Glory Days Magazine recaps top 50 stories from its first 50 print editions

By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher Glory Days Magazine launched its first print edition on Sept. 17, 2013, and since then we have produced 50 editions covering a wide range of sports and people from more than 10 high schools throughout Atlantic and Cape May counties. Our first three years have been exciting as we have built up a fan base and a reputation for producing quality, interesting stories that highlight the best in area high school sports and the people who are involved with these teams, including coaches, players, former players and parents. As we reach the milestone of our 50th print edition, we wanted to take a look back at some of the best stories we have produced during the past three years. We’ve put together a list of our top 50 stories with some insight into the inspiration for the story and the response of our fan base. The rankings are based on the response we got from the stories as well as the importance of the subject matter. While there may be some disagreement as to where a certain story lands in our top 50, there’s no denying that each of these stories was fun to write, and we hope even more fun for our fans to read! To all our fans, thank you for believing in us and giving us such great response to what we do on a daily basis. We look forward to bringing you the next 50 editions of Glory Days Magazine. 1. “A life worth living” — Jan. 16, 2015: The life story of former Ocean City soccer player Jackie Adams was by far our most popular story ever. It was shared from our website more than 300 times and was seen on Facebook by more than 25,000 people. Jackie suffered a series of concussions during her high school career, and twice attempted suicide in hopes of relieving the stress, pain and anguish she was going through. Through the support of her friends, family and Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia, Jackie is flourishing these days, trying to complete her college degree while also volunteering with the Upper Township Challenger League. Her determination to get past Post-Concussion Syndrome has been an inspiration, and her willingness to be completely candid in telling her story made it a riveting one to tell. 2. “Liberated” — Dec. 12, 2014: Telling the life story of Absegami assistant soccer coach Eli “Big Boy” Gbayee was one of the highlights of my journalism career. Eli grew up in war-torn Liberia and was separated from his mother and family at age 4. He lived in a refugee camp, eating out of garbage cans to survive. About eight years later he was reunited with his mother and moved to America, where he became a soccer star at Absegami. He went on to graduate from Stockton University, and today teaches and runs Hope-For-Liberia, a non-profit whose aim is to help people in his home country. 3. “Perfect cure for a bad day” — Jan. 30, 2015: Meg Conover, a special needs student at EHT who endeared herself to the girls basketball program, became an overnight star after being featured on the cover. She was even signing autographs a few days after the story about her infectious positive attitude came out. 4. “Wrestler’s fan club has special member” — March 28, 2014: South Jersey was introduced to the cute 3-year-old daughter of Ocean City wrestling coach Dave Castellini and wife Kelly. Little Alyssa was at every wrestling match cheering on her favorite, then-senior Cooper Gallagher, holding up fingers to indicate the points he made for takedowns. It was one of our most popular stories of that school year. In the winter of 2014, we introduced readers to a special young girl who captured the hearts of the Ocean City wrestling team. Coach Dave Castellini’s daughter, Alyssa, then 3 years old, was a huge fan of then-senior Cooper Gallagher, who advanced all the way to Boardwalk Hall. (Glory Days Magazine file photo/Dave O’Sullivan) 20. “Making mom proud” — June 5, 2015: A great story about Vineland freshman baseball player Ethan Herscher, who went on a tear at the plate following the death of his adoptive mother. 21. “Never backing down” — Dec. 24, 2014: Tara Payne, a dancer at Absegami, had to have a rod put into her back to correct extreme scoliosis, but that didn’t stop her. She earned a scholarship to dance and study at University of the Arts in Philadelphia. 22. “The ultimate underdog” — Nov. 20, 2015: Great story of Cedar Creek’s Louie Pitale, the diminutive wide receiver who overcame the odds and eventually led his team to a state championship. 