The Apex Cougar Club is excited to announce this year’s Apex High School/Apex Consolidated 2023 Hall of Fame Inductees:
Peter Falter
Debbie Martin Howard
Joseph Howard Jr.
Miles Kliewer
Katrina Hinton McKoy
Wes Moyer
Nick Patrone
Peter Falter
Apex High School Class of 1979
Dr. Peter J. Falter graduated from Apex High School in 1979 and was Apex High School’s first state champion in an individual sport, winning first place in the 148 lb. weight class in the 1979 state wrestling championship tournament. Peter was a leader on the wrestling team throughout his years at Apex High School, serving as team captain from 1977-1979. His individual awards included Triangle 3A conference championships in 1977, ’78 and ’79, conference MVP in 1978 and ’79, and team MVP in 1977, ’78 and ’79. According to teammates, Peter was a brilliant tactician on the mat, seemingly knowing counters to every move his opponents would attempt on him. “Watching Peter wrestle was like watching a chess match. He was a true student of his sport.”
During his years at Apex High School, Peter was known for academics, athletics and leadership. He was a three-year letter winner on the varsity football team and was a member and officer of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, National Honor Society, and German club. He was also an active community servant in Boy Scouts, 4-H and church. He helped form a local 4-H club and won several local and state awards in this organization. Peter reached the rank of Eagle Scout and Brotherhood in Order of the Arrow while holding a series of troop leadership positions. As an adult, he served 17 years in leadership roles including cubmaster, assistant scoutmaster, and unit commissioner.
Peter attended NC State University where he wrestled for one year before focusing on his engineering studies and earning bachelors, masters, and PhD degrees in mechanical engineering. He was active in student groups, was part of the first programs to expand onto the Centennial campus, and helped found the American Society for Precision Engineering. Peter has continued his mission of service in the defense industry and is currently a chief engineer at Lockheed Martin in Orlando. He and his wife, Christine Falter (AHS class of 1981) raised four children and have one grandson.
Peter Falter’s accomplishments at Apex High School are historic accomplishments for our school. Furthermore, his academic and extracurricular excellence while at Apex were truly remarkable. Peter Falter has continued to be an outstanding representative for Apex with his academic, career, and civic accomplishments.
Debbie Martin Howard
Apex High School Class of 2003
Debbie Martin Howard is one of Apex High School’s premier athletes, winning four state championships in the high jump (three indoor and one outdoor) during her distinguished career. Her indoor record is 5’8.75” and her outdoor record is 5’9. As of 2023, Debbie is still the co-record holder for Apex High School with that 5’9’ mark. Debbie achieved much athletic success over an extended period, winning State Championships during her sophomore, junior, and senior seasons while representing Apex High School. She was a dedicated athlete with her specialty being the high jump, but she also helped the team by winning conference in other events (long jump, triple jump, 4×100 relay).
As important as her athletic achievements was, the way she always represented the school with sportsmanship and class. She was a leader for the Apex track and field program during the time that our team was 31-3 in dual meets while also winning a Tri-7 Conference Championship, a Mid-East Regional Championship and two Top-12 team finishes in the 4A State Meet. The spirit and camaraderie of these successful teams in this era was due to the strong leadership from team leaders like Debbie Martin Howard. She was a great athlete who was always trying to challenge herself and improve her skills.
After graduation from Apex High School in 2003, Debbie continued her successful athletic career at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. At UNCW, she won a conference championship and twice qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships.
Upon graduation from UNCW, Debbie returned to Apex and earned her Massage Therapy license. Debbie started her business, “Restorative Touch”, based in Apex and has been the Owner/Operator since 2010. In this capacity, she works with the UNC-Chapel Hill Athletic Department focusing on the football and swimming teams. Debbie is a dedicated wife to Nick Howard and mother to daughter Savannah and son Harlis.
Joseph Howard Jr.
Apex Consolidated High School Class of 1967
Joseph Howard Jr. was an exemplary student-athlete during his time at Apex Consolidated High School and can be described as a leader on and off the court. Joe Jr.’s peers and coaches quickly recognized his leadership abilities as he was elected co-captain of both the Junior Varsity and Varsity Basketball Teams during his time at Apex Consolidated. On the court, Joe Jr. made a name for himself as the leading scorer for the 1967 team, scoring 40 points in one game. In addition to playing basketball, Joe Jr. was a centerfielder on the baseball team and the Drum Major in the band.
In 1970, Joe Jr. began working at Almay Cosmetics and was promoted to processing supervisor in 1980. During his time at Almay, he participated in the company league basketball and softball teams from 1970 until the company relocated in 1987. In 1987, Joe Jr. started his new position as Bakery Supervisor at Austin foods Co. and began coaching the men’s basketball team, which he did from 1989 through 1993. In 1994, he was promoted to Austin Foods Co. Manufacturing Administration Manager and took on the responsibility of coaching two men’s basketball teams. Joe Jr. eventually left Austin Foods for Revlon Cosmetics and retired from the company in 2012.
