The late Paul “Marty” Dale, whose influence on Harbor Creek sports spanned six decades, highlights the high school’s 2025 inductees for its athletic hall of fame.
Dale, a 1970 graduate who died in 2022 at age 70, is one of four individuals due for enshrinement next month. Thomas Blose (1969), Steve Wall (1979), and Eric Soder (2003) round out the hall’s seventh biannual class.
Blose, Wall and Soder are expected to attend the hall’s Aug. 29 reception and plaque presentation at the high school. It will begin at 6 p.m., an hour before kickoff for the varsity football game between Harbor Creek and General McLane at adjacent Paul J. Weitz Stadium.
That trio, plus a representative of Dale’s family, will be honored during halftime.
A formal enshrinement ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. at the school’s cafeteria. Contact Andy Krahe at 814 897-2100, extension 1233, or at akrahe@harborcreeksd.com for more information.
Why they were chosen
Dale’s legacy as a Huskie began upon enrollment in 1966. He competed in football and track and field before his 1970 graduation.
Dale returned to work for the Harbor Creek School District soon after he graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in 1975. He was a physical education teacher for most of his 41-year employment, a span that also saw him serve as the head coach of their boys track and field program for 30 years and their girls program for four.
Dale’s teams won four titles in the former Erie County League, plus one District 10 championship. He was present at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium when Harbor Creek’s Brian Sontag (Class 3A discus in 1990); Chris Carpin (Class 2A pole vault in 2009); and Lauren Zarger (2A 3,200 meters in 2009) became PIAA gold medalists.
Blose claimed nine varsity letters during his four years in Harbor Creek uniforms. He was an athlete for all seasons, as they were for football in the fall, basketball in the winter and track and field in the spring.
Blose ranked third on Harbor Creek’s list of career scorers for boys basketball when he graduated. He, like Dale, returned to teach and coach for the school district.
While Dale graduated Harbor Creek at the start of the 1970s, Wall received his degree there at that decade’s end. He received seven varsity letters at the time of his 1979 graduation.
Most of Wall’s athletic success occurred in football and track and field. He was an all-ECL and all-state selection for the former and starred in throwing events for the latter.
Wall’s track and field talent warranted a University of Kentucky scholarship offer that he accepted.
Dale was one of Soder’s coaches during his Harbor Creek running career. The 2003 graduate lettered each of his four seasons for the Huskies’ cross country and track and field teams.
Soder’s most notable achievement was as a senior. He and his younger brother, Brian, were top-eight medalists for the 2002 PIAA Class 2A boys cross country final at Hershey.
Their individual results also helped the Huskies finish second for the race’s team standings.
Eric Soder accepted a scholarship offer from Clemson University, where he lettered in track and field for the Tigers.
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Harbor Creek announces 2025 class for its athletic hall of fame