Doris Ann Vacca-Pezzolla’s softball career may have ended years ago, but when it comes to a friendly family rivalry with her daughter, former Observer Female Athlete of the Year Giulia Pezzolla, that competitive nature remains.
Vacca-Pezzolla can, at least for the time being, hold one bit of bragging rights as the only family member to be in the Lyndhurst Athletics Hall of Fame. The one-time star pitcher was part of an 11-person class that was inducted during the Hall of Fame’s 33rd Induction Dinner on May 8.
“My daughter and I with sports have had a little competition,” Vacca-Pezzolla, a 1988 graduate, said with a laugh. “I would say to her, I’m in the (Ramapo) Hall of Fame for college. And she goes, ‘well, you’re not in the high school (hall of fame) yet.’ I told her well, I’m now in both, so now you have to get in.”
The youngest of six children, Vacca-Pezzolla credits her oldest brother, Michael, who thanks to a 20-year age difference was ‘like my father,’ as the biggest influence when it comes to sports.
Vacca-Pezzolla recalls Michael taking her to every softball practice and getting her to pitching lessons as a youngster.
Those early moments helped Vacca-Pezzolla become one of the greatest pitchers to ever take the circle for the Golden Bears, leading Lyndhurst to a pair of BCSL division titles. In her senior season, 1988, Vacca-Pezzolla went a sterling 20-5 to earn All-Bergen County as well as All-State, Group 3 honors.
She went 41-10 for her career pitching before going to play at nearby Ramapo College where she graduated as the program’s career strikeout leader with 209 and still ranks third all-time in wins with 54.
Vacca-Pezzolla also ran cross country at Lyndhurst, but admitted it was mainly “to get in shape for softball.”
When her daughter Giulia was old enough to play sports growing up in Lyndhurst, Vacca-Pezzolla initially put her in softball, but the younger Pezzolla instead took a liking to soccer.
“I had her play softball when she was little. She was good, but she didn’t like that it wasn’t fast moving enough for her,” said Vacca-Pezzolla. “She preferred soccer because she liked to move.”
Giulia Pezzolla had 58 goals and 55 assists during a stellar high school soccer career. In track she won NJIC titles in several different events and earned a scholarship to run Middle Distance at Monmouth University.
“I’m super excited (at the thought of Giulia being inducted in the future),” said Vacca-Pezzolla. “That’ll probably be better and it will be more exciting for me.”
Here is a look at the 2025 Induction Class, listed in order of the year they graduated from Lyndhurst.
Thomas Kennedy (1951): A two-time varsity letterwinner, Kennedy’s play at offensive tackle as a senior earned him All-Bergen, Second Team Offense honors and helped lead Lyndhurst to an 8-1 record and being awarded co-state champs.
Rocco Conzo (1957): Twice, Conzo was an All-Bergen County honore for his play at offensive guard, earning Fourth Team as a junior and Second as a senior. His play helped lead the Golden Bears to back-to-back state titles and a 13-3 overall record.
John DeLellis (1968): As a senior, DeLellis earned All-Bergen and All-State Group 3 honors for his play at guard on Lyndhurst’s 8-1 state championship team.
Joseph Barbalaco (1974): Barbalaco’s play at linebacker was a key part of a Lyndhurst defense that allowed just 31 points in nine games en route to an 8-1 record and state title.
Thomas Dunn (1984): Dunn won the Bergen County wrestling title at 100 pounds for the Golden Bears. A three-year letterwinner, Dunn also won a pair of district titles as well as a regional title his senior year.
Philip Palagonia (1985): This running back earned All-Bergen, Second Team Offense after scoring 19 touchdowns his senior season. He was an All-State Group 2 selection by The Star-Ledger as Lyndhurst went 6-1-2. A three-year letterwinner, Palagonia also ran track.
Doris Ann Vacca (1988): One of the finest pitchers in Lyndhurst history, Vacca went a career 41-10 in the circle, highlighted by a 20-5 mark in 1988, which earned her All-State, Group 3 honors. Vacca also ran cross country.
Jason Kaminski (1998): A four-year starter on the offensive line, the 245-pound Kaminski was one of the best tackles in recent program history. In 1997 he earned All-Bergen County, First Team and helped power the Lyndhurst offense to 28.2 points per game.
Ryan Guterl (2000): One of the finest defenders to ever play soccer at Lyndhurst, Guterl, was a four-year starter at sweeper, earning All-Bergen First Team and All-State, Group 2 Second Team honors in 1999. Guterl went on to play at Montclair State.
Thomas Shoebridge (Coach): One of the most accomplished track coaches in North Jersey history, Shoebridge coached Lyndhurst to 16 league championships and a stellar 294-83 record in dual meets from 1978-2021. Shoebridge’s teams won four Bergen County Relay titles, four Bergen County Group championships and two NJSIAA state sectional titles. A member of the New Jersey Coaching Hall of Fame, Shoebridge also was an assistant football coach for 27 years and for three seasons was the head girls basketball coach at Lyndhurst.
Angelo Schifano (Contributor): A longtime resident, the commercial artist is credited for designing the original Golden Bear mascot. Schifano was a longtime youth baseball and basketball coach in town and all six of his children played sports at Lyndhurst.
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)