The Carbon County Hall of Sports Hall of Fame committee will hold its 2026 induction dinner and program on Sunday, May 24, at the Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Company hall.

The ceremony will honor 25 inductees from six Carbon County communities, and Coaldale and Tamaqua who were selected for the honor by committees representing each of the towns.

The doors will open at 12:30 p.m., and the banquet will commence at 1:45 p.m.

The inductees include:

Coaldale – Christa (Mantz) Evanko, John Molotzak and Dr. Karoline Vavra.

Jim Thorpe – Walt Schlenner, David Reese and Joe Rader.

Lansford – John “Jack” Steber, John Hackash Jr. and Jake Figner.

Lehighton – Glenn Neff, Jacen Nalesnik and Rick Kirkendall.

Nesquehoning – Dr. Mark Makovec, Mike Makovec, Ryan Richards and Mike Lopata.

Palmerton – Geno Roberts, Darryl Roberts and Jerry Snyder.

Summit Hill – Ed Shober Jr., Fred Cinicola and Victor Koshuta.

Tamaqua – Brayden Knoblauch, Emma Kuczynski and Amber Carroll.

Tickets to the event are available from the following: Dan McGinley, 570-325-3550, Vince Spisak, 570-645-4542, Jake Boyer, 610-751-6634, Trevor Lawrence, 570-645-4722, Bill Gardiner, 570-669- 6564, Bob Gelatko, 570-645-7565, Evan Evans, 570-645-7716, Jeff Hager, 610-737-2577, and Brandon Heffelfinger, 570-273-5555, or 570-449-6664.

The Times News will begin running the biographies of the inductees by town on Saturdays. The inductees representing Tamaqua are as follows:

Amber Carroll

Amber Carroll, a 2010 graduate of Tamaqua Area High School, enjoyed an outstanding career as a cross country and track & field participant for the Lady Raiders.

In cross country, she qualified for the state championship meet three times, finishing as a two-time state medalist with an 18th place finish in 2008 and a 12th place ranking in 2009.

In track & field, she qualified for the PIAA state championships six times, including three times in the 3,200-meter run, twice in the 1,600-meter run and once as a member of the Raiders’ 3200-meter relay team.

Amber was a four-time District 11 champion, winning both the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs twice. In the PIAA meets, she finished seventh in the 3,200-meter event and 11th in the 1,600-meter run.

She is Tamaqua’s current record holder in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 5:08 and the 3,200-meter run where she was clocked at 11:03.

Amber went on to enjoy a four-year career on the cross country and track & field teams at Bucknell University.

Brayden Knoblauch

Brayden Knoblauch is a 2020 graduate of Tamaqua Area High School who was a distinguished athlete in football, basketball and baseball. He earned varsity letters in all three sports all four years.

Brayden was part of the Raiders’ District 11 football championship team in his senior year and the district baseball championship team as a freshman.

He is Tamaqua’s career record holder in passing yards with 4,609 and passing touchdowns with 42, and holds season records in passing yards (2,121), completions (138), and passing touchdowns (18).

At the end of his senior season, he was named to the Class 3A All-State football team and was selected quarterback of the WNEP-TV Dream Team.

In basketball, Brayden finished in sixth place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,330 points. He holds the school’s career record for three pointers with 223, as well as the season record of 79. He was captain of the 2019-2020 cage team that advanced to the state quarterfinals but was unable to complete the season due to COVID.

Brayden was named the Pottsville Republican and Herald Rookie of the Year for basketball in his freshman year and Standard Speaker Male Athlete of the Year as a senior.

After high school, he attended Susquehanna University where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in business management. He was also a member of the Susquehanna football team that won championships in the Centennial and Landmark conferences.

Brayden currently works as client’s service manager for 365 Health Services and resides in Manayunk.

Emma Kuczynski

Emma Kuczynski, a 2020 graduate of Tamaqua Area High School, was named All-State in basketball and soccer as a Lady Raider in her senior year.

She finished third on the school’s all-time goals scored list in soccer and finished her cage career in third place on Tamaqua’s all-time scoring list with 2,010 points.

Emma was named the Republican Herald Girls Rookie Basketball Player of the Year as a freshman and attained All-State honors in basketball and soccer in her senior campaigns.

After graduating, she went to Thomas Jefferson University where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in health science and then her master’s degree. She was a member of the Jefferson women’s basketball team that won the Division 2 CACC championship in the 2023-2024 season.

During her collegiate career, she was named to the CACC All-Tournament Team, the CACC Academic Team, Academic All-District Team, the Academic Honor Roll – FAR Award of Distinction, and the CACC Academic Honor Roll – Presidents’ Level.

In her senior year, Emma was named the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Division 2 Player of the Week when she scored her 1,000th point.

She ended her career with 1,063 points at Jefferson.

Emma is currently pursuing a doctor of physical therapy degree at Jefferson’s center city campus. She resides in Manayunk.