District 4 Hall of Fame

Seven new members of the District 4 Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame will inducted during ceremonies at the Class AA and AAA tournaments this weekend.

     Jerry Derr of Milton, Jeremy Route of Canton, Brett and Brian Stamm of Danville, and Doug Rhoades of Athens will be inducted before the finals of the AA tournament in Williamsport on Saturday while Shikellamy's Nate Carter and David Persing will be inducted at the AAA tournament at Selinsgrove on Friday night.

     Derr was a cornerstone for the powerful Milton teams from 1976 to 1978. He won two sectional championships, earned two District 4  crowns, and was twice a PIAA runner-up. Derr placed second at 98 pounds at the AA tournament in 1976 and second at 119 at the AAA  tournament in 1978.
     Derr has been the assistant coach at Milton for the past 25 years, helping guide the Black Panthers to eight league championships, four AAA District Duals titles, five Distict individual team titles and two team sectional crowns. He has been recognized as the Distict 4 AAA Assistant Coach of the Year five times and PIAA State AAA Assistant Coach of the Year twice.

     Route wrestled for Canton from 1988 to 1991. He won two sectional titles, placed in the District 4 tournament three times, and was a Northeast regional champion.  Route won a PIAA championship at 152 pounds in 1991 and produced a career record of 101-23-2.

     Brett Stamm wrestled for Danville  from 1975 to 1978  and was a District 4 champion. He qualified for the PIAA State meet twice  and had a career record of 44-8.
     Stamm excelled during his college career at Wheaton College where he was a four-time NCAA Division III All American, placing fourth twice and winning two national championships. He was inducted into the NCAA Division III Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Wheaton College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992.

     Brian Stamm wrestled for Danville from 1979 to 1982 where he was a three-time sectional champion, a District 4 champion, and a Northeast regional titlist. At  the PIAA tournament he placed second as a junior and won the 155-pound crown in 1982  helping  his team to the PIAA state title that year. He also attended Wheaton College where he was a NCAA Division III All American.

      Doug Rhoades wrestled for Athens  from 1972 to 1975 and was a three-time sectional champion, a two-time District 4 champion, and a two-time placewinner at the Northeast regional tournament. At the PIAA tournament, Rhoades placed fifth as a junior and won a state championship at 126 pounds in 1975, the first state title for the North section. He had a career record of 85-12-1.

       Dave Persing wrestled for Shikellamy from 1988 to 1991. He was a District 4 champion and a two-time Northeast regional placewinner. At the PIAA State Tournament Persing placed sixth as a junior and helped his team finish second in the state. As a senior he won the championship at 140 pounds and helped the Braves capture the team title.

      Nate Carter wrestled for Shikellamy from 1979 to 1982. He won the Top Hat tournament twice and was named the Outstanding Wrestler both times. Carter was a two-time District 4 champion, a two-time Northeast regional champion, and won a state championship at 145 pounds in 1982. He finished his high school career with a 92-28-2 mark.
     Carter continued his wrestling career at Clarion University where he won a PSAC championship, was a two-time West Virginia Open champion, a Wilkes Open champion and was selected the Eastern Wrestling League Freshman of the Year.
     Carter's coaching career includes coaching the Illinois Freestyle/Greco-Roman teams, head coach at Grayslake and Lake Zurich High Schools, several club teams and is currently coaching the BBWC Kids Wrestling program in Illinois.