Since retiring, Joe Jr. likes to relax and watch his favorite TV shows, support his children and grandchildren, complete honey-do lists and cheer on his favorite sports teams. Faith has always been important to Joe Jr. and he is a member of St. Mary’s AME Church where he sang in the church choir and played the keyboard.
Joe Jr. was honored at the 50th anniversary of the John Wall Holiday Tournament, formally the Glaxo Smith Kline Holiday Tournament. Joe was recognized for being in attendance to each tournament not missing a single year.
Miles Kliewer
Athletic Trainer
Miles Kliewer has been an athletic trainer at Apex High School since the fall of 1995. Prior to coming to Apex, Miles played football and ran track at Richlands High School. He then went to Elon College in 1987 and played football. After two years at Elon, Miles transferred to ECU in 1989. While at ECU Miles worked with the football team and was part of the legendary 1991 Peach Bowl team. Miles also worked with men’s soccer, outdoor track, and swimming and diving teams at ECU. Miles received his Undergrad Degree at ECU in 1993, earning his BS in Health and Physical Education with a concentration in Sports Medicine. He continued studies at ECU to receive his master’s degree in Health Education in 1995.
When Miles took over as the Athletic Trainer at Apex High, the Apex High School athletic training department was rather modest in terms of the facilities and equipment available to serve the athletes of the school. From the start, Miles worked to acquire more equipment, upgrade the number of supplies available to use in serving the AHS student-athletes, and built storage areas for the athletic training program to use. In addition, he initiated the first athletic training class at Apex High School, which created an influx of sports medicine student assistants to assist each athletic team. Additionally, Miles was the first athletic trainer in Wake County to move the myriad of athletic forms into the digital world. Rather than handling countless pieces of paper, all forms are now turned in through an online portal and Miles takes on the burden of verifying all of the information. The professionalism which Miles has brought to the Apex Athletic Training program has been exemplary, and his work has provided critical athletic training diagnosis, care, and rehabilitation for thousands of Apex athletes.
During his tenure, Miles has covered literally thousands of games for our Apex Athletes. He has overseen over 18,000 athletes. Furthermore, until his son was in basic training: Miles had never missed a football game since starting as our athletic trainer and other than that week, he has not missed a game since.
Apex has been very fortunate to have someone of Miles’ professional knowledge. He became Nationally Certified in 1996 and then became a Licensed Athletic Trainer in 1997. On top of that, he was also awarded North Carolina High School Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2002.
Miles has grown the athletic trainer program and has worked to grow student’s interest in the medical field. There have been many students who have gone to be certified athletic trainers. He says that he has always treated his students as if they were his own sons and daughters. Along with growing his program, Miles has always used his skills to make his facilities state of the art for high schools.
Because Miles has built such an outstanding athletic training program at Apex High School, he has been recognized as a leader in the field of athletic training. Miles has been recognized as one of the best Athletic Trainers in the state. In 2006, he was invited to be the high school athletic trainer for the Shrine Bowl game of the Carolinas. Miles was later chosen to be the permanent trainer for the North Carolina Shrine Bowl team from 2012-2019. Now, Miles has been named the Athletic Trainer Chairman for the entire North Carolina vs South Carolina Shrine Bowl in 2019. The Shrine Bowl experience indicates the value that people outside the Apex community place on Miles’ knowledge and hard work.
Along with his volunteer service for the Shrine Bowl, Miles attends All Saints Orthodox Church where he is a Member of Parish Council and the church handyman. Miles was also the NCATA Website Administrator from 1998-2018.
Miles and his wife, Mary, have three children. Their oldest is Nicholas, who is a 2019 graduate from Apex High where he was a 4-year wrestler and a football player. Their younger son, Joey, graduated in 2022 from Apex where he played football and wrestled. Their daughter, Olivia, is currently a student at Apex High School and she is involved in the athletic training program.
Miles has a pride, devotion, and passion for Apex Athletics. In trying to define a few special moments of his career, Miles would honestly say that all twenty-eight years have been special because of the staff he’s had to work with. With the consistent hiring of good people at Apex High School, it has made every season and year enjoyable. Every time any Apex athletic team has achieved that special season where a deep run into the playoffs became a reality, Miles was pulled along for the ride. The additional requirements placed on him in these instances were many. But Miles responded to this situation as he did with every similar playoff run. He handled it with professionalism in meeting the duties of being the athletic trainer, and he did it in a way that brought joy to that role. That, in turn, allows coaches to coach, and players to play. Apex High School has been fortunate to have Miles serve as athletic trainer for the past 28 years.
Katrina Hinton McKoy
Apex High School Class of 1993
Katrina Hinton McKoy was a member of the Apex High School Varsity Girls basketball team all four years of her high school career that spanned from 1989-1993. These years coincided with Apex High School’s move to the 4A classification.
Katrina was an integral part of a team that was 3-18 her freshman year and improved to a record of 25-3 during her senior year. She also was part of a program that had 60 wins over her last three seasons. During Katrina’s senior year her team was 25-3 and made it to the Eastern Regionals where Apex lost to the eventual state champions.
