the Year; earned a spot on All-New York State team and one of Top 10 Players in New York State; was a nominee for the McDonald’s All-American Team; and was first player from Deer Park in 40 years to earn a Division I basketball scholarship.
Ryan Kelly (Class of 1999) – Three-sport athlete (basketball, soccer and lacrosse): Three-time All-County selection; Won gold in the 1998 Empire State Lacrosse Team for Long Island; MVP of the 1999 National North/South All-Star Game; Recipient of the 1999 Suffolk County Sportsmanship Award; Recipient of the 1999 Deer Park High School Most Outstanding Athlete Award.
Timothy Layden (Class of 2001) – Two-sport athlete (basketball and baseball); earned All-League (grade 8) and All-County (grades 9-12); received League MVP title in grades 11 and 12 and NY State Gatorade Player of the Year during senior year; won Paul Gibson Award (best pitcher of the year for Suffolk County), Carl Yastrzemski Award; named Player of the Year in Suffolk County; achieved All-American status as a junior and senior; represented Team USA in the Pan Am Games for the Eastern Region during senior year; drafted by Tampa Bay Rays in 16th round; and received full scholarship to Duke University.
Thomas Migliozzi (Class of 1987) – Three-sport athlete (baseball, winter track and spring track); twice named Suffolk County champion in cross-country; named New York State cross-country champion in 1995; won numerous county and state winter and spring track championships; ran a 4:10 time for the 1,600-meter track race in the Golden West Meet in California; finished third among top milers in the country; and earned a full athletic scholarship to Clemson University.
Photo courtesy of Deer Park School District
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