Class of 2021

Coaches

Ralph Maru
Gary Dilallo

Athletes

Larry Hatalsky
Paul Perrotta
Fred DeCelle
Ann Sadowski
Eddie McBride

Community Contributor

The End Zone

Team

1974 Football Team

Legends

Sebastian “Busty” Gagliardi
Father Autch

Ralph Maru

Ralph Maru will be inducted into the Mechanicville High School Athletic Hall of Fame as a coach in a ceremony at the Mechanicville/Stillwater Elks Lodge on October 16. Ralph has been named to the Hall based on his successful coaching of both football and baseball at the school for thirteen years. He retired from teaching in 1993. He is the father of two children, son Joe and daughter Michelle Rogers. We are pleased to present here Ralph’s own thoughts and insights into his development as a personable teacher, coach and mentor which most certainly influenced and inspired a great many students and athletes here in Mechanicville. “I was born and raised in Tarrytown, NY and attended the local schools having graduated from Washington Irving High School, while in school I played three sports and was selected to the All Westchester County basketball and baseball teams in my junior and senior years. The summer of my senior year I played baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers Rookies. I was one of 19 players selected from a group of 512. The Dodgers held tryouts at three different locations, including Ebbets Field. This was strictly amateur baseball and we played in charity games in six different states.That fall I attended SUNY Oswego and four years later I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. While at Oswego I played basketball and baseball, setting records in both sports. To this day I hold one basketball record . . . most field goals in a regulation game, 18. In 2002, I was voted into the Oswego Athletic Hall of Fame. Following college, I signed a minor league baseball contract with the Philadelphia Phillies to play in their organization. One year, Richie Allen and I formed the double play combination for the Elmira Pioneers. My next commitment was with Uncle Sam for eight weeks of basic training at Fort Dix in New Jersey. I was later sent to the Military Finance Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. Fort Benjamin Harris is where I spent ten weeks in Finance School. Fort Benning, Georgia was my next assignment to work in a finance office and naturally to get involved with basketball and baseball. Playing on the post baseball team, we traveled to Huntsville, Alabama to compete in the Third Army Area Championships. Five days later we were the champs and besides winning a team trophy, each player was awarded a beautiful wristwatch. It was 1963 when I started teaching at Mechanicville on the elementary level. During this time I completed my graduate work at SUNY Oneonta and Russell Sage College. I also got involved in the athletic programs at Mechanicville coaching junior varsity football and varsity baseball. I never kept won/lost records because I didn’t know I’d need that information fifty years later! However, my 1971 Mechanicville baseball team won the Section II Class B championship. That was the highest honor you could achieve at that time. All in all, it was a great thirty years and I wouldn’t trade it for anything!”.

Gary Dilallo

Gary DiLallo, A longtime teacher and coach of several Sports at Mechanicville High School, a man who was always a force in his community, school and church, will be inducted into the MHS Athletic Hall of Fame on October 16th. Coach DeLallo was born and raised in Schenectady, and attended Linton High School where he played on the football team. After graduation, he attended McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where he also was a member of the football team. He went on to Louisiana State University to further his education and returned to New York state upon attaining his degrees. Coach DeLallo accepted a position at Mechanicville High School, where he would teach social studies and computer technology to both middle and high school students for the next 28 years. He coached football, track and swimming at MHS and also served as a water safety supervisor at the State Park facilities in the summer. He was the coach of the offense and defensive lines for the Red Raiders, partnered with Hall of Fame coach Dick Stipano, and then later followed coach Stipano to Stillwater Central School to once again partner as football coaches. Their focus as coaches emphasized building discipline, character and their athletes along with fitness and skils at their positions. While he gave an incredible amount of time and energy to coaching High School sports, coach DeLallo Also served five years as president of the Mechanicville Teachers Association and was active in New York state United teachers. After he retired from teaching, he turned his attention to school administration. Being a resident of the neighboring Shenendehowa school district, and with his children involved there as athletes, he was elected to the school’s Board of Education in 2001. He served as board president for two years and was elected to a seventh term in 2019. In his two decades on the board he oversaw the construction of a new Elementary School, the expansion of the high school and addition of a swimming pool. He was honored by the Shen Board of Education in 2011 as Advocate of the year. Coach DeLallo was also an active member of his family’s Church, Jonesville United Methodist Church. He served nine years as a trustee and sang for more than 20 years in the chancel choir. He was also a lay Minister, which led him serving for a time as pastor of the Edinburgh United Methodist Church. A devoted family man as well as a teacher coach and administrator, he was always supportive and encouraging to his children and their athletic endeavors as well as our Girl Scout Boy Scout Troops. He and his wife enjoyed traveling as well, and in recent years adventured to Austria, Italy, Israel, Germany, Norway, England, Australia, Hawaii, Alaska and many prominent cities here in the US. Coach Dilallo and his wife, Carol Millard DeLallo are the parents of two sons Kenneth and Andrew and a daughter Christine DeLallo Huftalen. He was the proud grandfather of Madison Rose DiLallo, David Huftalen III and Harrison Huftalen.

