Twelve athletes and two contributors to the Mathews High School athletic program will be welcomed into the MHS Hall of Fame at the upcoming induction ceremony.

The program will be held next Friday, May 22, in the school’s Harry M. Ward Auditorium, starting at 6 p.m.

Athletes named to the Hall of Fame include: George “Bubbie” Forrest (Class of 1974—football, basketball, baseball and track), Terri Johnson (Class of 1980—1,000 points/1,000 rebounds in basketball), Bryan Taylor (Class of 1987—first state champion wrestler for MHS), John “Junie” Dixon (Class of 1987—second state champion wrestler for MHS), James Krigsvold (Class of 2001—football and wrestling/state champion), Nathaniel Abram (Class of 2007—track, state long jump champion), Jonathan Pierce (Class of 2007—wrestling state champion), Patrick Sopko (Class of 2010, cross country and soccer/all-state), James van Emmerik (Class of 2011, cross country and track/member of foursome that set school record in 4×800), Russell Reed (Class of 2011, cross country, wrestling, football and track), Kate van Emmerik Murray (Class of 2014, all-state cross country and all-state track in 1,600 meters) and Taylor Williams Ullom (Class of 2014, crew).

The two contributors, both members of the MHS Class of 1972, are Ricky Hudgins and William “Willie” Love. Both men were volunteer coaches in football, with Hudgins also helping out the MHS softball program.

In 2019, 33 members of the inaugural Hall of Fame class were inducted. After a two-year delay due to Covid, another 25 were added in 2022, 14 more in 2023 and 18 last year. With the 14 this year, the Hall of Fame will grow to 114 members.