Tag Archives: athlete

Dunmorean of the Month: John Marichak

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marichakJohn Marichak set to begin duties as Dunmore School District Superintendent
By Steve Svetovich

There is a new sheriff in town.

As a student-athlete, football coach, principal and school administrator, John Marichak has always been a leader, so expect nothing different and a smooth transition as he begins his duties next month as Dunmore School District superintendent.

Marichak starts his work in the Dunmore School District this month before officially becoming superintendent of the Dunmore School District in early July.

He served this past school year as the associate superintendent of the Scranton School District. The previous school year he was acting superintendent of the Scranton School District. He replaced Bill King.

Prior to those roles, Marichak served as principal at North Pocono High School for five years.

He graduated from Scranton Technical High School in 1987 where he participated in football, basketball and baseball and was a member of the National Honor Society. He was an all-scholastic football player and an all-star in basketball.

He received an academic scholarship to Villanova University where he graduated in 1990 with a B.S. in Marketing. He went on to receive an MBA from the school in 1992.

Marichak’s career focus then changed as he went on to receive teaching and principal certificates from Wilkes University.

He then began a teaching and coaching career that continued to spiral upward. He taught social studies and was head football coach at Scranton High School for 11 years and Honesdale High School for two years.

Then his career focus changed again as he became principal of North Pocono High School in 2009. With the new demands and responsibilities of a school administrator, he decided to give up coaching football

Marichak is married to the former Kelly Chiaro. The name is no stranger to the Dunmore community. Her parents, Ralph and Charlotte Chiaro are from Dunmore.

The Marichak couple has two children: John, Jr., a senior basketball and football player at Scranton High School who will attend Kings College in Wilkes Barre next year; and Natalie, a junior football cheerleader at Scranton High School.

Marichak said his coaching career and experience as a principal will help him in his new role as Superintendent of Dunmore Schools. “Absolutely, it will help,” he said. “It will help me at all levels. As a coach and as a principal, you are dealing at all levels with multiple people and personalities. You soon find out everyone is different. You put people in the best possible place to succeed. You defer to the greatest good.

“You find out everything is not cookie cutter. What might be the goal for one person just may not be the goal of another person. You learn to deal with all different types of personalities.

“As a principal, you learn how to manage a large school and different student personalities. You manage faculty. You learn how to handle state mandates. It is a lot like coaching, but on a larger basis.

“The same holds true as a school superintendent. You have to multi task and always be prepared for something different going on. And there always is something going on. You need to learn to put problems in their pecking order. It is all a great experience.”

Marichak said he had great preparation for life during his years at Villanova. “Going to Villanova on an academic scholarship was a dream come true for me. The academic and athletic experiences I had there were simply the greatest of my life.”

Marichak talked about his goals in his new role as Superintendent of Dunmore Schools. “Dunmore really exists and thrives as a community based school. It always has. I want to keep the Dunmore traditions going and maybe add something along the way.

“I want to focus on this and the big task. I want to get started on the task at hand.

“I want to continue to capitalize on the success of an always community based school.

“I will only try to make changes to put the Dunmore School District in the best possible position to be successful. I want to help make the Dunmore students career ready or college ready.

“I simply want to help put people in a position to be successful in whatever they do.”

Marichak will be a good role model to follow. He is old school all the way and his track record speaks loudly for itself.

With John Marichak, the Dunmore School District has put itself in its best position to succeed.

“I can’t wait to get started,” Marichak said.

Tallo rebounds from injury to pitch for Lady Bucks

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Gina TalloBy Steve Svetovich

Dunmore junior Gina Tallo is the ace starting pitcher for the Lady Bucks softball team this year, and it took a lot of hard work.

A three-year Dunmore varsity softball member, Gina suffered an injury to the ulnar nerve of her right pitching arm last season. She spent the off season in rehab at NovaCare at the Dunmore YMCA.

She rebounded well enough to pitch in Dunmore’s first six games.

Daughter of Dean and Lisa Tallo, Dunmore, Gina defeated Riverside, 9-5, in an early season contest. Gina hurled a strong 12 innings giving up only five hits, walking two and striking out six in a tough 3-1 loss to Riverside, Saturday, April 16.