Larry Hatalsky

Larry Hatalsky, a 1968 graduate of Mechanicville High School will be inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame on October 16 as an all-around athlete in a ceremony at the Mechanicville/Stillwater Elks Lodge. Larry began his athletic career playing CYO basketball in 7 thand 8 thgrade. By his freshman year of high school, he had found his true passion for football. He played the game artfully as the starting quarterback throughout his four years of high school. In his sophomore season, 1965, Larry and his team celebrated an undefeated season with a tie game in their last outing of the year. His outstanding career in high school culminated with a victory in the final game of his senior season when the Red Raiders defeated arch-rival Saratoga Springs High School. Although his abilities as a passer, runner and team leader were key to his teams’ successes on the gridiron, he always emphasized that his success was due to the athletic prowess, commitment and efforts of his teammates. Although his main focus was football, in his junior year, he was persuaded to run hurdles on the school’s track team by Coach Dick Stipano. So capable was he that he broke the school record for hurdles. With graduation from high school approaching, Larry was offered full scholarships for football to such prestigious schools as Boston College, Army and Navy as well as a dozen others, including Syracuse University. His final choice was Syracuse. In his freshman year he was the starting quarterback on their freshman team and he led them to an undefeated season. He continued to play football throughout his four years at Syracuse, and graduated in 1972 after traveling to Iceland and Europe to complete his geologic studies. After graduation, Larry returned home to Mechanicville and took over the family’s well drilling business, Hatalsky Well Drilling, a career he maintained until his retirement in 2015. Larry and his wife Sue are the parents of two daughters, Erin and Stephanie.

Paul Perrotta

Paul Perrotta, a 1975 graduate of Mechanicville High School, will be inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame on October 16th, 2021 as an all-around athlete. Paul’s success in sports began when, as a 13 year old, his Saratoga County All Star Babe Ruth baseball team earn the New York state championship. When he went on to high school, he became a three-sport athlete, playing on the school’s varsity baseball team for four years, football team for three years and basketball team for three years In baseball, he played shortstop and was a three-time all-area honoree and achieved a career batting average of .380 with more than a 130 hits. His football Legacy followed the family tradition of sorts when he played on the Red Raider team that was undefeated in 1974. His dad, Nick Perrotta was the quarterback on Mechanicville’s undefeated team in 1944 and his brother Nick jr. was a half back on the school’s undefeated team in 1965. On the Gridiron, Paul was a two-time all-area running back/linebacker and earned a spot on the NYSPHSAA 4 THteam as a running back and linebacker. In October of 1973, as a junior he was named the Times Record Player of the week for his performance and a game against Draper High School where he gained 202 yards rushing on 12 carries for two touchdowns and caught two passes. In January of 1975 he was named to the NYSPHSAA Allstate 3 RDteam as a defensive half back. Paul went on to much success as a fastpitch softball player After High School, when his Peckham’s Place team was a five-time New York state a ASA Fastpitch Champion, a four-time regional champion and went to the Fastpitch National Tournament four times, where their best finish was eighth place. Paul’s 25 year coaching career included every level from Little League to the college scene. He continues coaching to this day as he currently holds the position of assistant head coach as a hitting/defensive instructor at Bryant and Stratton College in Albany.

