HOMESTEAD HIGHLANDER ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
The Homestead Athletic Hall of Fame was the brainchild of John Chekouras. John was a visionary in so many ways and recognized the importance of creating a lasting legacy to honor those who have contributed to the made such incredible contributions to our high school. The implementation of this idea fell to Charlie Gross, Homestead’s athletic director at the time. He took John’s idea and created this organization, which held its first induction on September 29th, 2007.
There are three types of inductees in the Homestead High School Hall of fame. Those who served as athletes, coaches and distinguished service members. In order to be considered for induction athletes must meet an age requirement of 30 years and coaches must be retired. Individuals in the area of distinguished service can be admitted at any time.
There are four categories the Hall of Fame Committee uses to measure individual greatness of candidates:
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Was this person truly dedicated to their sport?
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How did they impact those around them?
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How did they perform when everything was on the line?
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Most importantly, did they treat others well? It is important to note that failure in this category immediately negates the first three.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2023 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Athlete: Casey Barnes-Class of 2009
Casey earned 12 letters in high school, was a team captain for seven of those seasons and appeared in seven state championships, between baseball, football and golf. He was the Highlander Award winner in basketball, was the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel Male Athlete of the Year in 2009, 2nd team all-state punter, 2nd team all-conference pitcher in baseball, 3rd team all-area golfer and indoor conference track champion (4x400 relay). He is one of the most well-rounded athletes in the history of Homestead High School and also one of our greatest student leaders.
Athlete: Paul Check-Class of 2001
Paul earned 8 letters in high school and was a team captain for the baseball team his senior year. He was a member of two conference, 4 regional and two sectional championship teams in track and three regional championship teams in baseball. He qualified for the individual state championships in track twice, won the 110 high hurdles in 2001 and went on to win the Midwest all-star championship, establishing the meet record at the time. He was also an outstanding baseball player for the Highlanders, where he was the starting catcher for 3 years.
Athlete: Joanna Cox Jones-Class of 1989
Joanna is one of the most accomplished track athletes in Homestead history. She earned four letters and also participated in dance. She was a four time state qualifier in the 100 meter dash and was a placewinner in both the 100 and 200 her senior year. Joanna still holds a remarkable 4 records at Homestead 34 years after graduating (Indoor 55 (7.24s) and 200 (26.34s) meter dash, Outdoor 100 (12.24) and 200 (25.14) meter dash.
Athlete: Gabe Genovesi-Class of 2010
Gabe Earned 8 letters in high school, starring in both soccer and track. In track, he was individual state champion in the 800 meter run, and part of two first place relay teams (4x400m and 4x800m). He was the 2010 Gatorade Male track athlete of the year. His junior year, he placed 3rd in the individual 400 meter dash and was a member of the 6th place 4x400 meter team. Gabe was also an outstanding soccer player, lettering all four years and earning all conference honors his senior year.
Coach: Rich Dorn (1999-2019)
Rich had an incredible career as Homestead’s head coach of both boys and girls soccer teams. He led the teams to 10 conference championships (Boys 1999, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2008 and Girls 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2016), 2 state championships (Boys 1999 and Girls 2007, 2016) and two runner-up (Girls 2006, 2010). He was the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel Coach and National Soccer Coaches Association of America Coach of the Year in 1999. He had a multitude of all conference and state players during his tenure here and was an exemplary leader.
Distinguished Service: Kristian Moberg
Mo, as we all call him, is a graduate of Homestead High School (1992) and has never stopped supporting our athletic programs. His greatest involvement was as a manager of the boys basketball team in the early 1990s, but he has followed and supported every other team at Homestead since his graduation. He loves this high school and can be seen at absolutely every event we host. It is hard to imagine Highlander Athletics without him. Mo is responsible for eating more team meals, in various sports, than anyone in the history of this high school.
2023 Recipients
(L to R): Gabe Genovesi, Joanna Cox Jones, Casey Barnes, Paul Check, Kristian Moberg, Rich Dorn
