Tag Archives: Kaci Kranston

Dishin’ the Dirt: February 2025

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By Steve Svetovich

Congratulations to Dunmore’s Vic Fangio who is going to Super Bowl as defensive coordinator for Philadelphia Eagles who are league’s number one defense…Fangio’s defensive schemes will try to prevent quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs from third consecutive Super Bowl win…Chiefs football coach Andy Reid will face his former team who he coached for 14 years, including one Super Bowl appearance…Now in his 12th year as Kansas City coach, this marks Reid’s fifth Super Bowl appearance with Chiefs…He and Mahomes seek their fourth Super Bowl win with Chiefs…Eagles back Saquon Barkley, Penn State graduate and league’s leading rusher with over 2,000 yards, will be man Chiefs defense keys on…Eyes will be on Chiefs veteran tight end Travis Kelce on field and girlfriend Taylor Swift in private suite in stands…Prediction: Chiefs 35 Eagles 31..

Congratulations to former Holy Cross Lady Crusaders  basketball standout Kaci Kranson named for second time Landmark Conference Athlete of the Week last month as member of University of Scranton Lady Royals…She has earned this award six times in career and is third in conference in scoring at 17.7 points per game and fourth in field goal percentage at .462…She also last month was named USBWA National Player of Week…She averaged 27.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and shot 53.3 percent from field week she was honored…She scored game-high 26 points and added five steals leading Lady Royals to 85-58 win over Juniata as her No. 3-ranked team maintained its undefeated record at 17-0, including 10-0 in the conference…

Congratulations to Ichiro, Bill Wagner and former NY Yankees southpaw C.C. Sabathia elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame, but what about former Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins?…Ichiro hit .311 for career with 3,089 hits, 1,420 runs and 509 stolen bases…He totaled over 200 hits in each of his first 10 seasons, including single season record 262 in 2004…C.C. Is one of three left-handed pitchers in MLB history to record at least 250 wins and at least 3,000 strikeouts…Wagner is second among southpaw relievers with 422 saves and struck out 1,196 batters in 903 innings while finishing career with 2.31 ERA…He allowed lowest batting average to hitters of any pitcher in history with at least 900 innings…Congratulations to Dunmore Little League graduate Jack Davis selected as District’s Freach-Keen Memorial Award recipient…Former Holy Cross basketball standout Abbey Lentowski, who scored 1,075 career points for Lady Crusaders, also is member of 1,000-point club at Immaculata University and plans on attending law school next year at Widener University Delaware Law School…Holy Cross senior forward Matt Lyons averaging 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game this season…

Congratulations to Holy Cross center Adam Badyrka named MVP as coach Al Callejas, Jr. led Holy Cross Crusaders to Lynett Tournament championship…Do you remember West Scranton beating beating Western Wayne, 59-38, to give coach Jack Lyons his 400th career win 20 years ago?…Shelley Duncan returning for third season as manager of Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders…How about veteran Pete Carroll at 73  named head coach of Las Vegas Raiders…Do you remember Dunmore’s Kayleigh Semion scoring 17 points, including 1,000th of career in Lady Bucks 63-25 win over Mid Valley 10 years ago?…Do you remember former Holy Cross standout Gabby Giordano scoring 16 points, including 1,000th of career, in Lady Crudaders 62-17 win over Elk Lake 10 years ago?…Two-time New York Giants Super Bowl winning quarterback Eli Manning, kicking great Adam Vinatieri, prolific receivers Reggie Wayne, Torry Holt and Antonio Gates, running back Fred Taylor and defensive backs Darren Woodson, Rodney Harrison and Eric Allen among finalists for election to Pro Football Hall of Fame to be announced Super Bowl week…Mike Holmgren is in coaching category and expected to be elected…New York Mets making big mistake not rushing to sign first base slugger Pete Alonso who has 226 homers, including 53 in rookie season, and 586 RBIs in six years with team and would be perfect adding protection hitting behind Juan Soto in lineup…Congratulations to Scranton Prep trio of quarterback Louis Paris, Times-Tribune Player of Year, linebacker Reese Tanner and defensive back Will McPartland all named All-State for football…

