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Pittston Area bounces back to win Section 5 Little League major softball title

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Puck Cancer event in Nanticoke raises money to help patients

<p>LAUREL RUN &#8212; After speeding up the Giants Despair Hillclimb for the first two times in a couple of years, Darryl Danko felt he was on fire.</p><p>And not only because he had the fastest time of the day.</p><p>Smoke and flames began billowing out of the engine of Danko&#8217;s Reynard near the end of his second run Saturday, leaving the winningest driver at Giants Despair with the first-day lead but without a car for the rest of the two-day competition.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a total loss,&#8221; a distraught Danko said. &#8220;We&#8217;re done for the rest of the weekend.&#8221;</p><p>The fire may have destroyed his car, but not his chances of winning for a record eighth time at Giants Despair.</p><p>Making his comeback to the course he lives on after being sidelined with a pulled calf muscle last year, Danko glided through the challenging, twisty, one-mile stretch of Northampton Street in 42.702 during his first run. And nobody else in the 122-car field came especially close to matching that mark.</p><p>With five-time defending Giants Despair champ and course record holder John Burke of Rumson, N.J. sitting out this year, Danko&#8217;s initial time held up as the time to beat, bettering Stephen Sincavage&#8217;s 43.682, Mark Aubele&#8217;s 44.112, Ray Kochin&#8217;s 44.386 and Timm Murphy&#8217;s 44.436.</p><p>But they&#8217;ll all have a few more chances to crack 42.702 when the competition concludes today, while Danko won&#8217;t.</p><p>&#8220;I was really happy with the first run,&#8221; Danko said, &#8220;it was nice and smooth. Going into this, I really a hadn&#8217;t run the car before. I took it really easy. I wasn&#8217;t even serious about the time. I knew I could do much better than that as I progressed through the weekend. It gave me a lot of hope to be in the 38 (-second) range.&#8221;</p><p>Those dreams quickly flamed out.</p><p>Near the finish of his second run, which ended in 46.51, Danko was hit with an alarming feeling.</p><p>&#8220;It was just starting to burn,&#8221; said Danko, who was physically unharmed during the incident. &#8220;I could see it in my mirror and felt it on my back. I wasn&#8217;t scared. I knew I&#8217;d be OK and I knew I could get out.&#8221;</p><p>Besides, his harrowing experience began right near members of the Laurel Run Fire Department.</p><p>&#8220;I got up to the top, pulled over by the fire truck,&#8221; Danko said. &#8220;And they didn&#8217;t know how to put it out. I pulled by the fire equipment knowing there was an issue, with thoughts and hopes it would be taken care of. &#8220;</p><p>Instead, Danko said he was met with a slow response &#8212; which was especially alarming to his father and Giants Despair committee chairman Jack Danko.</p><p>&#8220;By the time they did something, it was too late,&#8221; Jack Danko said. &#8220;The one girl ran. It was crazy. Very exasperating. They&#8217;re supposed to put fires out. That&#8217;s why they&#8217;re here. I&#8217;m just glad Darryl&#8217;s OK. But we&#8217;ve got to do things a little differently here.&#8221;</p><p>Darryl Danko said the incident will force the Giants Despair board to re-evaluate some safety measures for future races for an event that promotes itself as the longest-running hillclimb in the country and one of the lonest-running motorsports events in the world.</p><p>&#8220;The one thing that comes out of this is better fire safety,&#8221; Darryl Danko said. &#8220;It isn&#8217;t just me, it&#8217;s everybody who may be racing in the future. It&#8217;s one of those things, you live and learn.