From the 1960s through the 90s coaches like Lawrence’s Lou Angebranndt, Steinert’s Goose Laurenti and Paul Tessein, Hamilton’s Jack Bell, Notre Dame/Hightstown’s John Wagner and Notre Dame’s Mike Perone put Mercer County boys soccer on the map at the state level. When the calendar flipped to the 21st century, Wayne Sutcliffe helped keep it there. When Sutcliffe became Princeton High’s head coach in 1997, he inherited a great program from Ron Celestin and in a few years he would make it even greater. Princeton became the latest Mercer County boys soccer dynasty, which is why Sutcliffe will be inducted into the Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame on April 12. He is fairly blunt as to what the honor means. “It’s as big as it gets to be included in an elite group of people who played the game and coached it and set the highest standards in New Jersey for decades,” Sutcliffe said. Also entering the prestigious Hall are Eddie Gaven, Frank Kemo, Beth Roundtree, Scott Steward, Donald Cogsville, Dr. Rob Steward, Hamilton West boys 1976 state champs and Notre Dame girls 1982 state co-champs. The event begins with a 5 p.m. cocktail hour followed by dinner at 6:00 at the Hibernian Club in Hamilton. For ticket information, log on to mercercountysoccerhof.com or contact Bruce Angebranndt at 609-731-5906 or bruce@mercercountysoccerhof.com. In 26 years as Princeton’s head coach (after serving as Celestin’s assistant), Sutcliffe led Princeton to over 300 wins, two Group III state titles, four trips to the state finals, seven Central Jersey sectional championships, seven Mercer County Tournament crowns and a staggering 19 Colonial Valley Conference titles. He was named 2009 New Jersey Coach of the Year by the Soccer Coaches Association of NJ, and 2008/2015 Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches of America/Adidas. Among his countless All-County and All-State players, 40 went on to play in college. “Those guys represented Mercer County at the highest level,” Sutcliffe said. “Guys like Sam Kotowski, Steven Hellstern, Kevin and Zach Halliday, Drew Beamer; those are guys that helped take us to state championships.” Princeton coach Wayne Sutcliffe walks on the field prior to the start of a Mercer County Tournament semifinal game against Notre Dame at Ackerson Field in Hopewell Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Sutcliffe insisted his players from Princeton and the PHS feeder town of Cranbury – “Without Cranbury, we would be in the middle of the table every year.” – helped make his program a powerhouse. But talent needs to mesh, and Sutcliffe and his staff did just that. A South Jersey product who played for Moorestown High and Temple University, Sutcliffe knew of Mercer’s soccer reputation from afar. “It was well known among guys who played in Burlington County about Mercer County – Steinert , Hamilton West, Lawrence, Notre Dame,” he said. “The teams in those days were perennial. It certainly was not uncommon for me to know about them in high school.” As a teenager, Wayne attended “50 percent” of the Philadelphia Atoms home games, when the first-year expansion team won the North American Soccer League championship with the help of Steinert grad Bobby Smith. Professionally, Sutcliffe was head coach of Moorestown Friends for five years and served as technical director for Moorestown Soccer Club and head coach of the Medford Soccer Club. When he came to Princeton, 2012 HOF inductee Ron Celestin was the head man and the Little Tigers won a state title in 1995. Sutcliffe took over two years later and felt the need to produce. “It was an obligation to try to get the team to those elite levels,” he said. “When we won it in 1995 that became the standard. After I got the job we always did well in the league but we couldn’t win the section until 2003. There was a lot of pressure on me then, but once we won the first one, from 2006 on we really hit our stride. We had some seasons from ‘06 to 2014 where we won everything you could win.” Sutcliffe proudly stated that his first year as Princeton’s head coach was so memorable he could name every school’s head coach, and he proceeded to reel them all off. “It was maybe the most special season for me because I had to work really closely with the team and learn about them,” he recalled. “I knew about the premier level players we had, but it takes a while to learn about players and what their characteristics are.” Along with living up to Princeton’s standards, Sutcliffe wanted to sustain the level of excellence established by Wagner, Perone and company. “Every time we competed in the Mercer County Tournament with the private schools, I was Princeton’s head coach so it was all about the Princeton team,” he said. “But below that, we’re trying to win the tournament for the CVC, and the same at the sectional level and the state finals.” Sutcliffe credited Celestin as biggest influence, along with the late West Windsor-Plainsboro South coach Maynard Welsh, former Hopewell coach Tony Suosso and former Lawrence coach Keith Fithen, “who was a good colleague.” In his later years he bonded with WW-P North’s Trevor Warner and Hopewell’s Ed Gola, as the trio shared ideas in the Mercer County Coaches Association. “To this day Eddie does a great job running the association,” Sutcliffe said. Former Rider coach Charlie Inverso, right, watches with former Princeton High coach Wayne Sutcliffe, center, and his son C.J. Inverso, left, during a Central Group IV semifinal boys soccer game in Princeton. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Since retiring, the coach has taken a break from soccer to enjoy life. While still a teacher at PHS, he and his girlfriend, Amy Ferrante, enjoy fun activities on weekends. One of them is to visit jazz clubs in North Jersey to watch Wayne’s son, Liam, play the trumpet. “I’m still working on some (soccer) things,” he said. “But I needed to take some time away.” He remains close to his former program. Sutcliffe looked on like a proud father as his former assistant and successor Ryan Walsh guided Princeton to a state title in 2023 and a CVC Tournament championship last fall. “When Ryan won it in 23 it was as proud as I ever was when I was the head coach,” Sutcliffe said. “We’re close personal friends so that was our goal. I wanted to leave the team to him in a good way. The current senior class really set a new standard.” Sutcliffe’s teams set a pretty high bar themselves. He will deservedly take the podium at the MCHOF banquet and speak to a roomful of legends that often include legends like Bobby Smith, Tim Murphy, Billy Gazonas, Manfred Schellscheidt and many others. “I’m extraordinarily proud of what we were able to accomplish over the 26 years I coached, and that we could represent Mercer County at the highest level,” he said. “I’m just so very appreciative of the Hall of Fame committee for selecting me.” Just as the HOF is appreciative of what Sutcliffe did for its sport. Mercer County Soccer HoF Class of 2025 Joining Wayne Sutcliffe in the Class of 2025 are Eddie Gaven, Frank Kemo, Beth Roundtree, Scott Steward, Donald Cogsville, Dr. Rob Steward, Hamilton West boys 1976 state champs and Notre Dame girls 1982 state co-champs: Eddie Gaven: The Hamilton native had an 11-year career with the MetroStars and the Columbus Crew in MLS. He earned eight caps for the USMNT. Frank Kemo: An All-State standout at Ewing High and a four-time All-South selection at Appalachian State where he is a member of the Appalachian State Hall of Fame. Beth Roundtree: An All-State player at Ewing High and an All-America player at the University of Massachusetts. Scott Steward: An All-State at player Lawrence and a standout at Old Dominion University along with US Youth international experience. Donald Cogsville: A Parade All-American at Princeton Day School, a standout at University of North Carolina and a former US National Team member. Dr. Rob Steward: A former US youth international who was a Parade All-America player at the Lawrenceville School and a standout at University of Virginia. 1976 Hamilton West boys: Group IV state champion with a 17-2-1 record. 1982 Notre Dame girls: Non-Public co-champion. United States’ Eddie Gaven (20) steps past Honduras’ Daniel Alvarez in the first half of the CONCACAF Olympic men’s qualifying soccer match Saturday, March 15, 2008, in Tampa, Fla. United States won 1-0. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson) ...read more read less