23. “Passion and pride” — Nov. 26, 2016: The Pleasantville girls basketball team, despite losing more than 40 straight games, garnered the respect of opponents because of their positive attitude and determination on the court, no matter what the score was. 24. “A foundation built on motivation” — March 25, 2016: ACIT’s Ahmad Grate was cut from the basketball team as a sophomore, but continued to work his tail off and used that setback as motivation to become an All-Cape-Atlantic League player his senior year. 25. “Believe the hype” — Aug. 28, 2015: Cedar Creek’s Ahmir Mitchell was one of the most sought-after recruits in the nation prior to his senior year, and he graced the cover of our football preview edition. 26. March 11, 2016: “The untouchables” — Mainland boys, Ocean City girls win state swimming titles. 27. Nov. 6, 2015: “Toughness required” — The life of a soccer goalie. 28. Dec. 18, 2015: “Making the most of his last shot” — Holy Spirit football player Joe Curinga finishes his career strong. 29. Oct. 6, 2014: “Making the dream a reality” — A look at how important South Jersey Field of Dreams is to young athletes with special needs. 30. Nov. 7, 2014: “Brothers in arms” — The Clark twins of St. Augustine Prep, Alex and Ben, finishing solid high school soccer careers and announcing they would be attending college together at Haverford. 31. June 19, 2015: “The road less traveled” — Holy Spirit baseball goes on an incredible run to win the state championship. 32. Sept. 25, 2015: “Why giving up isn’t an option” — Sully column about Egg Harbor Township’s remarkable comeback in the football season opener against Atlantic City. 33. Oct. 9, 2015: “Conover came through when needed” — Sully column about Oakcrest girls soccer senior Ashlee Conover coming through for her team in a critical situation. 34. Aug. 14, 2015: “Stepping stone to success” — In-depth look at the Atlantic Shore Babe Ruth baseball program and its 2015 world series championship. 35. Oct. 9, 2015: “My glory days: Pete Marczyk, Holy Spirit” — Giuseppe Ungaro’s profile of the former Holy Spirit baseball star and his athletic family. 36. Nov. 11, 2015: “Momversation with Donna Coffey” — A conversation with the matriarch of the Mainland football program. 37. Jan. 16, 2015: “My glory days special: Former NFL cheerleader Lisa Fishbein proves any challenge can be overcome” — Sully’s first-ever Facebook interview, with Fishbein, who was born deaf but didn’t let that stop her from achieving her dreams. 38. Sept. 17, 2013: “Where it all begins” — Glory Days’ first-ever cover story, a look inside the life of a football center. 39. May 7, 2014: “Home run a fitting tribute to coach” — The story of EHT catcher Kate Korte, who homered the day after her beloved travel coach, Ken Esser, passed away. 40. Oct. 23, 2015: “More than just a football player” — Ungaro’s profile of Oakcrest senior football player Terrence Smith, a true leader both on and off the field. 41. Jan. 15, 2016: “Going blonde strengthens bond” — Staff writer Nick Kosko’s story about members of the EHT wrestling team dying their hair in an effort to strengthen team unity. 42. Dec. 4, 2015: “Your worst nightmare” — A look at
the football career of St. Augustine Prep linebacker Jim Brady. 43. Jan. 29, 2016: “Fighting for one last chance” — The incredible comeback from ACL surgery by Holy Spirit basketball player C.J. Barnes. 44. April 8, 2016: “Check, please” — An inside look at the intensity of the Egg Harbor Township women’s street hockey league. 45. Feb. 27, 2015: “A blend of pride, hope” — The lives of mixed-race high school athletes, the challenges they faced growing up, and how they view themselves athletically and socially. 46. May 22, 2015: “The rowing life” — A look at the culture of high school crew and the dedication of the parents and athletes involved. 47. July 3, 2015: “Learning the value of hard work” — Ungaro’s story of the maturation process of Atlantic City basketball star Kevin Allen. 48. July 3, 2015: “McGrail defined leadership during EHT career” — Kosko’s profile of Eagles senior Tommy McGrail, who was a key leader for the football, wrestling and track teams during his career. 49. April 8, 2016: “My glory days: Jason Law, Mainland baseball 1998” — A look back on the outstanding baseball career of one of the Mustangs’ finest. 50. July 24, 2015: “Work ethic from bygone era inspired Absegami’s Ryan Ward” — The former Braves lacrosse star credited his grandfather for instilling in him a ‘no excuses’ work ethic. Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]