Here’s how Bellefonte’s C.J. Funk and Mallorie Smith earned Snyder Award recognition
C.J. Funk and Mallorie Smith are two of the most decorated athletes to walk the halls at Bellefonte Area High School, and now both will be adding another honor to the list as they were named 2020 Snyder Award winners.
The pair have a litany of accomplishments between them on and off the field, and were especially excited to see each other awarded for their hard work.
“Mallorie has done some great things academically and athletically,” Funk said. “She’s been a great leader for the town and the community in general. It’s a pleasure to be alongside her winning this award.”
Smith added: “Both of us have put in a ton of work to be recognized the way we are right now. To have a great award like this is just perfect.”
The James H. Snyder Awards are given in memory of Snyder, a former Centre Daily Times sports editor who was killed in an automobile crash in December of 1957. The awards have become an annual county staple celebrating the community’s young leaders, a pair of seniors from each of the county’s five public high schools plus St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy, who embrace academics, athletics and community service.
Funk leaves high school as Bellefonte’s all-time leading rusher in football and one of its greats on the baseball diamond. He was set to break several records in baseball before his senior season was canceled. Two achievements stand out to Funk and both happened when he was a sophomore: When he and his teammates won the District 6 title on the football field and when he led the state in home runs in baseball.
“Winning districts hadn’t been done in over 20 years at that point,” Funk said. “That was very special.”
Smith found her success in basketball, soccer and softball. She was a three-time captain on the court, an All-State player in 2018 on the diamond, and a two-time Mountain League MVP on the soccer field.
She leaves behind a legacy as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, girls’ soccer players in Bellefonte’s history. Her 116 career goals and 32 career assists are first in program history. It’s a moment along the road to 116 goals that stands out to Smith, along with her softball team accomplishments.
“My favorite was my 100th goal that I got just because no one else had ever gotten it at Bellefonte,” Smith said. “Some of the best times that I’ve had were winning the district championship for softball three years in a row. We were hoping to win our fourth this year (before the season was canceled).”
Both Funk and Smith will continue their athletic careers at the next level.
Funk is set to play baseball at Pittsburgh, where he’ll major in accounting. He was drawn to accounting because of the potential long-term job prospects.
“When I took it this year, I realized it was a huge field,” he said. “There’s always job opportunities.”
Smith will play soccer at Penn State-Altoona, and is planning to major in biology. She’s fascinated by the subject and hopes to find a career in the field.
“I have loved biology since I took one of the classes my freshman year,” she said. “I just love learning about it.”
Smith’s volunteer work at camps and other community events were some of her fondest memories at Bellefonte.
“I’ve gotten to be a role model for the little kids in kindergarten and middle school,” she said. “Just to be able to get involved in the community with the younger kids and seeing how the young kids look up to me, just as I looked up to the older kids when I was their age, it really feels good.”
Funk worked in technology support for the school district and helped revitalize the film of the classic 1969 football game between Bellefonte and rival school Bald Eagle Area.
He valued all of the work he did, in and out of school, and said he’s grateful for the contributions he was able to make as a Red Raider.
Both Funk and Smith believe the people they’ve interacted with in their time as high school students have set the stage for them to find success as they move forward with their lives.
“I dedicate a lot of how I developed over the years as a student, as an athlete and as a man to the coaches for both baseball and football,” Funk said.
Added Smith: “The teachers there were very encouraging. I would have teachers that would tell me good luck in sports or ask me how it went. Just knowing the teachers and staff were supportive of anything that any kid was doing made us feel just at home as we would in our real houses.”
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
