Cleveland Touchdown Club Charities Announces 2017 Memorial Scholarship Recipients


Brendan DeVenney

Kevin Piczer

Nathan Schroeder

CLEVELAND – Brendan DeVenney, Kevin Piczer, Nathan Schroeder and Saidah Tarrence have been named recipients of the 2017 Cleveland Touchdown Club Charities (CTCC) Memorial Scholarship, the organization announced on July 13 at its annual Gene Hickerson Memorial Golf Outing.

The CTCC Memorial Scholarships are awarded annually to four graduating high school seniors who excel in the classroom, in the community and possess a strong ambition to succeed in college. Each individual will receive a $1,000 scholarship to use at an accredited college or university of their choice during the 2017-18 academic year.

DeVenney, the Dick Zunt Memorial Scholarship recipient, is a 2017 graduate of Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland. DeVenney graduated with a 3.20 GPA and will major in Integrated Media at University of Mount Union starting this fall. While at Saint Ignatius, he was the president of the Saint Ignatius Broadcast Network and the Student Sports Information Department, as well as serving as a student sports writer for the school’s athletics website. He was also a member of the Pallbearer Society, a Liturgical Musician, and a member of the school newspaper staff, yearbook staff and Steel Drum Band.

Piczer, the recipient of the Billy Reynolds Memorial Scholarship, graduated ninth in his class at Newbury High School with a 3.766 GPA. He intends to study Biology at The Ohio State University beginning this fall. During his four years at NHS, he was a member of the varsity soccer, wrestling and track and field teams, as well as the school’s academic team and marching band. His passion for biology led him to complete 284 hours of work to help the local Boy Scout troop restore a local wetland.

Schroeder is a 2017 graduate of Cuyahoga Heights High School and the recipient of the Morrie Kono Memorial Scholarship. He graduated with a 4.15 GPA and will attend the University of Akron to study Computer Engineering. He earned four varsity letters in golf, served as a manager/statistician for the freshman and JV boys basketball teams, and was a photographer for the football team. He has volunteered at the Village of Walton Hills Santa Delivery program, as well as the Brooklyn Heights Leaf Raking Project.

Tarrence, the John Peyton Memorial Scholarship recipient, is a 2017 graduate of Warrensville Heights High School. She graduated with a 2.97 GPA and will attend the University of Toledo this fall to study Sports Psychology. She served as a varsity statistician for WHHS during her high school career. Outside of athletics, she completed an internship for College Now Greater Cleveland, and organization dedicated to helping students achieve their dreams of higher education and career success, and has been an active volunteer for the Neighbors Helping Neighbors program.

This year’s scholarships are presented in honor of four gentlemen who have a rich history in Northeast Ohio football – Morrie Kono, John Peyton, Billy Reynolds and Dick Zunt. More information on all four individuals can be found on the Cleveland Touchdown Club Charities website.