It is in Stephen Kronenberger’s nature to be somewhat quiet and inquisitive.
His mother, Sandi Kraus, noticed that he “loved figuring things out long before kids his age normally do” and that he was “fascinated how things work and how numbers work.”
“Since he was tiny, he picked up on stuff quickly,” she said.
Stephen’s father, Bob Kronenberger, also recognized his son’s academic abilities and passion for math and reading at a young age, and identified that he was quite athletic, too.
The combination of academics, athletics and community involvement has garnered Stephen Kronenberger scholarships and the opportunity to attend Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, and it is also a key reason why he is the Akron Beacon Journal Male Scholar Athlete of the Year for the 2015-2016 school year.
“Stephen has given 100 percent to both his academic and sports pursuits since he came to Revere High School,” said Bill Conley, who is now the Revere Middle School principal after serving as athletic director at the high school.
“I have had ample opportunity to evaluate him in terms of academic potential, sports participation and character. Stephen is an exceptionally bright and dedicated young man. He selected and completed the most difficult courses at our high school and has been awarded an advanced placement scholar award with honors.
“His high [4.51] grade-point average, difficult course selection, outstanding test scores and participation in many local, state and even national mathematics competitions to represent our school all speak to his exceptional academic ability, discipline and hard work.”
The 6-foot-2 and 170-pound Kronenberger, 18, contributed to Revere’s 2013 Division II state championship boys soccer team as a reserve for coach Sandor Jakab and has volunteered more than 200 hours in the community. His volunteer work includes time with the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, the Relay for Life at the Barnes & Noble in Montrose-Fairlawn-Copley as a Christmas present wrapper, the Revere Youth Soccer organization, and the Bath and Richfield community days.
“I am most proud of the character Stephen has developed and the special young man that he is,” Sandi Kraus said. “He is humble about his many accomplishments and is always willing to give of his time to help others. He is loyal, respectful, thoughtful and supportive of others. He has a great, subtle sense of humor and brings a spark to any interaction whether by his wit, his observations or just his quiet, sincere smile.”
Kronenberger is close with his parents and sister, Rachel Kraus, now a sophomore at Revere, and also appreciates all of the time and effort from his teachers and coaches.
Nick DePompei coached Kronenberger in soccer this past season and said the senior was “always a team player who had his head on straight.”
“Stephen is a great kid,” DePompei said. “It is awesome that he has received this honor. He is a brilliant kid in the classroom, obviously. He is a great player. He was an outside defender for us and attacked just as well as he defended.”
Kronenberger, who scored a 35 on the ACT, earned seven varsity letters — four in track and field and three in soccer.
“Growing up through the Revere youth teams, there was always a high expectation of what we had to do as far as championships in GASA (Greater Akron Soccer Association),” Stephen said. “From the first day we came in in high school our coach said our goal was a state championship. That carried through and definitely remained the goal each year.
“As far as track, I started track to stay in shape for soccer in the spring. I did better than I expected to do freshman year and probably better than a lot of people expected me to do.”
Kronenberger helped Revere’s 800 relay, which also included Daniel Branch, Ben Berry and Nate Predojev, post a school-record time of 1:30.3 in a regular season invitational at Norwayne and qualify for the Division I regional meet at Amherst.
Lyle Kniep, who coached Kronenberger as a senior in track after Dave Parry coached him the previous three years, lauded him for being “the No. 1 reliable guy” on the team.
“We could always rely on Stephen to make sure we started practice on time,” Kniep said. “He would make sure guys would be out of the locker room and ready to go. He would make sure we were doing everything correctly. He made sure guys would stay on track. He didn’t yell at anybody. Instead, he led by example and showed what needed to be done.”
Kronenberger’s ability to be fleet of foot was evident at a young age, according to his dad.
“When Stephen started playing soccer when he was little, he was really fast and he could outrun a lot of kids that he was competing against,” Bob Kronenberger said. “He was scoring quite a few goals back then. It was hard to stop him because he was fast. He just continued to get better after that.
“It was awesome to experience and see the teams and the boys that he played with. ... They are all good friends and get along great together.”
Kronenberger, who plans to major in chemical engineering at Rochester, took eight Advanced Placement classes at Revere. He also started as a junior and senior in soccer for teams that reached Division II district finals.
“All of my teammates have been there and been great friends,” Kronenberger said. “My coaches have always been there and been supportive. Mrs. [Joanne] Gillette and Mr. [Eugene] Sawan, [who] were my calculus and chemistry teachers, were both also influential academic-wise.
“I definitely enjoyed my job in soccer, and I think it kind of lines up with my personality. I’m not really out there that much. It’s fun playing defense.”
Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the #ABJVarsity high school blog at www.ohio.com/preps. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MBeavenABJ.