Monroeville Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday

Jan. 25—MONROEVILLE — The Monroeville Community Hall of Fame will be inducting its 2022 class at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the school cafeteria.

This year's inductees are Brett Jones, Eric Mahl and the 2010 state championship wrestling team. Tickets are $20 each and include dinner and the program. Tickets must be purchased by noon Thursday in the athletic department.

Here are the bios provided by the school:

Brett Edward Jones — Alumni

1994 Monroeville High School Graduate

Brett is the son of the late Marc Jones and Martha Long, along with two siblings Jillian Eberly and Brian Jones, also Monroeville High School graduates. Brett is the father of 2 children, son Marc Jones, who is presently enrolled at Monroeville Elementary School, and 2-year-old daughter Remmie Jones.

During his years at Monroeville High School, Brett was involved in FFA and participated in the construction of the Poth's Memorial Building. Brett was a 3-sport athlete, participating in football, wrestling and baseball. During his four years at Monroeville Brett received 12 varsity letters. In wrestling Brett was Firelands Conference champion both his junior and senior years. He won numerous tournaments throughout his wrestling career and was a sectional champion, a district runner-up and a state qualifier his senior year. Brett finished his wrestling career with more than 100 wins.

Brett's passion was football where he played running back and defensive tackle. As a running back Brett received Firelands Conference 1st team honors his junior and senior years and also Offensive Back of the Year his senior year. As a defensive lineman Brett received Firelands Conference 1st team his junior and senior years and also Defensive Lineman of the Year as a junior. As a junior Brett played on the 1992 Firelands Conference Championship team that went 9-1 and made the state playoffs.

Brett continued his football career at the University of Findlay where he played under Coach Dick Strahm. Brett played 4 years of defensive tackle and was part of National Championship teams his freshman and junior years. Brett finished his career at the University of Findlay in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

Following college Brett worked in the construction field until 2005 when he started Tekseal of which he is presently owner/operator. Brett has always maintained a strong connection to his school and community. Since starting his own business Brett has generously donated his time and money to the students of Monroeville Schools. Whether it was through the Athletic Boosters, the Monroeville Park and Rec. Department or to youth programs at the elementary level or the varsity programs of football, wrestling, volleyball and softball, Brett has always stepped in to lend a hand or to assist with the needs of the athletes. Brett continues to be supportive of the school and the community.

Brett would like to thank everyone in Monroeville for the privilege of becoming and inductee to the Monroeville Hall of Fame class of 2022.

Eric Mahl — Alumni

Eric was born in 1983 and is the son of Dave and Barb Mahl of Monroeville. He has one sister, Amanda, who too graduated from Monroeville High. His grandparents are Carl and Marilyn Mahl of Havana and David and Nancy Schnee of North Monroeville, respectively. Eric attended St. Joseph's School, there he too was an altar server and member of the Catholic Church.

A drive for perfection stimulated much of Eric's younger life. He remembers training for the 4th grade 'fun and field day' at St. Joseph's. Spending the week prior to this 50-yard dash by sprinting up the hillside behind his parents' home on Route 99, south of Monroeville. He came in second that year and this was a great pain for him. Every year after, until graduation in the 8th Grade, he came in first. This drive led him to begin lifting cinder blocks in his bed room in the 7th grade in preparation for Junior High Football, Basketball and Track.

As Eric entered High School at Monroeville, he remembers receiving the football play book during the 2-A-Day's summer. As a cover sheet of this playbook there was a short list of names of the great young men who have worn the black and gold on Friday nights upon Marsh Field as an Eagle in the past. He took out his pencil and wrote his own name on that list. Eric longed to be a part of these 'greats' who went before him in the glorious legacy of Monroeville Football. This desire to be the best was a consuming fire within him. Eric began to dedicate his life to climbing the ladder of success in athletics. This ascent was seen in his Football, Basketball, Track and Powerlifting career at Monroeville where he graduated in 2001.

Football was a sport that Eric was very attracted to. Eric was a 4-year lettermen, 3 year All-Conference, and 2 year All-Region, All-District and All-State. Eric held records both on the field as well in the weight room for the Eagles. His 4-by-1 track team as a senior, which was also an All-Ohio honored team, went to the State Finals. He too was the State champion in Powerlifting that same year. This success led him to receive a full Division-1 Scholarship to play football for Kent State University.

At Kent State, where Eric graduated with a bachelor's degree in exercise physiology, he continued to shine on the football field. Eric lettered all 4 years at Kent. He too was the captain of the team both his junior and senior years. Eric led his team and the Mid-American Conference in many statistical categories. This led him to win multiple awards and accolades including twice All-Conference honors. Before Eric left Kent State, he was the over-all strongest athlete ever to play for that University in any sport. He then was a free agent pick for the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets in 2005.

After Eric's athletic career came to an end, he discovered that while climbing this ladder of perfection was exiting it was also empty. He found a hole within himself that could not be filled with success, awards or fame. This longing for fulfillment has lead Eric on a deep inner search for the meaning of life — a meaning which is love. The beauty of that Love in Jesus Christ has urged Eric to continue this exploration of what it means to be loved and to love.

While living near the bottom rung of the ladder, Eric has lived in solitude as a hermit in the deserts of Texas and as an intentional homeless man living in multiple inner-city streets longing to live as unity and as one with the poor, hurting and vulnerable. He has discovered in himself and in others that we are hungry not for food, but for relationship, thirsty not for drink but to be truly known; naked not from lack of clothing but that of having our dignity as a person stripped away from us, and homeless not because we don't have a roof over of head but because we do not belong to each other.

Eric's burning desire now is that we grasp the preciousness of all individual human beings and begin to live for them and no longer for ourselves. For many years Eric has worked closely with communities all over the United States who long to love as they have discovered in the Person of Jesus. This passion of merciful love has carried Eric all over the country and abroad speaking with various groups and gatherings with a hope that they too, with him, will humbly acknowledge that their weakness is their true strength.

Eric currently lives on a little farm in Western Massachusetts with his beloved wife Kristie (originally from Brooklyn, N.Y.) and their adorable 5 children. Eric's life now is a continuation as a searcher longing to explore the oceanic depths of the Father's love in Jesus.