</p><p>&#8220;I think it was electrical,&#8221; Darryl Danko continued, trying to put his finger on what triggered the blaze that left his engine blackened and melted. &#8220;It should have been taken care of a lot sooner. Instead of a total loss, I should have been fixing some wires and getting ready to race (Sunday). It all went up in smoke.</p><p>&#8220;Literally.&#8221;</p><p>This isn&#8217;t the first time Darryl Danko ran into trouble with his Reynard Champ car, which his purchased in 2015 for more than $100,000, but it looks like the last.</p><p>A faulty clutch took him out of the 2015 Giants Despair after just two runs, and in 2016, he never got it off the starting blocks.</p><p>In three Giants Despair races, Danko has made it up the hill four times &#8212; including his second and final attempt Saturday.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a hell of a loss,&#8221; Jack Danko said. &#8220;That happens sometimes. It&#8217;s like buying a new car and getting a lemon. It is what it is. I wanted him to sell it and now, we got rid of it anyway.&#8221;</p><p>But at quite a cost.</p><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s no insurance,&#8221; Darryl Danko said. &#8220;It&#8217;s pretty much a total loss.&#8221;</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>GIANTS DESPAIR</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Top 25</strong></p><p style="text-align: left;"><strong>`Driver`Town`Car`Category`Time</strong></p><p>1. Darryl Danko`Laurel Run`Reynard`Formula S`42.702</p><p>2. Stephen Sincavage`Larksville`Chevy Corvette`Super Street Prep`43.682</p><p>3. Mark Aubele`E. McKeesport`97 BMW M3`Street Mod Extreme`44.112</p><p>4. Raymond Kochin`Weatherly` 80 Chevy`Special 3`44.386</p><p>5. Timm Murphy`Pittsburgh`00 Formula Mazda RX-8`Formula S`44.436</p><p>6. George Bowland`N/A`03 Cheetah`American Sedan R`44.976</p><p>7. Brian Micciche`York`93 Mazda Rx7`Street Mod Extreme`45.276</p><p>8. Jack Danko Sr.`Laurel Run`08 Radical SR3`Prototype 1`46.022</p><p>9. Charles King`N/A`02 Chevy Pickup`Special 3`46.236</p><p>10. Mary Sincavage`Larksville`17 Chevrolet Corvette ZO6`Super Street Prep`46.560</p><p>11. Michael Robinson`Perkasie`99 Chevy Camaro`Super Mod Extreme`46.956</p><p>12. James Joseph&#8220;00 Chevrolet Corvette`Super Street Mod`46.960</p><p>13. Todd Reid`Elkton, Md.`95 Honda Civic DX`Super Mod Extreme`46.976</p><p>14. Steve Lewis`Perkiomenville`17 Ford Mustang GT`E Street Prep`47.104</p><p>15. Dave Cutchins`N/A`11 Stohr F-1000`Forumula B`47.236</p><p>16. George Fink`N/A`66 Autodynamics`Solo V`47.364</p><p>17. Bill Feist`Bear Creek Twp.`86 Chevy Corvette`Street Prep O`47.448</p><p>18. Mike Polakoski`Wilkes-Barre`90 Ford Mustang`American Sedan`47.612</p><p>19. Haley Levengood`Reading`37 Ford Legend`INEX Mod`47.638</p><p>20. Christopher King`N/A`13 Chevy Outlaw Lt Model`Special 3`47.961</p><p>21. Robert Oswald Jr.`Boyertown`04 Viper Sv-1`Solo V`48.248</p><p>22. Eric (Rick) Johnson`N/A`79 Ford Mustang`Street Mod`48.260</p><p>23. Adrienne Vrabel`Duryea`86 Chevy Corvette`Super Street Mod`48.442</p><p>24. Bryan Dion`N/A`07 Volkswagen GTI`Street Mod F`48.468</p><p>25. Ron Lordy`N/A`08 Ford Mustang`GT 2`48.638</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Stephen Burnett, of Kingston, Ontario, starts his first run in the Giants Despair Hillclimb in his 2006 Mazda Miata MX5 on Saturday in Laurel Run. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/web1_TTL070818Hillclimb_2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Stephen Burnett, of Kingston, Ontario, starts his first run in the Giants Despair Hillclimb in his 2006 Mazda Miata MX5 on Saturday in Laurel Run. