Five Washington County sports icons take their place in hall of fame

Carol Brashears, Avery Carey, Emily Crabtree, Cullan Ganley and Donnie Souders were inducted into the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame as its 38th class on Saturday, July 18, at Hagerstown Elks Lodge No. 378.

Brashears spent 33 years (1978-2010) as the only female physical education teacher at St. Maria Goretti. She was an integral part of swimming in Washington County, coaching at Northwood and the Hagerstown YMCA — where she guided swimmers to national competition — before starting the county’s only competitive high school program at Goretti in 1986. She was Goretti’s assistant athletic director (1988-98) before assuming the AD position for 12 years (1998-2010).

Carey, a 1994 North Hagerstown graduate, starred on the basketball court for the Hubs. He became a team captain, was named team MVP and made the All-Tri-State first team. He played at Hagerstown Community College, helping the Hawks win two Region XX championships, and at George Mason, winning a conference championship and playing in the NCAA Tournament. He played pro basketball in Holland and Luxembourg. He then became a coach, starting as an assistant for the Frostburg State women’s team for five seasons — including a conference title and a trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament — then coaching at HCC and St. Maria Goretti.

Crabtree started as a three-sport athlete at Williamsport, where she was captain of the 1981 state championship volleyball team — the initial title that started the Wildcats’ dynasty in the sport, with a state record 17 state titles. She attended Hagerstown Junior College and competed in volleyball, earning Region XX first-team honors, and basketball. She returned to Williamsport and was an assistant volleyball coach from 1985-87, helping the Wildcats to the 1985 state title — becoming the first woman to win an MPSSAA volleyball championship as a player and a coach. In two stints as the head coach (1993-95, 2003-15), she guided the Wildcats to five more state titles (1995, 2003-05, 2012). In 2016, Crabtree became Williamsport’s athletic director. She was recognized as the 2026 Maryland District 1A AD of the Year. Williamsport has added four more volleyball state titles in her time as AD, making Crabtree part of 11 of the school’s 17 state championships.

As a three-sport athlete at Smithsburg, Ganley was a team captain, set a record for career steals in basketball that he still holds, and remains among the school’s all-time leaders in football yards per reception. His greatest success came in lacrosse. He scored 248 career points, including 164 goals, and won consecutive Washington County Player of the Year honors (2010-11). He also was a finalist for the prestigious C. Markland Kelly Award, presented to the best high school lacrosse player in Maryland. He played lacrosse at Lynchburg College, helping the Hornets earn three conference championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the 2015 Division III national championship game. Ganley later became the second head lacrosse coach at Smithsburg, inheriting the program from WCSHOF inductee Joe Dietrich. In his first nine seasons as head coach, the Leopards amassed a 98-35 record with six straight region championships and state semifinals appearances, including two state finals. He has earned multiple local coach of the year honors and three USA Lacrosse High School Coach of the Year honors.

Souders recently completed his 34th season as a basketball official. After beginning his career at age 17 officiating Hagerstown Junior League games at Western Heights Middle School, he began his affiliation with the Washington County Basketball Officials Association, where he served as the organization’s secretary, treasurer and vice president before becoming the supervisor of officials and president. He twice was named Official of the Year (2016 and 2023) by the WCSHOF. In 2001, he was named a women’s college basketball official, working NCAA Division II and III Mid-Atlantic region games, including conference and NCAA Tournament matchups. After 22 seasons, he became the second national coordinator of Women’s Division III officials, allowing him to work to improve the quality of officiating while creating more opportunities and developing new officials.

Below are select quotes from each Hall of Fame acceptance speech.

Carol Brashears

• "I was very lucky to get a (physical education) job at St. Maria Goretti. … I want to thank Cokey Robertson, who's a legend. He taught me so much and served as my mentor and supporter for all the years I was at Goretti."
• "Kim Kell was my fellow PE teacher. We worked together for over 32 years. I lovingly call him my work husband. He made coming to the gym very fun. He was a tremendous support and helped with everything we were doing at Goretti."
• "(The swimmers) would work so hard, and I felt it was very discouraging that they didn't get the same recognition from their high school classmates because they didn't have the opportunity to represent their high school. … Frederick County had started swimming (teams) and I kept thinking, 'Hmmm, I wonder how we can work that in?'"
• "Our first year we had swimming in 1986, we had 30 swimmers — eight boys and 22 girls — but they were competitive. By 1989, the team had doubled in size, it was 60 with 24 boys and 36 girls, in a school with less than 200 students. So swimming was very, very popular. And everybody got to swim in every meet. We made sure."
• "I am very proud of the fact that we also took very novice swimmers. Some of them had no swimming experience whatsoever. And we had very accomplished swimmers, but we were able to merge them and have great camaraderie within the team. Some of the biggest cheers were for the first-time swimmers finishing their first race ever."

