On Friday, February 21st, Lakeland honored four individuals who have left long-standing marks on Lakeland Athletics by inducting them into the Hall of Fame. We are proud of these individuals and cannot thank them enough for shaping what it means to be a Laker.
Inductees included were:
Mr. Paul Lauver, Athlete (Class of 1968)
Graduated from Lakeland in 1968 as the class valedictorian.
For his career, Paul is #1 all-time in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.53). He ranks in the top 10 in many other statistical categories, making him one of the most efficient players in Laker basketball history.
In his senior year, Paul threw 86 strikeouts in 53 innings with an ERA of .91 en route to an 8-0 pitching record. Paul struck out 15 consecutive batters in one game that season, followed by 14 consecutive batters in the next game.
He then earned a Division I athletic scholarship to the University of New Mexico, where he played for two years and had the opportunity to pitch in an exhibition game against the LA Dodgers Triple-A team.
Mr. Jon Roush, Athlete, Coach & Contributor (Class of 1989)
To this day, he is tied for #1 all-time for most pitching wins in a single season (9), and he holds the all-time record for most career pitching wins (24).
Eventually, Jon became head coach of the boysβ golf team, holding that title for 24 years and amassing over 300 wins. During that time, his teams won 6 NECC Tournament Championships and 5 NECC Regular Season Championships, and he coached 5 golfers to the state finals.
Beyond his time as a player and coach, Jon has spent 36 years contributing to Lakeland athletics as an announcer and scoreboard operator for football, basketball, wrestling, and volleyball. During this time, he has contributed to the success of thousands of Laker athletes.
Ms. Katie (Boals) Bowman, Athlete (Class of 1998)
On the basketball court, Katie contributed to back-to-back NECC regular season titles in 1997 and 1998.
As a volleyball standout, Katie put together a dominant senior season, earning NECC All-Conference recognition while leading the team in nearly every statistical category, including kills, attempts, hitting percentage, digs, blocks, and aces.
During her senior year, the softball team won the NECC tournament and the Sectional title again, and Katie re-wrote the Lakeland softball record books. She set pitching records for:
Wins in a season (20)
Shutouts in a season (5)
Strikeouts in a season (170)
And ERA for a season (1.22)
Mr. Rudy Boals, Athlete (Class of 1995)
In his senior season on the basketball team, Rudy was one of the top scorers in the area, led the Lakers in rebounds and field goal percentage, and was selected to play in the Indiana East All-Star game.
On the football field, Rudy earned NECC All-Conference and All-Area honors twice and was selected as Lakelandβs most valuable lineman his senior year.
As a senior, Rudy was chosen to Hoosier Diamondβs Preseason All-State Baseball team, and he led the Lakers in pitching wins and hits. He again earned All-Conference honors, and he was a Third-team All-State selection.
After graduation, Rudy pitched for four years on a full scholarship at the University of Southern Indiana, where he tied the school record for most wins in a season, routinely throwing a 94 MPH fastball. In 1998, he earned All-GLVC Conference honors, and in 1999, he was voted a βPlayer to Watchβ by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
LSC is currently in the final planning stages of the renovation of the Grand Hallway to host our Hall of Fame inductees, along with an upgraded format of the photos that once hung in the newly renovated gym.
Lakeland ended Friday night with a 44 - 41 win over county rival Prairie Heights. We also honored our Senior athletes on both the Boy's Basketball team and the Cheer team; it was an incredible showing of support from our community, which facilitated the true embodiment of being a Laker from previous, current, and future Lakers alike.
Laker Nation is honored to expand our Hall of Fame to include the notable individuals celebrated this weekend.