NILES — Both dusk and dust settled as the clock ran out during Brandywine High School’s 63-0 Homecoming wallop over Wyoming Lee last Friday.

As dusk began to settle the next night, Brandywine alumni with athletic achievements as massive as Brandywine football’s win were recognized as the 2019 Class of the Brandywine Bobcat Athletic Hall of Fame members.

The Saturday event filled nearly every table at the Grand LV’s event space at 104 N. Third St. Dim chandeliers emphasized the faces of friends, family and fellow alumni of the hall of famers as well as the trophies that were awarded to each.

Five individual athletes, one individual coach and one varsity team were inducted into the hall of fame’s second class, nominated and voted on by the hall fame’s inaugural class and its committee. Some inductees came from far outside the Michiana area they grew up in, such as east Michigan and Colorado.

During his introductory speech and introductions of each inductee, Brandywine Community Schools Development Board President Rodney Runyan spoke about talent, grit, Bobcat pride and, in a gentle ribbing, the flaws of being a member of Lakeshore Community Schools athletics.

Runyan, Superintendent Karen Weimer and athletic director Vance Stratton worked together to officially transition the Bobcat graduates from inductees to hall of famers.

“There’s a saying that the more things change, the more things stay the same, and that’s certainly the case for Brandywine,” Weimer said. “What has stayed the same? Pride.”

The 2019 hall of fame members are the following:

• The 1987 varsity baseball team — This team was not only a Class C state champion, but the first state championship team of Brandywine.

Its members staved off a talented Buchanan team for the district title, then eked out a state championship by coming back from a deficit.

The team members recognized were Pat Antus, Todd Bookwalter, Jason Dow, Scott Dunning, Felix Esarey, Scott Garcia, Ron Gatliff, Jeff Hatch, Jeff Hurdle, Chris Landon, Bryon Shively and Tim Yoder. Head coach Chuck Hurdle and assistant coaches Dick Bookwalter and Al Westendorp were also recognized.

• Larry Murphy, 1978 — The multi-sport athlete achieved school records in the 300-meter hurdles and the high jump, the latter of which still stands today.

“How many years later?” Runyan asked Murphy. “Just a lot, right?”

“There’s a couple grey hairs here,” Murphy replied.

The Brandywine male athlete of the year went on to compete on the track and field team for Michigan State University.

• Jeff Hurdle, 1989 — While Hurdle was a member of the 1987 baseball team, Runyan said he personally shined in basketball.

He remains first in school history in single-season scoring, career assists and consecutive free throws. He is second in career scoring and finished his career at Brandywine by hitting double digits for 30 straight games before playing ball at Washington University and Oakland University.

“You were like James Harden before James Harden got big,” Runyan said.

• Michael Myers, ’1996 — The multi-sport athlete led Bobcat football to its first and only undefeated regular season and led the team in academics. Myers graduated valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA.

While on the Brandywine football team, he played quarterback, defensive back, kicker and punter — “and, if it was open, water boy,” Runyan said.

Michael Myers’ father, longtime educator Jim Myers, was also recognized.

Jim Myers taught biology, chemistry, anatomy and a number of other subjects during his decade-long career at Brandywine.

Jim also coached nearly every sport at Brandywine, and led the Brandywine softball team to a state championship in 2001.

Since retiring as a teacher in 2009, Jim has taught at Southwestern Michigan College, and coached multiple sports at Brandywine, Niles and Cassopolis.

Myers now coaches softball and football at Brandywine and Niles, and he coaches football at Cassopolis.

• Rachel Koller Carlson, 2000 — While she excelled in volleyball and basketball, the 11-time varsity athlete did best in softball. She was first-team all-conference all four years, twice all-region and twice all-state.

Runyan spoke about a man who voted for her to be inducted to highlight Koller Carlson’s success.

“It was the single greatest performance of an athlete he had ever seen when she pitched… in the regional finals in 2000,” he said.

She pitched for 15 innings straight, then pitched seven later.

Koller Carlson went on to play at Simpson College, an NCAA Division Three softball powerhouse at the time. She now coaches softball at Buchanan High School while chairing its mathematics department.

• Reeta Echevarria, 2002 — like her teammate Koller Carlson, Echevarria was a multi-sport athlete that excelled in softball.

“As far as I know, she is the first and only Bobcat athlete to be named all-state in any sport for four consecutive years,” Runyan said.

She helped her team achieve four conference championships and a 2001 state title.

After Brandywine, Echevarria went on to play basketball, volleyball and softball at Lake Michigan College before transferring to Northwood University and playing softball.

• Jim Myers — “Coach Myers has likely given more of his time to coaching young people than most,” Runyan said.

Runyan went on to say that Jim’s softball, volleyball and football coaching all had one theme: excellence.

Among the three sports, Myers secured 15 conference championships, 14 district titles, three regional titles, three state finalists and one state championship.

He posted an 85-67 record during his football career, a 454-241-84 volleyball record and a 534-178 softball record for a total record of 1,073-486.

After receiving a standing ovation,Myers went on to hug and speak to some of his former teammates including Echevarria, Koller Carlson and his son, Michael.

“He’s the glue to all this success,” Koller Carlson said.