John Grupp stories, Page 14
Youthful Hampton lacrosse team shrugs off slow start
The Hampton boys lacrosse team expected to take some lumps this season as it tried to replace 13 seniors. “Look at every article, every person who follows Hampton lacrosse,” first-year coach Andy DeMichiei said. “Everyone is talking about how this team doesn’t have it, and it’s going to be a...
Reese’s walk-off home run highlights emotional week for Hampton softball
Hampton sophomore Mackenzie Reese was looking for an inside pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning against Seneca Valley on April 22. She got it, and with one swing of the bat, she did something Ron Fedell had never experienced in 24 seasons as Hampton softball coach. Reese drove...
Hampton junior strides toward WPIAL track championships
Qualifying for the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championships this spring won’t be enough for Ava Vitiello. The Hampton junior is in the running for much more than just an invitation. “I’m hoping that it goes really well,” she said, “and I think it will.” Vitiello was content to...
Hampton 3-sport star Matt DeMatteo to run track at Duquesne
Hampton three-sport athlete Matt DeMatteo has committed to attend Duquesne on a track scholarship. The senior was also considering Penn State (track) and James Madison (football). DeMatteo is a two-time all-conference selection in football and a two-time all-section pick in basketball, but his best offers were for track and field....
Hampton soccer standout thrives in return to diamond
When Luke Staggers picked up a baseball bat for the first time in five years, what happened was just about what anyone would expect. Not much of anything. “I don’t think I touched a ball at all in the first workout,” the Hampton senior said. “I was worried after my...
Hobbled Hampton senior stays positive, hopes to return for lacrosse playoffs
Hampton’s Rachel Dolan rode a stationary bike on the track at Fridley Field during girls lacrosse practice in mid-April. Wearing a large black walking boot on her left foot, she wasn’t moving anywhere, but she is hoping to get somewhere soon. “I’m just trying to stay positive that I will...
Hampton sophomore skates to national hockey championship
Hampton sophomore Sean Sullivan felt a range of emotions after the Steel City Ice Renegades won a 2022 USA Hockey 16U national championship earlier this month. “It was crazy,” he said. “It was awesome.” Sullivan was part of the Harmarville-based travel team that topped the Chicago Hawks, 2-0, in the...
Pair of Hampton standouts win WPIAL scholar-athlete awards
A banner year for Hampton athletics just got even more special. Hampton volleyball standout Kai Herchenroether and state champion swimmer Will Retsch were among 20 WPIAL student-athletes to be named James Collins Scholar-Athlete award winners April 13. The seniors were selected from a pool of 142 nominees from 80 schools,...
Hampton 3-sport standout picks basketball, makes college choice
Sophia Kelly’s answer was exactly what Mercyhurst women’s basketball coach Brooklyn Kohlheim wanted to hear. Kelly, a senior three-sport star from Hampton, was on a recruiting call with the Division II school when Kohlheim posed a question. “I said, ‘You’re really, really good at soccer. You’re really, really good at...
After cold start, Hampton boys tennis team warming up
Hampton boys tennis coach Grant McKinney peeked outside on a wintry Monday in late March and figured practice was a long shot. “It was really cold, and it was snowing,” McKinney said. “I texted the guys and said, ‘We may not have a chance to practice.’ Both Ethen and the...
Hampton girls lacrosse looking for new scorers to step forward
The Hampton girls lacrosse team will try to fill the shoes of one All-American with the hands and feet of many. “Megan Cook is irreplaceable,” coach Kelsey (Viets) Burke said of her graduated record-breaking star midfielder. “I don’t know if we will have one person score 60 goals. But I...
Hampton boys lacrosse team features new look
The Hampton Athletic Hall of Fame inducted Andy DeMichiei this past summer for his exploits on the lacrosse field. This spring, the 26-year-old will look to make his impact from the sidelines. DeMichiei, a former All-American with the Talbots, is entering his first season as coach at his alma mater....
