The Tamaqua Area High School Athletic Hall of Fame Committee will induct its 27th class into the Hall of Fame, which will include six individuals and one team.

Kolby Mashack, Paige Demetriades, Maria Streisel, Monika Shimko Horoho, Casey Rother, Thaddaeus Zuber and the 2008 girls soccer team will be inducted Friday night before the Blue Raiders’ home football game against Lehighton.

The ceremony will take place at approximately 6:45 p.m.

The individual inductees will receive a plaque with their name, year of graduation, some biographical information along with a photograph of their choice on it. The team will receive a certificate of induction.

The following is biographical information regarding the newest class inducted into the Tamaqua Area High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

Kolby Mashack,

Class of 2011

• Kolby is a 2011 graduate and was a four-year decorated letter winner with the Tamaqua wrestling program.

• He was a four-time District 11 medalist (2010-11: Champion; 2007-08, 08-09, 09-10 – fourth place).

• Kolby was a two-time Southeast Regional medalist (2009-10 – third; 2008-09 – fifth), and two-time PIAA state championship qualifier.

• He ended his wrestling career with a record of 127-33, which is currently the fourth-best record in school history.

• Kolby is also currently seventh all-time in falls in a season with 17 in 2007-08 and has the fourth quickest pin, recording a fall in 10 seconds.

• After graduation, he attended East Stroudsburg University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Professional Studies with a focus on Athletic Training.

• He is employed by IMS Injury Prevention in Ergonomics and Industrial Injury Prevention.

• He resides in Hometown with his partner Alyssa Haraschak, and their daughter, Layla Marie.

Paige Demetriades,

Class of 2015

• Paige was a four-year letter winner in both basketball and track and field, and earned one varsity letter on the golf team.

• In golf, she placed fifth at the Schuylkill League and District 11 championships.

• In track and field, she was a two-time PIAA state qualifier in the javelin. As a sophomore, she placed 13th, and in her junior year she placed 19th after winning the District 11 gold medal. She was also a league champion in the javelin her junior year. She also had a fourth-place District 11 finish in the pole vault her junior year.

• Following graduation, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics: Unmanned Aerial Systems from Liberty University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2020.

• Paige was honored as the 2019-20 Top Aerospace Technology Student.

• At Liberty, she ranks third in the program history, and fourth all-time in the Big South Conference in the javelin. She was also named the Big South Women’s Field Athlete of the Week in 2018. Additionally, she was an NCAA Division 1 East qualifier in 2018.

• After college, Paige was employed by UPS Flight Forward out of Louisville, Kentucky, from July 2020 through February 2023. Flight Forward is a wholly owned subsidiary of UPS and the first full-standard drone airline. She was promoted into a role as an Engineering Team Lead – UAS Strategy, Acquisitions, Research and Development. She is currently employed by Walmart in Dallas, Texasm as the Senior Automation Engineer, Last Mile Delivery – Drones supporting drone integration to Walmart’s network of retail locations to enable 30-minute delivery to your home.

• She is married to fellow Tamaqua graduate Benjamin Miller.

Maria Streisel,

Class of 2013

• Maria is a 2013 graduate who earned a varsity letter in cross country and soccer, along with four varsity letters apiece in basketball and track and field.

• In basketball, she was a member of the 2009-10 team that finished 25-3 before losing in the second round of the PIAA state playoffs. She was also a member of the 2010-11 team that went undefeated until the second round of the PIAA state playoffs, finishing the season with a 28-1 record.

• Maria is currently 20th on the girls basketball all-time scoring list with 811 career points.

• In track and field, she qualified for the PIAA state championships all four years. She was a member of the 2010 District 11 second-place 400 meter relay team, which set the school record (50.14 – still stands) and qualified for states. She also qualified for states in the long jump, where she was the 2013 District 11 champion, and the 100-meter dash.

• After high school, Maria followed her love for cooking and works for catering businesses, bakeries, juice bars, organic farms and restaurants in Jim Thorpe. She currently resides in Key West, Florida where she is now the Head Chef of an organic health food cafe called Date & Thyme.

