PA Sports HOF Central Chapter Honors Top Male Athletes of 2023

On Sunday, May 21^st, the Central Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame held the 40^th edition of the Scholastic/Collegiate Athletic Awards Ceremony.  The event, formally known as the Prayer Breakfast, honors top senior collegiate and high school athletes from the area.  While announcing the male and female winners of the Henry L. Wilder Collegiate Award, the event also honored the C.S. “Pop” Kelchner Award nominees from each of the region’s ten high schools.

Below is a list of the male honorees. As you read through this list, remember that these athletes missed the spring season of their freshman year as a result of the Covid-19 shutdown.

Here is a link to the list of the top female student-athletes who were honored.

Henry L. Wilder Memorial Award

Henry L. Wilder worked as an editor for the Lebanon Daily News.  In his role as a newsman, he worked to promote athletics and athletes within the area encompassed by the Central Chapter.  In honor of his efforts, an award was established in his memory to honor collegiate athletes in their final year of competition.  Each year, a top male and top female from the Central Chapter are selected for this award.

The  male recipient of the 2023 Henry L. Wilder Memorial Award  is Chad Ryland.  The football kicker extraordinaire is a 2018 graduate of Cedar Crest High School.  He went onto play four years at Eastern Michigan University, setting records for PATs made and PATs attempted.  After graduating from EMU with a degree in supply chain management, he transferred to the University of Maryland.  He played his 2022 season for the Terrapins and drew heavy attention from NFL scouts while finishing as a 2nd Team All-Big Ten Selection.  In the 2023 NFL Draft, Ryland was selected in the 4^th Round (112^th overall) by the New England Patriots.

Unable to attend, the award was accepted by his father, Todd Ryland.

(Photo taken from Ryland’s Twitter profile)

C.S. “Pop” Kelchner Nominees

This scholar athletic award is awarded annually to a senior athlete in honor of C.S. “Pop” Kelchner, the former head scout in the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Organization.  Kelchner, an alumnus of Albright College, took interest in high school athletics, taking note of the ability of the athletes, but also the character displayed while on the field of play.

The following is a list of the male nominees from each of the high schools located within the Central Chapter. The top male will be selected as the 2023 C.S. “Pop” Kelchner Award winner and will be honored at the Central Chapter’s Hall of Fame Induction Dinner that will be held later this year.

2023 C.S. “Pop” Kelchner Award Nominees

Photo Credit: Julie Beidler

Annville-Cleona

Alex Long (Football/Track & Field): A four-year member of the Dutchmen Football Team, Long was also a three-year member of the Track & Field Team. In Football, Long was a varsity letter winner in each of the four years, serving as the captain in his junior and senior seasons.  After helping to lead Annville to the District 3 Championship Game, he was named as an All-State Linebacker and a Mini Maxwell Award winner.  He was selected to play in the PSFCA East/West Small School All-Star Game, which is the reason he was not in attendance to the breakfast as the game was held later in the day. Long will be attending Robert Morris University where he plans to continue his football career while majoring in news & sports journalism.

Cedar Crest

Nolan Groff (Football/Basketball/Baseball): For the Falcon Football Team, Groff earned three varsity letters playing wide receiver, defensive end, and punter.  He earned honors as a two-time Section 1 wide receiver and earned Section 1 All-Star status as a punter.  He was a key member of the Cedar Crest basketball and baseball teams, earning three varsity letters in each sport. Groff has plans to attend Penn State University to major in finance.

Conrad Weiser

Adam Noll (Soccer/Football/Basketball/Tennis): Noll earned a total of twelve varsity letters playing four different sports for the Scouts.  In soccer, Noll was a four-year letter winner and was selected as a Berks County All-Star.  His big leg also earned him a spot as the punter/kicker for the football team, where he was as a two-time Berks County All-Star and was named as the Berks County Specialist of the Year his senior season.  For his efforts this past season, Noll was also honored as an All-State Punter.  During the winter season, Noll spent two years playing basketball and was named the team’s defensive MVP.  As a three-year member of the tennis team, he served as a captain for their Conrad Weiser team that finished as the 2023 District 3 runner-up before placing 3^rd in the PIAA State Tournament. Noll plans to attend East Stroudsburg where he will continue his football career while majoring in health and physical education.

