John Grupp stories, Page 9

The Hampton softball team will return almost everyone from this year’s WPIAL Class 5A playoff qualifier, but one loss is going to sting. Senior catcher Bella Henzler played her final high school game in the Talbots’ 11-5 loss to top-seeded Armstrong on May 17 at Mars in the opening round...

Memorial Day weekend should be a memorable one for Matt DeMatteo. And a very eventful one. The Hampton senior will compete in the PIAA Class 3A track and field championships May 27-28 at Shippensburg University before heading to Harrisburg to play for Team Pennsylvania in the prestigious Big 33 All-Star...

Hampton first-year football coach Steve Sciullo likes what he sees from his new view atop the program. “We’re rolling right now,” he said. “We’re pretty happy with how things are looking.” With offseason weightlifting and conditioning in high gear and his staff of assistants in place, Sciullo has settled in...

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...

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...

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 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....

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...

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 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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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,...

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,...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...