Fred Decelle

For his impact on the scholastic wrestling program on all levels at Mechanicville High School, Fred DeCelle will be inducted into the MHS Athletic Hall of Fame on October 16. Fred as a young boy had participated in pee wee wrestling for a few years, but his interest in the sport was truly kindled when his Uncle Bill DeCelle took him along to meets to watch his cousin compete in matches for Stillwater High School. As a scholastic wrestler in high school, Fred earned three varsity letters in the sport, and had an overall record of 77 wins, 12 losses and 2 ties in that three-year period In his sophomore year, he was the Class C Section II runnerup, and was named to the second team of Colonial Council All-Stars. In his junior and senior years, he was captain of his team and was the Section II champion at 91 pounds in both years. He was named to the Colonial Council first team All-Stars in both years. He was the first Mechanicville wrestler ever to earn a trip to the New York State Public High School wrestling tournament and would accomplish a sixth place finish in the 91 pound weight class in 1980. For his record of successful competition in 1980, he was a First Team All-Star with the Times Record, Times Union, Schenectady Gazette and Saratogian. Although he did receive several scholarship offers, he declined and attended Hudson Valley Community College where he earned a degree in Transportation and Distribution. But he didn’t stay away from the local sports world for long. His athletic career came full circle when he began serving as a volunteer coach for his hometown’s Pee Wee wrestling program. In the 1990s, he took on the head coach position at Mechanicville with the school’s varsity bowling team, guiding them in 1997 to a Section II Class C/D championship and a representation of Section II in the state bowling tournament. Three of his bowlers made the Section II All-Star team at the state tournament. Fred then stepped back for a few years. He married Renee DiNallo DeCelle 34 years ago and the two built a home in the district. But he couldn’t stay away from the scholastic scene too long. In 2004, he took a position as a junior varsity, modified and Pee Wee wrestling coach. He took over as head varsity coach in 2007, a position he holds to this day. In 2004, he was named the Section II Varsity Assistant Coach of the Year. In 2017 he was awarded the Section II Class C Varsity Coach of the Year by the Section II Coaches’ Association. He has guided seven Mechanicville and one Stillwater wrestlers into the state wrestling tournament. Fred has served as league representative for the Colonial Council and is now the Wasaren League representative. He has served on the Section II wrestling committee for the past 17 years, and is vice president of the Friends of Section II Wrestling Association for the past seven years. Fred has been employed with the DeCrescente Distributing Company for 30 years and currently holds the position of Inventory Integrity Manager

