Cathedral High School Honoring 2022 HOF Class on Friday

(KNSI) – St. Cloud Cathedral High School will honor five new members into its Hall of Fame on Friday evening. The class of 2022 includes former Cathedral football coach Gary Fasching and former students athletes Jeff Hoefs, Mary (Schleper) Januschka, Anne (Schelper) Span and Nate Schmidt.

Cathedral Athletic Director Emmett Keenan says to get into the Hall of Fame, you need more than athletic talent.

“you also have had to contribute to the community and be a good member of the community for the years after you left Cathedral. And so, all of those things come into play in our Hall of Fame.”

He says high school sports and activities teach kids a lot more than playing a game.

“One of the things that I think is so great about high school athletics it teaches all of those things that can’t necessarily be taught anywhere else. We teach those things that are intangible. We teach leadership. We teach time management skills. We teach being a good teammate. We teach dealing with adversity, and all of those things translate in the classroom, and they translate later in life.”

The Hall of Fame class will meet the student body during an assembly in the north gym on Friday afternoon. The public will have a chance to meet the hall of famers when they’re formally inducted into the Hall of Fame during halftime of the Cathedral basketball game.

Keenan says this year’s class is one of the best they’ve ever inducted. Cathedral graduates were supposed to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020, but the event was canceled due to the pandemic. The school holds a Hall of Fame ceremony every other year.

More about the HOF Class:

Gary Fasching: Fasching was the head coach of two State Championship Football teams at Cathedral in 1992 and 1993. In his ten seasons as head football coach, he recorded 57 wins. He also coached Track and Field and Basketball in his 14 years at Cathedral. Fasching has just completed his 9th season as the head football coach at St. John’s University after being a long-time assistant. In his eight (non-covid) seasons, he has a record of 81-15, including seven straight NCAA Division III playoff appearances. Coach Fasching has been named M.I.A.C. Coach of the Year on five occasions.

Jeff Hoefs ’94: Hoefs was a crucial part of the 1992 and 1993 state championship football teams and served as captain of both teams. In 1993 he rushed for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was named the West Central Conference Most Valuable Player, St. Cloud Times All-Area Football Player of the Year, Associated Press All-State linebacker, and played in the Minnesota State All-Star Football game his senior season. He also played baseball and was captain of the 1994 team.

Mary (Schleper) Januschka ’82: (Schleper) Januschka was a three-sport captain in her senior year, starring in Volleyball, Basketball, and Softball in the still early years of girl’s athletics. She went on to play volleyball at St. Cloud State University, playing in the NCAA Division II National Tournament in 1985, leading the Huskies with 121 blocks in her senior season.

Anne (Schelper) Span ’08: (Schleper) Span was a three-sport star in Soccer, Hockey, and Softball, playing on the varsity team in each sport from the 8th grade. She starred at the University of Minnesota in Hockey, where she played in a school-record 159 games and helped lead the Gophers to the National Championship in 2012. Span was also a key member of the USA Olympic Hockey team, winning a Silver Medal in the 2014 Olympics.

Nate Schmidt ’10: Schmidt played varsity Hockey and Baseball since the 9th grade. In 2008-09 he was the second-leading scorer among defensemen in the state, tallying 45 points, and was named to the 2009 All-State Hockey team. Schmidt would play hockey at the University Of Minnesota before signing a professional contract in the NHL with the Washington Capitals in 2013. He played for the Vegas Golden Knights, who played in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018. He is currently a member of the Winnipeg Jets.

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