Five former greats will be inducted as the Class of 2024 into the Mahanoy Area Athletic Hall of Fame at Friday night’s football game against Nativity at Coach Faz Field at Alumni Stadium.

The inductees include:

Steve Trautwein

Trautwein is best known in the community as Mahanoy Area basketball’s all-time leading scorer with 1,801 points.

Some lesser known sports facts about Trautwein:

*His basketball team won the Schuylkill League championship in his junior year of 1978-1979.

*He was also the track and field team’s all-time leading scorer.  His record 10.1-second 100-yard dash record is safe, as the sport moved to meters his senior year.

*He earned 13 varsity letters — four each in basketball and track, three in golf and two in cross country.

Trautwein excelled in the classroom as well, serving as class president for three years, National Honor Society president and editor-in-chief of the yearbook.

He graduated from Brown University in 1980 with dual degrees in Economics and Organizational Behavior & Management.  He went on to earn his SIFMA Certification from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

Trautwein has spent more than 35 years in the financial services industry.  During these years, he has had extensive experience as both a financial advisor and a mortgage advisor.  He now serves as the Director of Military Lending for the Washington, D.C., area’s most respected mortgage bank.

Trautwein and his wife Patti (Notre Dame Class of 1989) have lived in Northern Virginia since 2002. Each of their three sons — Jake, Max and Steven — are at least 6-foot-5 but pursued baseball instead of basketball.

Dr. Stephen John Debuski

Debuski’s Mahanoy Area High School athletic achievements include:

*Participated in football for four years — captain 1971;

*Lions Club Most Valuable Lineman — 1971;

*Pottsville Republican First-Team Middle Guard — unanimous choice;

*Evening Herald First-Team Offensive End — unanimous choice;

*All-Anthracite Offensive Tackle — Harrisburg Patriot 1970;

*Voted Most Valuable Senior Athlete — Class of 1972;

*Track and field team member for four years — low and high hurdles — qualified for districts in 1971-1972.

He is a 1972 graduate of Mahanoy Area High School and a 1976 graduate of Bloomsburg University with a degree in Biology and Secondary Education.

His Bloomsburg University sports achievements include:

*Participated in football for four years 1972-1975;

*Team captain in 1975;

*Received all-conference recognition and voted Most Valuable Offensive Player in 1975.

Upon graduation, he taught high school biology at Bishop Hafey (1976-1977); taught biology at Mahanoy Area (1977-1983); served as defensive coordinator for Mahanoy Area football under head coach Bill Fazio (1977-1982); 1983-1987 attended the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Dental Medicine, graduating with high honors; 1987-1990 completed a residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Temple University; 1990-2017 was in private practice as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon in Pottsville until retirement.

In 2018, he was the Mahanoy Area Outstanding Alumnus of the Year.

He has been married for 43 years to his wife, Marianne, who is a graduate of Mahanoy Area and a retired reading specialist. He has two daughters (Jaime Sheatler and Stephanie Friedman) and three grandsons (Jack, James and Harry).

Thomas J. Scheeler

Scheeler was Lady Bears basketball head coach for six years with an overall record of 132-34 and won one Schuylkill League championship, four District 11 titles, four Schuylkill League Division III titles, was a three-time Eastern finalist, a three-time Republican-Herald Coach of the Year and a four-time Standard-Speaker Coach of the Year.

He also was boys’ basketball assistant coach for more than 20 years. His JV coaching record is 322-65.

He was assistant football coach for 14 years as defensive coordinator and offensive line coach, coaching on teams that won three Eastern Conference championships.

He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame — Jerry Wolman Northern Anthracite Chapter — in 2021.

He and his wife, Susan, have a daughter (Meghan Karetsky wife of Mike), a son Thomas (wife Lauren), a daughter (Christina Cortese wife of husband Kyle) and four grandchildren (Trayce, Jameson, Kohan and Kinsley).

William “Buck” Jones

Jones is a legendary figure in the history of Mahanoy City sports.

He was a standout player for Mahanoy Township on the gridiron and on the court in the 1940s. He started his coaching career in 1955 as head football coach of the Mahanoy Township Purple Larks. He led his Purple Larks to an undefeated season in his rookie year, which is the last time a Mahanoy City team went truly undefeated and untied in a season. That also landed him head coach in the county all-star game that year.

In 1956, his Purple Larks won their 22nd straight game, which at the time, was the longest winning streak in the history of Schuylkill County high school football.

In 1958, his Larks defeated Cass Township. Going into their game with the Larks, Cass didn’t give up a single point in 15 straight games, which is still a state record. That was one of the biggest wins in the history of Mahanoy City football at the time. His record in four seasons was 24-9-1.

At Mahanoy Township he also served as head JV basketball coach under his best friend, the legendary Dave Linkchorst.

After the Mahanoy Area jointure in 1959, he became Mahanoy Area’s first-ever track and field coach as well as being head JV football coach and a varsity assistant coach to Joe Pilconis. In three years as head JV football coach, his teams went 18-2, including a county championship. He then served as head football coach in 1966, becoming the second-ever head football coach in school history.

He then accepted a promotion to Recreation Director, which is where he made his biggest impact. He gave the youth of Mahanoy City plenty of opportunities to participate in athletic activities. He instilled many programs, which included elementary wrestling, Rec basketball and volleyball leagues, elementary track meets, bike rodeos and the teen canteen at Lakewood Park during the summers.

During that time, he also served as head wrestling coach for three seasons and served as assistant athletic director. He was inducted into the PA Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. The William “Buck” Jones “For the Kids” award was named after him in 2009 by the Rhoades Foundation Track and Field Meet. He is in the Mahanoy Area wrestling Hall of Fame; the Mahanoy Area Junior High Wrestling Tournament is named in his honor and he was named Mahanoy Area outstanding alumnus at graduation in 2011.

In all, Jones dedicated his career to helping the youth of Mahanoy City, serving as head coach in four sports throughout his career as well as serving as Recreation Director and assistant athletic director.

Sam Quick

Quick, a 1983 graduate of Mahanoy Area High School, was a three-sport athlete, earning nine letters in football, wrestling and track and field.

His wrestling accomplishments included:

*Two-time Schuylkill League Wrestling Champion in 1982 and 1983;

*1983 District 11 wrestling silver medalist;

*1983 Southeast Regional silver medalist;

*1983 PIAA state fourth-place medalist.

Quick has been a coach at Mahanoy Area High School for 34 years and counting (1990-present in either football and/or wrestling and Mahanoy Area head football coach from 2003-2008).

He lives in Park Place with his wife, Tracey, daughter Maddison (King’s College) and sons Sammy (Misericordia University), Cael (Villanova University) and Kyler (Mahanoy Area).