PLAINFIELD – Saturday will be a special day in Plainfield for a couple different reasons.

First, it marks the latest chapter of Plainfield Central’s long-running history of playing its homecoming football game on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats’ 1 p.m. game against Minooka will continue a tradition that dates to the early 1950s.

And although it’s a recent addition to the homecoming festivities, the Plainfield High School Athletic Hall of Fame will be celebrating its 17th induction class this weekend.

Justin Arabadjief, Gregg Bayer, Charles Howell, Jim Kappas and Rachel (Sillar) Swenson are this year’s inductees.

It’s the largest group of individuals to enter the hall of fame since the inaugural class in 1999. The five inductees also equals the number of individuals enshrined in the hall of fame during the past seven years.

The hall of fame, one of the oldest among area schools, now has recognized 24 athletes, eight coaches, an administrator, two fans and seven teams during its 17-year history.

All but Howell are expected to attend Saturday’s events, which kick off with the parade at 9 a.m. and continue at 11:30 a.m., with the alumni tea in the cafeteria. The hall of fame class also will be honored during halftime of the football game.

Here’s a look at this year’s hall of fame inductees:

Justin Arabadjief: The two-time all-state soccer player finished his career with 97 goals, which ranked him among the top 20 players in state history at the time. The 1997 graduate scored 57 goals in his junior and senior years, winning conference MVP honors in 1996. He accepted a scholarship to play at Bradley University, where he competed for four years.

Gregg Bayer: The three-time state qualifier in tennis won 111 matches, which ranks third in school history. He ended his basketball career ranked among program’s top-20 scorers. The 2003 graduate was conference MVP his senior year and led the basketball team in scoring. After a tennis career at Elmhurst College, he became a District 202 teacher and coach.

Charles Howell: He captured the 2003 Class AA title in the 100-meter dash, becoming the school’s first champion in track and field. He was only the third Wildcat athlete to win a state title in any sport. The 2003 graduate won a school-record seven medals in the sport over three years. He was a member of school’s best-finishing relay, which took second in 2001.

Jim Kappas: The 1998 graduate led his wrestling teams to a 115-39 dual meet record in seven seasons and served as an assistant for four years. He became only the second coach from the school to take two teams to the state quarterfinals, doing so in 2010 and 2014. His program established new season bests for wins, state qualifiers and placewinners.

Rachel (Sillar) Swenson: She started every game in a four-year basketball career where she finished as leading scorer with nearly 1,200 points. The 2001 graduate was conference MVP as a senior after leading the 27-4 team to sectional finals. She earned all-state honors in track and field on a relay in 2000. She received four basketball letters at Northern Illinois University.