Milton-Union High School will be holding its 16th Hall of Fame Banquet on Jan. 28 at 4 p.m. at the High School Cafe. The ceremonies were suspended the past two years due to COVID.
This year’s inductees are:
Kent Dues,
Class of 1973
Kent was an outstanding all-around athlete at Milton – a three-sport athlete who was elected to the All-Southwestern Buckeye League teams in all three of those sports.
He was a versatile player who easily moved from position to position and excelled wherever he ended up. Kent was a two-way player in football at Safety and End, a long-range shooting guard in basketball, and mainly an outfielder in baseball, but he could be called upon to play anywhere.
He spent 17 seasons as a varsity football assistant coach at Milton, and was the Miami Valley Football Coaches’ Association “Assistant Coach of the Year” in 2003.
Kent was an All-Ohio selection in Football in 1972, and was given Milton’s coveted “Ted Studebaker Award” which is annually given to the athlete who gets the very most out of his ability.
Andy White,
Class of 1987
Andy earned eight Varsity letters in cross country and track during his career at Milton-Union.
Andy is considered to be one of M-U’s all-time great middle distance and cross country athletes. He won the Southwestern Rivers Conference champion four times in the 1,600 meter run and during his senior year, added the 800 meter championship as well.
In addition, he was the 1987 SRC Cross Country champion and participated in the state cross country meet as well.
After high school, Andy ran for both Kent State and Eastern Kentucky universities as he completed his degree studies, and has been the cross country and track head coach at Vandalia-Butler High School for the past 28 years.
Maria Denardo,
Class of 1991
Maria earned 10 varsity letters during her Bulldog career in volleyball, basketball, and track.
As a volleyball middle hitter, Maria ended her career in the Milton’s Top 10 in kills and in the Top 5 in career blocks. She was twice elected to the All-Southwestern Buckeye League team and twice voted to the All-District team, as well as being the MVP of her 2002 team.
Maria was an All-SWBL performer in basketball, ending her career in the Top 25 in career scoring and the Top 10 in career rebounding.
She was a middle-distance runner in track, participating in the 400m and 800m races and relay teams that went to the regional track championships all four years of her high school career.
Maria participated at the collegiate level in both volleyball and track at Denison University after her graduation from Milton.
Kaci Finfrock Matthews,
Class of 2009
Kaci earned nine Varsity letters in four sports at Milton: tennis, soccer, basketball, and cross country.
A very versatile athlete, Kaci also excelled in all of her sports.
In tennis during her senior year, she was her team’s Co-MVP, an All-SWBL selection at second singles and a sectional runner-up in doubles in 2008.
She participated in the state cross country meet with her teams in 2006 and 2007.
However, it was the sport of basketball that made Kaci’s legacy secure.
She finished her career with more minutes played, more assists given, and more points scored than any female athlete in Milton-Union history. She still holds all three of those records. In addition, she was a four-time MVP of her team, a four-time All-SWBL player and the SWBL Player of the Year in 2009. And, to top it off, she holds the girls’ single game scoring record of 43 points vs. Eaton in 2008.
The public is welcome to attend the banquet. There is a charge for the meal service at the ceremony.
