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2020 North Arlington Sports Hall of Fame class inducted after COVID-19 delay

Photo courtesy of Joe Spaccavento

From left to right: Ronnie Parmakis, coach Mark Colyer, Mike Wendell, coach John Galante, Vinnie Esposito, Michael Kraft, coach Tommy Bannon, Eddie Campbell.

By Jason Bernstein

jason@theoserver.com

After a two-year wait, North Arlington was able to induct its 2020 Hall of Fame class in a May 5 ceremony at the San Carlo Restaurant in Lyndhurst. Twelve former standout student-athletes, the 1996 BCSL National cochampion football team and the-late former Mayor Joseph P. Bianci were all inducted.

The ceremony normally takes place every three years, but this was the first one since 2017.

“It was with great satisfaction Joe Spaccavento and I were able to combat the time and effects of waiting through the Covid pandemic to finally conduct the awards for the Hall of Fame Class of 2020,” said Dan DiGuglielmo, co-president of the North Arlington High School Hall of Fame Committee. “Joe and I never let go of the communications and contacts necessary hoping to see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. Conduction this time was a very proud, historic moment for all.

“Viking heritage is a sacred value to the many players and award-winning athletes that graduated from the school.”

According to DiGuglielmo, there are plans for a new large display that will list the more than 200 inductees since the Hall of Fame was first established in 1980.

Here are the inductees who were formally inducted in May’s ceremony.

Tony Adamoli (1966): A three-sport standout, Adamoli was an All-Group 1 and AllNorth Jersey selection in both baseball and football. Adamoli, who also was a letter winner in basketball at North Arlington, went on to play football and baseball at Montclair State.

Bruce Gardner (1972): Gardner was a star center of the Vikings’ North 1, Group 1 sectional title boys’ basketball team. North Arlington went 21-3 as a team and individually, he earned Second Team, All-Bergen County and an All-State Honorable Mention honors.

Billy Warnock (1989): Warnock was a two-way standout on both sides of the ball and a three-year starter at tight end and defensive tackle. A Coach’s Award recipient for both football and basketball, Warnock went on to play football at Dixie College in Utah.

Brian Marshall (1998): Marshall never tried track before getting to North Arlington High School. The one-time baseball player, instead, became one of the most decorated throwers in school history. He was a First Team, All-Bergen County selection in the shotput as a junior and was also a multitime All-County selection in the javelin and discus.

Margarette Abdelkadoos (Carlson) (2001): A letterwinner in volleyball, basketball and track. As an outside hitter she led the Vikings to the 2000 BCSL

Belleville’s Terence Folkes takes part in Phil Simms North-South Classic

By Jason Bernstein

jason@theobserver.com

Terence Folkes’ football career nearly ended before he even arrived at Belleville High School.

A basketball player growing up, Folkes’ first foray into football as an eighth-grader ended after just a handful of weeks due to a knee injury.

Now, in his final days as a student at Belleville, he got the chance to be on the field with some of the best players in the state.

Folkes, a 6-foot-2, 235-pound defensive end, concluded his high school career in the Phil Simms NJ North/South High School All-Star Football Classic, Sunday, June 12, at Kean University.

Folkes is one of two local players who competed for the North squad, joining Bloomfield linebacker Jaden Adkins.

“Basketball was my first love and in eighth-grade, I decided to try (football) out. I ended up not playing a full season due to a knee injury,” Folkes said. “But I spoke to Coach (Jermain) Johnson and he told me to give it another shot. I did, and it eventually became something I fell in love with. I enjoyed being out there all four years with my teammates, my staff and everyone.”

“Four years ago we saw him as a freshman and we really knew that he could be a really special player,” new Belleville head coach Brian Antab, who was the defensive coordinator the past four years, said. “He put in the work to make sure that came true.”

Despite his relative inexperience, Folkes quickly made his mark on the Buccaneers team, getting on the field at tight end as a freshman and becoming a starter at the position as a sophomore.

Folkes became a starter on both ends of the ball his junior season, but truly blossomed as one of the most versatile players in the Super Football Conference as a senior.

