1975 NANUET HIGH SCHOOL BOYS’ SPRING TRACK TEAM
Coaches: Dave Hanson, Ed Denton, Rich King, Gerry Stopyra
The 1970s were a golden decade for the Golden Knights’ track teams, and Coach Dave Hanson’s runners, jumpers and throwers were at the peak of their dominance in the mid-’70s. Although Nanuet was a Class B school whose enrollment was dwarfed by most other schools in the county, Hanson built a program that was second to none in numbers, depth and talent.
The 1975 team was more than 70 members strong, and the sight of the big Nanuet track contingent piling off the team bus — clad in their golden yellow fleece warmup suits — must have been intimidating to their rivals of the era. Of course, the team was not only big — it had oodles of talent.
Hanson cited the fact that he could cover each track and field event with at least two quality athletes, a true measure of the squad’s balance.
The ’75 team was primed for a memorable season after superb winter track and cross-country campaigns. With many of the same athletes, the indoor track team swept Rockland County and Section 9 Class B titles en route to a No. 2 ranking in New York State for the winter season. The cross-country team -– which formed the nucleus of Nanuet’s outstanding middle-distance and distance running corps -– won the inaugural New York State Federation crown and ranked No. 3 statewide in the fall.
The spring track team carried that momentum forward, capturing the Rockland County and Section 9 Class B championships and earning a statewide ranking of No. 5. Based on their sustained three-season excellence, the Golden Knights were awarded the No. 1 collective ranking in New York State for the 1974-75 school year, encompassing schools of all enrollment classes.
The accolades continued to pour in years later, too. In 1985, The Journal-News polled its readers on the top five scholastic athletic teams in Rockland for the period from 1960 to 1985. When the final results were tallied, two basketball teams, one football team, one cross-country team, and one track team received the most votes for the “Fab Five.”
Guess which track team won the distinction? The ’75 Nanuet spring track crew, the team that steamrolled through all 10 of its dual-meet opponents, winning by an average margin of 54 points. The team that racked up 113 points in the Section 9 Class B meet to 60 for the runner-up, Washingtonville. The Knights won 12 individual events that day as well as one relay, and scored in all 17 events, displaying their trademark depth and well-rounded balance.
Everywhere you looked, Nanuet had quality. Nowhere was the team’s depth more apparent than in the middle distance and distance ranks. What other team could boast seven half-milers who could break 2 minutes? The same runners who brought Nanuet success on the cross-country trails also formed a vaunted unit on the track oval, performers like John McNulty, Bret Watzka, Jim O’Rourke, Mark Forlow, Ken Johns, Ralph Magnetti and Bill Weidemann. McNulty, Watzka, O’Rourke and Forlow won the 4-mile relay at the Nanuet Relays that year in 17:50.1, which ranks No. 2 on the all-time Rockland County list in that event.
The hurdles were another Nanuet strength, led by Don Berich, Larry Finucane and Brian Scully. Berich was the Most Valuable Performer of the Rockland County championships on the basis of his victories in the 120-yard high hurdles in 14.1 seconds, then a County record, and the 220-yard dash in 22.8. Berich went on to finish second in the New York State championships in the hurdles. (He had previously won the hurdles at the state indoor meet in the winter.)
Berich and Paul Dertinger spearheaded the Nanuet sprints unit, augmented by the versatile Scully and Marc Cote, and up-and-comers Randy MacRobbie and Bobby Weiser. And if the Knights’ opponents were looking for any relief off the track -– forget about it.
Hanson and assistant coaches Ed Denton and Rich King were able to field a formidable array of jumpers and throwers. Paul Coopersmith, Scully, Cote and soph Brian Klock piled up points in the long jump and triple jump, while Coopersmith and Scully capably handled the pole-vaulting duties. Rick Carey, who three years later would set a still-standing County high-jump record of 7 feet, ¼ inch, was already scoring varsity points as a freshman in the high jump, complemented by jack-of-all-trades Scully.
The shot put and discus were the domain of Tony Harlin, backed by a solid supporting cast headed by Jim Rice and Gary Argow. Harlin was the Rockland and Section 9 champ in both events, the County record- holder in the shot at 58-1¾, and a second-place finisher in that event at the New York State championships. Like Berich, he had also won an indoor State crown, in the shot.
At the Section 9 meet, the following athletes won their events: Berich, 120-yard high hurdles (Class B record 14.2) and 330-yard intermediate hurdles (County and Class B record 39.4); Harlin, shot put (County record 58-1 ¾) and discus; Paul Dertinger, 220-yard dash, 22.9; Mark Forlow, 440, 52.1; Ken Johns, 880, 2:01.2; Bret Watzka, mile, 4:22.8, and two-mile, 9:43.5; Paul Coopersmith, triple jump, 44-11 and pole vault, 12-0; Brian Scully, long jump, 21-7 ¼. The mile relay team of Forlow, Johns, Ralph Magnetti and Bill Weidemann also triumphed.
Five individuals from that memorable team –- Hanson, Harlin, Berich, Watzka and Carey –- have each earned induction into the Rockland County Track & Field Hall of Fame.
Nanuet was in the midst of a string of team success that included Rockland County meet crowns in 1973, 1975, 1976 and 1978, in addition to Rockland PSAL dual-meet titles in 1965, 1968, 1969 and 1970. (The County meet did not become an officially scored meet until 1972). Hanson also guided the Golden Knights to eight Section 9 Class B banners (1969 through 1975 and 1978).
