With the start of the 2018-2019 school year, Centreville High School has many things to look forward including hopes for a football state championship and the 30th Anniversary of the school opening its doors to students in the fall of 1988.  On Friday, October 21st, Centreville had its inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony during halftime at the 3rd home game of the football season. There were 12 members to be inducted, of which 10 were present. One inductee came from as far as Seattle, WA. The ceremony was marked by the installation of a brand new 60″ touchscreen monitor installed right next to the gymnasium which will continue to show daily the life of these members in high definition.

The school had been accepting nominations since last year for the first class of inductees. The members chosen were truly the best Centreville has offered the sports world: one NFL player, one Olympian, one professional Basketball player and numerous State Champions in their respective sports, with 19 combined state titles.

The first inductee, Claire Laubach, was a tri-sport athlete at Centreville, competing in field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse, winning the state championship in field hockey in 2000 and 2001. She later played field hockey for Team USA in the 2012 Olympic Games.

The second inductee, William E. Trussell Jr., was not an athlete, but the principal of Centreville from its inaugural year to 1994. He set up everything that is associated with the current school environment, such as the school’s Wildcat mascot to the school colors. He even continues to meet and greet each new principal of CVHS for the past 25 years.

The 3rd and 4th inductees were sisters Laura and Kristen James, tennis players who dominated high school tennis in the late 90’s. Together they won the 1999 State Doubles Championship as well as the 1998 and 1999 Team State Championships. Kristen also won the State Singles Championship in 2002. They both went onto play tennis for UVA.

The 5th inductee was Rickey Harris who set the state record for the 55 hurdles, 60 hurdles, and 110 hurdles. He also placed first in the country in the 400 hurdles, the 400 and the 110 hurdles. He went on to run track at the University of Florida, where he once again placed 1st in the 400 hurdles nationally, making him one of two athletes to win the 400 hurdles in both high school and college.

The 6th inductee, Shannon Karl, lettered 4 years in both Field Hockey and Lacrosse, where she was part of Centreville’s 2-time State Championship Lacrosse Team. She later played for the College of William & Mary. Shannon Karl ranked number 4 while at William & Mary and led the team to its 2nd NCAA Tournament.

The 7th inductee, Will Montgomery, is arguably the most famous of the entire inaugural class because of his game-winning tackle in the 2000 State Championship which gave CVHS its first football state title.  He spent 11 years as a right-end and center in the NFL, playing for (in order): the Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos and the Chicago Bears (which he retired from in 2016). While at CVHS, Will Montgomery, lettered in baseball, basketball, and football. He was also the commencement speaker for the 2013 CVHS class.

The 8th inductee, Laura Heiner, was the greatest cross country runner CVHS ever had, winning 8 state championships and 5 cross country and track and field state championships at Centreville. She even had the lowest mile-time in the United States for females at 4:48 in 1998. She went on to BYU and was named All-American, 7 times. She also represented the United States at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

The 9th inductee, Jeremy Ferry, was the greatest wrestler in the history of Centreville High School and the state of Virginia. He won the state championships in wrestling during the years of 1993, 1994 and 1995. He only lost 3 matches across the course of his high school wrestling career with 156 wins (the 3 losses were exclusive to his Freshman year). Jeremy Ferry was the Washington Post’s “All Met” in ‘93 and ‘94 in addition to the title of “Wrestler of the Year” in 1995.

The final inductee present was Tye Hall, a star basketball player who holds the CVHS records for most points in a game, rebounds in a game, blocked shots in a game, most steals in a game as well as most points, rebounds, and blocked shots in a career. Tye Hall was named first “All-Met” by the Washington Post and twice the “Nike All-American First Team.” She went onto play for Duke University, where she was team captain her senior year and later played professionally in France. Tye Hall later received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from University of Maryland.

With this first class finally inaugurated into the Centreville High School Athletic Hall of Fame, CVHS looks forward to inducting new members every year. The introduction of these new members did not go without pomp and circumstance as they were inducted during halftime of the Centreville  versus South Lakes game. The entire student section cheered on for these former students as if they had known them to be one of their own as the whole school came together for these former students.