Three local candidates to be honored

The Schuylkill Chapter No. 25 of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame will hold its 51st annual Schuylkill County Scholar-Athlete Award Banquet this Sunday at 5 p.m. at Hillcrest Hall in Minersville.

Among the 14 student-athletes to be honored at the banquet will be Marian's Anthony Pilla, Panther Valley's William Stalgaitis and Tamaqua's Anthony Iacoviello.

Marian's Anthony Pilla

Pilla was a center, defensive end and defensive tackle for the Colts. The 5-11, 225-pound Pilla was a three-year starter who earned first-team All-County, second team TIMES NEWS, second-team Reading Eagle All-Anthracite and second-team Standard Speaker.

He also played basketball for four years and baseball for three years. Ranking in the top five percent of his class, Pilla is a member of the National and Spanish Honor Societies and is president of Student Council. He is also a member of Future Business Leaders of America, the Peer Listener Group, Rock Music Ministry and the Media and Green clubs.

He has been accepted at Drexel University where he qualifies for a Dean's Scholarship and is considering other possibilities.

Anthony is the son of Joseph and Louise Pilla, Nesquehoning.

Panther Valley's William Stalgaitis

Stailgaitis has served as team manager and student coach and was selected for major contributions to the school football program.

A member of the National Honor Society and Prom Committee, Stalgaitis received a scholarship to attend Misericordia University where he plans to continue his academic career. He is involved in the community as an advocate for Autism and is a Rudy Award nominee.

William is ranked in the top 15 percent of his class and is known and respected for his insights and commitment to the game of football.

The son of the late William and Sharon Stalgaitis, William's guardians are Robert and Regina Kuzma, Nesquehoning.

Tamaqua's Anthony Iacoviello

Iacoviello was an offensive guard and defensive tackle for the Blue Raiders. The 5-7, 180-pounder was a four-year member and two-year starter for the Blue Raiders. He was a first-team All-County and second-team TIMES NEWS All-Star.

A recipient of the Thomas Butterworth Memorial Scholarship Award, Iacoviello participated in track and field for three years, serves as the president of the Leadership Council, a Student Government Association representative and a member of the World Language, Biology and Physics clubs.

The son of the late James and Tammy Iacoviello, Andreas, Anthony ranks third in his class, is a member of the National, Spanish, Language, and Science honor societies. He has been accepted at the University of Scranton, Lebanon Valley College and Susquehanna University.

The other nominations include Travis Moyer of Blue Mountain, Jacob Holman of Mahanoy Area, William Powanda of Minersville, James Coyne of Nativity, BVM, Ryan Henning of North Schuylkill, John Deibler of Pine Grove, Charles Evans of Pottsville, Dustin Jones of Schuylkill Haven, Eric Whalen of Shenandoah Valley, Josh Wolfgang of Tri-Valley and Logan Fetterhoss of Williams Valley,

The Schuylkill County overall football scholar-athlete will be named at the banquet.