West Orange Athletic Hall of Fame unveils 2019 induction class

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2019 has been announced.

This year’s honorees include:

David Levine – 1988 graduate

Toby Byrd – 1990

Kyle Perdelwitz – 2004

Louis Antenor – 2005

Jeffrey Mazurek – 2005

Jacob Simon – 2006

WOHS wrestling team 2007

Lou Mignone – Lefty Boland Award

Joseph Picataggio – Coach

The induction ceremony will take place Thursday, Nov. 14, at Ridgefield Regency, located at 420 Bloomfield Ave. in Verona. Cocktail hour is 6 p.m. Dinner is 7 p.m. with cash bar throughout the night.

The cost is $60 per person. 

For reservations: go to https://forms.gle/g7Qdymha6qw7wgt48 to digitally RSVP. For payment options, send a check to Jackie Cruz, 51 Conforti Ave., West Orange, NJ 07052 or e-payment to Venmo @WOHOF2019 with your name, contact number and number of tickets.

The following are the bios of the inductees:

DAVID LEVINE

A tremendous football player at WOHS, Levine earned first team all-Essex County, first team all-Northern Hills Conference and first team all-Oranges honors as a defensive end. He helped lead the team to a Northern Hills Conference championship and to WO’s first-ever playoff appearance. Levine was a varsity discus thrower for the track team (1987-1988) as well as a member of the baseball team (1985-1986). Upon graduation, he attended Lafayette College on a football scholarship, where he was a two-year starter at center. Levine was named team captain his senior year and received All-Patriot League Honors. He graduated with a BA in Economics and Business. Levine is a 25-year veteran commodities broker and trader, focusing in the energy sector. Levine has been married to his wife Allison since 2003 and they have two daughters: Rachel, 14, and Sasha, 12.

TOBY BYRD, 1990

A gifted athlete who excelled at many sports, Byrd was an All-State football player in 1989. Byrd represented West Orange in the 1990 North-South All-Star football game. Byrd was also all-conference and all-county in track, and ranked second in the state in powerlifting (1989-1990). He went on to play football at the University of New Haven (1991-1995) where he was a member of two NCAA Division II playoff teams and named team captain in 1994. After college he was also a high school and Pop Warner football coach for many seasons. When reflecting upon his many achievements, he explained, “I have taken everything that I learned from my West Orange teachers, coaches and teammates and passed it on to hundreds of others during my tenure, 25 years, as a football coach and softball coach.” 

KYLE PERDELWITZ

An exceptional athlete who earned many accolades while as a member of the WOHS varsity soccer team, including Regional All-American, first team all-state, first team all-groups, first team all-conference, first team all-county, first team all-area, and Men of Essex Male Athlete of the Year. He set records with 15 shutouts in a season and 37 career shutouts. He captained his senior season; lead the  boys soccer program to its first county and state sectional titles. Perdelwitz attended LaSalle University (2004-2005) on a full soccer scholarship; where he earned Philadelphia Soccer Seven Rookie of Week on numerous occasions and Rutgers-Newark (2008) where he was named Men’s soccer NJAC Second Team and First Team ECAC. He and his wife, Bianca, have two children with a third on the way.

LOUIS ANTENOR

An outstanding track and field athlete who was a member of the boys indoor track and field team (2003-2005) and boys outdoor track and field team (2004-2005), Antenor won several individual and relay championships in the conference and county level for the 100-meters, 200m, 400m, 4x100m, 4x200m and 4x400m, and competed in the Meet of Champions in the 200m and 400m. His athletic excellence enabled him to set various records including a top-100 400m indoor performance in the United States (2005) as well as setting school records in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m. A team captain who was named Male Senior Athlete of the Year (2005), he attended Saint Peter’s College on academic and athletic scholarship and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (2009).  He was a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) champion for the 60m,100m, 200m, 400m and 4x400m, and set the still-unbroken 200m school record in 2009. A Penn Relays champion, he was a team captain and named Male Collegiate Athlete of the Year (2009). Antenor became an assistant coach for the St. Peter’s College men’s and women’s track and field team, and helped attain the collegiate women’s team’s first-ever MAAC championship that became back-to-back champions for 2010-2011. He attended Southern New Hampshire University and conferred his master’s of science in information technology (2018). He is currently a tech support analyst for Heavy Construction Systems Specialists and living in San Diego with his wife Laarni, and sons, Lorenzo and Leandro. 

