Central Columbia High School -

Nate Barto, class of 1988, participated in wrestling and cross country during his time at Central Columbia. In wrestling, he was a three time sectional champion, a district champion, regional champion, and placed third in PIAA AA State championships. He qualified for states three times during his career and his overall record was 108-19-1. Nate's team won Sectionals and the Susquehanna Valley League in 1985. His team was District IV and State champions in 1986. The team won the State title again in 1987. After high school, Nate attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. He is currently married to his wife, Nicole and they have a son, Noah and a daughter, Emily.

James Hollister, Class of 1991, played tennis for Central Columbia for four years. Jim was the number one player for four years and was team captain during his last two years on the team. He was a three time PIAA District IV semifinalist, the District IV runner-up in 1973, and a PIAA state quarterfinalist in 1973. After graduating from Central Columbia High School, Jim attended Bloomsburg State College and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. During his time at Bloomsburg, he was a four year starter on the tennis team which included the number one player on the team. He was also team captain during his junior and senior year. Jim was a 3 time PA State Athletic Conference Champion and was the first BU player to qualify for the NCAA Division II Singles Championships. During his tennis career at Bloomsburg, he had 95 singles victories and held an overall record of 164-60 in singles and doubles competition. Once James started his professional career, he was named the first full time sports information director at Bloomsburg University in 1980. Currently, he is the Assistant VP for External Relations. He and his wife Kristin have been married for 19 years and have two children, Christopher and Kimberly.

Brad Keller, Class of 1994, was a three sport athlete, participating in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, Brad's team won the District IV Championship in 1992, 1993, and 1994. They were also Central Susquehanna Conference Champions and Eastern Conference Champions those same years. Brad was 1st team all-state in 1993 and 1994, MVP and Reading Eagle all-star in 1994, 1st team and 2nd team for the Central Susquehanna Conference, and was selected and played in the Big 33 game. He also received the Outstanding Athletic Achievement Award in 1994. In basketball, Brad was named a District IV all-star. In baseball, the team won the District IV Championship in 1992, 1993, and 1994. In 1991, his team won the Mid-Penn League and the State Championship. Keller was selected 1st Team for the Mid-Penn League in 1992, 1993, and 1994 and was a District IV all-star. After graduating from Central Columbia High School, he attended Lackawanna Jr. College for 2 years and received an associate's degree. After college, he worked for Berks County as a Juvenile Corrections Counselor for 12 years. He currently works at Yannuzzi Incorporated. Brad is married to Bethanne Keller and together they have two sons, Stone and Dominic.

The Blue Jay Legacy Award is presented to someone who has made a major contribution to the overall Central Columbia Athletic program. This year's recipient is Nancy L. Kline.

Nancy spent most of her working career in the secretarial area. She was a secretary for Howard Berninger Attorney for twelve years and Josephthal & Co., Stock Brockerage firm for seven years. She worked for Pediatrician, Dr. Gene Stevens, for six years. During her time at Central Columbia High School, Nancy worked with Don Engle, the Athletic Director. She worked in this position from 1987 to 1997. Ms. Kline was married to the late Stanley Kline and they had two children, Kelly (Novak) and Kathy (Klingerman). She has five grandchildren; Megan and Adam Novak and Hannah, Grace and Ava Klingerman.

Harry Mathias was Central Columbia High School's Assistant Varsity Football Coach for six years, Head Varsity Football Coach for five years, and Assistant Varsity Baseball Coach for ten years. Harry was also Bloomsburg University's Assistant Football Coach for three years. During his time as assistant of the varsity football team at Central Columbia, the team was Central Susquehanna Conference (CSC) champions in 1986 and 1989 and Eastern Conference Champions in 1998. As the head varsity football coach at Central Columbia, Mathias led his team to be CSC champions in 1990, 1991, and 1993 and District IV champions in 1992, 1993, and 1994. In the years 1990, 1991, 1993, and 1994 Harry was named CSC Coach of the Year and in 1992 he was named the Reading Eagle Anthracite Region Coach of the Year. As his time as the Assistant Baseball Coach at Central, his team was Columbia County League Champions in 1986, 1987, 1989, and 1990, Mid-Penn League Champions in 1991, 1992, and 1994, District IV Champions in 1985, 1991, 1992, and 1993, and PIAA State Champions in 1991. In his professional life, Mathias was a math/computer teacher at Central Columbia from 1984-1994 and Curriculum Coordinator from 1994-2000. Mathias worked as the Central Columbia School District's Superintendent, which he held from 2000-2019. Mr. Mathias retired in June of 2019. He and his wife Bridget have a son Nathanial.