The Padua Franciscan High School Athletic Hall of Fame was established to recognize those who have either excelled in one or more sports while at Padua or made a major impact on the school’s athletic program or local sports, leading to the enhancement of Padua’s image.
Please join us in congratulating these incredible Bruins on being named Padua Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees! They will be inducted on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 6pm at Padua.
BRUCE HEINRICH ’67
Coach (Football)
Bruce played Football for Padua and earned All-Independent team honors during his senior season becoming the second offensive lineman to receive such honors. After graduating from Ohio University with a degree in Mathematics, Coach Heinrich began his 53-year coaching career at Padua in 1973 under Coach Chuck Priefer and coached under Tom Kohuth until 1981, which included the 1979 OHSAA State Runner-up team. Coach Heinrich went on to coach football at Solon where his teams won 19 conference championships and made 16 playoff appearances, including another OHSAA State Runner-up finish in 2000. He was honored as the recipient of the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2006. Bruce returned to Padua in 2011 and coached under Tony Shuman ’91, Mike Polevacik and Kevin Kubit. During his second tenure with the Bruins, his teams had six playoff appearances and two OHSAA Regional Runner-up finishes. He received the distinguished Greater Cleveland Football Coaches Association Golden Deeds award in 2024, joining Priefer and Kohuth as the only Padua coaches to receive the award.
SAM HOLLO ’68
Football-Baseball
Sam Hollo was a three-sport student-athlete for Padua and named Mr. Bruin for the Class of 1968. Hollo was the starting quarterback for the Bruins during his junior and senior years, leading the team in scoring his junior season and was the leading passer both seasons. Hollo was a three-year starter for the Basketball team which amassed an overall record of 39-22 over those three years. He led the team in assists during his senior season and helped the team to a District Runner-up finish that year. For the Baseball team, Hollo was a two-year starter and earned All-Scholastic third team honors during his senior season. The Baseball team finished as co-champs for the Crown Conference and Hollo was recognized on the All-Crown Conference team. After graduating from Padua, Hollo went on to play football at Boston University where quarterbacked BU's Football team to the Pasadena Bowl, the only bowl game in that program's 113-year history.
JOHN ZUPANCIC ’78
Football-Baseball
John Zupancic played Football and Baseball during his time at Padua. Zupancic led the Bruins in scoring during his junior and senior years with the Football team. He was also a key player on defense for the Bruins as a linebacker, helping the team to top 15 rankings in the final Plain Dealer polls. Zupancic was also a key member of the Baseball program including the 1977 team which finished with a 27-2 record and State Runner-up finish. He was named All-Crown Conference during his senior season. Zupancic went on to play Football at the University of Miami (OH) where he was a four-year letterman, team captain and earned MAC Defensive Player of the Year in 1981. John still ranks in Miami (OH) top five in school history for tackles for loss and tackles for loss yardage. He led the team and MAC conference in those two categories in 1980 and 1981. John was also a two-time all MAC player (1979 and 1981) and Academic All-MAC in 1980.
MICHAEL BARTH ’88
Football-Basketball-Baseball
Mike Barth was named Mr. Bruin in 1988 for his contributions to the Football, Basketball and Baseball teams during his career at Padua, where he was a two-year letterman and starter in all three sports. Mike led the Football team in receiving in 1987 and was a key member of the 1986 team, which won the NCL and went 9-1, finishing the season third in the final Plain Dealer poll. Mike finished his basketball career with two school records: assists in a season with 143, and assists in a game with 14. He is currently third in career assists with 241 and earned All-North Coast League honors during his junior and senior seasons, while also being named team MVP for his season basketball season. On the baseball field, Mike earned All-North Coast League honors during his senior season with a .306 batting average plus was named the team’s defensive MVP that season.
ROB SCHUETTE ’93
Football-Hockey-Baseball
Rob Schuette was named Mr. Bruin in 1993 for his contributions to the Football, Hockey and Baseball programs, where he was a multiple year starter for all three sports. Rob was the North Coast League MVP for Baseball during his senior season with the Bruins winning the NCL title and District Runner-up finish. He was also All-NCL in Baseball for his sophomore and junior year, where he was recognized as second team Plain Dealer after his sophomore season and finished fifth in the area in strikeouts after his junior season. Rob was also a three-year letterman and starter as goalie for the Hockey team, which included an OHSAA State Runner-up finish in 1991. He also helped the Football team as the punter during his Padua career.
