Schuylkill County Scholar Athletes named for 2024
FROM L-R: Mahanoy Area's Colm McGroarty, North Schuylkill's Collin Stanakis, and Shenandoah Valley's Alex Kozlosky.
SHENANDOAH – The Schuylkill Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame has announced the 63rd class of scholar athletes in our county, including three from the Sentinel‘s coverage area.
Chosen by their respective school districts, these athletes exemplify excellence in football ability, academic dedication, and leadership within their schools, organizers said. The criteria for selection included outstanding football performance, academic achievements, and demonstrated school leadership and citizenship.
A banquet to honor the athletes will be held on Feb. 18 at the Schuylkill I.U. 29 in Mar Lin. Doors open at 4pm and the banquet starts at 5pm.
The Schuylkill County athletes selected from each of the 14 school districts will be recognized for their exceptional achievements and contributions.
Ticket information is on the foundation’s Facebook page.
The athletes from our area are Colm McGroarty of Mahanoy Area, Collin Stanakis of North Schuylkill, and Alex Kozlosky of Shenandoah Valley.
Colm McGroarty – Mahanoy Area
A four-year football starter, McGroarty played running back, quarterback, cornerback, and free safety.
He was the difference maker on both sides of the football for the Golden Bears, breaking records for rushing yards (4,219), total carries (615), and defensive interceptions (16).
In his senior season, the All-State selection and Senior Captain contributed 1,469 rushing yards, 2,212 all purpose yards, with 25 total touchdowns.
Defensively, he tallied 5 interceptions, 15 pass deflections, and 130 total tackles.
He was honored by the SCFCA as their Dream Team selection at Defensive Back, the SCFCA Small School 1st Team as an Athlete and Defensive Back, Republican-Herald 1st Team Defensive Back, was named as a Mini Max Award honoree, and was selected to the PA Football Writers All State team as an Athlete.
Additionally, he gained honors from Eastern PA Football as a 1st Team All-State Selection as an Athlete, and was selected to the WNEP-TV Dream Team as a defensive back.
Colm excelled as a 1st Team All-Area hurdler for the Track & Field team, placing 1st in the 300m hurdles at League and District XI meets, adding a 10th place finish at the State meet.
Colm was a 2 year captain for the Golden Bear Basketball squad which won the 2023 District XI Championship.
In the classroom, he is ranked in the top 15% of his class with a 3.9 GPA, enrolled in a curriculum with AP classes in Biology and Calculus.
He is a member of LCCC, National Honor Society, Student Council, Interact Club, Theatre Arts, and FBLA. Colm participates through community service opportunities with Action Group, Interact Club, and Town Clean-Up.
Upon Graduation, Colm plans to attend Duquesne University on a Track & Field scholarship to study Nursing.
He is the son of John and Kelly McGroarty.
Collin Stanakis – North Schuylkill
From the first day Collin Stanakis stepped foot into Spartan Stadium, he made significant contributions to the North Schuylkill football squad.
A two year starter and two-time All Academic Team member, Collin Stanakis was a leader for the Spartans on both sides of the football, with selections to the SCFCA Big School All-Area 2nd Team at both wide receiver and defensive back due to strong Senior year statistics of 350 receiving yards, 275 rushing yards, and 3 interceptions.
Collin’s strong performances throughout his Senior season gained him selections as a T102 Defensive Player of the Game and a Schuylkill League Athlete of the Week.
He is a multi sport athlete for the Spartans, contributing as a four year member and two time captain on the baseball team.
He also participates for North Schuylkill’s Unified Indoor Bocce Team as a two year member.
In the classroom, Collin is ranked in the top 5 of his senior class with a 4.1884 GPA. He is enrolled in a strong curriculum consisting of AP Classes in Calculus, Biology, US History, and Literature and Composition.
Collin is a member of the National Honor Society and the Math, English, Science, and Social Studies Subject Honor Societies.
He is an active member of his Spartan community, participating in the Pep Club, Aevidium Club, and Friends Forever Club.
He was also voted as Vice President of the Student Council. Collin volunteers his time with Big Impact – Big Brothers/Big Sisters and at clean-up opportunities at local parks.
Collin’s future plans include attending college to study Physical Therapy.
He is the son of Catherine and Dale Stanakis.
Alexander Kozlosky – Shenandoah Valley
Team Captain Alexander Kozlosky starred as a tight end, running back, and linebacker for the Blue Devils, starting all four years during his tenure at Shenandoah Valley.
At linebacker, he tallied a career 268 tackles. On the offensive side of the football, he ran for a career 299 yards with 1 touchdown, to go along with 101 yards receiving and 2 receiving touchdowns. In 2021, Alexander was named as a Standard~Speaker 1st Team linebacker selection, and an SCFCA North 2nd Team linebacker selection.
In 2022, he was a Standard Speaker Honorable Mention linebacker selection. He was voted Shenandoah Valley’s Team Most Outstanding Defensive Player twice by his coaches.
He was also selected as a two-time honoree to EasternPAFootball’s All-Academic Gold Team, with selections to PA Football News’s All-Academic Silver and Gold Teams.
Alexander is a two sport athlete, also participating as a member of the Blue Devil Track & Field team.
In the classroom, Alexander is the number one ranked member of his senior class, holding a 101.21 GPA.
He takes a rigorous curriculum of AP Calculus and AP History, with Honors classes in Biology and Anatomy & Physiology.
The National Honor Society member has also completed 5 dual enrollment college level courses through LCCC. In his Shenandoah community, Alexander volunteers through projects with Youth Football Camp, The Spartan Games, and Elementary School Field Day.
Upon graduation, Alexander plans to attend college to study Biomedical Engineering.
He is the son of Leonard III and Tiffany Kozlosky.
Rest of Schuylkill County
The following are the remaining scholar athletes from the county:
- Will Jacobson, Blue Mountain
- Bruce Hopeck, Marian Catholic
- Lorenzo Yourey, Minersville
- Nolan Ferhat, Nativity
- Eli Maynard, Panther Valley
- Tyler Sleva, Pine Grove
- Kole Becker, Pottsville
- Travis Richie, Schuylkill Haven
- Matthew Welsh, Tamaqua
- Layne Yoder, Tri-Valley
- Alex Achenbach, Williams Valley
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