Monika Shimko Horoho,

Class of 2017

• Monika is a 2017 graduate who had an outstanding athletic career in cross country, soccer and track and field, earning two letters in cross country and soccer and four in track.

• In her freshman and sophomore years, she was a member of the Lady Raider soccer team where she scored six goals and had five assists.

• In Monika’s two years on the cross country team, she was a PIAA state qualifier in her senior year after finishing third in leagues and ninth at the District 11 championships. She was a member of the 2015 and 2016 undefeated and Schuylkill League championship teams. She was a two-time Schuylkill League All-Star selection.

• Monika excelled on the track where she was team captain for three years. She still owns two school records – in the 800 (2:16.43) and as a member of the 3200 relay team (4:05.22).

• She qualified for the PIAA State Championships all four years and earned two medals; fourth in 2017 and eighth in 2016 in the 800. She was also a member of the state qualifying relay teams in the 3200 (twice) and the 1600 (once).

• At the District 11 championships, Monika won five gold, two silver and two bronze medals in her career. She also won six gold, four silver and two bronze medals in the Schuylkill League championships.

• Following graduation, Monika ran Division 1 cross country and indoor and outdoor track for West Point Military Academy all four years. Her main events were the 800, 1500 and 3000 M steeplechase.

• She graduated from West Point in 2021 and commissioned as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high yield Explosives Officer in the United States Army.

• She majored in Nuclear Engineering, with a Capstone on Radiation Isotope Identification Devices and research on Secondary Gamma Radiation from High Altitude Burst resulting in an Electromagnetic Pulse.

• Monika currently holds the rank of a First Lieutenant. Her Unit was activated from the Immediate Reaction Force in May 2022 in response to the Conflict in Ukraine. She was deployed to Poland as part of the Enhanced Forward Presence - Battle Group.

• Currently, Monika is serving as a Hazard Assessment Platoon Leader under the 181st Chemical Company, 2nd CBRNE Battalion, 48th Chemical Brigade stationed at Fort Cavazos, Texas (formerly known as Fort Hood).

• Monika is married to Daniel Horoho, and both ran on West Point’s Track and Cross Country teams. They married after graduation in 2021. Currently she lives in Killeen, Texas.

Thaddaeus Zuber,

Class of 2018

• Thaddaeus excelled in football, basketball and baseball.

• In football, he was a four-year varsity starting quarterback. He threw for over 2,900 yards in his career, highlighted by a 1,270 yard junior season. He also played defense beginning in his junior year, playing defensive back and outside linebacker. He was named to the Standard Speaker All Area team his junior and senior seasons.

• Thaddaeus excelled in basketball, where he had at least one start in all four years. In his career, he recorded 1,012 points, which ranks him 13th on the all-time scoring chart. He led the team in points, assists, rebounds, and steals his sophomore and junior seasons. In his sophomore and junior seasons, he was named to the Times News and Standard Speaker First Team. In his freshman year, the Raiders were Schuylkill League runner up, losing to Pottsville in overtime. In his senior year, the team qualified for the PIAA state tournament.

• On the baseball diamond, Thaddaeus was a three-year starter. His main success was found on the mound, with a career 13-5 record. This was highlighted by his 2017 junior season, where he had a 75% win percentage with 58.1 innings thrown, which included 40 strikeouts helping the Raiders to a District 11 championship and a place in the state playoffs. He finished his career with 114 strikeouts and only 24 walks. When he wasn’t pitching, he played second base. His batting was highlighted by a .375 average his senior season. The 2016 baseball team placed runner-up in the Schuylkill League championship.

• Thaddaeus attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute beginning in the Fall of 2018. He graduated in the spring of 2022 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering and again in the spring of 2023 with a Master of Science in Management. He was involved in varsity football, club basketball, and club golf.

• Thaddaeus now resides in New Hampshire. He works for Orano Decommissioning Services as a Mechanical Engineer, assisting in various projects centered around the decommissioning and disposal of nuclear power plants and waste.

• Thaddaeus is the son of Steve and Wanda Zuber.

Casey Rother,

Class of 2018

• Casey earned 10 varsity letters in football, basketball, and baseball.

