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 inductees representing Lansford are as follows:

Jake Figner

A 2004 graduate of Northwestern Lehigh High School, Jake is originally from Coaldale, where his father and uncle both wrestled and played football for Panther Valley.

While at Northwestern, Jake was a four-year letterman who played both ways at offensive and defensive tackle under head coach Bob Mitchell and line coaches Tom Linette and Gary Williams.

He started at right tackle as a junior and senior, paving the way as the Tigers gained 5,179 yards rushing over the course of his two seasons as an offensive starter.

During his junior year, the Tigers won the District 11 AA title and made a deep playoff run to the PIAA semifinals.

As a senior, he was named First Team All State by the AP and PA Football News, First Team All Area by the Morning Call and Times News and First Team All Colonial League. He began garnering recruiting interest from Lehigh University as a sophomore. Following his junior year, Jake was pursued by numerous Division 1 FBS schools. He committed to play at West Virginia University under legendary offensive line coach Rick Trickett.

At WVU, he would go on to become a four-year letterman and three-year starter during what many consider the golden age of WVU sports. He and his linemates opened holes for Mountaineer greats such as Pat White, Owen Schmitt and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Steve Slaton.

Jake won a starting job prior to his sophomore season and started every game at blind side tackle that season, earning an average game grade of 88.4 percent as WVU ranked second in the nation in rushing yards with 303 yards per game. That season culminated with a win over Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl, with WVU earning a No. 10 ranking in the final AP poll. During that contest, Jake was lined up across a defensive line that included future WWE world champion Joseph Anoa’i, now better known as Roman Reigns.

Jake moved to starting right guard during his junior season as the Mountaineers ranked third nationally in rushing yards per game at 297.2 on their way to winning the Big East championship. He lined up across from future No. 3 overall NFL draft pick Gerald McCoy as the Mountaineers gained 349 yards rushing in an upset victory over No. 3 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, earning a No. 6 ranking in the final AP poll. He started every game at right guard as a senior as the Mountaineers defeated the UNC Tar Heels in the Meineke Car Care Bowl and earned a No. 25 ranking in the final AP poll. During his entire college career that consisted of 38 starts and 42 appearances, he was called for only one holding penalty and two total penalties overall.

As a member of the winningest class in WVU football history, Jake was named to the Big East All Academic Team for four consecutive seasons. As a senior, he received the Ira E. Rodgers Award for high leadership and academic qualities, as well as football performance.

He graduated from WVU in 2009 with a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry prior to attending medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. During his first year of medical school, he was inducted into the Northwestern Lehigh High School Football Hall of Fame.

In 2020, Lehighvalleylive.com selected an all star team comprised of the best players who had played in the Lehigh Valley area over the course of the previous 20 years and named Jake a starting offensive lineman, with the writers describing him as “an absolute monster who would have dominated in any league or high school classification.”

After graduating from medical school in 2015, Jake began his career as a radiologist and completed a diagnostic radiology residency at Beaumont Hospital in Farmington Hills, Michigan, before accepting an abdominal imaging fellowship at Emory University, near Atlanta, Georgia. Upon completion of the fellowship in 2021, he returned to the Lehigh Valley to practice and now lives in Bethlehem with his wife Lauren.

John Hackash

John Hackash began developing his basketball talent at an early age, playing for St. Michael’s team of Lansford in the Panther Valley CYO League. His leadership and skill were evident as he guided St. Mike’s to an impressive 1956 championship season, where the team finished with an undefeated 18-0 record. John’s scoring abilities was remarkable, averaging 23.4 points per game throughout the campaign.

After his early years, John attended Lansford High School, where he earned a varsity letter as a freshman. Although he did not play for the Panthers during his sophomore and junior years due to a transfer to Marian, he returned to Lansford for his senior year and delivered an outstanding performance. Standing at 6-4, John led the Panthers to the first half championship in the Black Diamond League, the overall league championship and secured a spot in the District 11 Class A championship.

During the 1959-60 season, John led Dick Forester’s squad by scoring a total of 392 points, the highest on the team. His individual accomplishments included finishing second in scoring in the Black Diamond League with an average of 20.5 points per game and placing fifth in the valley with a 19.4 points per game average.

Continuing his education and basketball journey, John attended Stevens Trade School in Lancaster, where he played under coach Dick Bevilacqua alongside several local teammates. As co-captain, he led the 1963 Traders to an undefeated season, further cementing his legacy as a dedicated athlete and leader.

John was also selected to play on an Eastern Pennsylvania team at a tournament at Whitehall High School. The team competed against teams from New Jersey, New York City and Philadelphia.

John’s commitment extended beyond athletics. He served on the Thaddeus Stevens Foundation Board for 15 years, including having served as past president, demonstrating his lifelong dedication to education and community service.

A man of deep faith, John was a charter member of St. Philip Church in Lancaster, where he took on various responsibilities, including serving as president of the Men’s Club.

John was married to his childhood friend, Barbara Ann Chromiak, whom he met in kindergarten. Their marriage endured for 58 years.

John leaves behind his wife and their three children: Lisa Ann and her husband Carl, Timothy and his wife Elizabeth, and Janine and her husband Michael. Five grandchildren also survive him.

John passed away in 2025, leaving behind a legacy of athletic achievement, community involvement and devotion to family and faith.

John ‘Jack’ Steber

John “Jack” Steber is a 1954 graduate of Lansford High School where he was a member of the Panthers’ football and basketball teams.

Born in 1937, he went on to the United States Air Force after graduating from LHS, and worked as an air traffic controller in Mississippi and England while in the service.

After his discharge, Jack attended and graduated from East Stroudsburg University.

He taught science at the John F. Kennedy High School in New Jersey, where he coached wrestling for six years.

He then took a position at Jim Thorpe Area High School as a biology teacher and was the head wrestling coach there for seven years. During this time, he was instrumental in moving the wrestling team to the significantly more challenging Lehigh Northampton League.

Jack initiated the annual Christmas wrestling tournament that is still held to this day in Jim Thorpe.

He retired in 2000 and was inducted into the Jim Thorpe Area High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.