WINCHESTER — Five athletes and one contributor will be inducted into James Wood High School’s P. Wendell Dick Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday.
Ceremonies for the 20th annual induction begin with a reception at 4:30 p.m, followed by the 5:15 p.m. ceremony in the auditorium. The event is open to the public. The inductees also will be recognized at halftime of Friday’s football game between the Colonels and Warren County, which kicks off at 7 p.m.at Jerry Kelican Stadium.
The following is a list of the inductees and their accomplishments:
Russell Feeley, Jr. (1963)
Feeley is being inducted for his excellence in track & field. He won state championships in both the half-mile and mile events and as a freshman and helped lead the Colonels to a Group II, District 10 state runner-up finish in which they lost to Waynesboro by a half point. As a junior, he led the Colonels to the 1962 Group 1B Northwestern District championship and was named Most Valuable Male Track Athlete that year. He also was co-captain of the team his senior year and received the JWAA Track Award.
After high school, Feeley earned a degree from UNLV and served 27 years in the Air Force.
Jimmy Porter (1975)
Porter is being inducted for three years of excellence in track & field and basketball from 1973-1975. Porter transferred to Randolph-Macon Academy his senior year.
A two-year letterman in track, he set the school’s long jump record (22 feet, 4 inches) which held for eight years and still ranks second on the Colonels’ all-time list. He also set the high jump record (6-5) at James Wood which stood for more than eight years and currently is fifth on the school’s all-time list. He received the Most Outstanding Track & Field Award from JWAA in 1974 and 1975.
In basketball, Porter was a two-year letterman and led the team in rebounding his junior year. He earned the Most Improved Player Award from the team that season.
After high school, Porter served in the Army for 17 years.
Greg McFarland (1984)
McFarland is being inducted for his excellence in basketball, baseball and football.
In basketball, he was a three-year varsity letterman and starting point guard for two seasons. In three seasons, his teams won a total of 53 games, including the Commonwealth District and regional titles and a state semi-final appearance his junior year.
In baseball, McFarland earned four varsity letters and was named to the All-Area second team as a pitcher his sophomore, junior and senior years. He had a ERA 1.78 during his junior season and he also was named to the All-Area team as an outfielder as a senior.
In football, he earned two varsity letters as a quarterback and free safety and was a member of the 1980 undefeated team.
Following high school, he played basketball and baseball at Shenandoah University.
Chuck Phares (1985)
Phares is being honored for his excellence in wrestling. He wrestled all four years at James Wood and posted an overall career record of 78-12-3. As a junior, he had a 12-1 dual meet record and was district champion at 145 pounds.
His senior year, he won both the district and regional championships and placed third in the state with a 28-2-1 record. He was named the Most Improved Wrestler by the JWAA and earned The Winchester Star Wrestler of the Year Award.Phares also participated in track & field at James Wood all four years and continued his wrestling career at George Mason University where he competed for two seasons.
Dawnette Bowers (1988)
Bowers is being honored as a contributor for her multitude of service and excellence as a student athlete, cheerleader and coach.
During her four years of school, she participated on 15 teams and earned 10 varsity letters. She set a school record in the 55-meter hurdles and as a cheerleader her team won the first place Award of Excellence two consecutive years and competed in the national competition in Orlando and Dallas. As a senior, she received the Outstanding Cheerleading Award from the JWAA.
After graduation, Bowers returned to James Wood and began a career as a cheerleading and a track & field coach. She has coached cheerleading for Frederick County Public Schools for 15 years (eight at James Wood and seven at Millbrook). She is a VHSL official, judging technical and routine cheerleading. Currently working at Millbrook, she has coached cheerleading, track and girls’ tennis with each of her teams having made state appearances at some point.
Jerri Jenkins (2000)
Jenkins is being honored for her excellence in cross country and track & field.
A three-year letterman in cross country and four-year letterman in track and field, she excelled in five events in track, and over her career ranked among the Colonels’ Top 10 all-time best performances in those events.
As a freshman, Jenkins won the district title and was second in the region and sixth in the state in the high jump. Her sophomore year she won the district and regional titles and was fourth in the state. As a junior, she won the district and state titles and was second in the high jump. Her senior year she won district and regional high jump titles while finishing among the district, regional and state leaders in the long jump, triple jump and 300 meter hurdles.
Jenkins was named Outstanding Female Track Athlete all four years by the JWAA and also received the John Moser Award and the P. Wendell Dick Scholarship. She earned a degree from Virginia Tech.
