Athlete of the Month: Karl Kincel

Posted on September 4, 2019 by The Dunmorean

By Steve Svetovich

The Dunmore Bucks football team lost its first two games this season, but one of the positives has been the performance of junior linebacker-fullback Karl Kincel.

Kincel is leading the Bucks in tackles at press time and rushed for 56 yards on nine carries in his team’s 30-17 loss to Mid Valley in the second game of the season.

Son of Karl, Sr., and Danielle Kincel, the hard-nosed junior has been a member of the Dunmore football team for the past three years. He is a member of the track and field team where he performs the 100, 200 and 4 by 1. He is a guard on the Dunmore basketball team.

He is a member of the Spanish Club, Engineering Club and has an impressive 96 academic average. His best subject is Math.

The scholar-athlete said his parents are always very positive influences.

“My parents teach me to keep a level head and always be humble.”

He said new Dunmore head football coach Kevin McHale has been a strong influence.

“Coach McHale tells us we have to work hard for anything we get. Nothing comes easy.”

The junior stalwart said retired Dunmore football coach Jack Henzes visited the team before its first two games. “It was awesome to see him. He looked great. It’s nice to see he is there for our players.”

Henzes coached Karl in his freshman season.

Karl said he would like to study engineering in college and would like to attend Penn State or Temple University.

“My future goal would be to study engineering in college and possibly play college football. I want to graduate and possibly become an engineer.”

Karl said he enjoys listening to hip hop and rap music in his spare time and would like to see Little Baby, Drake, or Meek Mill in concert.

He talked about what it takes to excel at the linebacker and fullback positions in high school football.

“To be a good linebacker, ” he said, “you need to have good instincts and be able to read the ball.

“To be a good fullback, you need to be hard nosed and willing to take a hit. You need to be able to make a good block too.”

Intelligent and thoughtful, he talked about the team goals. “First, we want to rebound from our first two losses. We want to work hard in practice and then go out there and beat Carbondale.

“Our goal for the season is to go out and win a state championship.”

He praised Dunmore High School. “Dunmore has been great to me. They teach you to be a leader and a good person. Dunmore has done a lot of great things for me. It has been an awesome experience.”

Athlete of the Month: Jenna Bradley

Posted on June 5, 2019 by The Dunmorean

By Steve Svetovich

The world is her oyster.

Holy Cross junior softball pitcher Jenna Bradley is putting together a season for the ages as she pitches her team to the district finals against Northwest.

Daughter of Josh and Jenn Bradley, the talented junior had a 17-3 pitching record at press time. She totaled an astounding 272 strikeouts and a miniscule 1.02 ERA at press time.

Jenna fired a shutout, 2-0, with 16 strikeouts in the district semifinal win over Mountain View.

She has a double figure strikeout total in every game she pitched this season except a shortened three-inning contest.

Jenna also is tearing the league apart as a hitter. She was hitting .533 with seven homers and 25 RBIs at press time.

And Jenna excels in the classroom too. She has a 4.06 grade point average with dual enrollment at Marywood University as an IHM scholar. She will earn 18 college credits through the IHM scholar program when she graduates high school.

She is junior class president and a member of the student council advisory board at Holy Cross. She is a member of the National Honor Society and a member of the foreign languages club.

Jenna has committed to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst for the fall of 2020. She will play softball and study sports management with a goal of getting into the Eisenberg School of Business.

Jenna, who used to ride horses competitively, said she owes a lot of success to her parents. “They tell me to put the work in and good things will happen. At the end of the day you will be successful if you work hard. They tell me to play hard all the time and work equally hard in school. They are always there for me.”

Status-FastPitch-Game-Leather-Softball Jenna said Holy Cross veteran baseball coach Joe Ross, who came from a baseball family in Green Ridge, teaches her a lot.

“He tells us to not get wrapped up in the nonsense. Take one pitch at a time. Enjoy the game. Keep things simple. Put your work in. Have fun.”

Jenna, an All Regional selection as a pitcher last season, also plays first base where she was honorable mention as a freshman. She is widely considered one of the top softball players in the area.

She attributes the success of the team to her teammates. “We fight right to the end. A lot of people underestimated us because we are young. We did this playing for each other and not as individuals. We make each other better.

Jenna, well spoken, confident and humble in nature, talked about her personal success. “I play because I love the game. It keeps me level headed. I surround myself with people and teammates who make me better.

“I have played through adversity and overcomed it. When someone says you can’t do something or accomplish something, you work even harder.”

Jenna said she likes music and would like to see country artist George Strait in concert.

With a strong intellect, she talked about her future goals.

“Well, I am committed to play Division I softball at the University of Massachusetts and want to perform well. I would like to complete my degree and then get into marketing maybe for NIke or Under Armor. Eventually, I would like to own and operate my own sports facility where I could coach and be a part of a recruiting process for other young softball players. I would like to help develop and recruit young players. That would be my ultimate goal.”

Co-Athlete of the Month: Megan Pavlowski

Posted on May 1, 2019 by The Dunmorean

By Steve Svetovich

Dunmore senior first baseman Megan Pavlowski has done nothing but hit since she became a varsity starter in her sophomore season.

After hitting close to .400 in her first two years on the team, she is batting over .370 this year. She was 4-for-4, including two doubles, a run and RBI in the Lady Bucks 14-10 win over Old Forge, Saturday, April 25.

Daughter of Melissa and Tom Pavlowski, Dunmore, Megan is well versed and a member of numerous clubs at Dunmore High School.

She has a 95 academic average and 3.5 grade point average. Her favorite subject is Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

The talented scholar-athlete is a member of the National Honor Society, French Club, Spanish Club, SADD, Service Club, Earth Club, Health Careers Club and is president of the TACT Club. She is also a basketball cheerleader.

Megan attributes a lot of her Dunmore softball success to her coach, Ryan Ferguson.

“He teaches us to be confident at all times. He tells us if we put hard work in during practice, then it will show up during the games.”

The senior stalwart said her parents have been great role models. “They always tell me to be respectful. One of their biggest things is telling me to treat people the way you would expect to be treated.”

Megan said she enjoys listening to music in her spare time and would like to see country singer Luke Holmes in concert.

Athlete of the Month - Pavlowski She is going to Marywood University in the fall to study architecture, a five-year program. She also hopes to play on the Marywood softball team.

“My future goals are to get an architecture degree and become an architect. I would love to play more softball in college too.”

Megan was an honorable mention for her softball play as a junior last year at Dunmore.

“I think we have a good team. We all get along so well. We are well coached.”

Megan played five years of travel softball for the Northeast Diamonds. “It was a great experience.”

The well spoken and positive senior said she has enjoyed her experience at Dunmore. “Dunmore High School is great. It is like a family. It is my second home. We are all so close here. Dunmore is one town, one family.”

Megan expressed her thoughts on the recent retirement of Dunmore legendary football coach Jack Henzes.

“He is just a great man. He was my driving coach and my teacher for multiple years. He was such a great football coach. It is so sad to see him go. He is just an amazing gentleman. We are all sorry to see him retire.”