Anne Sadowski

When varsity sports for girls did not yet include a golf team in Mechanicville, Anne Sadowski earned a spot on the boys’ team with her outstanding abilities on the course. She was a member of the Red Raider team that was the undefeated champion of Section 2 in her senior season, fall of 1969. For her achievements in the sport of golf she will be inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame on October 16. Anne’s love of golf began when she was just 12 years old. She’d have started sooner, she quips, but her Dad, John Sadowski, told her that there was a rule that you couldn’t play golf before you were twelve! Growing up near the Mechanicville Golf Course in Hemstreet Park, one of her favorite childhood activities was to carry a bucket of balls onto the course when it was unoccupied and shoot for a hole in one. Once Dad agreed to let his daughter play, Anne caught on quickly. Usually their foursome consisted of the two of them along with Anne’s brother John Jr. and close family friend, Bill Springer, who is a Hall of Fame member at Mechanicville,. In 1964, Anne was the junior champion at the Mechanicville Golf Course. In 1967, her first year in the NYS Junior Golf Association, she won the low net and placed third with a 14 handicap. In 1969 and 1970, Anne was the runner up in the women’s championships at Mechanicville Golf Course. She came in second in the New York State Junior Girls’ Tournament, and in the Gail Sykes Tournament she paired with her good friend Sara Stuhler of Fonda and took first place. In 1970, at the New York State women’s Tournament in Syracuse, Anne was a co-medalist. There was no girl’s high school golf team at that time, but in 1967, New York State permitted girls to compete on boys’ teams in sports that had no direct contact. So Anne joined the Red Raider varsity. She attributes much of her success playing on the boys’ varsity team at Mechanicville to her father, who always made her use the men’s tee when she played with him, so she was well able to play off the men’s tee in her varsity matches. In her senior season at MHS, because of the excellent golfers the team had in that year, two teams were entered in the Class B, C, D and E sectionals at Queensbury Country Club. Anne was a member of the MHS second team along with Fred Hosley, Jay Sullivan, Bill Rabbitt and Joe Sheehan which finished in second place to the school’s first team! The first team members who won the tournament included Bob Sgambati, Larry D’Alberto, Joe Laurenzo, John Salvadore and Peter Palmer. Anne tells us that she won every match she played.Because she was a girl in a boys’ sport, she needed a chaperone at each match, and MHS phys. ed. teacher Mrs. Huxley escorted her to every match. Anne thereby became the first girl athlete to letter in a boys’ sport at Mechanicville. Anne also played basketball and soccer for four Athlete years and ran track and played volleyball for three years. She was also on her high school yearbook staff for three years and was a member of the school’s Leaders Club in her junior year. She graduated from Mechanicville High School in 1970 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at Immaculata College in Malvern, PA. in 1974. She was a member of the Immaculata basketball team which achieved the championship of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women in 1973 and 1974 and was placed in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. After graduation from college, she worked for several years in the mental health field before moving to New Jersey where she became a Casino Services Supervisor at Harrah’s Hotel and Casino. In the mid-90’s, Anne relocated to Reno, NV and accepted a position at Baldini’s Casino as a Casino Services manager. Anne returned to our area in 2000 and worked with Social Services in Ballston Spa until she retired in 2002. Although she still enjoys playing tennis and swimming, she had given up playing golf fifteen years ago, but has recently gotten back on the course. Says Anne, “A perfect day is to be on the golf course with friends.

Eddie Mcbride

Ed McBride graduated from Mechanicville High School 1985 as valedictorian of his class. He went on to Harvard University, graduating from there in 1989. He has worked in various positions in medical research for the past 30 years, and is currently with the Broad Institute in Cambridge, MA. Academically he was a Commended Scholar in the National Merit Scholarship program; earned the RPI Medal for Math and Science; Bausch and Lomb Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Science; a Regents scholarship and a Certificate of Merit from NYS Senator Joseph Bruno. He received 13 awards at graduation, and was the top scholar in his class for all six years of junior high and high school. Ed played four years of varsity football, three years of varsity basketball and three years of varsity baseball, earning ten letters. As a junior he was an honorable mention defensive end in the Northern Adirondack League. In his senior year, he was the tight end on the 1984 Northern Adirondack League Super Bowl Champion football team, and was named the Journal Press Player of the Year and the Record Newspaper’s Player of the Year, based on being a team captain as well as having caught 29 passes for 501 yards and six scores on offense. On defense he intercepted five passes, had 35 unassisted tackles and 55 assists. He was also named to the Saratogian/Tri County News Dream Team. Based on these achievements in football as well as his academic record, he was named the Most Outstanding National Scholar/Athlete of the Year for the Capital District Area by the Thom McAn Corporation. Ed was recruited by Hamilton College as well as Harvard University, but opted to go to Harvard. At Harvard, he played one year of freshman football and one year of junior varsity football before becoming a member the college’s rugby team, which was the New England champion in his senior year. In addition to his achievements in football, Ed was a pitcher/infielder on the MHS varsity baseball team and was an outstanding hitter. He was a Colonial Council All-star. At Harvard, he played one year of junior varsity baseball. He played summer baseball from the ages of 13 through 18 in the Mickey Mantle and Connie Mack leagues. For his achievements as a member of Waterford’s Connie Mack team, he was named to the Eastern New York Connie Mack Hall of Fame. (Neither Mechanicville nor Stillwater had a team at that time) On the basketball court, he was a forward, in the starting five for all three years he played varsity, and was a Colonial Council All-star. Ed has been married to Stephanie Klein McBride for 25 years and is the father of three children, Emily, Matthew and Benjamin. They live in Franklin, MA

