Five Grafton legends to be enshrined

Grafton High School has announced this year’s inductees into the Grafton Athletic Hall of Fame.

The group of five were nominated and selected by a committee of current high school staff members, students, coaches and community members.

This will be the second group inducted into the hall. Their plaques will join last year’s four on a wall in the cafeteria.

The induction ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 30, in the Grafton High School auditorium. The event will be open to the public, unlike last year when the pandemic limited gatherings.

Grafton High School Athletic Director Kevin Moore was a driving force behind the hall of fame. It was something he wanted to do since coming to Grafton in 2016.

The goal, he said last year when it started, is twofold. One, “to make sure we have a chance to celebrate and recognize the significant athletic achievements in this building,” and two, “to make sure current community members and students realize the achievement that has come before them and that they know some of the history.”

The inaugural inductees last year were longtime athletic director, coach, teacher and innovator John Bliese, star coach Clifford “Kip” Cramer, swimming and basketball state champion Rachael Hencke and basketball scoring machine Jeff Sewell.

This year’s class includes:

Ken Peterson (Class of 1967)

Peterson was a two-time state champion in the long jump, an all-conference football player and member of the 1966 state-qualifying basketball team. His mark of 23 feet, 1 inch in the long jump set a Class B state record.

He continued his track career at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and was inducted into the UW-Whitewater Hall of Fame in 1997.

Rich Strenger (Class of 1976)

Strenger was an all-conference and all-area end on the 1977 state runner-up football team. He continued his career at the University of Michigan, where he was an Honorable Mention All-American later drafted by the Detroit Lions.

He was also a two-time all-conference player in basketball and member of a conference champion track team.

Tom Molaski (Class of 1985)

Molaski was a three-time All-Conference performer on the hardwood for the Black Hawks who received Associated Press/United Press International All-State honors and was the 1985 Conference Player of the Year.  He went on to play at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, leaving at No. 2 in career assists and was in the top 10 in games played. He was also an all-conference baseball player in 1985.

Sarah Eichler (Class of 2009)

Eichler left Grafton with 1,260 points scored and an AP Player of the Year honor,  and she was a member of two state championship basketball teams. She went on to play at UW-Green Bay and several years internationally. She was an all-conference soccer player and as a member of the 2008 state-qualifying soccer team.

Bob Maronde (Girls Basketball Coach)

Maronde coached the girls’ program to four state tournament appearances, including state titles in 2007 and 2009 and a runner-up finish in 2008. He was named AP State Coach of the Year in 2009 and was inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2019.