30 May 2024
Brewer High School prides itself on its rich tradition of athletics, including the annual process of inducting new members into its Hall of Fame.
The Class of 2024 represents the Witches’ 10th class of esteemed players, coaches and benefactors to be inducted, featuring Jon Collins, Katherine Gibbs Heselton, Ed Kiley, Bill LoPotro, Jerry Perkins, Ron Treat and the 1960 boys basketball team led by Danny Coombs.
Before embarking on a nine-year baseball career in the Major Leagues, Coombs helped lead the 1960 Brewer boys basketball team to the school’s first ever Eastern Maine championship, unifying the community behind them.
The entire 1960 squad will be inducted into Brewer’s Athletic Hall of Fame in September, including Larry Mahaney, the coach and philanthropist behind the Mahaney Diamond and Mahaney Dome at the University of Maine.
Prior to the basketball team’s 1960 run was the football program’s reign in the 1950’s. The Witches won the Large school state championship in 1953 and 1957, the latter of which was spearheaded by junior quarterback Ed Kiley (class of 1958).
Ed Kiley, left, was a quarterback for Brewer and the University of Maine. Jon Collins, right, went on to play for the University of Southern Maine, winning the 1991 Division III NCAA national championship. Credit: Courtesy of the Brewer Athletic Hall of Fame
Kiley was a two-time Eastern Maine first-teamer, and went on to play football for four years at the University of Maine, winning the 1961 Yankee Conference championship.
The Brewer football team’s dominance continued through the 1960’s, producing generational talents Ron Treat (class of 1962) and Jerry Perkins (class of 1963).
Treat was an Eastern Maine first-teamer in 1961, and also set school records in the 440-yard dash and long jump. Perkins was an Eastern Maine first-team offensive and defensive lineman as a senior, and played on UMaine’s 1965 Yankee Conference championship team.
Perkins is also receiving the Brewer Hall of Fame’s Historical Legacy Award for his professional contributions to the sport of wrestling in the state of Maine.
Flash forward to the late 1970’s and early 80’s, biology teacher and coach Bill LoPotro was turning the Brewer cross country program into a powerhouse, leading the boys to two Eastern Maine championships, and the girls to two Class A state titles. LoPotro also coached future Maine Running Hall of Famer Glendon Rand.
Brewer High School also produced standouts Katherine Gibbs Heselton (class of 1981) and Jon Collins (1988) during this time.
Defense was the name of Gibbs’ game, amassing more than 100 career saves for the field hockey team, serving as the basketball team’s top defensive player and leading the 1981 softball team to a Class A state runner-up finish as a four-year starting pitcher.
Collins batted .415 for the baseball team as a senior, was named to the Class A All-Maine team, and went on to win the 1991 NCAA Division III national championship with the University of Southern Maine.
The 1962 Brewer’s Witches football team. Credit: Danny Maher / BDN
The public is invited to the Class of 2024 Induction Ceremony at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Brewer Community School, presented by Richard and Donna Corey Varney. Admission is $15, and RSVPs will be accepted until Sept. 13 online or at the Superintendent’s office.