Sonora High Announces 2024 Hall Of Fame Class

Sonora, CA — Several star athletes from the past will be honored at this year’s upcoming Sonora High School Hall of Fame Banquet.

Put on by the Sonora High School Foundation, It will be held on the evening of Saturday, October 26 at the Sonora Elks Lodge. Ticket information can be found at the bottom of the story.

The biographies of this year’s inductees are below, as provided by the Sonora High School Foundation:

John Hutchison, Class of 1967

Sonora High School has always had the reputation of having outstanding linemen in its football program. John Hutchison was defiantly in that acknowledgment. During the 1965 and 1966 football season, John was one of the running backs best friends as he opened holes for two Hall of Fame running backs, Tom Porter and Norm Rickson. During his senior year, John was selected to the Mountain Valley Conference All-League team. Moving on to wrestling, John was on the varsity team for three years in the heavyweight division. In 1967 he was the MVC heavyweight champion moving on to the Sub-Section tournament. After wrestling, John went to the track team as a shot putter and placed second to the man he blocked for, Norm Rickson. By placing second, he went on to the post-season Section track meets. After high school, John played two years of football at Modesto Junior College where he received first-team all-league honors for the Central California Conference and was also awarded the Athletic Achievement Award for his team.

Sonja Croslin, Class of 1975

Sonja was one of the early stars for girls’ sports at Sonora High with the passage of Title 9. She was a four-year varsity track star and was on the first Sonora Valley Oak League girls’ basketball team coached by Ron Lewis. Her athletic skills were awarded by being named to the VOL All-League Defensive team. After high school, Sonja went to the University of the Pacific where she started and played for two years before entering the pre-pharmacy program. After basketball, Sonja went on to track where she set school records in the 440, 880, mile and was a member of the record-setting mile relay team. She was the first girl in Tuolumne County to run under a six-minute mile. Sonja received the Elks Award as the Most Outstanding Female Athlete for the class of 1975. She also received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from UOP.

Shelly Canepa, (Coach K), Class of 1983

Shelly Canepa Malone, alias Coach K, was a 1983 Sonora High graduate, and a very good basketball player. But it was in coaching where her legacy was made. It all began in 1988. She coached girls’ basketball for 25 years at Sonora High. 12 years as a freshmen coach, 9 years as a JV coach, 2 years as the assistant varsity coach, and two years as the head varsity coach. Her players were always prepared to move on to the next level, whatever that was. She credits her mentor, Gary Smith, for giving her the opportunity to get into coaching and for always being there for her. Shelly coached with the philosophy of, “hard work, teach fundamentals and don’t let anyone out-work you.” No matter what level Shelly coached, her teams were always well respected and at the top of the league. Shelly never understood the word ‘no’ as many programs within Tuolumne County have asked her to coach a team whether it be elementary, recreational, or adult. She would always say ‘okay.’ Mike Lewis, former head varsity coach made a statement about Shelly when she was his assistant which pretty much sums up her coaching, “I couldn’t have done it without Shelly. No way could I have done any of this by myself. Shelly is very dedicated. She spends extra time with the kids and the kids couldn’t wait to see her.”

Dr. Dave Berger DDS, Class of 1992

Dave participated in football (4 years – 2 varsity) basketball (4 years – 2 varsity) and baseball (1 year varsity). It was in football and basketball where Dave excelled. An outstanding linebacker and kicker, Dave made the VOL All-League teams both in 1990 and 1991. During his time Dave was considered one of the finest kickers within the Sac-Joaquin Section which led to a football scholarship to the University of the Pacific. Sonora High has always fielded excellent linebackers and Dave surely fit that mold. His football skills were also awarded by making the prestigious Lions All-Star game. In basketball, Dave was a member of the first Sonora boys’ basketball team to win the Division 3 Sac-Joaquin Section title in 1992. He played the forward position and was an outstanding defensive player and rebounder. His leadership skills were evident as he was selected team captain on different teams during his high school career and now leads his team at his Dental practice. Dave has also given back to our community as he has given many hours to youth sports in Tuolumne County.

Julie Ross Wilson, Class of 2006

Julie was a three-sport athlete in high school. Two years JV volleyball, four years basketball – (2 varsity) and 4 years varsity soccer. In basketball, Julie was what some people would call, “a very physical player.” She was an excellent rebounder who was able to clean up a lot of missed shots from her teammates and her defense was very good. Julie played volleyball her first two years in high school where her teams won a number of tournaments and was very successful in the VOL. But it was soccer where Julie’s love of the game really stood out. The girls’ soccer program took off under the direction of Coach Buzz Garvin. Julie was a member of the varsity team for four years where her skill level shined as a goalie. Her excellent talent showed up in 2006 as Sonora won both the VOL championship and the Sac-Joaquin Section Championship. After high school, Julie played two years at MJC with her team winning the Central Valley Conference in 2007. She was offered a scholarship to Notre Dame De Namur but an ACL injury sidelined her college career. Julie received the Mary York Most Inspirational female-athlete award for the class of 2006 along with receiving the United States Marine Corp Distinguished Athlete award. Julie has also given back to our community coaching youth sports and also officiating soccer games.

Ryan Emerald, Class of 2011

Ryan was an outstanding athlete in football and baseball. In football, Ryan was a unanimous selection to the first team VOL as a utility player his senior year. He broke Hall of Famer Zach Abernathy’s most-touchdown record with 20 passing and 12 rushing touchdowns. In baseball, Ryan was on the varsity for three years playing 2nd base and shortstop. He was selected 1st team all VOL his sophomore and senior year and 2nd team his junior year. During his sophomore year playing 2nd base, Ryan did not make an error. Ryan received the Fred Rowe Most Outstanding Male Athlete award for the class of 2011. Ryan continued his playing career in baseball playing two years at Merced College and two years at Jurvis Christian College in Texas where he holds two school records: sacrifice bunts/fly balls (22) and hit by pitch (16).

Steven Grolle, class of 2014

Sonora High School has always had a great tradition of distance runners and Steven Grolle is right up there with some of the very best. He was a 9-time varsity VOL champion in cross country and track and a 7-time Sac-Joaquin Section champion in both cross country and track. Steven was a 4-time state meet qualifier in cross country placing 10th in 2012 and 8th in 2014. In the spring Steven moved to track where he set records in the 1600m and the 3200m events. In 2012, he placed 3rd in the Sac-Joaquin Section finals in the 1600m. In 2014, he placed 2nd in the 3200m. He was selected as the Modesto Bee All-District 2013 cross-country runner of the year and was selected the Fred Rowe Outstanding Male Athlete for the class of 2014. The Sac-Joaquin Section presented Steven with the CIF Scholar-Athlete award in 2014. Steven was the Salutation for his class and was presented the 2013 Student of the Year award by the Tuolumne County Chamber of Commerce. For his Senior Project, Steven designed the Sonora High School Cross Country course at the Wildcat Ranch. After High School, Steven attended Stanford University where he was a walk-on participating in cross country and indoor and outdoor track. He received Academic Honors from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation for indoor track and field representing Stanford University. Steven recently came home and won the 2024 Old Mill Run.

The cost to attend the dinner is $45.00 for those over 12, $25 for those 3-11, and free for children under three.

Reservations should be made by October 18 by check (after October 21, an additional $5.00)

Mail to:

Hall of Fame Committee

18440 Lambert Lake Road

Sonora, CA 95370

Checks should be made out to: Sonora High School Foundation

For questions or reservations: Call Rick Francis: 209-206-1633

The no-host bar starts at 5 pm, dinner at 6 pm, and the ceremony at 7 pm.