2018 Inductees

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Aaron Meehl
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Aaron Meehl
During Aaron's high school career, he started on teams that played in seven District 10 championships in three sports, winning five of them. The soccer team won three District 10 championships in soccer and advanced to the Final Four of the State Championship in his junior year, losing in overtime to the eventual State Champion. The team was undefeated during the regular season during his senior year. He is the all-time leading scorer in soccer and tied for the all-time assist leader. He was named all-state his senior year. He played in two District 10 championships in baseball. He was the Most Valuable Player in baseball as a Senior and graduated having the highest career batting average at North East High School. He started for two years in basketball, winning two District 10 championships. The team advanced to the elite 8 of the state championship his junior year and the final four of the state championship his senior year. He played four years of soccer in college at Penn State Behrend. He was all-conference for three years and a Great Lakes Region All-Star for three years. During his senior year at Behrend, he was Athlete of the Year, Most Valuable Player of the soccer team, and his team advanced to the 2nd round of the NCAA playoffs.
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Dave Mazza
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Dave Mazza
David was a standout shooting guard who graduated from North East and went on to play Divison 1 Basketball at Duquesne University. David was a 4-year letter winner in Basketball, 3-year letter winner in Golf, and 2-year letter winner in Baseball at NEHS. In Basketball, David had 1350 career points at NEHS and also held the record for most 3 point field goals at 203. He was first-team all County his Junior and Senior year and was Erie County player of the year as a Senior. David scored 47 points vs Harborcreek and 42 points vs. Iroquois in one week. He was quoted in the Erie Times-News as “It felt like shooting a tennis ball through a hula hoop.” During his basketball career, David had the opportunity to guard LeBron James and held him to 22 points in an Ohio AAU tournament. He went on to play for two years at Duquesne University. He finished his college basketball career at the University of Indiana of PA as starting point guard as a senior. He was also selected as an Academic All-American his senior year.
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Melvin (Mel) Puscheck
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Melvin (Mel) Puscheck
Melvin (Mel) Puscheck was a member of the North East High School basketball teams in 1946 through 1948. In the 1947-1948 basketball season, Mel led both his team and the Erie County League in scoring. The North East squad posted a 10 and 2 record on their way to the Erie County League crown that year before losing to Cranberry in the District 10 semifinals. His true love was baseball; however since North East High School didn’t field a baseball team until the early 1970s, Mel played summer baseball on a team sponsored by the North East American Legion. Lake Shore Post 105. The team won the county title in 1949 and Mel was the league’s top pitcher and hitter. Shortly after graduation, he was drafted and signed by the Philadelphia Phillies but quickly decided to forgo professional baseball, choosing instead to attend Valparaiso University. Mel never cashed a Phillies' paycheck, thus retaining his college eligibility. As a freshman, he played football, basketball, and baseball, eventually concentrating on baseball. Mel went on to set a school record for home runs his senior year. After graduation, he began a long and successful career as a history teacher at North Tonawanda High School, a city just north of Buffalo, New York. Mel coached the JV baseball team for eleven seasons and the varsity for 14; they won a league title and reached the Section VI finals twice. In 1985, Mel started the school’s first bowling team and coached the balance of his teaching career and well into retirement, finishing his coaching career in 1999.
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Shawna Boyd Christopher
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Shawna Boyd Christopher
Shawna Boyd Christopher (1997) was a decorated four-sport athlete at North East High School. She participated and lettered in volleyball, basketball, softball, and track and field. She received many accolades during her years as a Lady Grapepicker both on the court and in the field. On the basketball court, she was First Team All-County in both 1996 and 1997 and was Erie County League Scoring Champ in 1997. During her high school basketball career, she became a member of the 1,000 point club, scoring over 1,000 points. On the volleyball court, she was named the 1996 NEHS Most Outstanding Volleyball Player, was First Team All-County, and received an Honorable Mention to the All-State Team. In Track and Field, she placed 2nd in District 10 in the long jump, earning a trip to the State Championships, and was named NEHS MVP of field events in 1997. During her time at NEHS, she set many records and continues to hold some today. In 1997, she was also named by Erie Daily Times High School Athlete of the Year. Shawna received a full athletic scholarship to attend Lock Haven University and played Division II Basketball as a Lady Eagle. During her time there, she was named Rookie of the Year and LHU Most Outstanding Player. She set and continues to hold records in both rebounding and blocked shots. She graduated from Lock Haven University in 2001. Shawna’s passion for sports has continued as an adult. She continues to play both volleyball and basketball in her free time and also enjoys helping and coaching young athletes both on the court and on the field.
