Scranton Prep looks to be powerhouse again

By Steve Svetovich

Scranton Prep should be a major force once again after coming off a season where the football team won a third consecutive District 2 Class 3A title and advanced to the PIAA quarterfinals.

The standards are always to strive for excellence at Scranton Prep. And that goes for both academics and athletics.

Prep won its first game this season, 33-0, over Valley View, on Friday, August 23, at home.

Scranton Prep head football coach Terry Gallagher is in his ninth season at the helm. He has now compiled an impressive 84-16 record, including the opening day win this season.

Scranton Prep has won seven District 2 Class 3A titles since 2015.

Key returning players include Louis Paris, Treyvon Dickey, Reese Tanner, Ambrose Rossi, Will McPartland, Brady Holmes, Travis Sharples, Byron Axtell, Anthony De Los Santos, and Jack Doughton.

“We have high expectations,” said coach Gallagher.  “We wanted to schedule more challenging out-of-conference games to help us properly prepare for the post-season.

“Our passing game led by quarterback Louis Paris will consist of several wide receivers playing multiple positions.

“We hope to continue to be a physical football team up front. Running the football will be extremely important to our success.

“The defense will be led by Reese Tanner, a three-year starter at linebacker. Treyvon Dickey, Travis Sharples, Will McPartland, Jack Doughton, and Ambrose Rossi will also be guys to lean on defensively. They have experience for us.”

Scranton Prep’s 2024-2025 cheerleading squad

The veteran coach said Paris can be explosive from his quarterback position.

“Louis is a dual threat at quarterback. He has gotten bigger, faster and stronger each year. We have high expectations for him this season. His competitive nature is contagious to the rest of the team. That makes us better.”

Assistant coaches under Gallagher are Brian Groom, Dan McShaffery, Bill Pasqualichio, Ryan Jones, Jason Tallo, Brett Stage, Marc DeAntona, Evan Prall, Owen Perih, A.J. Kohut, Riley Nealon, Sam Dickson, Tyler Mackrell, and Brady Rutkowski.

Sharples, who is highly touted, started at guard last season. He earned All-Region honors for a team that rushed for 3,199 yards.

Paris, who has a high-powered arm, started at quarterback as a sophomore and threw for 1,235 yards and 18 touchdowns. A dual threat, he also ran for 519 yards and 11 touchdowns. That earned him honorable mention all-star status in Lackawanna Football Conference Division I.

Dickey rushed for 377 yards and added 246 yards receiving last season.

Tanner, a tough runner and lead blocker, had 134 yards and three touchdowns on the ground last season.

McPartland rushed for 225 yards and six touchdowns last season.

Tanner enters his third season at linebacker. Rossi returns at defensive end and.McPartland at free safety.

Tanner, Rossi and McPartland were also honorable mention Lackawanna Football Conference Division I all-stars.

Axtell started on the defensive line and Dickey started in the secondary last season, so the defense has plenty of experience.

Prep recorded three shutout wins last season, so the opening day shutout could be a prelude of things to come.

Marywood teams recognized for academic excellence

Several Marywood University Pacers athletics teams were recognized recently by their respective coaches’ associations for their academic excellence. 

Women’s Volleyball: The women’s volleyball team is the recipient of the 2024 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award. This marks the seventh overall AVCA Team Academic Award in program history. The Pacers have won the award in each of the past four years. The benchmark is an average 3.3 GPA on a 4.0 scale for the entire team in the 2023-2024 academic year. 

Men’s and Women’s Track and Field: The Marywood University men’s and women’s track and field teams were selected to the U.S. Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Teams. To become an All-Academic Team, the cumulative team GPA of all student-athletes who used a season of eligibility must be at least a 3.1 on a 4.0 scale through the most recent semester/quarter. Men’s track and field finished with a 3.30 GPA, and the women finished with a 3.49 GPA.

Women’s Lacrosse: Three Marywood University women’s lacrosse student-athletes were named to the 2024 Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division III Academic Honor Roll. Kate Kollar-Dye, Tori Wilson and Kortney Harry were each selected to the honor roll for the first time in their careers. To be eligible for this honor, student-athletes must be a junior, senior, or graduate student and have earned a cumulative academic GPA of 3.50 or greater. There have been 53 IWLCA Division III Academic Honor Roll honorees in Marywood women’s lacrosse history. 

Men’s Basketball: The Marywood University men’s basketball team won its seventh all-time National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award, representing outstanding achievement in the classroom by collegiate men’s basketball teams and student-athletes. The Association also announced its NABC Honors Court. The Marywood University men’s basketball team earned the Team Academic Excellence Award for the third time in the past four years. Six student-athletes — Brandon Reed, Brendan Franko, Mason Mendygral, Robert Van Brunt, Trevor Seitz, Zach Hoffman — each were named to the Honors Court for the first time in their careers. The NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize men’s basketball programs that completed the 2023-24 academic year with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. The NABC Honors Court, meanwhile, includes junior, senior and graduate student men’s basketball players who finished the 2023-24 year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. The NABC’s academic awards include honorees from all levels of college basketball.

Men’s and Women’s Soccer: The men’s and women’s soccer teams earned the 2023-24 United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award. United Soccer Coaches annually celebrates the academic achievements of teams whose student-athletes collectively demonstrate a commitment to excellence in their studies over the course of a full academic year. The Pacers were one of two Atlantic East Conference programs to receive the award in both sports. The women’s soccer team earned its 21st overall and 20th consecutive honor with a 3.62 GPA. The women’s soccer team had the 24th highest GPA in NCAA Division III. The men’s soccer team received the Team Academic Award for the 13th time. The men’s team earned a 3.32 GPA last season. 

Softball: Twelve Marywood University softball student-athletes received Easton/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Scholar-Athlete Awards. The NFCA recognizes student-athletes who achieve a 3.5 or better GPA. Individually, Katelyn Eisely, Sam Ferrara, Caroline Flynn, Priscilla Grill, Jessica Hanley, Emma Kim, Renee McDonald, Emma McNally, Lauryn Notari, Tori Para, Morgan Sakulich, and Abbey Stalter were all named 2024 Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athletes. The softball team ranked 88th in NCAA Division III with a 3.47 GPA.

Second annual Cruisin’ for a Cause set for September 22nd

Zach Houston, Gabriella Nowak, Victoria Schultz, and Michael Romano are pictured next to one of the cars during last year’s inaugural Cruisin’ for a Cause event.

Marywood University will host its second annual Cruisin’ for a Cause Car Show on Sunday, September 22, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., in the Nazareth Student Center parking lot on Adams Avenue on the university’s campus. If needed, a rain date has been set for Sunday, September 29, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 

Various student and alumni groups, spearheaded by Marywood’s SOUL (Students Organized to Uphold Life), are collaborating with both the Pharoahs Car Club and the Coal Crackers Car Club, two of the largest in NEPA, for the event.

All proceeds from the car show will benefit St. Joseph’s Center.. Last year’s inaugural event successfully raised $1,050 for St. Joseph’s. More than 75 cars and unique hot rods from all different generations will be featured at the family-friendly event, which also will feature a bake sale, music, raffles, and more. 

For more details, contact Kevin Farrell, Associate Vice President for the Student Experience, at kfarrell@marywood.edu or 570-340-6016.