The Bellefontaine High School athletics Hall of Fame will increase by six individual and four teams this weekend.
This year’s class includes athletes Sean Egler, Keith Morgan, Dak Notestine, Pat Schmidt, Shauna Van Horn Mazique, coach Dan Furlong, the 1967 and 1997 football teams and the 2004 and 2006 baseball squads.
The inductees will be recognized at Friday’s home boys basketball game against Tecumseh. They will be formally recognized during a ceremony at 1 p.m. Saturday in the BHS auditorium. Capsules detail the accomplishments for this year’s inductees follow below:
Shauna Van Horn Mazique
A 1996 graduate, Shauna was a standout during some of the best years of Bellefontaine girls hoops history.
She scored 1,101 points during her career. She currently ranks fourth on the all-time girls scoring list. Her 629 career rebounds place her second in school history, while her 63-percent field goal percentage is also good for second-best in BHS history.
During her hoops career, Van Horn was named the team MVP and earned all-CBC and all-district honors.
In addition to basketball, she also lettered in cross country and track and field, placing fifth in the CBC in shot put.
After high school, she had a successful college basketball career at Baldwin-Wallace University. She earned honorable mention all-Ohio Athletic Conference honors, and during the 1998-1999 season, her 84.1% free-throw percentage was the second-highest in the OAC.
Pat Schmidt
A 1997 graduate, Schmidt was a dominant left-handed pitcher for the Chieftain baseball team, while also lettering in football and basketball. He compiled five varsity letters.
Schmidt still holds the record for career innings pitched at 175. During one season, he led the team with 13 decisions, 81 innings pitched and 140 strikeouts. The 140 strikeouts placed him in the top 10 in the state that season.
As a senior, he earned all-Ohio honors and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player. In basketball, he won the H.A. Dodd Free Throw award for the Chieftains.
Schmidt was drafted by the Atlanta Braves out of high school and played three years for the organization. He continued his baseball career playing for the Springfield Giants. He also ventured into coaching, including time at Wittenberg University, the Columbus All- Americans and most recently as an assistant coach at Hillard Davidson.
Dak Notestine
A 2006 graduate, Notestine was a standout in football and also competed in basketball and track and field at BHS. A three-time captain of the football team, he was a first-team all-Central Buckeye Conference and all-district performer at both tight end and linebacker his junior and senior years. He was named the conference’s defensive player of the year as a senior while helping his team to a CBC title.
A three-year letterwinner in basketball, he earned special mention all-league honors following his senior season. He also lettered twice in track and field while competing in the shot put and discus.
After graduating from BHS, Notetine walked on to the Ohio University football team and would go on to earn four varsity letters. He was named a team captain for his senior season. A two-year starter, he was a third-team all-Mid-American Conference performer as a junior. In addition, he was a 2010 Burlsworth Trophy nominee, which honors the achievements and successes of walk-on athletes.
Notestine currently serves as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Ohio University.
Keith Morgan
A 2008 graduate, Morgan was a two-sport standout in track and in football for the Chiefs.
A four-year starter in football, he played defensive back and quarterback. He earned all-Central Buckeye Conference honors on three occasions. He was named to the all-district team twice and was the area’s player of the year as a senior.
A third-team all-Ohio selection as junior, he had a stellar senior year which resulted in first-team all-Ohio honors. He also earned an opportunity to play in the prestigious North-South all-star game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
In track, he earned four letters and was part of the school-record holding 800-meter relay team (1:27.66). A 100-meter CBC champion, he helped lead the Chiefs to two CBC titles.
Morgan earned a football scholarship to Bowling Green State University, where he would received four varsity letters. He started three seasons at defensive back and was named the Mid-American Conference East Division defensive player of the week during his time with the Falcons.
Sean Egler
A 2008 graduate, was a three-sport standout at BHS.
In track, Egler established numerous school records. He continues to hold school bests in the 200-meter dash (21.97 sec), 400-meter run (48.7 sec) and in the 800-meter relay (1:27.66). He was a regional champion in the 400 and qualified to the state meet three times.
In football, Egler finished his career as on of the most decorated running backs in Chieftain history. He ranks second all-time on the career rushing list. He was a four-time all-Central Buckeye Conference selection at running back.