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/web1_TTL070818Hillclimb_3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Peter Stillwell, of Millersville, waits in his 1969 BMW for his turn during the 112th Giants Despair Hillclimb in Laurel Run on Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/web1_TTL070818Hillclimb_3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Peter Stillwell, of Millersville, waits in his 1969 BMW for his turn during the 112th Giants Despair Hillclimb in Laurel Run on Saturday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/web1_TTL070818Hillclimb_5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Giants Despair Hillclimb committee chair Jack Danko Sr. waits patiently through numerous race stoppages for his turn at the one-mile course. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/web1_TTL070818Hillclimb_5.jpg</photo2><caption2>Giants Despair Hillclimb committee chair Jack Danko Sr. waits patiently through numerous race stoppages for his turn at the one-mile course. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/web1_TTL070818Hillclimb_6.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">William Norton-Ritz, 8, left, and his sister Grace, 4, stand with their grandparents William and Charlene Norton before racing in the Giants Despair Hillclimb. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/web1_TTL070818Hillclimb_6.jpg</photo3><caption3>William Norton-Ritz, 8, left, and his sister Grace, 4, stand with their grandparents William and Charlene Norton before racing in the Giants Despair Hillclimb. </caption3><photoCredit3>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta></subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Paul Sokoloski</p><p>psokoloski@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>GIANTS DESPAIR</p><p>Top 25</p><p>`Driver`Town`Car`Category`Time</p><p>1. Darryl Danko`Laurel Run`Reynard`Formula S`42.702</p><p>2. Stephen Sincavage`Larksville`Chevy Corvette`Super Street Prep`43.682</p><p>3. Mark Aubele`E. McKeesport`97 BMW M3`Street Mod Extreme`44.112</p><p>4. Raymond Kochin`Weatherly` 80 Chevy`Special 3`44.386</p><p>5. Timm Murphy`Pittsburgh`00 Formula Mazda RX-8`Formula S`44.436</p><p>6. George Bowland`N/A`03 Cheetah`American Sedan R`44.976</p><p>7. Brian Micciche`York`93 Mazda Rx7`Street Mod Extreme`45.276</p><p>8. Jack Danko Sr.`Laurel Run`08 Radical SR3`Prototype 1`46.022</p><p>9. Charles King`N/A`02 Chevy Pickup`Special 3`46.236</p><p>10. Mary Sincavage`Larksville`17 Chevrolet Corvette ZO6`Super Street Prep`46.560</p><p>11. Michael Robinson`Perkasie`99 Chevy Camaro`Super Mod Extreme`46.956</p><p>12. James Joseph&#8220;00 Chevrolet Corvette`Super Street Mod`46.960</p><p>13. Todd Reid`Elkton, Md.`95 Honda Civic DX`Super Mod Extreme`46.976</p><p>14. Steve Lewis`Perkiomenville`17 Ford Mustang GT`E Street Prep`47.104</p><p>15. Dave Cutchins`N/A`11 Stohr F-1000`Forumula B`47.236</p><p>16. George Fink`N/A`66 Autodynamics`Solo V`47.364</p><p>17. Bill Feist`Bear Creek Twp.`86 Chevy Corvette`Street Prep O`47.448</p><p>18. Mike Polakoski`Wilkes-Barre`90 Ford Mustang`American Sedan`47.612</p><p>19. Haley Levengood`Reading`37 Ford Legend`INEX Mod`47.638</p><p>20. Christopher King`N/A`13 Chevy Outlaw Lt Model`Special 3`47.961</p><p>21. Robert Oswald Jr.`Boyertown`04 Viper Sv-1`Solo V`48.248</p><p>22. Eric (Rick) Johnson`N/A`79 Ford Mustang`Street Mod`48.260</p><p>23. Adrienne Vrabel`Duryea`86 Chevy Corvette`Super Street Mod`48.442</p><p>24. Bryan Dion`N/A`07 Volkswagen GTI`Street Mod F`48.468</p><p>25. Ron Lordy`N/A`08 Ford Mustang`GT 2`48.638</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Paul Sokoloski at 570-991-6392 or on Twitter @TLPaulSokoloski</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Darryl Danko takes early lead but loses car at Giants Despair Hillclimb