John Grupp stories, Page 6

When Bella Henzler set a goal of making all-conference in the Sun Belt, the James Madison sophomore had to know the odds were stacked against her. Of the 278 softball players in the Division I conference, only 15 will earn first-team recognition. But the former Hampton star made the decision...

When two-time state champion Dale Hall was a freshman, he got kicked out of Hampton track practice one day. He wanted to run hills with the Talbots, but there was one problem: He wasn’t even a Hampton student. “That might not have been my brightest move,” said Hall, an Aquinas...

The Hampton girls lacrosse team wobbled into mid-April, putting its streak of WPIAL playoff appearances in jeopardy. But the Talbots found their footing. Hampton won its final four Section 1-2A matches, including a do-or-die showdown with Winchester Thurston in the finale, to salvage an up-and-down season. “At the beginning of...

One of the biggest challenges for the Hampton skaters in the PIHL girls league is something most athletes take for granted. “We didn’t know each other’s names,” junior forward Danica Gynn said of her WPIAL-scattered teammates on Team Central. “Usually we just yell, ‘Yeah,’ or ‘Here,’ or just scream random...

Central Catholic senior defender Mike Kistler “felt a pop” in his right leg at preseason lacrosse practice in February. In that split second, the Hampton resident would go from looking forward to his senior season in high school to working toward his freshman year in college. “I got an MRI...

The WPIAL track and field championships started about as well as could be expected for the Hampton boys. Then things got crazy. In the meet’s opening event, the Talbots’ 3,200 relay team took second in Class 3A with a near-school record time and qualified for the PIAA championships before Mother...

Former Hampton star Laryn Edwards made national headlines over the winter when she transitioned from coach to player for the Providence women’s basketball team. Little did she know, in a roundabout way, it would bring her all the way home. “I would never have thought this was going to happen,...

Because first-year coach Kate Hedderman runs a batting cage facility in Hampton, she was confident the Talbots would hit the ball this season. She wasn’t so sure about catching it. “That made me nervous,” she said. “We didn’t get a lot of fielding practice because we were stuck inside with...

The Hampton boys tennis team traveled to Philadelphia for a mid-April match, running up the “Rocky” steps and visiting the Liberty Bell during a day of sightseeing. The Talbots were something to see this season. Paced by an experienced senior class and the second PIAA singles qualifier in program history,...

One day after Hampton’s WPIAL playoff hopes ended with a walk-off loss at Knoch, senior Matt Erka searched for a bright spot. “We tried our best, and we just couldn’t get it done,” the outfielder/pitcher said. “I guess it just wasn’t enough.” Needing to win one of its final two...

Hampton senior AJ Prodente has gone from sprinting 94 feet to racing 400 meters. The starting point guard on Hampton’s 25-5 WPIAL Class 4A runner-up basketball team this past winter, Prodente has swapped his sneakers for spikes in only his second season competing in track. “I wish that we’d had...

When a group of Hampton girls desired a fun, low-stress spring sport, they found exactly what they were looking for. With a little help from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hampton is a first-year club team in the high school girls flag football league, which is sponsored by the Steelers and the...

Hampton’s Jessica Lange made a name for herself doing the little things for the Talbots softball team. The fleet-footed senior center fielder earned all-Section 3-4A honors last season thanks to excellent defense and being skilled at bunting and putting the ball in play. “I used to be a really big...

For only the second time in the past 46 years, Hampton is searching for a new boys basketball coach. Athletic director Mike Gavlik said the district “is not going to rush into something,” as it looks to replace longtime coach Joe Lafko, who resigned April 17 after winning 489 games...

Saying it’s time to “figure out the next chapter,” WPIAL Hall of Famer Joe Lafko has stepped down as Hampton boys basketball coach. Lafko, who led Hampton for the past 28 seasons, told his players and first-year athletic director Mike Gavlik on Wednesday afternoon that he wouldn’t be returning. “I’m...

Aquinas Academy baseball coach David Phelps knows all about pressure. Phelps pitched in the major leagues for 10 years, striking out sluggers such as Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Andrew McCutchen and Hall of Famer David Ortiz along the way. But this spring has brought a whole new level of tension....

One thing is certain about Hampton two-sport standout Gabe Gannelli and his upcoming college days. He’s not going to have much free time on his hands. Gannelli, a senior, committed to Mount Union to play football and lacrosse, continuing the sports at which he excelled with the Talbots. “For me,...

Hampton graduate David Steckel took an unlikely path from a high school baseball player to an assistant coach for an Elite Eight men’s basketball team. Steckel, a 2011 Hampton graduate, capped his sixth season at Southern New Hampshire with a conference championship and a trip to the NCAA Division II...

The Hampton baseball team found a way in late March to mix business with pleasure. Leaving behind another chilly, damp spring in Western Pennsylvania, the Talbots traveled to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for five days of much-needed practice and games. Hampton, which had its first week of the WPIAL schedule wiped...

The opening week of the 2024 spring season proved something about the Hampton boys lacrosse team. The Talbots aren’t the best team in the WPIAL Class 2A, but they very well could turn into the second-best. Hampton sandwiched a 20-6 loss to seven-time defending WPIAL champion Mars with blowout victories...

The Hampton girls lacrosse team this season is relying on balance rather than brilliance. After a three-year stretch that featured two of the most prolific goal-scorers in program history, the Talbots are looking for a well-distributed, roster-wide attack. “Not relying on one person to score is going to be an...

Hampton track star Dale Hall enters his senior season in the unusual position of being a reigning state champion and an underdog, all at the same time. Hall, who last spring won the PIAA Class 3A 1,600-meter title as the No. 11 seed, has a pair of Notre Dame recruits,...

One day after Hampton’s boys basketball season came to an end, Joe Lafko contemplated the Talbots’ memorable journey. “We had a fantastic year,” the longtime coach said. “I am so proud of this team.” The Talbots (25-5) put together one of the finest seasons in program history, winning a second...

The tennis courts at Hampton Community Park are scheduled to undergo a major renovation this summer, but in the meantime, the Hampton boys team has some work of its own to do. The Talbots return six of their seven top players from last year’s 8-8 team, which reached the WPIAL...

The Aquinas Academy girls basketball team weathered injuries and illness for much of the season, but the Crusaders fought through it. “I didn’t think it affected us that much,” coach Chris Lebakken said, “until it did.” Outscored 21-7 in the third quarter, Aquinas fell to St. Joseph, 65-56, in the...