BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
JEFF GRANIT staff Joe Aragona (l), Jim Agnello and Mike Cerminaro were three former Howell High School athletes inducted into the Hall of Fame Friday night.
One of Mike Cerminaro’s first memories of Howell High School was the Hall of Fame plaques on the hallway outside the gymnasium.
"The first thing I saw were the plaques," he recalled.
Cerminaro looked up, and saw the names and accomplishments of such former Howell greats as Denny Walling, Herman Hill, Bill Hill and Ken Cavazonni.
Friday night, Cerminaro was back at his alma mater, joining those greats as one of the newest members of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
"It’s an honor," he said
Howell High School honored six of its greatest athletes Friday night at a pre-game ceremony before the school’s Homecoming game against Toms River South. Prior to the ceremonies on the athletic field, the newest members of the Hall of Fame met in the Media Center with family and their high school coaches, to get reacquainted and relive past glories.
"This means we’re getting old," Cerminaro said to fellow inductee Joe Aragona.
The newest members of the Howell Hall of Fame are Joe Aragona, Jim Agnello and Larry Cornelius, all from the Class of 1994, along with Dawn Campbell (Class of 1997), Mike Cerminaro (Class of 1997) and Doug O’Neill (Class of 1996). This is the 10th class of inductees.
Cerminaro was one of Howell’s greatest all-around athletes, starring in football, basketball and baseball. On the gridiron, he quarterbacked Howell to back-to-back, seven-win seasons, and a trip to the state playoffs in 1996.
Wide receiver/defensive back O’Neill was one of Cerminaro’s favorite targets as the Rebels enjoyed back-to-back top 10 rankings in the Shore.
In baseball, Cerminaro was a career .406 hitter for the Rebels and set the school record for career hits (98).
Cerminaro went on to play both football and baseball at Wagner University. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs, and played in their organization from 2001-03.
O’Neill, who was a receiver/defensive back star at Howell, went on to play football for the University of Pennsylvania, helping the Quakers win Ivy League championships. He was captain his senior year.
Campbell was the finest gymnast Howell or the Freehold Regional District ever produced. She is the only area gymnast to win the NJSIAA all-around championship. She piled up Shore Conference and Central Jersey titles as well, and helped Howell win a Shore Conference A North Division title. Campbell went on to star at Rutgers University, setting Scarlet Knight team records, including a perfect 10.0 on the uneven bars.
Cornelius graduated as one of the great track and field champions in school history. He was the Group IV state champion in the discus, and capped his career by winning the NJSIAA Meet of Champions title — becoming the first Rebel athlete to win an MOC championship. He was a two-time Eastern State champion, and was fifth at the prestigious Golden West Invitational. His personal best throw of 185-10 still ranks among the all-time best in state history.
Aragona and Agnello were battery mates on the 1994 Central Jersey Group IV championship baseball team, the only one in the school’s history. That team went on to play for the Group IV state title, falling to Elizabeth in the championship game. Both received all-state recognition.
Aragona, a crafty left-hander who was always one step ahead of the hitters, set numerous season and career pitching records for the Rebels, including most career complete games.
Agnello, a catcher, was one of the schools most productive hitters ever. Among the records he set were career RBIs (56) and season RBIs (28).
Aragona and Agnello both went on to play for Monmouth University, leading the Hawks to a Northeast Conference championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament. Aragona established a Hawk record for career wins and earned All-NEC honors. He was the 1996 New Jersey Collegiate Pitcher of the Year.
Agnello began his college career at West Chester University before transferring to Monmouth and helping the Hawks win an NEC title. He is currently coaching at Wagner College.