The Class of 2021 of the Lord Botetourt Athletic Hall of Fame will be inducted on Friday at 10 a.m. at the high school. The inductees will also be recognized at halftime of Friday night’s football game against William Fleming.
This year’s inductees are Ryan Broughman from the Class of 2003, Collins Craft from the Class of 1956, Wendy Heath from the Class of 1996 and Zach Santolla from the Class of 2009.
Broughman was a four-year letterman in wrestling and was a two-time state champion for the Cavaliers. He also lettered three years as a member of the cross country team.
As a senior, Broughman was the district, region and state champion and won the Big Orange tournament. He was undefeated as a senior with a 41-0 record. He was named All-Timesland Wrestler of the Year and the Roanoke Valley Wrestling Association Wrestler of the Year. His high school career record was 129-21, including 81-2 over his junior and senior seasons. He won the LBHS Cavalier Award given to the top male athlete at the school in 2003. He was also a member of the Virginia National Wrestling Team from 2000-2004.
Craft is a 1956 graduate of Fincastle High School where he was a standout in football and track. During his high school football career, Craft recorded the most rushing yards and the most touchdowns in Fincastle High School history. He is also the single game record holder for touchdowns in a game with six versus Troutville High School in 1954. He was crowned “Mr. Football” for Fincastle High in 1954.
For his track career, Craft was a four-time Region champion in the 100-yard dash and a three-time Region champion in the 200-yard dash and the low hurdles. He was a four-time State qualifier in the 100-yard dash, the 220-yard dash and the low hurdles. In 1955 he finished third in the 100-yard dash in the Virginia State Track and Field Championships.
Heath lettered all four years in indoor and outdoor track. She set the school record for the 100-meter hurdles at 15.23 seconds and the triple jump with a distance of 37 feet 7 inches. The triple jump record still stands today.
As a senior, Heath was the Region III indoor track champion in the 55-meter hurdles. She won the 100-meter hurdles at the Cosmopolitan Track Meet in meet-record time. She placed second in the state in the 100-meter hurdles and also placed fourth in the triple jump. For her accomplishments she was named Co-MVP of the team.
Santolla was a four-year letterman in both football and wrestling during his high school career. He was selected as the 2009 Wendy’s High School Heisman winner for LBHS, was also chosen as The Fincastle Herald Male Athlete of the Year, and he received the US Army Athletic Excellence award. Following the completion of his senior season in football Santolla was selected to the coveted “Best 50 Players in the First 50 Years” listing for Lord Botetourt football.
Along with being a standout on the gridiron, Santolla was also a top-notch wrestler during his time as a Cavalier. During his storied career on the mat for the Cavs, he was a three-time Blue Ridge District Champion, and a three-time All Region III competitor, pinning his way to the regional championship in 2009. In 2008, he finished 5th in Group AA State and in 2009 he finished 3rd. During his senior season, Santolla finished as the Big Orange Champion, the Turner Ashby Christmas Tournament Champion, the Warren County Wrestling Tournament MVP, and was selected to the All-Timesland team.