Avery Carey

• "I ended up going to South High for two years, then to North High for two years — and you know how that went, right? Every time I played for North against South, I had a whole South section screaming, 'Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!' So I felt like I needed to drop 33 on them."
• "(George Mason) played in the Boston Fleet Center (in the NCAA Tournament). I got to play on the court that Larry Bird and all these legends played on. We played Cincinnati, and they had four pro players that year. We got blown out by 30. I remember coming down the lane and shooting a floater, and it looked so good — I was thinking, 'There's ESPN, there's ESPN Deportes.' There's everyone, right? So I'm like, 'It's going in! It's going in!' And out of nowhere, Kenyon Martin spiked it into the fifth row of the arena. … All I can do is look at the ref and say, 'Count it! That's a goaltend!'"
• "There's a quote that I say all the time to the kids that I coach: 'Never let talent take you where your character can't keep you.' You see a lot of players, a lot of coaches, a lot of people who get accolades and get things in their lifetimes that some of us can only dream to do, and then they get to that stage and they mess it up because their character didn't match their talent. So that's one of those things I really stress when coaching these kids."
• "Dwayne Freeman stayed in my ear growing up, because I used to watch him play football. I used to watch him and he was an athlete in everything — running track, playing football, going to Tennessee, basketball, baseball, all of that. Being able to watch someone like him, and then he was in my ear all the time — 'Don't go there, don't do this, don't hang out with these people.' Those are the words that to this day, almost 50 years old, I tell my kids the same things. So I'm thankful."
• "I accept this award so humbly, because I come from a place where you just really don't know (how life will turn out). No, it's not New York City. It's not the (Baltimore) Inner Harbor. It's not inner-city DC. But that eight-block radius (of Hagerstown) I grew up in, it was not a place to be. It's drugs, it's tripping, it's gunplay. There were all these things growing up in the 90s when I was in high school. … All I wanted to do was hang out with some of my friends, and some of my friends were getting into things that I wasn't into. Sometimes the cops would pull my friends up, and I'd be right with them, and they'd look at me and say, 'Avery, what are you doing? … Don't you have a game this weekend? Why are you hanging out with these guys? You need to pick better friends.' … I grew up with a bunch of guys, some are running businesses and doing great things now, and some are locked up in jail. And I was right there with them. I could have taken that way … but I'm proud of myself for taking the way that I took."

Emily Crabtree

(Crabtree was unable to attend the induction. Her son, Ryan Crabtree, gave the acceptance speech on her behalf.)

• "What an incredible honor it is to stand here tonight and celebrate someone who has dedicated her life to sports, education, leadership and, most importantly, the people who bleed blue and Williamsport. Tonight, my Mom joins the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame (in the) Class of 2026 and I can't think of anyone more deserving. As her son, I had a front-row seat to see what those championships really cost. I saw the early mornings, the late nights, the practices, the phone calls, the planning, the bus rides, the countless hours no one ever sees. I watched someone who never expected anything to be handed to her. She earned everything through preparation, hard work and an unwavering commitment to doing things the right way. She taught me that success isn't measured by the banners in the gym. It's measured by the lives she impacted. … Her legacy is every athlete who learned confidence because she believed in them."

(Ryan Crabtree read a prepared statement from Emily Crabtree.)