A strong hitter, Gina had three hits and scored a run in a tough 7-6 loss to intra-borough rival Holy Cross Wednesday, April 20.

And she drove in her team’s only run in a 7-1 loss to Lakeland Friday, April 15.

Gina played with her sister Carly the previous two seasons for Dunmore. Carly Tallo graduated from Dunmore in 2015.

Gina, who played in the outfield last season, is a strong asset in the classroom too. She has an impressive 97 academic average. She is a member of numerous clubs and organizations, including the TACT Club, SADD, the French Club and Health Careers Club. She is a member of the swimming team at Dunmore.

Gina said she has learned a lot from Dunmore veteran softball coach Ryan Ferguson. “He teaches us that we have to try to do well, but the team is always there to back you up. You can depend on your teammates too.”

Gina, 17, said her parents have taught her mostly about “responsibility.”

The scholar-athlete, whose hobbies include reading, said she would like to see Beyoncé in concert someday.

She talked about her future goals. “I would like to major in biology in college and possibly go to medical school to become a doctor. I would like to go to a big school. If wanted, I would like to play softball or swim. I really want to go to a good school and later get a good job.”

Gina has played travel softball for the Northeast Hurricanes for the past four years.

She talked about what it takes to be a good softball pitcher.

“It takes a lot of hard work. You need to have the right mind set. You need to be a leader on the team.”

She remains positive despite her team’s slow start this season. “We need to improve our record and we will. We have a shot at the district playoffs despite our rocky start. Our goal is to get there. We think we can do it.”

Gina has a will to win and strong work ethic.

Don’t count her and the Lady Bucks out.

Korgeski thriving in King’s College athletic programs

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Jill Korgeski copy

Korgeski is currently a freshman at King’s College studying to become a physician’s assistant.

King’s College freshman Jill Korgeski was recently named the Middle Atlantic Conference women’s indoor track and field “Field Athlete of the Week. It was the third consecutive week for the Dunmore student to be honored by the conference.

At the MAC Indoor Track and Field Championship held at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, the weekend of Feb. 27-28, Korgeski entered as the top seed in the shot put and held the seventh-best weight throw mark. She ended up with first place in shot put with a throw of 13. 7 meters (44 feet 11-½ inches), which is her personal best.

Her first place mark earned 10 points for the King’s women’s team. She is currently ranked 14th in the nation for NCAA Division III schools, and will know by the end of this week if she will be competing at Nationals. Last year, her Dunmore High School personal best in shot put was 40.06 feet.

Jillian also came in fourth place for weight throw at 13.40 meters, which is 43 feet 11.75 inches, also her personal best in her first year with this sport. Her fourth place mark earned the King’s College women’s team five points for the meet.

Korgeski had an impressive start to her collegiate career by finishing third in the shot put at the DeSchriver Invitational at Division II East Stroudsburg University.. Her season-best throw of 12.61 meters was the top Division III mark at the meet. She currently has the top mark in the MAC in the shot put and the 33rd best mark in the nation.

She also finished 10th in the weight throw with a throw of 11.26 meters. That mark is currently ranked 10th best in the conference.

Jill continued her impressive freshman year by winning the shot put with a throw of 12.14 meters at the Albright College Invitational on Feb. 13  in Reading. She finished third in the weight throw with a season best mark of 12.20 meters, besting her own previous best by 1.03 meters.

Korgeski finished 2nd in the shot put at the SU Open at Susquehanna University the weekend of Feb. 20-21. She was the top collegiate finisher with a throw of 12.58 meters. That mark is the second-best throw in the MAC this year, just .03 meters short of the top mark Korgeski had at the East Stroudsburg earlier in the  month. She also finished 16th overall and 4th among MAC throwers in the weight throw with a distance of 11.58 meters.

Jillian is a 2015 Dunmore High School graduate. she is a Physician Assistant student who made the Dean’s List at King’s College for Fall 2015, and who also participates in volleyball as well as track and field.