LaBrae Vikings Hall of Fame Class of 2021 Inductees

Al Carrino

Al Carrino was a LaBrae educator who retired in 1984 from LaBrae. Carrino was the head football coach for LaBrae for 11 years, compiling a record of 79-30-3. During his tenure, LaBrae won five Trumbull AA League titles, and qualified for the Ohio playoffs in 1983 where his team beat reigning state champion Akron St. Vincent before losing to eventual champion Elyria Catholic Carrino’s LaBrae teams qualified for the playoffs on four occasions. Carrino is a member of the Ohio Northern Athletic Hall of Fame and the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Claude Graber

Claude Graber, a Braceville High School and Kent State graduate, served as a long-time educator for Warren Township Schools and Braceville Township Schools. As a coach, Graber led Warren Township High School, a.k.a Leavittsburg High School, to a Class B baseball state title in 1943, and his teams were regional champions on three other occasions. He also served as the Athletic Director at Leavittsburg High School. Graber became the superintendent of Braceville Schools in 1952, a position which he held until his retirement in 1968. Graber is a member of the Kent State Athletic Hall of Fame. Following his retirement from education, he served his community as a Braceville Township Trustee

Ken Kilpatrick

Ken Kilpatrick, a graduate of Warren Township High School, served as a teacher and coach for LaBrae Local Schools. Kilpatrick made his mark on LaBrae athletes as the head boys’ track coach, a role he began in 1970. Many of the athletes under Kilpatrick’s tutelage excelled in track and field and were prominent competitors locally, regionally, and statewide Kilpatrick teams captured six league titles and a district championship in 1994. Kilpatrick led his athletes to a state track and field team title in 1995, and his 1973 and 1984 teams finished second at the state competitions. Several of Kilpatrick’s athletes succeeded at the highest level in individual competitions at the Ohio Track and Field Championships, capturing a total of 18 individual championships through the years. In 1999, Kilpatrick was inducted to the Ohio Association of Track and Cross-Country Coaches Hall of Fame.

Ed Mentzer

Ed Mentzer graduated from Braceville High School in 1954 as valedictorian of his class He attended Otterbein University as a student-athlete and graduated with a mathematics degree in 1958. Upon graduation, Mentzer enlisted in the U.S. Air Force as a member of the pilot training program. He pursued his post-graduate education in operations research from Southern Methodist University, earning a Master of Science degree in 1972 He amassed over 4,750 flying hours in 13 different kinds of airplanes. His assignments ranged from TX, AL, CA, FL, OH, Washington D.C., Korea, Vietnam and Germany. He flew112 combat missions in Vietnam earning the Bronze Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, numerous Air Medals, and many other decorations throughout his 27-year Air Force career. In his civilian life, Mentzer worked as the Midwest Regional Manager for Norden Systems, and for Modern Technologies Corporation. Throughout his life Ed's hallmark was his volunteering. He served on the Otterbein Board of Trustees and served as the President of the Alumni Association.