Quabbin Athletic Hall of Fame: October 30th
09/01/2010
Quabbin to Induct Four Athletes, Two Coaches
In October 30 Athletic Hall of Fame Induction
By Mike Richard
The Quabbin Regional High School Athletic Hall of Fame has announced its fourth class of hall of famers to be inducted during Homecoming weekend this fall.
The banquet will be held on October 30 at the Hardwick Vineyard and Winery with four athletes and two coaches among the next group being honored.
Those selected to the next induction are as follows:
Dennis Davis ’74: the first athlete to start for the Quabbin varsity basketball team all four years, from freshman through senior year. He also became the first 1,000 point scorer in the history of the Quabbin basketball program (for a player who played his entire career at Quabbin). He was an unselfish team player who was usually the person other teams sought to stop. Just the same, he remained a consistent high-scorer throughout his career and also led the team each season in rebounding.
He was the leading scorer and top rebounder of the 1972-73 Wachusett League champion Panthers who compiled a 15-game winning streak enroute to the title. He led the team in rebounding with 220 and on Jan. 5, 1973 grabbed a school record 32 rebounds in leading Quabbin to a 51-41 win over league rival Oakmont. On Jan. 16, 1974 he scored a career-high 32 points and went over the 1,000 point plateau in a 70-62 win over Narragansett. He became the school’s second 1,000-point scorer (Paul Cilley had 1,000 points playing three years at Barre High School and one at Quabbin), but first to do it solely playing his career for Quabbin.
Tammy (Banks) Levesque ’88: a groundbreaking three-sport athlete, she became the first female player to start on the varsity boys’ soccer team. She played three years of varsity boys’ soccer, was an all-star on the Quabbin girls’ basketball team and a hard-hitting outfielder with the Panther softball team.
Jesse Morrison ’92: another of the outstanding wrestlers in Quabbin’s proud history, he was a two-time state champion and a four time sectional champion. He was named the outstanding wrestler of the 1992 Division 2 State Tournament and has also been inducted into the Massachusetts High School Wrestling Hall of Fame. After high school, he moved on to Western New England College where he became a Division 3 Collegiate All-American in 1999. He is also a member of the New England College Hall of Fame.
Tim Hay ’95: the all-time leading scorer in Quabbin basketball history, he scored 1,864 points in an outstanding career. He was a two-time Mid-Wach League All Star and captained the 1994-95 Quabbin team to the league championship and the District E Division 2 title with a 61–57 victory in the finals over Blackstone-Milville. From there, the Panthers advanced to the State Semifinals where they were defeated by Greenfield, 84-75.
Jim Beschta – Wrestling Coach: From 1971-77, he helped lay the foundation for the early success Quabbin would experience in the sport of wrestling, leading to its first dynasty. He developed young wrestlers into champions, created a wrestling club and introduced off-season clinics to encourage further interest in the sport. His six-year coaching career resulted in a record of 64-36-1.
Under his guidance the team won the first wrestling championship in Quabbin history – the 1973 Keene Invitational Champion. In addition, in 1976 the Panthers were Western Mass. Dual Meet tri-champions and placed second at the Western Mass. sectionals. The following year, Quabbin repeated as dual meet champion, captured the 1977 Western Mass. Sectional Championship and finished eighth in the state.
An outstanding educator, he was revered as a creative writing teacher and inspired hundreds of students in the art of poetry and writing. He published the poetry anthology “Cutting the Cemetery Lawn,” has edited state-wide poetry magazines for high school and hosted annual poetry conferences for high school poets. He retired from Quabbin as an English teacher, but continues to inspire and educate at lectures and poetry workshops.
Mike Staiti – Coach and Athletic Director: From the opening of the regional high school, he served the school’s athletic program in a wide variety of capacities. He served as varsity golf coach from 1968-83, was the boys’ varsity basketball coach in 1970-71 and 1980-82 and spent a decade as the school’s athletic director from 1971-81.
He was an outstanding athlete at the former Barre High School and later at Worcester State College where he fashioned a Hall of Fame career there as a baseball standout. Before coming to Quabbin he taught and coached at Barre High School. Aside from his varsity coaching stints at Quabbin, he also coached the junior high and freshman basketball teams.
Late in his tenure as athletic director, he was forced to take over the varsity basketball team halfway through the 1980-81 season and coached the team to a Clark Tournament and District appearance in the 1981-82 season. He later became an assistant principal at Quabbin, before leaving the district for an administrative position in East Brookfield. He is still a staunch supporter and friend to Quabbin sports.
Tickets for the banquet are $40 and limited to the first 100 people. Contact Athletic Director Ted Gumula at Quabbin (978) 355-4651 for tickets.
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