Tom Petrino, Class of 1971

Tom Petrino is one of the best natural goal scorers in Peddie’s history. An incredibly dynamic offensive machine with or without the ball, Petrino had the innate ability to read the field and be in the right place at the right time. Call it “game intelligence.” Opponents often dedicated man-to-man coverage or even a double-team strategy to silence Petrino. But defenders struggled to cope with his intensity and precision once he settled the ball at his feet. Like all gifted attackers, he was fearless in the box and possessed a nose for the back of the net.

In four varsity seasons for the Falcons, Petrino racked up 59 goals in just 53 matches to produce a staggering strike rate of 1.11 goals per game. Those numbers represented an astonishing 48.4% of the team’s total offensive production.

It didn’t take long for Petrino to get acclimated to high school soccer. In just his second game, he found the net against Pennington in a 4-1 win. His early goal against Mercer County powerhouse St. Anthony’s jumpstarted a 4-2 upset win. Petrino bagged his team-leading 12th marker against Blair as he tucked home a penalty kick with 5:45 remaining for a dramatic 1-0 victory.

The goal-producing dynamo etched his place in Peddie soccer lore during his junior season when he scored 22 goals to guide the Falcons to an 8-4-1 record. An injury forced him to miss games against Moorestown Friends and Pingry, both ending in 1-0 losses. His scoring rate was simply off the charts, averaging a goal every 30 minutes or two goals per game. Fittingly, his penalty kick conversion once again fended off Blair, 1-0.

Elected captain by his teammates during his junior and senior campaigns, Petrino was twice named the recipient of the Evans Hicks Trophy for Most Outstanding Player. He earned several post-season honors as well, including First Team All-Prep-Parochial (1969-70).

Petrino also excelled in basketball and baseball and received the John D. Plant Basketball Award for best exemplifying the Peddie spirit in cooperation, sportsmanship and skill.