The End Zone- Larry Grayson and Scott Rinald

The End Zone Sports Pub has been chosen as the 2021 Community Contributor honoree by the Mechanicville High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Its proprietors, Larry Grayson and Scott Rinaldi, will be inducted at the ceremony to be held on October 16 at the Mechanicville/Stillwater Elks Lodge. The End Zone was opened by Larry and Scott in November of 2000 to be a place that “screamed sports”, a place where teams could come and have a great meal, celebrate their wins or just watch various sports on the array of television screens throughout the dining room and bar. After many sporting events before the past two years’ pandemic, the End Zone would be filled on any given day or night with teams from Mechanicville, Stillwater, Hoosic Valley or Waterford. It is a welcoming and celebratory space with great food and a great staff. The building on Park Avenue in Mechanicville which is now the End Zone was built in 1967 and was originally Varone’s Bar and Grill. In 1970 it became the home of the Mechanicville/Stillwater BPOE until they erected their current facility across the railroad tracks and across the street. It then became the Park Avenue Café for a few years, until on Halloween in 2000, Larry and Scott purchased the building and prepared to open their restaurant. Larry and Scott had met and become friends while coaching junior Red Raider football in the mid 1990’s. Both had grown up around sports. Scott’s family, the Rinaldis, were very involved in Red Raider booster clubs, and Larry’s family, the Graysons, who lived in Lansingburgh, were very involved in their school’s booster clubs. So when the two got together and decided to open a “true sports pub”, they tossed around a few names like Red Raider Sports Bar or Fleaflickers. A lady at the Mechanicville Post Office, they tell us, came up with the name End Zone Sports Pub and Restaurant, a name that sure clicked, and they were on their way. Larry and Scott have many enduring memories of the End Zone going back these 21 years. They had only been open ten months when the devastating attack of September 11, 2001 occurred, an event that shocked us all. One of the ways our community came out to support each other was with a moment of silence as they gathered on the street in front of the End Zone.Early block parties on Park Avenue were a ton of work but so much fun! The recession of 2008-2009 came and everyone was watching every penny. Larry says they were scared about paying their own bills, but again the community stepped up and supported them, calling and asking if they were going to be okay. There were power outages that shut them down, and bridge repairs and road closures that made travel around the city a huge challenge. MECHANICVILLE Athletic Hall of Fame Community Contributor “THE END ZONE” And now, says Larry, they are dealing with the biggest challenge of all, a global pandemic for nearly two full years. While small businesses are hurting and many closing because of the restrictions, loss of business and other effects of the pandemic, again the communities of Mechanicville, Stillwater, Hoosic Valley and Waterford have continued to be supportive of their favorite sports pub. Because of the community support, the End Zone has gotten through it all. Larry notes that the Christmas train is one of their favorite nights of the year. The train stops on the tracks between the End Zone and the Elks Lodge. They give out hot chocolate and candy to the excited kids gathered to see Santa. Another End Zone highlight was the privilege of hosting the screening of the “Welcome Home” series created by Mechanicville’s own filmmaker and writer, Bobby Chase. A few episodes were even filmed at the End Zone! The End Zone has previously been honored as Business of the Year by the local Chamber of Commerce. Larry and Scott say that from day one, their goal has been to give back to programs, and that they have done, giving their full support to youth teams as well as high school athletes and even some grown-up sports participants! They are honored to be among the local businesses which all give back so much even when it stretches their resources. Larry and Scott thank their families for their support on this long journey, and give a huge shout out to their workers as well as the people of these communities. “We are here because of you! A million thank-yous is still not enough!”

