THS names 2017 Athletics Hall of Fame inductees

Seven athletes, one state championship team to be honored

Posted 9/22/17

TIVERTON — Seven former athletes, one championship team and one longtime supporter of the THS athletic program have been selected to the Tiverton High School Athletics Hall of Fame.

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Register to post events


If you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here.

Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content.

Day pass subscribers

Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.


THS names 2017 Athletics Hall of Fame inductees

Seven athletes, one state championship team to be honored

Posted

TIVERTON — Seven former athletes, one championship team and one longtime supporter of the THS athletic program have been selected to the Tiverton High School Athletics Hall of Fame.

Hall of Fame Chairman Jim Cook said the group will be inducted at the fifth annual Hall of Fame Banquet on Thursday, Oct. 12, at McGovern’s Restaurant on Shove Street starting at 5:30 p.m. with a social hour, followed by the presentations at 6:30 p.m.

This year’s inductees are:

• Kimberly O’Connor – Class of 1976

Field Hockey, basketball, softball

Kim twice won the Outstanding Basketball Player Award. She was also 1 of 16 girls selected to the all-star team of the Girls and Women’s Sports of RI Association. In field hockey she was voted Outstanding Field Hockey player and selected all state. As a softball player in her freshman and sophomore year she was the pitcher on the fast pitch team, playing an unaffiliated schedule. In her junior season THS joined the RI Interscholastic League as a slow pitch team. In her final two seasons, she won the Outstanding Player twice playing as a third baseman. Kim was recognized and received the Outstanding Female Athlete – John Aguiar Memorial Award in both 1975 and 1976.

• Chris Destremps – Class of 1980

Football, baseball

While a power hitting catcher on the baseball team, it was on the football field that Chris truly excelled. As a dominating offensive and defensive lineman, and a senior captain of the football team he achieved High School All American recognition and 1st Team All-State honors. In both his junior and senior years he also achieved 1st Team All-League and 1st Team All Newport County honors. Also as a junior he was the recipient of the Vince Lombardi Block of Granite Award which is awarded to the best lineman in Southeastern Massachusetts/Rhode Island. He also was the winner of the CIT Financial Services Outstanding Football Player Award.

• Mark C. Towers – Class of 1982

Soccer, basketball, baseball

Mark was an outstanding three sport star for Tiverton. He was selected as the Most Outstanding Athlete in 1982. He earned nine varsity letters in soccer, basketball, and baseball. He was selected All Division eight times and played in five state championships. As a soccer player, he graduated as the second leading scorer, was All Division twice and helped the squad make the playoffs each season. On the basketball team, he played on a state finalist and a state championship team making All Division and All Tournament in both his junior and senior years. As a baseball player, he had three All Division seasons and made All Tournament twice. He established some records that still stand today, including THS baseball leader in RBI’s, career pitching ERA, and triples.

• Cynthia “CC” (Costa) Gonsalves — Class of 1988

Field Hockey, basketball , oftball

Cynthia “CC” Costa left her mark at Tiverton High by excelling in three sports. As the center forward on the field hockey team she was All Division in both her junior and senior years and 1st Team All State as a senior. She also earned the Outstanding Field Hockey Award. “CC” finished her career with a record 39 goals and 18 assists. As the point guard on the basketball team for three years she received the Outstanding Basketball Player Award. As a second baseman on the softball squad she was a starter for all four years, and captain as a junior and senior. She held the record for stolen bases and runs scored. Cynthia was the recipient of the 1988 John Aguiar Memorial Award and was voted Most Athletic Senior by her classmates.

• Kyle Beck - Class of 1999

Football, basketball

Even though Kyle started for three years in basketball, it was football that was his passion. He started for Tiverton High in all four years, earning All-Division honors on three occasions. Kyle was named to the Providence Journal 2nd Team All-State Team as a junior, and 1st Team All-State as a senior. Kyle was also name the Outstanding Athlete at Tiverton in 1999 and was the recipient of the John Aguiar Memorial Award. Beck scored 30 touchdowns as a running back and rushed for 2,453 yards. He had two Super Bowl appearances, winning the 1996 D IV state title. In basketball, Kyle used his aggressive style of play to bolster the defense and rebound.

• Bethanie (Raposa) Ferguson – Class of 2001

Field Hockey, softball, basketball

Bethanie was a four-year member of the THS field hockey and softball teams. She was a member of three Division II State Championship field hockey teams and won four regular season championships. She was captain of the 2001 State Championship softball team. Bethanie was an All-State selection and 1st Team All Division Selection, and selected for the 2000 Fall River Herald News All Scholastic Team. Bethanie was awarded the John Aguiar Memorial Award for Outstanding Female Athlete in 2001. She was awarded the U.S. Marine Corps Most Distinguished Athlete in 2001, the Award of Excellence for Sportsmanship by the Rhode Island Interscholastic League in 2001, and the Bob Turgeon Sportsmanship Award 2001.

• Zach Kapstein - Class of 2010

Football, baseball

Zach was freshman football Rookie of the Year and in baseball he hit .412 and was named Herald News all-star. As a sophomore, he earned Division III 1st team linebacker, and was Tiverton's MVP. In baseball, he was named THS MVP and made All Division 1st team hitting .492. In 2008 Zach received the Providence Gridiron Club MVP award, and All-State by the Providence Journal. In baseball as a junior Zach was selected as the Division I MVP. Again, he was named All-State. Injured, he missed the entire senior football season. Zach recovered and played baseball. He was named Outstanding Player, earned All-State 1st team as a catcher and was selected District I All-American. Zach played every game at catcher for all four years. He was the John Aguiar Memorial Award recipient.

• 1978-79 Boys Basketball Team

The 1978-1979 Boys Basketball Team captured Tiverton High School’s first ever state championship in any sport. Finishing with an overall record of 25-2, this team also captured the Central Division League Championship with a 21-1 record while outscoring opponents by an average of 17 points per game. Coached by Andy Anderson, Steven Lake and Gerry Arcoutte, the team consisted of seven seniors and seven juniors. Team members: Tim McDermott, Keith Allan, Scott Towers, Joe Solomon, Jeff Szelag, Chris Smith, Tim Gaughan, Mark Mello, Glen Pacheco, Ken Welchman, Dennis Souza, Jim Golden, Arthur Guimond and Dave Sincoski.

• Scott Peixinho – Supporter

THS football statistician 27 Years

Scott is being honored for his commitment of 27 consecutive years to the THS Football program. He graduated from THS in 1988, and was a member of the football team for three seasons. In his junior season, he was the team’s starting quarterback. However, it is what he has done since 1990 that earns him this Induction into the Hall of Fame. He has been the team’s statistician since that time, recording all stats for the Tigers and the visiting teams. He made sure he sent the information to all the newspapers covering the school, he helped the coaches scout, set up for filming, and offered the coaches and players advice. Through his work many players received the recognition they were due.

To learn more about the THS Athletics Hall of Fame, visit their website: www.thsathleticshof.com . It contains information on how to nominate individuals or teams for future induction, as well as a complete list of all past inductees.

2024 by East Bay Media Group

Barrington · Bristol · East Providence · Little Compton · Portsmouth · Tiverton · Warren · Westport
Meet our staff
Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.