ELCO

Colin Daub (Football/Track & Field): A four-year member of the Raider Football Team, Daub served as a key lineman on the 2020 team that made it to the District 3 Finals.  For his efforts, he was a three-time Section All-Star selection for his play on the line on both sides of the ball.  While talented at football, Daub will be mostly remembered for this Track & Field career while at ELCO where he threw during the indoor and outdoor seasons.  In the spring season, he was a three-time team MVP and a two-time Lebanon County Champion in both the shot put and the discus.  During his junior year, Daub was a PIAA State qualifier after finished 5^th in District 3.  His senior year, he won gold in the discus at the Lancaster Lebanon League Championships.  Daub will attend Shippensburg University where he plans to major in exercise science while also continuing his athletic career as a member of their Raiders Track & Field Team.

Hershey

Tristan Bingeman (Football/Wrestling/Lacrosse): As a four-year member and three-year varsity letter winner for the Trojan Football Team, Bingeman served as a team captain his junior and senior seasons. He was a tree-time Mid Penn All-Star selection.  He was also a leader of the Hershey Wrestling Team, lettering all four years.  During his senior campaign, he was the Sectional Champion at 189-pounds. Bingeman will attend Penn State University where he plans to major in energy engineering.

Lebanon

Griffin Gonzalez (Wrestling/Baseball): Gonzalez ended his high school career as Lebanon’s most accomplished wrestler after winning four straight Lancaster Lebanon League Championships, two Sectional Championships, a Regional Championship, and twice medaled at the PIAA State Wrestling Tournament.  For the Cedars Baseball Team, he served as a team captain during his junior and senior years, leading by example with outstanding play that earned him Section 2 All-Star honors. Gonzalez plans to attend Lehigh University where he will continue his wrestling career.  His major is currently undecided.

Milton Hershey

Olarenwaju “Larry” Onabanwo (Basketball): A four-year member of the Spartan Basketball Team, Onabanwo was a two-year letter winner and team captain on his way to being named a Mid Penn All-Star.  For his efforts, he was named to the Penn Live Big 15 Team.  Onabanwo will attend Penn State University – Harrisburg where he plans to major in accounting while continuing to play basketball at the collegiate level.

Northern Lebanon

Jared Ecenroad (Football/Wrestling/Baseball): A two-year letter winner for the Northern Lebanon Football Team, Ecenroad was the Viking Award winner and was named as an All-County Defensive End. Baseball was where Ecenroad really excelled, being named as a Section 4 All-Star during his two seasons of play.  He plans to continue playing baseball at Delaware Valley University where he plans to major in animal science.

Palmyra

Brayden Sunho (Soccer): As a four-year member of the Palmyra Soccer Team, Sunho was named as the team’s MVP and a Mid Penn All-Star selection three times.  Three times over the course of his high school career, the Cougars made it to the District 3 Final Four and the PIAA State Tournament. Scoring 154 career points, Sunho was named as an All-State selection following his senior season.  His mother, Elaine Brewer Sunho was also a 1990 Pop Kelchner nominee.  Sunho plans to attend Penn State University – Harrisburg to major in accounting/finance while also continuing his soccer career.

Tulpehocken HS  

David Bednarczyk (Cross Country/Basketball/Track & Field): A three-season star for Tulpehocken, Bednarczyk ends his career having made a major impact in three sports.  In basketball, he scored 1,103 career points, leading the team in scoring during three seasons, each time being named the Team MVP.  During each of those seasons, Bednarczyk was named a Berks County All-Star.  During his senior campaign, he led Tulpehocken to a 3^rd place finish in District 3 as they earned a PIAA State Playoff berth.  In the realm of running, Bednarczyk qualified three times for the PIAA State Cross Country Championship Meet after earning 6^th, 5^th, and 4^th place medals at Districts.  In Track & Field, he was a 2023 State qualifier in the 1600m. Bednarczyk plans to attend Penn State University to major in data science.

More photos from the event taken by Julie Beidler can be accessed here.

For more information on the Central Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, check out their website.