Paulsboro H.S. Sports Hall of Fame to induct Class of 2023 on Oct. 20
The Paulsboro Sports Hall of Fame will induct its Class of 2023 on Friday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. in the school’s gymnasium.
The inductees are Edward Dobzanski (Class of 1929), Scott Garren Jr.(1999), Demitrius Hester (2007), Gerald Hodges (2009), Lavon Childress (2011), Coach Mike Ricci and the 1999 Paulsboro wrestling team.
The banquet will begin with a social hour at 6 p.m. followed by the dinner and induction ceremony at 7 p.m. Tickets ae available by calling Irma Stevenson at (856) 423-3787.
The Paulsboro High School Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1994. Information from the bios was provided by the PHSSHOF.
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Edward Dobzanski
Graduated from PHS in 1929
Four-year starting fullback in football, played on undefeated teams in 1926, 1927 and 1928.
Ran on the mile relay that medaled at the Penn Relays
Held the school’s 100-yard dash record (10.2) until 1943.
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Scott Garren
Graduated from Paulsboro High School in 1999.
Wrestled at Oakcrest his first three years where he won three District 32 and two Region 8 titles.
Won a state title as a senior with a 3-2 decision over Fort Lee’s Brad Christie. He finished his scholastic career with a 116-5 record, which included a third-place finish in the state as a junior.
Wrestled at North Carolina State, where he won three Atlantic Coast Championships and was a three-time national qualifier.
Was a team captain of the All-Coast Guard Rugby 7s, a team that was crowned national champions in 2012.
Graduated from NC State in 2004 and joined the United States Coast Guard where he still works as an aviation survival technician.
Demitrius Hester
Graduated from PHS in 2007.
A three-year starter, Hester was an All-Colonial Conference selection three times and played on three sectional championship squads.
Selected for All-South Jersey football team as a senior.
On the mat, Hester won four District 29 titles at heavyweight. He was a three-time Region 8 finalist, capturing two titles in his sophomore and senior seasons.
Placed fifth, second and third in the state over his last three seasons.
Paulsboro’s first Escape the Rock champion.
A member of four state champion squads, Hester also was named to the All-South Jersey team twice and All-Colonial Conference four times.
Won the 50th annual Brotherhood Award as a senior.
Played football at University of Delaware.
Gerald Hodges
Graduated from PHS in 2009
Three-year letter winner in football, wrestling and track and field for the Raiders.
Played wide receiver and safety as a freshman, but moved to quarterback and started his final three seasons.
All-South Jersey selection as a junior and senior and All-State as a defensive back.
Helped guide Paulsboro to three sectional titles and four Colonial Conference Patriot Division crowns.
Two-time District 29 champ and a Region 8 titlist as a junior, finished with an 85-7 record.
Placed twice at states, including a third-place medal at 125 as a junior.
Didn’t wrestle or participate in track in his senior season after attending Penn State University early.
Three-year starter at linebacker and was named first-team All-Big 10 as a junior and senior. He was a second-team All-American as a senior.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, played six seasons in the NFL.
Lavon Childress
Graduated from PHS in 2011
Earned 12 varsity letters in field hockey, basketball and track and field.
Four-year starter in field hockey, leading the team in scoring as a sophomore before playing goal over her final two seasons.
In basketball, she was a four-year starter and was named to the All-Gloucester County and All-Colonial teams all four seasons.
Finished scholastic career with 1,863 points and 1,388 rebounds – both of which still stand as school records.
Broke the school scoring record held by Karen Damminger Cuzzupe which had stood for 29 years.
Won four state Group 1 titles in the shot put and placed eighth in the event at the Meet of Champions a a senior. She’s the only athlete in school history to win four straight state titles in any sport.
Placed three times in the discus at the state Group 1 meet.
Held the shot put record of 40-11 until 2023.
Selected as PHS Senior Female Athlete of the Year in 2011.
Michael Ricci
Named head basketball coach at PHS in 1995.
Led the Raiders to their first state championship in program history, beating Newark Science, 53-51, for the title in 1996.
At 23 years old, Ricci was the youngest basketball coach to win a state title in NJSIAA history.
Recorded a 141-83 record in eight seasons at Paulsboro with four Colonial Conference titles and two South Jersey Group 1 crowns.
Led Paulsboro back to the state finals again in his final season with the program, falling to Bloomfield Tech.
Coached at Gateway for three seasons before moving to Haddon Heights where he is still currently coaching.
Won his 400th game as a coach last winter with an overtime decision against Paulsboro.
Owns Haddon Heights’ all-time win mark for a basketball coach with 264 victories.
1999 Wrestling team
Finished the dual-meet season at 20-0, including a 10-0 mark in the Colonial Conference.
Won South Jersey and state Group 1 titles, knocking off Bound Brook, 45-14, in the final meet.
Captured crowns at the Caldwell and Deep Creek tournaments.
Won a thrilling 27-26 decision over Phillipsburg in the first-ever meeting between the two wrestling powerhouses.
Earned the District 29 title with seven individual champions; crowned four more champs at Region 8. Scott Garren won the 160-pound state title a week later.
Ranked No. 1 in the state by the New Jersey State Coaches Association and the Star Ledger.
Finished eighth in the country by USA Wrestling.
Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Paulsboro High School Sports Hall of Fame to induct Class of 2023
