Three local scholar athletes will be among those honored at The Schuylkill Chapter of the National Football Foundation's 52nd annual Scholar-Athlete Award Banquet at 5 p.m. this Sunday at Hillcrest Hall in Minersville.

Marian's Ryan Karnish, Panther Valley's Richard Smith and Tamaqua's Brandon Fogel will represent the TIMES NEWS area.Others to be honored include Michael Donovan of Blue Mountain, Christian Ulicny of Mahanoy Area, Brett Polinsky of Minersville, Nathan Kustan of Nativity, Matt Gownley of North Schuylkill, Collins Kirelawich of Pine Grove, Greg Revenis of Pottsville, Brad Biever of Schuylkill Haven, Nick Merva of Shenandoah Valley, Blake Bowman of Tri-Valley and James Deiter of Williams Valley.Rich SmithPanther ValleySmith, a 6"0, 215-pound running back and linebacker for the Panthers, was a four-year starter. He was also lauded as a 1st Team All-American Conference, 1st Team All Area, and a Times News & Standard Speaker All Star.He was also selected as Player of the Week last season by The Times News, Channel 13, and Fox 56. Richard participated in baseball for four years. He was President of his class since 8th grade, a Student Council representative, a Harmony Scholar, and a Junior

R.O.T.C. officer.He volunteered time to Toys for Tots, the American Cancer Society, and the Red Cross Bloodmobile. Richard is ranked 12th in his class and has accepted an appointment to the USMA at West Point.His guardians are Richard Sr. and Lisa Smith of Summit Hill.Ryan KarnishMarianKarnish was a 5'11", 180-pound defensive back and quarterback for the Colts. A three-year starter for the Colts, Karnish was a First Team Times News, a Second Team Hazleton Standard Speaker All Star and a Second Team All-County team selection.A three-year member of the basketball team, Karnish was a National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society member. He also served as an altar boy and volunteer at the Hometown Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.Ryan is ranked first in his class and plans to attend MIT to continue his academic and football career. He is a highly motivated student athlete who possesses an excellent work ethic.His parents are Gary and Kristen Karnish of Nesquehoning.Brandon FogelTamaquaFogel, a 5'11", 180-pound offensive guard, linebacker and defensive guard, was a four-year member and one-year starter for the Blue Raiders. Honored with the Tamaqua School District's Butterworth Memorial Award, he is a member of the English and Spanish National Honor Societies and is a member of the World Language Club.A volunteer with local park cleaning and the Health Life Choices program, Brandon is ranked in the top 15 percent of his class and plans to attend Penn State University to continue his academic career. A student athlete with dedication and perseverance who has been a role model for underclassmen.His parents are Brian Fogel and Anella Dianese of Tamaqua.