• "I was fortunate to play for several pioneers of girls athletics in Washington County. The first teacher/coach who I still hear when I'm struggling is Rosemarie Williams. She was the first coach who believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. I wish (she) was still here with us. Cheryl Wilkes had a vision for volleyball in Washington County in the 70s and organized middle school volleyball play dates that built the foundation for Maryland to recognize volleyball as a high school sport in 1977. I played for Sandy Mitchell from 1978-80 and Cindy Neugebauer in 1981. … It only took that one year for me to realize I wanted to coach some day. (Neugebauer) was firm but fair. She demanded the best for all her players and was also able to make it fun for us. I was lucky enough to return to Williamsport and coach with her and learn so much more."
• "I try to instill in (athletes) what my parents, teachers and coaches instilled in me: Respect, integrity, resilience, accountability."
• "Karen Moyer Hampton has been a very successful volleyball coach at Williamsport for 20 years. Ten of those years, she was my assistant coach, and she supported me through several difficult seasons. There's nothing like an assistant who's really loyal, dependable and a good friend."

Cullan Ganley

• "It is an honor to be inducted alongside such an outstanding group, and to join the distinguished men and women already in the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame. Two years ago, I attended this banquet as a Don Stoner Coach of the Year. As I read through the names of the previous inductees, I felt an incredible sense of pride to be from Washington County. It may not be the largest county in Maryland, but it has produced many remarkable athletes and coaches, and I'm truly humbled to be here."
• "I fell in love with competition and I began to appreciate the life lessons that came through sports. Ironically, despite having a career in education, many of the greatest lessons I've ever learned have come from athletics. Throughout my career, I've been fortunate to play for and coach alongside many people who have made sports about much more than winning or losing. You teach lessons about character, perseverance and self-reliance — but always while competing to win."
• "Coaching has been such a rewarding part of my life. I've done my best to pass along and teach the lessons I've learned to the young men. Sports are unique because they never promise a reward. You can prepare, you can work harder than anyone else, and you can still lose because your opponent was better. That's what I love about coaching: Encouraging young athletes to dedicate themselves to something with no guarantees."

Donnie Souders

• "To enter the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame as its 13th official is quite a humble experience for a person who was cut … from my freshman basketball team for a kid that was actually ineligible, that's how bad I was."
• "I didn't let the fact that my dad, many times, had to stand as the bodyguard between parents that wanted to chase us out to the car because I was a 17-year-old kid trying to tell everybody that I knew what I was talking about because I had the whistle. … I had coaches tell me that I would be nothing more than a freshman referee. There were even doubters within my officiating group. … But I never let that deter me from what I had a passion for, and what I truly enjoy doing."
• "When I received the call from Gregg (DeLauney) about my induction into the hall of fame, there were two friends I contacted to let them know of this accomplishment. I told them both that I wanted them here because I couldn't be a part of this prestigious group of contributors to our county sports history without them. They are David Kerns and Tim Smith — the A-Team, as some people call us. They, too, are hall-of-famers and I couldn't stand up here without them. All three of us joined the WCBOA at roughly the same time. Collectively, we have over 105 years of basketball officiating experience. We are old. Not only are they outstanding basketball referees but they are good friends. … I have learned and still are learning so much about officiating from them, and I will work hard to see that both of you one day are standing here as hall of fame members, too."

Other honors and awards

• Donald Stoner Coach of the Year -- Rebecca Wright, South Hagerstown Unified sports
• William Lightner Official of the Year -- Wayne Lowery, baseball
• Gregg DeLauney Presidents Award Scholarship -- Robert “Camilo” Mellott, Smithsburg
• Millie Shank Athletic Academic Scholarship -- Lauren Ly, North Hagerstown
• Harry Cunningham Jr. Athlete of the Year -- Landyn Clark, Hancock
• Sarah “Skip” Ward Athlete of the Year -- Callie Hose, Clear Spring
• Carroll & Virginia Reid Memorial Scholarships -- Jake Nussear, Smithsburg; Kaleb Ritter, Smithsburg, Macy Peters, Smithsburg
• Dottie Picolomini Scholarship -- Olivia Kocevar, Smithsburg
• Greg Shank/Cumberland Valley Athletic Club Scholarship -- Allen Anderson, North Hagerstown
• Donald “Lacko” Anderson Memorial Scholarship -- Nate Bowman, Williamsport
• James F. Binau Memorial Scholarship -- Jack Burns, South Hagerstown
• Robert I. Parasiliti Memorial Scholarship -- Taylor Brown, South Hagerstown
• Jerry Spessard Scholarship -- Blake Custer, North Hagerstown

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Five Washington County sports icons take their place in hall of fame