Coaching continuity helps Hampton track team enter season with confidence
When Derek Brinkley stepped down as Hampton track and field coach after 18 seasons this offseason, a priority for athletic director Bill Cardone was keeping the staff as intact as possible. Assistant Heather Dietz, a long-time cross country coach who works with the track distance runners, offered to handle the...
Will Retsch ends Hampton swimming career with record-shattering flourish
Hampton swimmer Will Retsch is proof that water is the universal solvent. When he’s around, records disappear. Retsch will graduate with his name etched in the WPIAL record books and all over the Talbots’ all-time leaderboard. On his way to bringing home the school’s first PIAA swimming title since 2007,...
Battery powers Hampton softball team
The Hampton softball team this season will use its battery to make up for some lost power. Senior Division I-bound catcher Bella Henzler and improved sophomore pitcher Charlotte Lomb are expected to form a potent combo for the Talbots, who graduated the program’s most prolific single-season home run hitter. Henzler,...
High hopes for Hampton baseball after up-and-down playoff season
The Hampton baseball team was taking indoor batting practice earlier this month when players were asked to close the gymnasium doors to accommodate a meeting in the adjacent cafeteria. The Talbots are looking to make more noise this spring. Hampton return seven starters from an up-and-down WPIAL Class 5A playoff...
Ex-Talbots standout Layrn Edwards back for final push at Loyola (Md.)
Former Hampton standout Laryn Edwards feared her college basketball career was over when her right knee gave out going up for a layup against Mount St. Mary’s in early December. “It was just instant pain,” said Edwards, a senior point guard for Loyola (Md.). “I didn’t know what to expect....
Hampton senior Wolfe enjoying best season after biding his time as junior backup
Hampton wrestler Alan Wolfe refused to get discouraged last season, stuck on the bench behind a two-time WPIAL qualifier. Wolfe worked hard every practice, patiently awaiting his chance. This season he is proving it was worth the wait. The 172-pound senior is 20-10 — after winning a combined 14 matches...
Aquinas Academy girls eye next step after defending section title
The Aquinas Academy girls basketball team is hitting stride at just the right time. Having overcome numerous early-season injuries, a flu bug and a five-day covid shutdown that wiped out three games, the Crusaders are pointing toward another deep WPIAL Class A playoff run. “Everyone is back and healthy and...
With full lineups, Hampton bowling teams enjoy season
Hampton bowling coach Bob Wallace doesn’t stress over wins and losses with his fifth-year program. The Talbots boys and girls wrapped up the 2021-22 season against Quaker Valley on Feb. 2 with losing records — the fifth time in five years — but their enjoyment left nothing to spare. “I...
Hampton swimmer Donato glides toward WPIALs
Belle Donato’s watchful parents urged her to trust them and take the plunge. But year after year, the Hampton girl was apprehensive in the pool, refusing to go below the surface. “Whenever I was 8, I had still never put my head under water,” she said. “Every summer, my parents...
Isabella McNutt hears the cheers on Hampton wrestling team
Hampton sophomore Isabella McNutt began martial arts at age 4 and earned her Taekwondo black belt at age 7. But she sought something new. “I’ve always wanted to do wrestling,” she said. “I feel like it expands my knowledge in all martial arts. I thought, ‘Wow, that looks cool.’ I...
Realignment sends several Hampton sports teams down in class
Seven Hampton athletics teams will be getting new scenery for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 sports seasons. The PIAA enrollment-based parameters, released earlier this month, will drop the programs down one classification, including boys basketball, baseball and wrestling. Four girls teams — softball, tennis, cross country and swimming — will also...
Hampton girls basketball turns up pressure during fast start
The Hampton girls basketball team was perfect in December by letting no opposing teams win and by barely allowing them to breathe. On the way to an 8-0 record, the Talbots sprinted out of the gate from the opening whistle, shell-shocking teams en route to the program’s second-best start in...
Bocce provides team sports experience to Hampton students with disabilities
There is something special and unifying about the Hampton High School bocce team. The club offers students with intellectual or physical disabilities the opportunity to experience the camaraderie and competitiveness afforded by team sports through the Special Olympics Pennsylvania Unified Sports program. “The best part is seeing these kids be...