This fall, he had 68 tackles, 10 for loss, and four sacks on defense while seeing time at defensive end, tackle and middle linebacker. That versatility carried over to the offensive side of the ball, where he lined up at tight end, receiver, running back and even one game at tackle due to an injury on the line.

Overall, he ran for 156 yards and four touchdowns while also catching seven passes for 146 yards and two more TDs.

“He was a guy who did it all for us,” Antab said. “He did everything that we asked of him on both sides of the ball — offense and defense. He would line up wherever we asked him to, he was very versatile.”

Folkes will continue his playing career at Lackawanna, a junior college located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, that produces several Division I football players each year. While Folkes said his position won’t be determined until he arrives on campus, his future is most likely at defensive end, the position he has worked the most at prospect camps and showcases.

“I think he has put out some really great film of what he can do at the defensive end position. He’s really pretty well developed as a pass rusher and with his hand in the dirt,” Antab said. “Once he gets more

HALL OF FAME

Continued from Page 9

volleyball championship, a season that included snapping Secaucus’ 68-match winning streak in the league. She was also the starting point guard on the North Arlington sectional championship basketball team and hit the winning shot in the Group 1 semifinals.

Ashley Johnson (2010): The most accomplished girls bowler in school history, Johnson was a four-time AllState selection and three-time North Jersey Girls’ Bowler of the Year. She went on to bowl at New Jersey City University where the program became one of the best in the country.

Reema Sethi (2010): A three-sport standout, Sethi is North Arlington’s singleseason record holder in 3-pointers with 58. She was also the team’s leading scorer in soccer and an accomplished distance runner. Overall she earned 11 varsity letters and earned All-League honors in all three sports.

Tyler Kyrchowski (2012): A three-sport standout, Kyrchowski’s star shined brightest in soccer, where he twice led the team in scoring and graduated No. 2 on the school career goals list before a four-year career at NJCU. In basketball he scored 1,002 career points. During the spring, Kyrchowski was a First Team, AllConference selection in the Triple Jump. His all-around accomplishments made him The Observer’s Male Athlete of the Year.

AJ Nocciolo (2013): One of the most accomplished passers in school history, Nocciolo threw for 21 touchdowns and more than 2,000 yards his senior year, while also rushing for 376 yards. More than just a quarterback, he twice led the team in tackles on defense and in baseball, hit .485 with three homers and 18 RBI his senior year.

Daniel Cordeiro (2014): An explosive offensive player on the soccer field, Cordeiro recorded five hat tricks. As a senior, his 30 goals and 17 assists placed him among the top 10 scorers in the state, earning him All-Group 1 honors. A First Team All-State selection in the 1600 Meter Run and All-County honoree in the 800, Cordeiro was The Observer Male Athlete of the Year and went on to play soccer at New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Nick Martin (2014): A twoway standout on the gridiron, Martin was a two-time AllLeague selection at tight end twice and an All-League honoree at linebacker, twice leading the team in tackles. His physical play applied to the basketball court where he led the team in rebounds three times.

Christina Nardini (2014): A four-year starter at sweeper, Nardini twice earned AllLeague honors in soccer. She especially made her mark on the track as a First Team All-Area selection in the 100 Meter Hurdles and Second Team in the Long Jump. Nardini was an All-County Honorable Mention in both events as well as in soccer.

Joseph P. Bianci (Honorary): A former mayor of North Arlington and longtime member of the town’s Fire Department, Bianci was a staple of the North Arlington business and athletic community. A long-time donator to local activities through his company Pal Joey’s Unisex Haircutters, Bianci was a regular at North Arlington sporting events up until his death from illnesses related to his time spent at Ground Zero following the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. 1996 Football Team: One of the most accomplished teams in program history, this group went 8-2 to share the BCSL National Division championship with Secaucus. The Vikings had an average margin of victory of 17 points that season and were rewarded with 11 All-League players, four All-Bergen County selections and had five players that went on to play at four-year colleges.

Photos courtesy Joe Spaccavento

LEFT: Nick Martin, Tyler Krychkowski Their bb coach Dave Walsh, And inductee AJ Nocciolo. CENTER: 5th Mayor Bianchi plaque. RIGHT: AJ Nocciolo and Nick Martin with their football coach Anthony Marck in the center.

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