JEFFREY MAZUREK

An inspiring athlete who excelled on the mat, Mazurek was a member of the West Orange High School varsity wrestling team (2001-2005). His drive and determination led him to become a two-time wrestling captain while receiving numerous accolades, including first team all-conference, first team all-area, first team all-Essex County and Essex County champion. He attended King’s College (2005-2008) and was a member of the wrestling team for three years. Graduated cum laude from Montclair State University (2009-2012) with a degree in secondary education (Physical Education and Health), he has been a physical education and health teacher at West Orange High School since 2012 and coaches various sports. He has been an assistant wrestling coach at WOHS since 2010, as well as the head girls and boys tennis coach at WOHS since 2015. He was named the WOHS Assistant Coach of the Year in 2012.   

JACOB SIMON

Simon was a talented member of the West Orange High School varsity hockey team from 2002 to 2006. During his freshman season, he was second team all-conference and ninth in the state in points. In his sophomore year, he won the state scoring title (30 goals; 54 assists) and led his team to a conference championship. In his senior year, he was first team all-conference. Simon scored more than 100 goals in his career. He graduated from New York University in 2010 with a B.A. in history, and received his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2015. He is currently an attorney at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP in St. Louis  where he lives with his wife, Hannah Green.

WOHS WRESTLING TEAM, 2007

After finishing with a record of 20-4, the 2007 West Orange High School wrestling team earned its place as one of the best in school history. With extraordinary athletic talent, these wrestlers were also gifted with great personalities and tremendous moral character. That 2007 season was a pioneering year for the team with distinctions and honors earned for the first time since the inception of the program in 1962. Besting the entire county, the team claimed its first major team title by winning the Essex County championship by an impressive 44 points. Furthering its success, the team won its first Northern Hills Conference championship before capturing the district championship. Holding records for the most wins in a season (20) and individual district champions (five) and earning three major championships, 2007 will always be remembered as a year that blazed a path of unparalleled success for the WOHS wrestling program.

LOU MIGNONE, Lefty Boland Award

A 1986 WOHS graduate who received a bachelor of science in Administration of Justice from Thomas Edison State College and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Excelsior College, Mignone has worked in the West Orange youth soccer coaching community since 1987.  Mignone also took over the WOHS girls soccer team for five years, leading the Lady Mountaineers to their first divisional championship in school history. He also currently serves as Coaching Director for the New Jersey Olympic Development Program, the Director of Coaching and Player Development for the West Orange United FC and Mountain Top League Soccer, as a Coach Educator for Urban Soccer Initiative – United Soccer Coaches Coach Education Presenter for past annual national conventions in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, featuring club and player development, TOPSoccer and development of programs for children with special needs and the upcoming 2020 convention in Baltimore featuring a field session for the Urban Soccer Initiative. He holds several soccer licenses: Soccer Coaching Education, National “A” License; United States Soccer Federation, National Youth License; United States Soccer Federation, Premier Diploma; National Soccer Coaches Association of America, Director of Coaching Diploma; and National Soccer Coaches Association of America. He is a retired detective with the West Orange police department after 25 years of service.  He is married to Patty Mignone, a TOPSoccer volunteer coach, father of two sons, Louie III and Joe Mignone – soccer players and TOPSoccer volunteer coaches, and son of the late Lou and Judy Mignone of West Orange.

JOSEPH PICATAGGIO, Coach

Picataggio was the WOHS head track and field coach (2001-2017) whose boys and girls teams experienced tremendous success, including seven Essex County individual championships, seven Essex County Relay championships, 69 Essex County individual champions, 96 Essex  County Relay championship teams, 68 sectional individual champions, six sectional championships,12 Group 4 state individual champions, two champions and 47 medalists at the Meet of Champions, six individual All-Americans and four All-American relay teams. He also has received numerous individual accolades: four-time Essex County Coach of the Year (voted by coaches), three-time Essex County Coach of the Year (voted by the Star-Ledger) and four-time time conference Coach of the Year (voted by coaches). When reflecting upon his coaching career, he stated, “My coaching staff and I were most concerned with the academic achievements and the emotional growth of our athletes into responsible young men and women. I am very proud that more than 99 percent of my athletes went on to further their education. Today several of them are doctors, lawyers. educators, entrepreneurs, military personal, law enforcers and moms and dads. I can only hope I had a small part in them becoming role models in their communities.”

Picataggio retired in 2017 and currently is still involved with runners as an official. He has been married to his wife, Gail, for more than 50 years and is enjoying his daughters and two grandchildren.