Stars come out for ESPN 970

Radio station, William Seeds dish out big bucks, add 3 to Hall of Fame

BOB ETTINGER

ASHTABULA — Through each person’s life, there are a number of people that have opened doors along the way, allowing them to reach heights they didn’t know possible.

ESPN Radio 970 WFUN and Dr. William A. Seeds opened some of those doors for Ashtabula County’s finest student-athletes on Monday at the ESPN Radio 970 WFUN Scholarship and Hall of Fame Induction Banquet as part of a special four-hour edition of The Sports Report on Monday at Los Compadres Mexican Restaurant.

“There were people that gave me opportunities in life,” Seeds told host Joe Pete. “I don’t forget they opened doors for me. There’s always a mentor along the way in life. They give you opportunities even you don’t know about.

“You keep hearing a lot of wild, bad stories. There is so much good. We’ve a tremendous pool of talent in this community. We’re no different here than anywhere else. We have people that can have success. We have to do the best we can to give them opportunities.”

Seeds gave a $1,000 scholarship to Mallory Zappitelli. ESPN Radio 970 WFUN gave $750 scholarships to Cody Chabola, Lauren Childs and Megan Dragon of Edgewood, Brittany Morrison and Tayler Pugliese of Lakeside and Mari Iarocci of Conneaut.

Inducted into the second class of the ESPN Radio 970 WFUN were Ashtabula’s Wash Lyons, Geneva’s Mark Debevc and St. John’s Denny Allan.

The scholarship winners were chosen from a pool of more than 45 applicants. They had to have at least a 3.0 grade-point average, have lettered in a sports, been involved in the community and written an essay stating why the scholarship was important to them and why they deserved to win.

Zappitelli impressed Seeds with a passage from her essay.

“Making my way through this complicated journey some call high school, I have discovered the importance of a team,” Zappitelli wrote. “Ever since I started school as a freshman, I have surrounded myself with athletes and learned the disciplines that come with being one. You learn to put others in front of yourself and find yourself committing selfless acts for your peers. Once you have developed this relationship with your fellow teammates, you have created a bond like no other.”

That passage was recited twice throughout the proceedings. Both Pete and Seeds took the opportunity to commend Zappitelli for learning that lesson.

A common theme among the young student-athletes soon to be heading off to college and the athletes of yesteryear was the ability and will to keep fighting. They all seemed to agree that never giving up, especially when times get tough, is of the utmost importance, not only in sports but in life, as well.

Allan related the story of how he was recruited to play at the University of Notre Dame as a lesson in that very subject.

“It was unbelievable,” Allan said. “John Agnone, who was the chief scout for Youngstown area and had played at Notre Dame, was there to scout two players from Howland.

“He told me he knew I could run fast, but I made a play on defense that impressed him. I was blitzing the quarterback and got knocked down. My glasses went flying. I couldn’t see, but I got up, went full speed and scooped up my glasses on a full sprint. I chased the quarterback and got him.

“(Agnone) said it was that second effort that impressed him. I always tell young people to make that second effort.”

Several of the scholarship winners spoke on the subject with Pete, too.

“When you face adversity, never give up,” Morrison, who faced her share of adversity in the form of injuries, said. “Keep fighting and keep working hard. If you think you want something, keep working for it. Keep persevering, find a way to make it happen. Don’t give up.”

“A lot of people give up too early when that goal could’ve happened if they did just one more thing,” Zappitelli said. “It was always my goal in high school not to give up on what I wanted.”

Pugliese became the athlete she is by living that philosophy.

“I never give up on myself,” she said. “I think that’s a goal everyone should have. There are going to a lot of times you can’t get something on the first or second try. Keep working at it. If you don’t work at it, you’re never going to get it.”

That perseverance paid off in the classroom for the scholarship recipients.

“Since the day I was born, my parents worked to instill in me strong moral values and a diligent work ethic,” Iarocci wrote in her essay. Throughout my entire life, schoolwork was always a priority. I worked hard, day and night, completing assignments and studying unrelentingly. I have always been expected to put full effort into everything that I do. From simple kindergarten spelling tests to the tedious ACT exams, I had my parents behind me for support and to nudge me in the right direction.

“As extra-curricular activities, athletics and honors classes were introduced in my life, the pressure to maintain a perfect grade-point average heightened, but I still managed to stay above these standards. Now that I am a senior in high school, my perspectives on life have changed and matured as I have grown. Now, I expect the best from myself. I no longer depend on the support of others to thrive. I have a powerful desire to succeed for myself — not for anyone else.”

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