A tight end on both the 1986 and 1988 Bridgeport High School state championship football team, Gary Lhotsky has in recent years watched the Reppert-Jamison-Reep Golf Tournament from afar. Living in Tennessee between 2010 and 2016, he said he read about the tournament - a fundraiser to provide scholarships in honor of event namesakes Coach Wayne Jamison, the late Mary Reppert and the late Bob Reep. Last year, the tournament was renamed the BHS Friends of Football Tournament, but the purpose – and the heart behind it – remained the same.

 

“I read Connect-Bridgeport religiously and would always see the pictures from the tournament,” Lhotsky said. “Although I really  don’t golf, I always thought I’d love to be part of it. It seemed like such a good time.”

 

Lhotsky and his family moved back to Bridgeport last year. He was delighted, he said, to be asked to play in this year’s tournament, held Thursday at Bridgeport Country Club.

 

It was Chad Reppert, grandson of Mary Reppert – and also the ball boy on the Indian football team when Lhotsky played – who extended the invitation.

 

“Chad, Jim Evans and Roy Hall needed another guy,” Lhotsky said.

 

He doesn’t feel like he added much skill to the foursome – well, maybe a little bit of quality putting – but being involved meant a lot to him, he said.

 

“It was really a good time. It was great seeing a bunch of friends and a lot of guys from my (graduating) class,” he said.

 

Organizers Ryan Nicewarner and Travis Jones said, despite a brief period of mid-afternoon rain, they count the Second Annual Friends of Football Golf Tournament a success.

 

“It actually went really well,” Nicewarner said. “We had a weather delay in the middle of the tournament, but all in all, it was a successful day. We raised a lot of money for the scholarships, as well as for the football team.”

 

It’s too early to determine a dollar amount, but intentions are to continue all of the present scholarships and perhaps add another, he said.

 

About 100 golfers participated in Thursday’s tournament.

 

“We had 23 to 25 teams come out and I think we had a good crew,” Nicewarner said. “People started checking in around noon and we had a shotgun start at 1 p.m. I’d say we wrapped up between 6 and 6:15 p.m.”

 

The sun ultimately made an encore appearance as the golfers enjoyed an on-site dinner, exchanged stories about their day and talked a little BHS football.

“We had steak and all the fixings,” Nicewarner said. “And we gave away some prizes and had a silent auction, as well as a 50-50 drawing.”

 

Also among golfers was Sam Olivio, dad of BHS senior football player, Christian Olivio.

 

“It’s a fun tournament for a great cause,” Olivio said. “Friends of Football does a lot to support our football program at Bridgeport. It’s a friendly competition and the steak dinner – steaks courtesy of Young and Stout – was great.”

 

The BHS Friends of Football Golf Tournament is another great showing of how our community comes together to support our youth and school programs, Olivio said.

 

“It was laid back and great camaraderie,” he said.

 

BHS Principal Mark DeFazio is a regular at the event. He’s a true believer in the tournament.

 

“First of all, I believe it is really a nice event for our school and more importantly for our students,” he said. “It is a nice fundraiser for football, but it also provides $2,500 to our BHS Alumni & Friends Foundation and that money is used for scholarships.”

 

DeFazio said it is always great to see the support behind BHS and he commended Nicewarner and Jones – and their support staff – for a job well done.

 

“I really believe everyone has a good time golfing and the steak dinner is great afterwards,” DeFazio said. “It is a great day for all of us.”

 

Photos are by Joey Signorelli of Ben Queen Photography. See more images HERE.