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Steve Hair
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Steve Hair
Steve as a young boy enjoyed all sports but in 8th grade, while practicing football, he watched the cross-country runners training in the grass around the perimeter of the football field, with the lawn sprinklers on, cooling them, and realized his passion was for running. Steve quickly became one of the top runners in the County and District of his era. Between track and cross-country, he was a four-time Erie County Champ and a two-time District 10 Champion. His PIAA State Meet finishes were as a member of the first North East High School Cross-Country team State Champions, 2nd in the 1974 State Meet mile run, and as a member of the 3rd place 2-mile relay team in 1974. Steve also finished 9th place in the 1973 PIAA State Cross-country Meet. More than medals and top finishes in races, Steve loved the competition; the bigger the race and better the competition was the thrill of running for Steve. Steve was also very proud to represent the town of North East in his running and being part of the "Long Gold Line." The dedication learned as an athlete carried over into Steve's adult life. After his running career, Steve received trade training and started his own business, Bayport Heating & Cooling, and along with his wife Jo operated that for nearly 30 years. Steve also was a top-ranked racquetball player for several years and raced snowmobiles for about 10 years until common sense took control. Steve got into coaching track when his daughter Jessica was involved and continued coaching for several years after that; always proud of how North East kids carry on the excellent running tradition. Steve is also proud Jessica became a teacher and coach in her hometown of North East. The thrill of running is something Steve never forgets and the friendships formed and lessons learned about drive and dedication have lasted a lifetime.
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Tony Webb
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Tony Webb
Tony has excelled in 3 sports, tennis, golf, and pickleball, over the last 65 years of competing. He was a "late bloomer" in high school but is still going strong at the age of 75. In TENNIS in 1959 and 1960, he was singles tennis champion of North East, defeating Phil Hopkins in the finals. In 1959 and 1960 doubles tennis champion of North East with partner Jack Kocher. He was Captain and #1 player on the Harding University, a Division II college team in Searcy, Arkansas from 1963-65. He was also ranked the #3 Div II player in Ark. He had non-conference wins over the #1 players of Arkansas State and the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. (Tony had a timeout to serve in the Army in Viet Nam and won the Military Table Tennis title of Viet Nam in 1967.) Tony was the 35+ and 45+ Alaska State Tennis Champion 10 times between 1977 and 1992. Tony won the Anchorage Racquet Club "4 racquet tournament": tennis, table tennis, badminton, and racquetball in 1992. At the age of 53, Tony retired from competitive tennis, after losing 6-3, 6-3 to the Nation's #5 ranked 50+ player in the National Clay Court Championships in Sarasota, Fl. In GOLF, Tony was on the very 1st NEHS golf team in 1959 with Bruce Campbell, Terry Henderson, and Bob King. They came in 2nd in the 16 team men's league at Lakeview Country Club Tony won the Gold medal in the Florida Senior games in 2007 shooting a 4 over par 76. He won the Gold medal in the Ohio Senior games in the 70+ division, shooting a 4 over par 76 at Little Mountain Country Club, a score that was also the low score of the entire tournament of 72 players of all age groups. Tony has won the super senior division of the EDGA, Erie district golf association 2 of the past 4 years. His two titles were at Downing Golf course and Whispering Woods. He has won the North Hills golf course, Corry, Pa, club championship 4 times, once in all age groups and 3 times in the senior division 60+.  In PICKLEBALL, Tony took up Pickleball 6 years ago after retiring from tennis. He is currently ranked #3 in Florida in the 70+ age group, and last year he lost only to the #1 player of Philadelphia in the Pittsburgh Classic which was also the Pennsylvania State Pickleball championships. Tony is ranked #2 in 70+ in Pa. In April 2018 Tony lost to the US National champion, Kenji Nishioka, at the US Open in Naples, Fla. by the score of 11-8, 11-8.
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