Chargers Honor Heroes with Annual “Salute to Service” Game

By: Doug Noldy | Sportzwire | September 12, 2025 | Photo courtesy Doug Noldy

As I entered the Carbondale High School cafeteria Thursday evening, I quickly realized this was not a regular team meal. Head coach Jeff Arthur stood before his team and cheerleaders, speaking with passion about what the upcoming “Salute to Service” game means to him on a day that, as he put it, “We will never forget.” The Chargers, dressed in red “Salute to Service” shirts featuring local businesses that helped support the event, listened closely. A few players, however, kept glancing toward the stack of brown boxes sitting behind their coach.

Arthur shared a deeply personal story about his grandfather, who was wounded in battle, later cleared by President Harry Truman, and tragically became the first Carbondale casualty of World War II when he sacrificed himself by stepping on a land mine to save his platoon. When Arthur finished, he opened the boxes to reveal beautiful new jerseys for Friday night’s “Salute to Service” game against Holy Cross. The players’ eyes lit up and smiles spread ear to ear. The jerseys were made possible thanks to a cash raffle organized by the Carbondale Booster and Parents Club, along with support from the American Legion, family, and community members.

Now in its fifth year, the “Salute to Service” game has been one of Arthur’s top priorities since becoming head coach. Another of his missions is to ensure Charger football players give back to a community that never stops supporting them.

Chargers Involvement in the Community

Arthur has put that priority into action, leading the Chargers in several meaningful efforts, including:

• Assisting the American Legion with placing flags on veterans’ graves in Carbondale cemeteries and attending Memorial Day services.

• Working with the Shade Tree Committee on planning, spring cleanup, and planting.

• Helping the Chamber of Commerce with the annual Christmas tree setup.

Salute to Service Hits Home

Thursday’s team dinner carried even deeper meaning thanks to the families who prepared it. The Molinaro, Cobb, Masco, and Balderas families generously organized the meal. Among them was the family of Charger junior fullback/linebacker Cole Balderas, whose relatives have a long history of military service.

Cole’s mother, Nicole Molinaro, enlisted in the Air Force through the delayed entry program and left for basic training just two weeks after the 9/11 attacks. She served as a jet engine mechanic in Germany and later deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Cole’s father, Andrew Balderas, also served on active duty in the Air Force.

Cole grew up on military bases around the world before the family returned to Carbondale, Nicole’s hometown. Military service runs deep in their family. Nicole’s siblings also enlisted after high school: Uncle Michael (Army), Aunt Jackie Pierce (Air Force), and Jackie’s husband James (Army) all deployed in the Global War on Terror. Both of Cole’s stepfathers (Dan Gabriel) parents have Navy roots as well.

Cole’s aunt, Monique Molinaro Cobb, a Carbondale Area teacher, helped organize the meal. The connection was personal for her too. Her father, Robert Molinaro, a 31-year veteran of the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 109th Infantry Regiment, served in the Global War on Terror after 9/11. Monique’s husband, Ray Cobb, a Marine veteran, also fought in the war during the same period.

Honoring Community Heroes

Friday night’s tribute will also honor others connected to Carbondale:

• Head coach Jeff Arthur, who not only leads the Chargers but also serves full-time as a respected Carbondale police officer.

• Assistant coach Chris Heenan, Arthur’s brother-in-law, who served in the U.S. Army and completed one tour in Iraq from 2004 to 2005.

• John Masco, deputy warden of Wayne County Prison and first responder, whose wife Laurel Ann leads the Chargers Parents Club and helps organize Thursday meals and fundraisers. John and Laurel's son, Mitchell, is a sophomore and plays on the line for the Chargers.

The “Salute to Service” game is about more than football. It honors veterans, active-duty military, first responders, police, firefighters, EMTs, nurses, and doctors. On Friday night, the Chargers will take the field not just for themselves, but for all who serve and sacrifice. Their community will be behind them, prouder than ever. And at SportzWire, so are we.

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