The Newark High School Athletic Hall of Fame inducted five new members recently. This year’s inductees include Clayton Brooks, Tasha Davies Lorentz, Cary Mitchell, Jim Tims and Bill Kashner.
Here is a video of the presentation:
Clayton Brooks is a 1991 graduate who earned three varsity letters in baseball, and who received recognition on the BCC, All Central District and All Ohio teams, and was named the BCC Player of the Year during his senior year. That year, Brooks had a 12-3 record and a 1.89 ERA in leading the Wildcats to the state semi-finals. He holds single-season records with 99 strikeouts and 42 RBI. Brooks attended and played baseball at Mount Vernon Nazarene University, and has been employed by Covestro in Hebron for 20 years. He lives in Granville with his wife, Julie, and their two children.
Tasha Davies Lorentz is a 1990 graduate who lettered for three years in basketball, and two years each in softball in track. In volleyball, she was named to all-league teams three times and was named the conference Player of the Year her last year. In track. Lorentz was a district finalist as a member of relay times and a hurdler her freshman and sophomore years. As a softball player, Lorentz was All-League and All-District first team selection her junior and senior years, and an All-Ohio Honorable mention her senior year. Lorentz played softball at Kent State University, where she was named All-MAC Academic and NSFCA Academic All-American. Lorentz id in her 22nd year as an intervention specialist at Dover City Schools, where she has also coached volleyball and softball before retiring to cheer on her children.
Cary Mitchell is a 1968 graduate who was co-captain of the football and basketball teams. He was a recipient of the Lloyd Millisor Memorial Athletic Trophy as Newark’s “Best Graduating Senior Athlete.” He was All-Central Ohio League in 1967 and 1968 for football. In 1968, he was also all-state Honorable Mention, and all COL 2nd team and all Central District 2nd team in basketball. Mitchell attended DeAnza Junior College and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he lettered in both basketball and football. Mitchell earned a master’s degree in education while attending UNLV, and coached high school basketball for 25 years in Las Vegas, and high school football for more than 30 years. He was inducted into the Southern Nevada 4A Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 2002.
Jim Tims is a 1963 NHS graduate who received seven letters in four different sports in high school, and played football and baseball at Bowling Green State University. Tims was the recipient of the Lloyd G. Millisor Memorial Trophy for outstanding Scholar Athlete of the Class of 1963, and he was selected as first-team All-COL in his junior and senior years as an outside linebacker. He was commissioned into the Air Force where he flew for 20 years and retired as a Lt. Colonel and Commander of an F15 Fighter Squadron. While flying the 01 Bird Dog as a Forward Air Controller in Vietnam, he was awarded the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry and the coveted Distinguished Flying Cross. Jim’s next career was with FedEx, where he flew for 20 years and retired as an Airbus Captain. He continues to serve his community by hosting a yearly veteran’s project, “Healing Waters,” and volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.
Bill Kashner was a graduate of Utica High School but quickly became a loyal Wildcat fan. Being a fan wasn’t good enough, so Kashner decided to volunteer his time helping with the basketball team. Bill served as the scorekeeper for the basketball team and the treasurer for the Newark Rebounder’s Club for more than 20 years. Kashner also spent many years as a high school football official and college official. Bill was the Licking County Treasurer and passed away in 2005.