Submitted Photo Left to Right: Congressman Tim Ryan, Jason Kokrak, Mike McLain, Sam Covelli, Laurie Epp (accepting on behalf of her deceased brother Ed Antonelli), Marti Merrick (accepting on behalf of her deceased husband Pat Merrick), James McGee, David Binko, Holly Chapin, Vernita Provitt-Lyons, Anthony Payiavlas, Vanness Provitt, & Dr. Calvin Washington.

Staff report

Thirteen people will have their names marked in the annals of Warren sports history, as the Warren Sports Hall of Fame inducted its newest class Sunday.

Those inducted include Ed Antonelli, Pat Merrick, Dave Binko, Anthony Payiavlas, Holly Chapin, Vanness Provitt, Sam Covelli, Vernita Provitt, Jason Kokrak, Congressman Tim Ryan, Mike McLain, Dr. Calvin Washington and Jim McGee.

Antonelli, a veteran of the U.S. Army, was a member of the 24th Infantry Division golf team, which won the All-American/European Championship in 1964. He also served as an assistant pro at the Trumbull Country Club and Youngstown Country Club for two years apiece, and placed sixth in the 42nd Ohio Open in 1968.

Binko played football at Warren G. Harding from 1963 to 1965 as a linebacker. The Panthers went 8-1-1 during his senior season. Binko went on to play for Virginia Tech, then called Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and took part in the 1968 Liberty Bowl against Ole Miss. He subsequently coached at John F. Kennedy as an assistant and helped with the junior high programs.

Chapin graduated from Harding in 1987, and was a four-year letterwinner in basketball and softball. She was a three-time All-Trumbull County selection in basketball, and continued both her softball and basketball careers at Walsh College before transferring to Akron.

Covelli graduated from JFK in 1971, and remains one of the school’s biggest supporters. The CEO of Covelli Enterprises feeds the athletes of each of JFK’s sports teams prior to each contest, home or away, and also purchased championship rings for the 1996-1997 AP state championship-winning boys basketball team. Also, the Albert M. Covelli Foundation gives scholarships to families with children at JFK in order to help offset the cost of tuition.

Kokrak led JFK to state golf titles in 2000 and 2001 and now golfs professionally on the PGA Tour. He began in 2012 at the Sony Open in Hawaii, and in 2020 won his first Tour event at the CJ Cup. He won the Charles Schwab Challenge in May and the Houston Open in November, and remains one of the top golfers in the world.

McGee graduated from Harding in 1998 and was a three-time state finalist in diving and three-time winner of the Glen Moore Outstanding Swimmer and Diver of the Year Award. He still holds the 11 Dive Point record at Harding. McGee continued his career at Clarion University, where he was a seven-time Division II All-American in the one-meter and three-meter diving events.

A longtime Tribune Chronicle sportswriter, McLain graduated from Warren Western Reserve High School in 1971. He covered a little bit of everything during his time at the paper, from local high schools all the way up to the Cleveland Browns. Highlights include Brookfield’s 1978 football state championship, Harding’s football state championship, as well as basketball state titles and more. He began covering the Browns full-time in 1987 and retired in early 2016.

Merrick graduated from Harding in 1959, and then played at Newberry College in South Carolina. He was a three-time selection to the All-Carolina Conference and two-time selection as a Little All-American. He was twice named the most valuable lineman at Newberry. He eventually returned to the area to teach and coach at various schools.

Payiavlas is a 1980 graduate of Harding, and served as the student body president. For more than four decades, Payiavlas has supported various academic and athletic programs and organizations, including the Warren Gridiron Club, Warren Football Association, Warren Harding Rebounders Club, Warren Athletic Club and more. The president and CEO of AVI Foodsystems also aided in the creation of the Paul Warfield monument and the annual Warren Football NFL Legends events.

Vanness Provitt played receiver for Harding from 1991 to 1995, and also played basketball and baseball. He continued his education and football career at Fork Union Military Prep School in Virginia before heading to Ohio State, where he helped the Buckeyes win the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Big Ten Conference titles. In 2001, he signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Vernita Provitt-Lyons was a four-year starter for the Harding girls basketball team from 1991 to 1995 and was the Trumbull County Player of the Year as a senior. She continued her playing and educational careers at Shawnee State, where she and the Bears won the Mid-Ohio Conference championship in each of her three seasons. The team appeared in the NAIA Division II tournaments in each of those years as a result. She was twice named to the First Team All-MOC, among other honors.

Ryan was an All-Ohio standout in football and basketball at JFK, and quarterbacked the Eagles to the 1989 state championship game. He was named the Trumbull County Player of the Year his senior season. He’s served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2002.

Dr. Washington graduated from Western Reserve in 1973, and was on the football and track teams. He was captain of the Raiders’ state championship-winning team in 1972 and was an All-Ohio selection at defensive tackle. He continued his football career and education at Cornell, where in 1976 he was named to the All-Ivy League Team. He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from The Ohio State University in 1981.

Information was provided by the Warren Sports Hall of Fame. To learn more, visit www.warrensportshof.com.

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