Dunmore soccer star scores 100th career goal

By Steve Svetovich

Dunmore High School senior soccer player Tommy Clark was All-Regional for a third time and All-State last season.

So what does he do for an encore this year?

He scores his 100th career goal, a first in the Dunmore soccer program.

Son of Tom and Molly Clark, the Dunmore senior standout scored four goals, including the 100th of his career, as Dunmore defeated Mid Valley, 2-0, in a Lackawanna League boys soccer match on Saturday, September 7.

His milestone goal came unassisted at the 7:55 mark of the first half. He also had two assists.

The Dunmore soccer stalwart led Dunmore to nine wins in its first 10 soccer matches this season.

Besides his All-Regional and All-State honors last season, Tommy was named Player of the Year in his division.

“Scoring the 100th goal was pretty special,” Tommy said. “It was a nice feeling and very satisfying. I did it with the help of all the guys on the team. They helped make the plays. It was special sharing it with them.”

Tommy’s dad is the coach of Dunmore’s soccer team.

“My dad teaches me to always be disciplined and focused,” he said.

Tommy will attend college at Lafeyette University where he will play soccer next year. He said he will probably study business and finance at Lafayette.

The scholar-athlete has a 3.8 academic average at Dunmore. His best academic subject is math.

“Dunmore is a great school,” he said. “I love the environment and the teachers. I have a lot of friends here.

“You walk the hallways and know everyone in the school. You get to know all of the teachers. After awhile, you get almost every one of the teachers in class. It’s a close knit school.”

Tommy commented on the soccer team’s quick start. “We have a bunch of talent on this team that just keeps on getting better and better,” he said. “We play very well as a team.”

He talked about the team goals. “Our goals are to win the district title, get to the states and win that.”

Dunmore made it to the district final, losing to Scranton Prep, last year.

Multi-talented, Tommy is a member of the Dunmore cross country and track and field teams.

Tommy, who plays center midfield on the team, talked about what it takes to excel as a high school soccer player.

“You need to love it and practice very hard. You need to want to be out there working to get better and better.”

Marywood offers ‘Best Value’ in 2025 rankings

Marywood University continues to offer the “Best Value” among Northeast Pennsylvania universities, according to the 2025 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges ranking.

Moving up four places to #18 on the regional universities (North) ranked for “Best Value,” Marywood continues to demonstrate its affordability as the only local four-year private university included in this category. 

According to U.S. News, the “Best Value” ranking considers a school’s academic quality—the higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the deal. Only schools ranked in or near the top half of their categories are included, because U.S. News considers the most significant values to be among colleges that are above average academically. 

Marywood, which was the only local university on the “Best Colleges for Veterans” (Regional Universities North), is ranked at #18 (tie), advancing a full 28 placements from last year’s ranking. According to U.S. News, this designation includes the top-ranked schools in the 2025 Best Colleges rankings that participate in federal initiatives helping veterans and active-duty service members pay for their degrees. 

Marywood University moved ahead six rankings, tying at #44, to strengthen its overall position on the “Best Regional Universities North” list, which includes institutions from seven states. Marywood is one of only four local universities to attain placement on this list, and the second highest ranked of those four, demonstrating its enduring quality as a higher education provider in the region. 

Additionally, Marywood maintained its strong placement from last year in the Top Performers on Social Mobility, ranking #64 overall. This includes institutions that are more successful than others at advancing social mobility by enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell Grants. The social mobility ranking also includes borrower debt and college graduates earning more than high school graduates.

For additional information about Marywood University, visit marywood.edu. For additional information about Marywood’s rankings in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges, visit usnews.com/best-colleges/marywood-university-3296/overall-rankings

Dunmore Fire Department vehicle out for refurbishing

Dunmore Firefighters IAFF Local 860 has announced that on September 16 the Dunmore Fire Departments 2006 Crimson rescue/pumper, shown above, was loaded onto a trailer to be taken to Alabama to begin refurbishment.

While Dunmore’s Rescue is gone, Scranton Fire Department Local 60 has lent a reserve engine, above, from the Scranton Fire Department. The Dunmore firefighters would like to thank their brothers and sisters from Scranton for loaning an engine for a few months while the Dunmore engine is being refurbished.