Seven former Tamaqua Area standouts representing several generations of Blue Raider athletics will be honored Friday as members of the school district’s 2026 Hall of Fame class.

Matthew Amodea, Kyle Dunkelberger, Jen Bensinger Shock, Nathan Wickersham, Emily Titus, Lucas Gregoire and Matthew Kistler make up this year’s class. The group will be recognized in conjunction with Tamaqua’s home football game against Marian Catholic, scheduled for 7 p.m.

The class represents accomplishments across football, wrestling, basketball, softball, cross country, soccer, volleyball and track and field, with district championships, state medals, school records and numerous individual honors highlighting their careers.

MATTHEW AMODEA

Amodea was a two-sport standout in football and track and field.

A three-year starter and captain on the football team, Amodea played offensive tackle, defensive tackle and defensive end. As a senior in 2018, he collected a sweep of major area lineman honors, earning Schuylkill League Division XI Offensive Lineman of the Year, Times News Lineman of the Year, WPPA Lineman of the Year and Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association Lineman of the Year.

Amodea also made his mark in track and field. At the 2019 District 11 Class 3A Championships, he recorded a shot put mark of 53 feet, 1.75 inches, breaking a Tamaqua record of 52-10.5 that had stood for 56 years.

Amodea, who was Tamaqua’s 2019 Male Scholar-Athlete and graduated fourth in his class, went on to earn a degree in robotics engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He is currently a controls engineer living in Worcester, Massachusetts.

KYLE DUNKELBERGER

Dunkelberger, a 1996 Tamaqua graduate, built his legacy as a distance runner.

A member of the cross country and track and field programs, Dunkelberger was a cross country all-star from 1992-95. He captured two SCIAL league championships, earned two district medals and qualified for the PIAA Championships during standout seasons in 1994 and 1995.

Dunkelberger eventually returned to his alma mater and now serves as Tamaqua’s supervisor of grounds and maintenance.

JEN BENSINGER SHOCK

Bensinger Shock put together one of the most accomplished pitching careers in Tamaqua softball history.

A three-year varsity letterwinner in both volleyball and softball, Bensinger Shock helped the Blue Raiders capture three Schuylkill League softball championships. She was named the Times News Softball Player of the Year in both 2004 and 2005.

Bensinger Shock finished her Tamaqua career with 581 strikeouts, 44 victories, 22 shutouts and five no-hit shutouts. She posted a 0.71 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .116 batting average while pitching 282 consecutive innings and making 42 consecutive starts.

Her success continued at East Stroudsburg University, where she threw a no-hitter and established career and single-season records in strikeouts, saves and innings pitched.

Bensinger Shock remains involved in the sport as a coach at several levels, including as a volunteer assistant with the Tamaqua Middle School program. Her induction also adds to a family legacy, as she will join sisters Heather and Jess in the Hall of Fame.

NATHAN WICKERSHAM

Wickersham, a 2021 graduate, was a three-sport athlete in football, wrestling and baseball.

He compiled 114 victories, including 66 pins, during his wrestling career. A three-time state qualifier and two-time state placewinner, Wickersham finished eighth at the PIAA Championships as a junior before placing third as a senior. He was named the 2021 Times News Wrestler of the Year and Standard-Speaker Co-Wrestler of the Year.

Wickersham also played a key role on Tamaqua’s 2019 District 11 championship football team, recording 76 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks at outside linebacker as the Blue Raiders advanced to the PIAA Class 3A semifinals. As a senior, he played quarterback and linebacker and earned first-team all-area honors on both sides of the ball.

Wickersham continued his wrestling career at West Virginia University for two years before transferring to Shippensburg University, where he earned a degree in electrical engineering.

EMILY TITUS

Titus, a 2020 graduate, excelled in basketball, soccer and track and field.

A four-year varsity basketball starter, Titus scored 1,012 career points and ranks 12th on Tamaqua’s all-time girls scoring list. She also played four years of soccer and earned second-team All-Schuylkill League honors as a senior.

In track and field, Titus captured the District 11 Class 2A shot put championship as a junior and advanced to the PIAA Championships, where she finished 16th. She also earned a district silver medal in the javelin that season. Her senior track and field season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Titus continued her athletic career at Shippensburg University before transferring to Penn State Hazleton, where she played basketball and earned USCAA National All-Academic honors. She graduated from Penn State in 2024 with a degree in kinesiology and is currently a health and physical education teacher at Minersville.

LUCAS GREGOIRE

Gregoire, another 2020 graduate, was a standout basketball player and a member of one of Tamaqua’s most successful football teams.

He scored 1,249 career basketball points, ranking eighth in Blue Raider boys history. As a senior, Gregoire averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds per game while helping Tamaqua advance to the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals.

One of Gregoire’s favorite memories from his basketball career was having the opportunity to start alongside each of his brothers, Gabe and Nate.

Gregoire also played tight end and wide receiver on Tamaqua’s 2019 District 11 championship football team, which advanced to the PIAA Class 3A semifinals.

After graduating from Tamaqua, Gregoire attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2025. He is currently completing a second-year pharmacy residency specializing in psychiatry.

MATTHEW KISTLER

Kistler rounds out the class after a record-setting career in football and success in track and field.

A 2020 graduate, Kistler remains Tamaqua’s career leader in receptions with 110 and receiving yards with 1,852. During his senior season in 2019, he established single-season school records with 60 receptions and 1,014 receiving yards. He also set a single-game record with 180 receiving yards against Lehighton.

Kistler earned Pennsylvania Football Writers Class 3A First Team All-State honors at wide receiver and second-team all-state recognition as a defensive athlete. He was instrumental in Tamaqua’s run to the 2019 District 11 Class 3A championship and a berth in the state semifinals.

His success extended to track and field, where he was part of Tamaqua’s District 11 Class 2A championship 1,600-meter relay in 2018 and the Blue Raiders’ Schuylkill League championship 4x100 relay in 2019.

Kistler completed the electrical line worker program at Southeast Lineman Training Center in Georgia in 2021. He currently works at Rebs Pallet Co. and owns Anthracite Truck and Trailer Repair.

The seven members of the 2026 class represent different eras of Tamaqua athletics, from Dunkelberger’s accomplishments in the 1990s to a group of recent graduates whose careers included some of the Blue Raiders’ most memorable postseason runs.

Three members of the class — Wickersham, Gregoire and Kistler — shared one of those runs as teammates on Tamaqua’s 2019 District 11 championship football team that advanced to the state semifinals.

On Friday night, they and the rest of the 2026 class will be recognized as the newest members of the Tamaqua Area Hall of Fame.