West Orange High School Athletes to be Honored at Annual Sports Awards Event

The Orange/West Orange chapter of UNICO, the largest Italian American service organization in the country, will host its 41st Annual Sports Awards Breakfast on Sunday. Feb 22. The event honors ‘unsung heroes’ from local high schools and within the community.

Each year the breakfast honors an outstanding male and female student athlete from four local high schools, including West Orange High School, Orange High School, Seton Hall Preparatory School and Golda Och Academy. Among the honorees this year from West Orange High School is Michaela Marconi and Jarod Vyent.

The annual breakfast also pays tribute to the late Brian Piccolo, the famed Chicago Bears running back who died of cancer at the age of 26. Since its inception, the event has raised more than $300,000 dollars. UNICO supports student scholarships and local organizations.

“We wanted to honor those individuals that embody the spirit of teamwork and selflessness,” Ben Spinelli, who was the driving force to start the breakfast and serves as master of ceremonies said. “It is a great community event that is looked forward to annually.”

Ray Lucas will serve as guest speaker at the breakfast. Ray Lucas grew up in Harrsion, New Jersey and went on to start at Rutgers University before playing for the New York Jets.

Past sports celebrity speakers include former Rutgers University athlete Eric LeGrand, football legends Wayne Crebet and Carl Banks, sportscaster Warner Wolf, Devils General Manager Lou Lamoriello, famed sports writer Jerry Izenberg, Vince Papale and Brian’s Piccolo’s brother, Don Piccolo.

For additional information, please contact Rob Parisi at 973-325-3372 or rdparisi@rdparisiassociates.com. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and can be purchased at the door.

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