The 1975 Nanuet spring track team was inducted into the Nanuet High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
The 1975 team was more than 70 members strong, and the sight of the big Nanuet track contingent piling off the team bus — clad in their golden yellow fleece warmup suits — must have been intimidating to their rivals of the era. Of course, the team was not only big — it had oodles of talent.
Hanson cited the fact that he could cover each track and field event with at least two quality athletes, a true measure of the squad’s balance.
The ’75 team was primed for a memorable season after superb winter track and cross-country campaigns. With many of the same athletes, the indoor track team swept Rockland County and Section 9 Class B titles en route to a No. 2 ranking in New York State for the winter season. The cross-country team -– which formed the nucleus of Nanuet’s outstanding middle-distance and distance running corps -– won the inaugural New York State Federation crown and ranked No. 3 statewide in the fall.
The spring track team carried that momentum forward, capturing the Rockland County and Section 9 Class B championships and earning a statewide ranking of No. 5. Based on their sustained three-season excellence, the Golden Knights were awarded the No. 1 collective ranking in New York State for the 1974-75 school year, encompassing schools of all enrollment classes.
The accolades continued to pour in years later, too. In 1985, The Journal-News polled its readers on the top five scholastic athletic teams in Rockland for the period from 1960 to 1985. When the final results were tallied, two basketball teams, one football team, one cross-country team, and one track team received the most votes for the “Fab Five.”
Guess which track team won the distinction? The ’75 Nanuet spring track crew, the team that steamrolled through all 10 of its dual-meet opponents, winning by an average margin of 54 points. The team that racked up 113 points in the Section 9 Class B meet to 60 for the runner-up, Washingtonville. The Knights won 12 individual events that day as well as one relay, and scored in all 17 events, displaying their trademark depth and well-rounded balance.
Everywhere you looked, Nanuet had quality. Nowhere was the team’s depth more apparent than in the middle distance and distance ranks. What other team could boast seven half-milers who could break 2 minutes? The same runners who brought Nanuet success on the cross-country trails also formed a vaunted unit on the track oval, performers like John McNulty, Bret Watzka, Jim O’Rourke, Mark Forlow, Ken Johns, Ralph Magnetti and Bill Weidemann. McNulty, Watzka, O’Rourke and Forlow won the 4-mile relay at the Nanuet Relays that year in 17:50.1, which ranks No. 2 on the all-time Rockland County list in that event.
The hurdles were another Nanuet strength, led by Don Berich, Larry Finucane and Brian Scully. Berich was the Most Valuable Performer of the Rockland County championships on the basis of his victories in the 120-yard high hurdles in 14.1 seconds, then a County record, and the 220-yard dash in 22.8. Berich went on to finish second in the New York State championships in the hurdles. (He had previously won the hurdles at the state indoor meet in the winter.)
Berich and Paul Dertinger spearheaded the Nanuet sprints unit, augmented by the versatile Scully and Marc Cote, and up-and-comers Randy MacRobbie and Bobby Weiser. And if the Knights’ opponents were looking for any relief off the track -– forget about it.
Hanson and assistant coaches Ed Denton and Rich King were able to field a formidable array of jumpers and throwers. Paul Coopersmith, Scully, Cote and soph Brian Klock piled up points in the long jump and triple jump, while Coopersmith and Scully capably handled the pole-vaulting duties. Rick Carey, who three years later would set a still-standing County high-jump record of 7 feet, ¼ inch, was already scoring varsity points as a freshman in the high jump, complemented by jack-of-all-trades Scully.
The shot put and discus were the domain of Tony Harlin, backed by a solid supporting cast headed by Jim Rice and Gary Argow. Harlin was the Rockland and Section 9 champ in both events, the County record- holder in the shot at 58-1¾, and a second-place finisher in that event at the New York State championships. Like Berich, he had also won an indoor State crown, in the shot.
At the Section 9 meet, the following athletes won their events: Berich, 120-yard high hurdles (Class B record 14.2) and 330-yard intermediate hurdles (County and Class B record 39.4); Harlin, shot put (County record 58-1 ¾) and discus; Paul Dertinger, 220-yard dash, 22.9; Mark Forlow, 440, 52.1; Ken Johns, 880, 2:01.2; Bret Watzka, mile, 4:22.8, and two-mile, 9:43.5; Paul Coopersmith, triple jump, 44-11 and pole vault, 12-0; Brian Scully, long jump, 21-7 ¼. The mile relay team of Forlow, Johns, Ralph Magnetti and Bill Weidemann also triumphed.
Five individuals from that memorable team –- Hanson, Harlin, Berich, Watzka and Carey –- have each earned induction into the Rockland County Track & Field Hall of Fame.
Nanuet was in the midst of a string of team success that included Rockland County meet crowns in 1973, 1975, 1976 and 1978, in addition to Rockland PSAL dual-meet titles in 1965, 1968, 1969 and 1970. (The County meet did not become an officially scored meet until 1972). Hanson also guided the Golden Knights to eight Section 9 Class B banners (1969 through 1975 and 1978).
The 1975 Nanuet spring track team was inducted into the Nanuet High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