JESSE CLARK ’96
Wrestling
Jesse Clark won the State Championship for Wrestling in 1996 at 125-lbs, becoming the second wrestler and third individual to win a state title in school history. Jesse was the first four-time State qualifier in school history and first two-time State placer for the Wrestling program. He was named a High School All-American for his senior season and had 137 career wins for the Bruins. Jesse went on to wrestle at Ashland University where he earned NCAA Division 2 All-American honors in 1998 for his National Finalist finish, as a redshirt freshman. After college, he was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps from ’00 to ’20 (20 years of service), which includes being selected for the All-Marine wrestling team to compete in the Armed Forces Championship in 2003 where he finished second place in Freestyle and third place in Greco-Roman. Clark received multiple honors for his service including three meritorious promotions and two commendation medals from the Navy and Marine Corps. He resides in Jacksonville, NC with his wife, Heidi, and their four children.
JOHN TOTH JR ’05
Football-Basketball-Baseball
John Toth Jr. earned 10 varsity letters playing Football, Basketball and Baseball for the Bruins. John was the starting quarterback for the 2003 playoff team which was Padua’s fourth playoff appearance in school history. John earned four varsity letters and started three seasons for the Basketball team, which included the school’s second-ever District Championship in 2005 and earning All-NCL basketball honors. John also earned four varsity letters and was a four-year starter in Baseball for Padua where he earned multiple honors as a starting pitcher, including Plain Dealer All-Scholastic team, All-Sun News Baseball team and All-NCL honors multiple years. He was a key member of the Baseball team's State Final Four appearance in 2005, plus the District Championship team in 2003. After graduating from Padua, John went on to play Baseball at Oakland University. After college, he was the head baseball coach at Seaholm High School in Birmingham, MI, for over 10 years and reached 200 career wins in his final season in 2024.
MICHELLE ROSSI ’06
Volleyball
Michelle Rossi was a four-year letterwinner and starter for the Volleyball program, where she played a big role on the team each of those seasons. She earned multiple All-NCL honors in each of her three seasons for the Bruins and led the team in kills and digs each season. Michelle still ranks in the top five in multiple categories for the Padua Volleyball program, including career kills (fourth), career digs (second), career aces (third), kills in season (third, 2004) and has the school record for most kills in a match with 34 in October of 2004. She was also a two-year letterwinner for Padua’s Softball team, playing her sophomore and junior seasons before focusing on volleyball to prepare for college. Michelle went on to play volleyball at the University of Pittsburgh where she was a four-year letter winner and still holds school records in the 25 points scoring era (from 2008-present) for digs in a season and digs per set. She ranks fourth all-time in digs for Pitt and was named the Big East Libero of the Year after her senior season, when she was also named to the AVCA All-American Honorable Mention team.
CARLY (MOLLS) GOEBEL ’11
Volleyball-Basketball-Track & Field
Carly Molls was named Ms. Bruin in 2011 after earning 11 varsity letters for the Bruins. Carly earned four varsity letters and was a four-year starter for the Volleyball team, winning a State Championship in 2008 and 2009. She earned All-NCL and All-District honors for Volleyball her junior and senior years, plus participated in the Greater Cleveland Senior All-Star match. She also earned three varsity letters on the Basketball team and four varsity letters on the Track & Field team, where she earned All-NCL honors for winning the Discus event at the conference meet. Carly went on to participate in both Volleyball and Track & Field in college at the University of Toledo. After freshman year, she focused on Track & Field where she earned multiple top 10 finishes in the Javelin and Hammer Throw at the MAC Outdoor Championships. She still holds the school record in the Javelin and ranks 3rd in the Hammer Throw in school history.
ANTHONY MESSINA
Coach (Volleyball)
Anthony Messina took over the Padua Volleyball program in the fall of 2006 and led the program to new heights during his five seasons at the helm. The Bruins were 110-26 during his tenure for a .809 winning percentage. The Padua Volleyball program won a District title for the first time in school history in 2007, then became the first girls’ team to win State titles in school history in 2008 and 2009. Coach Messina’s teams won the very competitive NCL in 2007, 2008, 2009. He stepped away after the 2010 season but laid the foundation for future success of the program for years to come. He started coaching at Independence in fall of 2012, where he led them to five straight Final Four appearances (‘17-’21) with four State Runner-up finishes, plus another trip in 2024. Coach Messina is currently in his 20th season as a head coach with his teams winning two State titles and eight State Final Four appearances.
Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Saturday, February 21, 2026
Click here to read the list of previous Padua Hall of Fame Inductees.