Egler earned all-Ohio honors three times. He was an honorable mention pick in 2005 and 2006, while landing on the second team as a senior. He was twice named CBC player of the year.
In basketball, Egler was a first-team all-conference selection as a senior and was named co-MVP and defensive player of the year by the team.
Dan Furlong
Furlong served as a head coach for both the boys and girls basketball programs at BHS. He was the first in school history to be a head coach for both programs.
He first served as a boys assistant coach for more than 10 seasons. He then became the girls head coach in 1994 and served in that capacity until 1998. During that time, his teams claimed one Central Buckeye Conference title, two sectional championships, one regional championship and the only appearance by a BHS girls basketball team in the state Final Four.
After the 1998 season, Furlong left the girls program to become the varsity boys coach until he retired in 2006. During his time leading the boys program, he won two league titles, four sectional crowns and two district championships. In his first season, he won 20 games, including a win over two-time defending state champ Kettering Alter in the district championship. In 2007, he was selected to coach in the North-South All-Star Game in Columbus.
Furlong finished with a combined record of 161-98. He also was Bellefontaine’s head softball coach for one season.
1967 Football Team
The undefeated 1967 football squad established itself as one the best teams in the history of the school with a record of 9-0-1 and a Miami Valley League title. The team was dominant on both sides of the ball. They scored 274 points while only surrendering 32.
Running back Jesse Williams scored 134 points which was a record that he broke again the following year. The team amassed 2,560 rushing yards and 753 passing yards.
Defensively, its 32 points allowed remains a school record. That defense produced six shutouts. The defense allowed an average of only 2.1 yards per rush over the entire season.
There are currently five Hall of Fame members who played on the 1967 BHS football team. That group includes Williams, Gail Clark, Daryl Radcliff, Steve Donahue and Scott Robinson.
1997 Football Team
The 1997 football season was an historic one. That season, the Chiefs became the first team in the school’s history to post an unblemished 10-0 record. It also captured the first playoff win in school history with a 19-18 victory over Beechcroft.
The 1997 Chiefs featured seven first-team all-CBC performers. Bellefontaine’s offense piled up 346 points during the regular season. Running back Jorrell Johnson led the Chiefs with 1,400 rushing yards rushing as a sophomore, while Derek Phillips had 17 touchdown passes.
One of the big highlights of the season came in an overtime win over Kenton Ridge in which the Chiefs elected to go for two. Phillips completed a two-point conversion pass to Devin Brown to give Bellefontaine the victory and preserve the team’s perfect record. The 1997 Chiefs were led by the late Greg Peitsmeyer.
2004 Baseball Team
The 2004 Chieftain baseball team accomplished school history by becoming the first squad to advance to the state Final Four.
The Chiefs finished with a record of 25-5. In the regional tournament, Dusty Prall hit a home run and Chris Walden pitched the Chiefs to a win over New Richmond in the semifinals.
Bellefontaine then captured a state berth with a 6-5 nine-inning win over Cincinnati McNicholas. Brad Winter went the distance on the mound for the Chiefs and Walden drilled a three-run home run.
As a sophomore, Walden was 6-2 with a 1.51 earned run average, while Winter (.360 batting average) and Mark Schoeck (.340) paced the offense. Andy Richardson stole 40 bases that season, which remains a school record.
2006 Baseball Team
With a 26-3 record, the 2006 baseball team set a school mark for the best overall record in the school’s history.
Along with the 2004 squad, the 2006 team holds a spot in school history as the only teams to earn Final Four berths.
Bellefontaine finished the year ranked 38th nationally by the Collegiate Baseball magazine. The team produced five Division I college baseball players, and two players were eventually selected in the Major League Draft.
On the mound, Chris Walden finished his high school career with five no-hitters, while Tyler Melling set a school record in 2006 with a 0.34 earned run average for the Chiefs. Ryan Portwood added a 4-1 record and 1.27 earned run average for BHS.
Mark Schoeck (.380) and Josh Wallace (.360) paced the offense and provided the power, combining for 13 home runs. Nate Hauck (.333) and Sean Simon (.320) also helped the offensive attack.