Congratulations to Scranton Prep senior quarterback Louis Paris who earned the 33rd Fiore Cesare Award…He completed 84 of 132 passes for 1,321 yards and 12 touchdowns and ran 138 times for 1,182 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns for Prep who won Lackawanna Football Conference Division I championship with 12-2 season…Ava Kochmer and Gemma Bistran each won pair of individual events to less Holy Cross past West Scranton in Lackawanna League swim meet…Condolences to family of former Scranton Miners EBA great Tom Hemans who died last month…Holy Cross coaching legend Al Callejas earned 400th coaching win 10 years ago when Crussders beat Mid Valley, 52-48, in overtime…Sophia Talutto scored 21 points, including three 3-pointers, to lead Dunmore to 59-48 win over Honesdale…Amanda Dempsey and Jackie Brown scored 11 points each for Lady Bucks…Leena Conte added nine points for Dunmore…Mollie Urban and Ava Schmidt scored 11 points each to lead Holy Cross Lady Crusaders to 36-35 win over Western Wayne..,

Congratulations to Scranton Prep senior offensive tackle Ambrose Rossi and Riverside junior defensive tackle Tavian Branch named recipients of annual James “Hookey” Reap Awards…Olivia Kosin of Holy Cross scored 18 points, including 1,000th of career, 10 years ago in team’s 56-39 win over Carbondale Area…Sophia Talutto and Amanda Dempsey scored 17 points each to lead Dunmore to 67-30 win over Mid Valley…Jackie Brown added 10 points for Lady Bucks…Lila Kolcharno scored all of her 17 points in second half to lead Holy Cross Lady Crusaders to 41-37 win over Lakeland…Ava Schmidt added 14 points for Holy Cross…Adam Badyrka scored 17 points and C.J. Thompson added 13 as Holy Cross beat Lakeland, 65-50…Mike Hughes and Mario Matrone added 10 each for Crusaders…Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja’ Marr Chase and Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson were unanimous choices for Associated Press 2024 NFL All-Pro Team…Do you remember Dunmore’s late Owen “Onions” Dougherty?…Whatever became of Hubie “Babbling” Brooks?…

Freshman Kaci Kranson Hitting Over .400 for Lady Crusaders

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Kaci KranstonBy Steve Svetovich

Kaci Kranson is proving herself quickly as the starting right fielder for the Holy Cross Lady Crusaders softball team.

Humble in nature, Kaci, 15, was hitting .403 as her team prepared for the district title game against Northwest. Kaci also had 25 hits, 23 runs and two homers at press time.

Daughter of Ryan and Jill Kranson, Kaci is a high honors student at Holy Cross High School.

Kaci is one of the unsung heroes of the Holy Cross softball team which is a young group this season.

She started as a freshman and key member of the Holy Cross girls’ basketball team playing a variety of positions. She is a member of Student Council, the Service Club and the Pro Life Club at Holy Cross.

Her timely hitting and outfield play helped lead the Lady Crusaders to the Class 2A district title game against Northwest.

She talked about what it takes to be a good outfielder on the high school level. “You need to get a good jump on the ball, call out when you have to make a catch and have a good bond with the other outfielders. You need to know when to step back and when to step forward.”

Kaci said becoming a good hitter on the softball level takes practice. “It takes a lot of effort. You need to practice a lot and always keep at it.”

The freshman stalwart said she is learning a lot from Holy Cross veteran softball coach Joe Ross, who was quite a hitter in his day. “He teaches us to not be afraid of making mistakes. He tells us we will do better next time. Keep trying hard and working hard. And try to enjoy the game.”

Kaci’s parents have always been a strong influence in her life. “My parents teach me to always keep trying and working hard. They tell me there will always be bumps in the road,  but you have to keep plugging. Never give up on anything.”

Modest and polite, Kaci said she enjoys listening to music in her spare time and would like to see Ariana Grande in concert. She said her best academic subject is Spanish.

Kaci attributes the success of her team to a lot of team work and practice.

“It has been a fun year and our team is really playing well.”

Kaci said she has not thought about college yet, but does have aspirations to become a Physician’s Assistant. She would like to play college basketball or softball if possible.

As she nears the conclusion of her freshman year, Kaci can only beam with her decision to attend Holy Cross. “I just love it here at Holy Cross. There is no better place to go to school. I love it so much.”