— — The North Tonawanda Lumberjacks Athletic Complex will be the site of a highly anticipated matchup between an undefeated Niagara Falls and the host Jacks, who will be in search of their first win of the season at 7 p.m. tonight.

While the attention will be on the major Class AA North contest, with perhaps playoff hopes on the line for NT, five more heralded greats will return to their old stomping grounds to steal some of the spotlight during halftime to accept their induction into the North Tonawanda Football Hall of Fame.

Mike Hohl (’80), Sean O’Bryan (’96), Jason Barra (’96), Joe Scalice (’01) and Erik Zorich (’01) will headline the 26th NT Hall of Fame Class along with Bud Henry Award recipient, John Carnduff, who will be awarded posthumously for his hard work and dedication to the NT football program.

For the former North Tonawanda student-athletes who have long graduated from the high school, it is a great honor to return and accept such high recognition from a program that served a great purpose in shaping their adult lives.

“North Tonawanda has made me the person I am,” said O’Bryan, who currently resides in Atlanta, Ga. as a senior safety, health security manager at Ryder Systems, Inc. “I’m family first and I’m always going to outwork the next. NT was the place where I grew up and it’s made me the person I am today.”

O’Bryan, a three-year letterwinner, played three seasons of varsity, finishing second in NT football history with 19 touchdowns and 2,534 yards through the air. He also added 17 scores on the ground. He earned first-team Tonawanda News his senior season.

Zorich, a three-year letterwinner, starred at linebacker for the Jacks, becoming one of the best at the position in Western New York during his junior and senior seasons.

Scalice was also a three-year letterwinner, anchoring a strong NT offensive line at the turn of the century. He earned all-state recognition his junior season.

Barra, a two-year letterwinner for the Jacks, was a linemen former NT coach Dave Anastasi quoted as being one of the best offensive lineman he ever coached.

Hohl, a two-year letterwinner, starred on both sides of the ball on the offensive and defensive lines for North Tonawanda.

The late Carnduff, who never played for the Jacks, was an intricate member of the football program for years as a strength and conditioning coach. He was a member of the NT Football Hall of Fame staff, as well as the president of the Exchange Club of the Tonawandas. He was known as a passionate and lifelong weight lifter.

Scalice said it’s certainly an honor to be a part of such a storied class.

“It’s an honor. It’s something that I never thought about when I was playing there,” said Scalice, who resides in Edgewood, Md., teaching biology at a local high school. “It was always nice going back to the NT Hall of Fame and seeing the people that had been inducted. Now having the opportunity to join those ranks, it’s a pretty big honor with all the players that came through.”

To walk on the field where so many unforgettable teenage memories unfolded is going to be a unique experience, Zorich said.

“It’s going to be nice to walk on that field,” said Zorich, who currently lives in Dayton, Ohio. “One of the hardest things you do as a football player is walk off your football field the last time. It’s going to be nice to get out there under the lights, and being presented that award will bring me back to old times.”

O’Bryan, who’s brothers Todd and Erik remain on the Jacks’ coaching staff, said playing for North Tonawanda meant more than attaining individual accolades.

“It’s the memories, it’s not really about the individual recognition,” Sean O’Bryan said. “The Hall of Fame is really much more than that. It’s about representing those players and those friends that you were with.”

Tonight, O’Bryan and the rest of the 26th NT Football Hall of Fame Class will add yet another indelible memory to the Jacks’ storied history.