The Peru Gazette

Story updated to include biographies 

The Peru Athletic Hall of Fame will have six new members on October 12^th. This year’s inductees are Matt Bezio, Elmer Duprey, Mike Hogan, John Neyenhouse, Steve St. Clair and Scott Woodward.

The Hall of Fame Banquet will be held on Saturday, October 12, 2013 at the Keeseville Elks Lodge. The social gathering begins at 6 PM, dinner served at 6:30 PM followed by the awards ceremony.  To make reservations contact Cathy Phillips by calling 572-1235 or emailing Cathy at sullyspinecones@yahoo.com by September 27, 2013

Matt graduated from Peru High School in 2003.  Matt participated in three sports at Peru Central School, football, basketball and baseball. In basketball Matt was a second team all-star in 2001-02 and 1^st team all-star in 2002-03.  Matt participated in baseball in 2000 and 2003.

Football was where Matt left his mark in Peru athletics.  Matt played football from 1999-2003.  In 2000 Matt was named Quarterfinal Offensive Player of the Game, North Country Super Bowl Most Valuable Player and Press Republican Honorable Mention Quarterback.

In 2001 Matt earned a number of accolades which were Press Republican Most Valuable Player/1^st team Quarterback, North Country Super Bowl Most Valuable Player of the Game, State Semi-Final Most Valuable Offensive Player of the Game, State Final Most Valuable Offensive Back of the Game, First team All-State Quarterback, NYS Player of the Year, and the Quarter back of the NYS Football State Champions.  Matt’s winning touchdown run against Harrison in the semi-finals is considered one of the greatest individual plays in North Country sports history.

In 2002 Matt was named to Press Republican Most Valuable Player/1^st team Quarterback, North Country Super Bowl Most Valuable Player of the Game, State Quarterfinals Offensive Player of the Game, and First Team All-State Quarterback.

NYS records that Matt has been a part of are Most Touchdown Passes/season at 31 touchdowns and top 50 in State All-Time passing yards in Career.  Total yards 5301, completion percentage equals to 313/498 for a .629%, Touchdowns = 70, interceptions = 15, rushing attempts 141 for 926 yards, Touchdowns 15 and yards per carry 6.5. Upon graduation Matt attended St. Lawrence University where he played football.  Matt presently resides in Florida where he teaches special education.

Elmer graduated from Peru Central School in 1958.  In his high school athletic career, he played 4 years of Varsity soccer and baseball, 3 years of Varsity track, 2 years of Junior Varsity basketball and 2 years of Varsity basketball.

In track, Elmer qualified for State Championships two years and held the school record in the 220 yard dash for several years. Under Coach Tony Papero, Elmer was a member of the soccer team that won 48 straight games.  He was also co-captain of the undefeated basketball team, coached by John Longware.

As an outstanding baseball player, Elmer batted .486 in 1957 and was 17 for 35 at bat.  As a freshman he began playing on the Peru Town Team in the Champlain Valley Baseball League.  He continued to be active in the CVBL as a player, coach, manager, financial team sponsor and Commissioner until 1986, in addition to playing baseball on the Peru Varsity High School team.

While operating the Rustic Inn in Peru from 1967 to 1980, Elmer was responsible for providing the opportunity for many Peru athletes to continue playing sports by sponsoring youth teams as well as a CVBL baseball team.

Elmer served the Town of Peru as Highway Superintendent for 22 years before his retirement.  He also served as a volunteer Peru Fire Department Commissioner for 20 years.

One of 14 children in the Duprey Family, Elmer is the oldest of the 7 Duprey boys all who are outstanding athletes.  When asked about Elmer’s nomination, two of the younger brothers commented: Jimmy called Elmer the best athlete in the family and Harry said ‘he certainly set the bar very high for the rest of the Duprey boys’.

Elmer has been married to Janet (Lacy) for 46 years. Their son John and his wife Michelle have a daughter Alyssa and a son Jeremy.  Their daughter Michelle and her husband Robbie Timmons have two daughters, Lacy and Allie.

Mike, a 1976 graduate of Peru High School, has had many accomplishments in the sport of wrestling. He was Peru’s first four-time sectional finalist, winning the title three times. Mike placed sixth at the state tournament in 1976 and was a member of Peru teams that won the CVAC four times and the sectional title two times.

After graduation, Mike went onto wrestle at Tabor Academy, where he won the New England Prep School Championships and was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. He then took second in the National Prep School Championships.  In 1978, Mike entered Hofstra University and while there, he became a three-time NCCA Division I qualifier and was also a three-time East Coast Conference Champion. He had the honor of being elected captain of the 1981 Hofstra wrestling team.