• In football, Casey earned three varsity letters. In his junior season, he started at split end, and his senior season he was the starting tight end. During his senior season, he was honored by the Schuylkill County Coaches Association and EasternPAFootball.com by being named to the First Team tight end. He was Second Team Republican Herald. He also won the Spirit Inama Award as the team’s top receiver, and finished his career with 59 receptions for 916 yards and nine touchdowns.

• In basketball, Casey earned three varsity letters and helped the team into the PIAA state playoffs in 2018. That year he earned Honorable Mention on the Standard Speaker All Area team.

• Casey earned four varsity letters in baseball. He was the starting catcher beginning his freshman year. That year he lead the team in batting average, hitting .306 with eight doubles and 15 RBIs.

• In 2017, Tamaqua won the District 11 baseball championship and Casey led the team in hitting (.472), on base percentage (.547), home runs (two), hits (34), RBIs (20), slugging percentage (.694) and doubles (10). He was named the Pottsville Republican Offensive Player of the Year. He also hit .500 in the District 11 playoffs.

• Casey finished his career with 91 hits. He also pitched and had 43 innings in his career with 54 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.38.

• Casey earned a baseball scholarship to Lehigh University, and helped lead the team to the 2021 Patriot League regular season championship, and was named the Patriot League Player of the Year. He repeated that honor again in 2022. In his career at Lehigh, he earned three First Team All Patriot League honors. College Baseball News named him Third Team All American in 2022. In the 2023 season, he was named First Team All Area by the American Baseball Coaches Association as well as by the East Coast Athletic Conference. Casey ended his college career holding the school records for home runs in a career with 32 and RBIs with 168. He also holds the single season records for home runs with 15 and RBIs with 64. The summer of Casey’s junior year was spent playing in the Alaska Baseball League while earning First Team honors that season.

• Casey graduated from Lehigh in 2022 with a degree in International Relations/Economics, and in 2023 he earned his Master in Technological Entrepreneurship from the Engineering school at Lehigh.

• He is the son of Cy and Jeannie Rother.

2008 Girls Soccer Team

• The 2008 Lady Raiders soccer team had a historic run, leading to many school firsts and several record-breaking accomplishments. It all started in 2007 with the same core group of players, where they went undefeated at 20-0, only to lose in the district championship, ending the season.

• In 2008, the team ended the season with a 17-6-1 record. The team proceeded to win the District 11 championship in an exciting 3-2 overtime win over Minersville. The district championship was the first in school history for either boys or girls in soccer.

• The team advanced to the PIAA State playoffs, where it defeated Delco Christian, 3-2, to advance to the state quarterfinals. This team was (THE) first Schuylkill League girls team to ever win a state playoff game, a feat that wouldn’t happen for another 11 years.

• They lost to eventual state champion Loyalsock, 5-0, in the PIAA state quarterfinals.

• Some of the many accomplishments and firsts that year were:

- Winning the 100th game in the programs history;

- Jess Bensinger became the first All-State player in team history;

- Clem McCarroll was named Schuylkill League Coach of the Year, and they ended up having three future All-State players on that team, as well as four future individual TAHS Hall of Famers.

- The 2008 Lady Raiders were voted by the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association as one of the top 15 girls teams in the entire state regardless of what class they played in.

*Team members include: Natalie Davison, Brianne Curvey, Brittany Hill, Hailey Arnold, Amanda Bieniek, Katelin Hummel Kurtz, Mollie Devlin Kennedy, Lauren Mateyak, Sandra Coombe Bachert, Caitlin Trainer, Brooke Gursky Minnick, Allison Updike, Jackie Stewart VandenBussche, Shelby Hankins, Kaitlyn Flack, Cheyanne Bates, Laura Walser, Jessica Bensinger Halabura, Meghan Kistler, Samantha Digilio, Rikki Bachman, Rachel Confer, Devin Bodman, Eden Helfrich, Jennifer Wood, Elise Argall, Kayla Hope Edmonds, Cady O’Malley, Carly O’Malley, Elissa Streisel, Head Coach, Clem McCarroll, assistant coaches, Andy Smarr, JoAnne Stewart, and Ken Mateyak.