1974 Football Team

1974 Undefeated Football Team to be Inducted into MHS Athletic Hall of Fame Mechanicville High School’s 1974 undefeated football team will be inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in a ceremony to be held at the Mechanicville/Stillwater Elks Lodge on October 16. Led by legendary head coach Dick Stipano, the Red Raiders captured the Colonial Council championship and along the way broke the all-time scoring record for most points scored in a season at Mechanicville with a total of 233 points. Coach Stipano’s assistant coaches included Gary DiLallo, Ralph Maru and Gary Lyons. A number of honors were earned by the individual players. Named to the All-State team were Kevin Connors, the team’s quarterback and safety, and Paul Perrotta, running back and outside linebacker. All-Area players included Kevin and Paul as well as Rick McBride, tight end and inside linebacker and Greg Bolinsky, offensive and defensive tackle. Chosen for the Colonial Council All-Stars were Kevin, Paul, Rick, Greg and also Mike Fusco, flanker and outside linebacker; Anthony Sgambati, center and defensive tackle; Bob Murphy, tailback and linebacker; and Keith Van Veghten, offensive tackle.Pictured in the team photo are: Front: Captains Mike Fusco and Kevin Connors Kneeling: Manager Richard Garland, Mark DeVito, Greg Bolinsky, Tom Brown, Bob Murphy, Anthony Sgambati, Carl Sommer, Frank Coreno, Ron Baisley, Rick DeLosSantos and Equipment manager Steve Allen. Standing: Coach DiLallo, Ben Mastrianni, Ed Hildreth, Joe Robens, Mike Canavan, Chuck Sommer, Bob Petta, Bob Bolton, C. J. DeCrescente, Joe DeVito, Paul Perrotta, John Callanan, Rick McBride, Steve Herrington, Dean Henderson, Tom Delano, Keith VanVeghten, Dave Izzo and Coach Stipan

Sebastian “Busty” Gagliard

Busty Gagliardi, a True Legend for the Hall of Fame. The longtime success of Mechanicville High School’s soccer programs, including a state championship in 1988 and a number of league titles, sectional wins and regional appearances, can possibly be linked to one man, Sebastian “Busty” Gagliardi. Busty will be posthumously inducted into the Mechanicville High School Athletic Hall of Fame on October 16 in the Legends category. Busty was a lifelong resident of Mechanicville, and a popular neighborhood barber who lived in the same home on Saratoga Avenue all of his life. Taking over the barber shop from his dad, he ran it for 50 years! He and his wife Mary Mone Gagliardi had a daughter named Mary Frances Chickie Meyer. Busty loved hiking, hunting and fishing and he tended his grapevines in his backyard, which we’ve been told are there to this day. An avid outdoorsman, Busty took long hikes through wooded areas often stopping to capture the beauty of nature with his charcoal drawings. He was an award-winning artist. He also enjoyed using young saplings to make marvelous walking sticks and canes which he gave to friends. A veteran of active service with the US Army Air Corps in World War II, Busty was a simple man who appreciated the simple things in life. His many barbershop customers loved his stories and opinions on most everything. He was a sports fan, with Notre Dame football being one of his favorites. He was known to be a generous and popular person to all, especially Red Raider athletes. Busty also loved soccer, and back in the 1970’s, there was no soccer played in his hometown. So he decided to do something about that. He is responsible for establishing the foundation for Mechanicville Youth Soccer. He purchased much of the equipment the kids needed with his own money and could be frequently seen playing with and coaching them on the athletic fields behind the high school. And it quickly caught on, becoming the beginning of the strong soccer programs of today in our community, both for children and high school athletes. Busty passed away on June 30, 2004 at the age of 86. He would be truly honored to know that on this night he is being inducted into the MHS Athletic Hall of Fame