Mike became the Saranac High School wrestling coach in 1985 and coached there until 1998. During his 13 years at Saranac, he took a sport that was on the verge of being dropped and turned it into the number-one ranked team in New York State for small schools in 1994 and 1995.

Mike came to Peru in 1998 and began the wrestling season as co-head coach. Currently, he has coached 11 teams to sectional titles and has had 116 individual sectional champions as well as 40 state place winners. In addition, Mike has coached eight wrestlers to become NYS champions. This includes four-time state champion Arik Robinson who was also the 2012 NYS outstanding wrestler. Mike has also had the pleasure of coaching his son Patrick Hogan, a three-time state place winner at Peru, now wrestling Division 1 at Harvard University. Mike is vice president of J. Hogan Refrigeration & Mechanical Co. Inc. in Peru, and lives in Peru with his wife Julie, sons Patrick and Colin, and daughter Anna.

John graduated from Peru in 1963.  At Peru High School, John lettered in football, basketball, and baseball all four years.  He even tried wrestling and track in his freshman year, played in the marching band 3 years and was class president his freshman and senior years.  As a senior, he captained the baseball team, the basketball team and the football team, where he played quarterback, leading the 1962 Indians to a 7 and 1 record.

Upon graduation John attended Ithaca College on an athletic scholarship majoring in Physical Education.  John played football and baseball and was voted “Rookie of the Year” in 1965 for football.  John has the distinction of being a member of the only undefeated football team in the history of Ithaca College.

In 1968 John became the basketball coach and assistant football coach at Peru High School.  He went on to being selected five times as “Coach of the Year” in football and basketball.  His 1968-69 basketball team won the CVAC and Section VII championship.

In 1971 he had a seatbelt installed on the bleacher to help him minimize technical fouls.

John left Peru in 1982 and moved to Florida and became vice president of Tire Kingdom, Number 1625.  John ran in 8 marathons and in one race wore a suit and hat, which attracted attention of the Miami Herald.  Johns hope was to send a message to other MS victims as himself: “someone who has multiple sclerosis might see me and get inspired to do something and say ‘If he can do it, then I can do it’”.

John and his wife Mary are retired and live in the Villages, Florida, where he is still an avid golfer and still lives by the rule,  “The name of the game is a positive attitude. I will always remember the time I spent at Peru as the best years of my life.”

 Steve graduated from Peru High School in 1993.  While at Peru, he played 3 years of Varsity Football and Varsity Baseball, and 2 years of Varsity Basketball.  In 1990 and 1991, Steve was named to CVAC 1^st Team All-Stars for Football by both The Press Republican and WIRY.  In 1991 and 1992, he was named to the All CVAC Team for baseball.

Steve’s main accomplishments came in football and in 1992, his senior year; he received many awards recognizing his abilities.  He was a member of the CVAC Section 7 Class B and Regional Super Bowl Championship team (10-1) and was named Peru Indian MVP during this season.  Steve was named the CVAC Offensive Player of the Year by The Press Republican and 1^st Team CVAC All-Star as Tight End.  He was also named by WIRY as 1^st Team All-Star, MVP, and Defensive Back of the Year.  Steve received state-wide recognition by being named as a 1^st Team All-State member as Tight End.

In 1993, Steve was named to the All-CVAC Team for baseball, and was a member of the Section 7 Class B Title team.

Steve graduated from Cortland and works for the NYS Office of Children and Family Services.  Steve resides in Syracuse with his wife Kelley, and their two children.

Hall of Fame inductee Scott Woodward is a 1973 graduate of Peru Central, where he played football and baseball throughout his four year high school career, Scott was second team All CVAC in football in 1971 and batted .382 for his three years on the varsity baseball team.

Scott achieved his Hall of Fame credentials as Head Track and Cross Country coach from 1979-1995.  During this time period the Indians won 51 league and sectional championships under Scott’s leadership.  The most notable achievements of the Indians during this time period were 10 consecutive sectional championships in boy’s track from 1986-1995, and 8 consecutive sectional championships in girls cross country from 1987-1994.  In 1991 both the boy’s and girl’s cross country teams achieved the unprecedented distinction of state number one ranking in the same season, while that same girls team finished second in the New Your State Federation Championship, a feat that has yet to be matched by any team from Section VII in cross country or any other sport.  Scott has coached two individual State Champions along with two runners-up and numerous other medalists.

Scott retired as coach at Peru in 1995.  He then came out of retirement in 2003 to coach the EKMW track program, in which the girls’ team won 6 league and sectional titles from 2004-2006.  Scott retired from coaching a second time after the 2006 season.  Scott currently resides in Port Kent with his wife Sally, and actively supports all of Peru athletics, as he will always bleed Peru Blue.