Incredibly, Katrina was a First-Team All-Conference member for four years and scored 1,469 points which makes her the third highest scorer in Apex Women’s Basketball history. She also grabbed over 927 rebounds which makes her the second all-time leading rebounder in Apex Women’s Basketball history.
Katrina had numerous opportunities to continue her playing career in college. However, it was always her dream to go to school at UNC Chapel Hill, so she gave up playing to focus on her education. Katrina Hinton McKoy will be remembered as an extremely hard-worker, a great teammate, and someone who helped establish the Apex High School Women’s Basketball Team as one of the most respected programs in the state for the next several decades.
Wes Moyer
Apex High School Class of 2000
From 1996 through 2000, Wes Moyer played football and baseball at Apex High School and had a strong impact on both of those programs, as well as the overall school community. In baseball, he led Apex to the 2000 4A State Baseball Championship and was named the “Most Valuable Player” in the State Championship series. Wes earned four varsity letters in baseball and was selected as an all-conference players three times. He started his first game as a freshman to his last as a senior. Wes also earned academic all conference honors during his time playing baseball. After graduating from Apex High School in 2000, these accomplishments and his outstanding ability earned him a baseball scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While there, he had several game winning hits including a 3-run walk off home run. In addition, he also hit a grand slam. During those years, he spent several summers playing in the Coastal Plains League where college players go to improve their skills. In 2001, not only was he selected to play in the CPL All-Star Game, but he was also named the “Most Valuable Offensive Player” for that game. The following year, his team won the Coastal Plains League Championship.
Wes was also a vital contributor to the Apex football team, starting at quarterback for three years. His leadership and ability on the field helped the 1998 Apex football team have its first winning season since 1981 and earned its first trip to the State playoffs in 16 years. During those three years he ran and passed for a combined 31 touchdowns. He earned three varsity letters in football, was also academic all-conference, and was selected as the team “Offensive Player of the Year” in 1998 and 1999. In 1998, he was honorable mention all-conference followed by all-conference honors in 1999. Additionally, he was selected as the “Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Year” in 1999. A true testament to the respect from his teammates, he was selected as the team’s “Most Valuable Player” in 1999 by his teammates.
Wes has enjoyed a successful career in the financial services industry here in Apex with Modern Woodmen of America. Apex High School and the town of Apex remain very important parts of his life. Wes is a founding member of the “Apex Football Foundation” which formed to lend support to the football program. He has volunteered with both the Apex Parks and Recreation Department and the C35 league as a youth baseball coach. Carrying his desire to serve the community even further, Wes served on the Apex Town Council from 2015-2019. Just as his athletic family at Apex High school was important to him, his own family is extremely important to him. He is married to Stacey Cox, also an Apex High School graduate, and they have four children. Wes can still be found at many Apex High School events supporting his town, his school, and his family.
Nick Patrone
Apex High School Class of 2006
Nick Patrone is a legendary player for Apex Lacrosse and Apex Soccer, a rare two-sport State Champion. As a junior, he was a pivotal player on Apex High School’s first State Championship Men’s Lacrosse team in 2005. Nick was the kind of player you absolutely loved to have on your side, and you absolutely hated to go up against as an opponent. Nick was also an outstanding leader. Apex Hall of Fame Lacrosse Coach, John Hayden, says, “It’s always a bonus for a coach when your best player was your hardest worker and is also ready to hold others accountable to his level of commitment, that is powerful. Nick played in practice like it was a game every day.” To add to Nick’s legendary high school career, he then was second-team all-conference and Captain on the winning Apex High School 2005 Soccer State Championship team during the fall of his senior year.
Nick’s personal accomplishments in lacrosse have stood the test of time. As of the time of Nick’s induction into the Hall-of-Fame, 2023, Nick ranks 10th all-time in goals scored in the program and he has scored more goals than any midfielder in the history of the program. He still has scored more goals in a season than any midfielder which puts him third all-time for any position and he currently ranks twelfth all-time in points and number one for Apex High School midfielders.
A first-team all-state selection in 2005 and a second-team all-state selection in 2006 set the stage for all future success in Apex Men’s Lacrosse. Nick played a huge part in Apex High School’s 2005 Men’s Lacrosse state championship run and was outstanding in the title game. No moment was too big for Nick. He was confident and believed that he was the guy who was going to make the tough play and score the big goal.
After graduating from Apex High School in 2006, Nick went on to Greensboro College on a full academic scholarship and became one of the best players in the history of that program. While at Greensboro, he was team Captain during the 2010 season and the team’s leading scorer in 2009 and 2010. Furthermore, for 2010 he was named Greensboro College’s “Male Athlete of the Year” and earned NCAA USILA Academic All-American team honors. Following his college career, he was selected to play in the “National Senior North vs South Game.” A great leader, a great example for his teammates, and now a great husband and father, we are proud to call Nick Patrone an Apex High School Alumnus and a Hall-of-Famer!