Jon Shay is the kind of foundational player upon which programs are built

He will always be remembered at Annville-Cleona as a talented athlete, a hard worker, a team leader. He will leave behind a legacy of great plays, great shots, great throws, and great teams.

He certainly has a lot to be proud of.

But that’s just the tip of Jonathan Shay’s athletic iceberg, the part of his local sports story floating above the surface.

Shay has always known what it means to be present, to live in the moment, to elevate his game at the exact and crucial time. He’s consistent and constant and character-driven – he’s always been someone to be counted on.

Jon Shay has always showed up.

“Being able to show up and work out with the team is the most important thing,” he said. “It’s not looking out for yourself. It’s looking out for the team.”

Shay is on the downside of a four-year, three-sport athletic career at Annville-Cleona. It will likely end in late May with a final throw of the discus or the shot put outside of Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.

Over the last four years, Shay will have earned 12 varsity letters as a Dutchman, through his competition in football, basketball, and track and field. On both the varsity gridiron and hardwoods, he started as a freshman.

During his time at A-C, Shay has missed fewer than a handful of practices and games.

“Knowing I’m moving on is something that is definitely in my head,” he said. “For me personally, it’s a cool thing to look back, just because of the people I’ve played with and all the different experiences I’ve had. When I look back on it, it’s been pretty special. I had a lot of personal success and a lot of team success.

“In football, we had a really good team every single year. I saw that (the success) and tried to emulate it. In basketball, it was a lot of minutes and a lot of work in the summer.”

“We started Jon halfway through his freshmen year because we knew he could be one of the building blocks for our program,” said Annville-Cleona head boys’ basketball coach Jason Coletti. “He was going to show up all the time in the off-season, play hard and lead by example. All four years we were able to count on Jon. I am thankful for the four years of being able to coach Jon and appreciate what he did for our program. He was not only great for the younger players to see on the basketball court, but also the way a multi-sport athlete makes a commitment to all their teams. “

As Shay grew as a person, he also grew as a student-athlete. By staying true to himself, he emerged as a leader. Other players began to look his way to see how he was doing it.

“I lead more by actions,” said Shay. “I became more of a leader in my junior year, in both football and basketball. I stepped up more, made sure I was doing the right things and started mentoring people.

“When I was a freshman, I kind of assumed I’d be on the junior high football team. I didn’t really grow into football until my freshman year. I always thought basketball was my better sport. In basketball, I thought I’d get JV minutes as a freshman.”

“Jon Shay is one of the finest athletes I have had the good fortune to work with in my career,” said Annville-Cleona head football coach Matt Gingrich. “Jon has sacrificed for the team so much over the years that I am looking forward to his college career, as he will placed in a spot that is best suited for him – and I really think he is going to flourish.

“Most people don’t know that Jon started every game in four years… literally never missed a game, despite being hurt a lot. Jon also was a dedicated flag football coach – and someone that helped our youth all the time.”

For Shay, that team-first mentality produced a 1,000-yard rushing season in his senior football campaign and a 1,000-point basketball career. It’s a rare personal achievement that no Dutchman had ever accomplished before and few Lebanon County student-athletes have ever achieved.

Yet Shay took just as much personal satisfaction from Annville-Cleona advancing to the District Three Class AA football championship game during his sophomore season in 2022.

“It’s (sports) easily one of the most important things I’ve got going on,” he said. “It’s something I do before I deal with anything else. If I didn’t have sports, I’d probably just work or try to find a job. Other than sports and school, I just work, and that’s it.”

Shay attended Lebanon Catholic School for the first eight years of his education and was on track to be part of the Beavers’ football co-op with the Dutchmen. When “The Little School on Assumption Hill” abruptly closed, Shay went to Annville-Cleona High School as a freshman.

“I would’ve played (football) here regardless,” he said. “I wanted to graduate from Lebanon Catholic. It (the closing of LCS) was a bittersweet thing. I was disappointed Lebanon Catholic closed, but everyone here has been great.”

The next athletic challenge for Shay is Division Two football at Shippensburg University, where he will major in business. The Raiders project him as a tight end.

“I’m definitely excited to see what I can do in college and how I can help them out,” said Shay. “I went on a couple of college visits and Shippensburg was one of the only schools to reach back out to me. I really like the environment and campus.”