Four new members will be inducted into the Cary High School Sports Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 26. At halftime during the football game versus Lee Senior High School, the two coaches and two athletes will be officially inducted.

The class of 2008 includes: John Sanderson, wrestling coach from 1975 to 1981; L. Wendy Utley, basketball, volleyball and track athlete from the late ’80s and early ’90s; John York, another three-sport athlete who played baseball, basketball and football in the late 1970s; and Andy Zappia, who coached women’s and men’s tennis and retired from coaching in spring 2008. All the recipients plan to attend.

Including this year’s four inductees, the Hall of Fame now boasts 89 members.

John Sanderson
Sanderson coached wrestling at Cary High for six years, including the year his wrestlers won the state championship, 1977. One of his favorite CHS memories was when his team beat South Alamance in the 1976-77 season, overcoming the odds by winning with the last three wrestlers and no heavyweight. He also remembers traveling by train, bus and U-Haul to pick up a new wrestling mat in Pennsylvania that was ready but not going to be delivered soon enough, so he decided to get it himself.

At Cary High School, “I had the absolute privilege of coaching some of the finest people I have ever known,” Sanderson said.

In April, Sanderson retired from his position as principal of Central Elementary School in Waynesville after more than 35 years in education.

He has volunteered as coach at every school in Haywood County over the past 25 years and officiated at countless wrestling matches, including the state tournament twice.

He and his wife, Kitty, recently celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary, and his six children, ranging in age from 30 down to first grade, have embraced his love of athletics.

L. Wendy Utley
Utley’s athletic career at Cary High spanned three sports: she was a four-year starter in basketball, a three-year volleyball player and a four-year starter in both indoor and outdoor track. She held the school record in five different track events: triple jump, long jump, shot put, 4 x 100 and 4 x 200 relays, set in 1991. Utley was a state champion in the shot put and a sixth-place finisher in the discus. She was also selected for the first all-conference basketball team her junior and senior years.

“Wendy was one of the best all-around athletes I have had in 30 years,” said her former Cary High track coach, Lee Mauney. “Although I’ve had track athletes who were tremendous in individual events, I’ve never had anyone who was quite as versatile [as Wendy].” Mauney pointed out that Utley’s petite build was not typical for shot put, discus or even triple jump. He said her talent was unusual, and she used explosive power to excel. Utley went on to participate in the heptathlon at the UNC-Chapel Hill in 1992.

Academics became the recipient of her strong drive to succeed, and Utley became a radiologist. She worked in Atlanta for 11 years and currently treats patients in San Diego, Cal.

John York
As another three-sport phenom, York excelled at football, basketball and baseball while at Cary High School. In football, he played wide receiver and had 48 catches his senior year, a school record at that time. In 1980, as a senior with three strong years and 92 career receptions, York was recognized and named All Conference, All Metro and All East.

In baseball, York played right field, first base and pitcher. In basketball, he played point guard and was the sixth man called on most of his senior year.

“I really want this award for my parents,” York said. “They took me to all the sports and went to all my college games.” York’s father served as Cary Imp Club President when he was a junior in high school, and his mother taught at Cary Elementary School for over 20 years.

York went on to play football on scholarship at Mars Hill College. After college, he worked in admissions for colleges including Brevard and Pfeiffer. York now lives in Clayton and serves as pharmaceutical representative for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. He still plays softball and “a little” basketball. He coaches 7-year-old son Luke’s T-ball and soccer teams.

Layton, his 4-year-old daughter, does gymnastics.

“Sports teach you a lot about life and discipline; plus, they’re good for you,” York said.

Andy Zappia
While Zappia received “Coach of the Year” for both men’s and women’s tennis several years running and Conference champions many times as well, Zappia’s nominators cite these honors as a side note. Zappia’s more than 20 years of teaching math and coaching have earned him a special place in current and former students’ hearts. Known as a good listener and mentor, current students seek Zappia out for advice, and former students keep in touch, remembering him for shaping their young lives.

Zappia not only coached his teams on to victory but also sat in the stands for Cary High basketball, football and soccer games as well as swim meets. “Being supportive of Cary High sports is huge to me,” said Zappia. “Students need to see us, not just in front of the classroom, but in the stands.”

Zappia retired from coaching at the end of the 2008 school year due to health concerns but will continue to teach and be present at sporting events as much as possible. He said the migraines that have plagued him are doing better, and he is working with his physicians to improve.

When he is not at Cary High, Zappia can be found on the sidelines of local soccer games for his son, Chris, 12.

Friends and family of the inductees are invited to the Sports Hall of Fame social at 5 p.m. in the Cary High School gym.