The San Pedro High School Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner returns on Nov. 7 at the Dalmatian-American Club, featuring another all-star lineup from its storied past.
The inductees for individual achievement are: Joey Camello (1989 graduate), All-City pitcher on back-to-back Marine League champions; Bryan Castenada (1993), all-purpose back who was AAA Player of the Year (POY) for City champions; Kenny Potter (2012), quarterback who was City POY, also starred in volleyball and baseball; Brandon Hrboka (2010), City co-POY for basketball champions; Natalie Tam (2001), pitcher who was three-time City POY for three-time City softball titlists; Nicole DeLuca (1995), City co-POY as pitcher for City champions; and Michelle Spanjol (1995), leading hitter who shared POY honors with DeLuca.
Lifetime achievement honors go to: Steve Smith (1997), All-City defensive back for the Pirates’ first City 4A football champions, who also played basketball and went on to star for Oregon; Wynter Turner (2001), who shared City POY honors with Tam in 2001, hitting .556, and starred at Texas; Jamaal K. Street (1997), longtime sports journalist covering the Pirates and a game announcer; James Stellino (1988), who starred in baseball, football, and track and is the current baseball coach at Barstow Community College; and Joe Gregorio (1976), former captain of the football team, has been a major contributor to Pirate athletics.
Sibling inductees: Brian (2001) and Corey (2007) Walsh, sons of Hall of Fame coach Mike Walsh, both starred in football and baseball, with Brian All-City in baseball and Corey All-City in football. Anthony (2010), Tyler (2010), and Taylor Rae (2012) Rogosic, with the twin boys starring on the 2010 City basketball champions and the sister making all-league in basketball. Anthony is the school’s current athletic director.
The Rogosics are also part of this year’s extensive Family category inductee: Joe Brucelas (1965), the patriarch, was on the Pirates’ gymnastics team, and his grandchildren lettered in multiple sports: Robert (2009), Ryann (2012), and Maddie (2017) Villela; the Rogosics; and Jake (2021) and Brody (2026) Harper.
To be honored posthumously are: Yasuo Tatsumi (1934), who set records as a sprinter, hurdler, and long jumper; John Kordich (1941), All-City tailback who played for USC; and Johnny Bob Quick (1958), longtime basketball coach.
The team being inducted into the Hall of Fame is the 2021 City Open Division baseball champions under head coach Steve Tedesco, assisted by Ray Mendoza and James Dodd. The players are Matt Borges (2022), Mikey Brucelas (2021), Gavin Burnham (2022), Giovanni Crow (2023), Massimo Crow (2021), Jesse Ferreira (2022), Zach Geiss (2022), Antonio Gentile (2023), Corey Guevara (2021), Jake Harper (2021), Dylan Kordic (2021), Richard Loy ((2021), Cain Lusic (2021), Humberto Maltos (2023), JJ Mendoza (2022), Casey Molina (2023), Damian Ocampo (2021), Anthony Orozco (2021), Rhett Peterlin (2021), Dominic Porter (2021), Simon Rodriguez (2022), Anthony Sogliuzzo (2024), Gil Solis (2023).
Tickets for the 2026 San Pedro High School Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner ($95, tax-deductible) are limited. They are available at sanpedropirateboosters.com. Doors open at 5 p.m.
FINAL SP BOOK INSTALLMENT
This is it, the seventh and final installment in my list of books written by current or former San Pedrans, or about San Pedrans and San Pedro. If a book isn’t available on Amazon, search for the title online. Lots of interesting choices.
A Wailing of a Town: An Oral History of Early San Pedro Punk 1977-1985 by Craig Ibarra. San Pedro native has a new edition of his classic music history.
Rudecinda’s Mystery: The Lost San Pedro Treasures by J. Walter Pesusich. San Pedro native examines the legend behind one of our town’s most famous pioneers.
Titanic: A Personal Spiritual Encounter with the Past by Fereidun Shokatfard. Latest book by San Pedro author, artist and educator comes from a 1980 meeting with Titanic survivor Edwina Trout McKenzie.
Exploring the Military History of Fort MacArthur and Palos Verdes by James A. Shneer. Local historian’s fifth edition of his quintessential work comes in both black-and-white and colorized versions.
Eugene Daub: Portraits, Medals, and Monuments by Eugene Daub. Retrospective on 50-year career of world-famous San Pedro sculptor contains more than 200 images.
Unbreakable: A Japanese American Family in an American Incarceration Camp by Minoru Tonia and Jolene Gutierrez, illustrated by Chris Sasaki. Children’s book about the real-life experiences of a Terminal Island family at the outbreak of WWII.
Mike & Me: An Inspiring Guide for Couples Who Choose to Face Alzheimer’s Together at Home by Rosalys Peel. Book comes from 9.5 years of journals by Peel, former resident of San Pedro.
The Romance of the Ministry by Fred H. Ross. A history of the Southern California Methodist Conference in the first half of the 20th century by the longtime pastor of San Pedro’s First United Methodist Church. spt
San Pedro native Steve Marconi began writing about his hometown after graduating from high school in 1969. After a career as a sportswriter, he was a copy editor and columnist for the News-Pilot and Daily Breeze for 20 years before joining the L.A. Times. He has been writing monthly for San Pedro magazines since 2005, and in 2018 became a registered longshoreman. Marconi can be reached at spmarconi@yahoo.com.
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