What started as a way to get free sports cleats and shoes to kids in need is becoming much more, especially for one Kewaunee family.

Announced earlier this month, Play 4 Owen, 23’s Cleats 4 Kidz and local artist Zane Statz are collaborating on a new scholarship and award called Laces 4 Life. The initiative will recognize student-athletes from Kewaunee, Algoma, Southern Door, Gibraltar and Sturgeon Bay who are excelling in the classroom and in the community.

The $2,300 scholarship and cleat award honors Owen Vaughn, who died by suicide in February. The three-sport athlete became a source of inspiration for the Kewaunee wrestling and baseball teams as they wrapped up the school year.

A few towns away, 11-year-old Bentley Gerczak has been busy running his organization that helps connect young families with the equipment they need to compete in youth sports. What started as giving back a pair of soccer shoes he had won has grown into donating more than 150 pairs of new shoes and hundreds of used pairs for redistribution.

Gerczak has expanded the mission beyond cleats, collecting shoeboxes filled with nonperishable food items for local pantries. His father, Jim, and Owen’s father, Chris Vaughn, are friends, leading Gerczak to look for ways he could help carry on Owen’s legacy.

That effort included donating the pair of spikes the baseball team brought with them on their run to the state championship. Gerczak didn’t want to stop there, helping organize the scholarship, which will be awarded annually at a special banquet. He hopes other kids will be inspired to find ways to give back and that community members will support them in doing so.

It has not been an easy year for the Vaughn family since losing Owen in February. Chris Vaughn said he is thankful for the community support that rallied around them in the months following, whether through hugs, meals dropped off on their porch or events organized in his son’s honor.

That support helped lead to the creation of Play 4 Owen, which is launching the Owen Vaughn Memorial Scholarship as part of Laces 4 Life while also promoting mental health awareness. Vaughn said the goal is to help ensure no other family goes through what they did and to carry on Owen’s memory.

The Laces 4 Life scholarship application, which includes a nomination from a coach, teacher or other member of a school’s faculty, is due April 15, 2026. More information can be found below.

The fan who was involved in the altercation with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf will not be punished, the NFL said after upholding Metcalf’s suspension. Metcalf, who was suspended two games for the incident, argued the fan was out of line, yet the NFL said there were ‘no violations to the fan code of conduct’ from the fan.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that he had a conversation with Metcalf, who explained why he did what he did. Beyond that, Tomlin would not elaborate, as he does not condone what Metcalf did, but still wants to support him.

n top of that, Tomlin hears that there could be potential legal ramifications stemming from that incident, so he did not want to speak upon the situation much.

“He did explain to me why he did what he did. I certainly don’t condone the behavior, but I support DK. I really don’t have a lot to add other than what I just told you. I think he has a hearing this afternoon, an appeals hearing, and I certainly don’t want to weigh in prior to that. I have heard more recently that there might be legal ramifications, but I’d better be careful of what I say and how I say it,” Tomlin said.

Metcalf told Chad Johnson that Ryan Kennedy, the fan who was struck, called him a racial slur and used unsavory language towards his mother. Kennedy, through his attorney, vehemently denied using that language, instead stating he called Metcalf by his full government name.

A video emerged on Tuesday that showed Kennedy saying ‘that was the goal, folks’ after he was shoved by Metcalf. Tomlin said the culture around sports of provoking people and using ‘volatile language’ is ‘unfortunate.’

“I just think volatile rhetoric is a component of our business, unfortunately,” Tomlin said. “It just is. But not only our business, but college and youth sport parents. It’s just a component of sport that’s just developed and developed in a big way in recent years and it’s unfortunate.”

Metcalf was suspended two games by the NFL and is now down for the rest of the regular season. Should the Ravens win against the Packers and the Steelers lose to the Browns, that means Metcalf would miss the pivotal win and in game in Week 18.

SPRINGFIELD — Joseph Hartzler, who was an assistant U.S. attorney in Springfield when he was tabbed as the lead prosecutor in the Timothy McVeigh case, died in Chicago on Dec. 18, according to his family.

He was 75.

McVeigh was convicted of murder in the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in which 168 people died and scores were injured. At the time, the bombing was the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil.

Plans to transform a long-dormant landfill into a sprawling sports complex are on hold as questions regarding the extent of soil contamination at the site remain unanswered.

Pinellas County commissioners approved a $250,000 budget amendment Dec. 16 to complete subsurface investigation and engineering work at the former Toytown landfill. The state decommissioned the 175-acre dump, at 10540 16th St. N., in 1990.

County officials believe the anomalous, wide swath of vacant land near I-275 and Roosevelt Boulevard is ideally suited to host increasingly lucrative youth sports tournaments. In March, a local company submitted conceptual plans that included 20 synthetic turf baseball and softball diamonds, 17 multipurpose fields, 24 pickleball and 12 sand volleyball courts.

Brian Lowack, CEO of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater (VSPC), explained the conundrum to commissioners at a Dec. 11 workshop. “We have a ton of data from throughout the years of what’s under that landfill, but there were existing gaps that needed to be addressed in order to put pen to paper and provide a concrete proposal,” he said.

“What we’ve seen is, because we have this data gap, and folks don’t know what’s under there, they haven’t been willing to take on that risk,” Lowack said. “We haven’t been able to get the private sector to come in at a reasonable amount, limiting that public side investment.”

Clearwater-based Sports Facilities Companies (SFC) was the sole respondent to the county’s request for proposals in December 2024. Lowack said Pinellas would boast the most fields in the Southeast if the estimated $150 million to $200 million plan comes to fruition.

“And given that, with the proximity to the beach, we have the potential to have the best youth sports facility in the country,” he added.

County officials bought the former Toytown subdivision in 1956. St. Petersburg leased 160 acres for a landfill from 1961 until 1983.

Toytown subsequently became a designated brownfield site. Multiple redevelopment attempts failed to gain traction; those efforts were essentially paused in 2016 when plans to build an Atlanta Braves spring training complex unraveled.

Pinellas received a $15 million state grant for environmental remediation in 2023. SFC has experience completing similar projects nationwide and believes an athletic complex would generate a direct economic impact of $350 million within five years.

Lowack said the county has “maxed out” other athletic fields, and local governments around the region and country are increasing investments in youth sports facilities. SFC declined to begin formal negotiations with VSPC until it received additional site information.

“This has been talked about for a long time — it would be a tremendous project,” said County Administrator Barry Burton. “But we have to make sure we understand what we’re getting ourselves into. These firms want to shift the risk to our side.”

Officials planned to redevelop approximately 95 acres. The study will determine if there is potential to expand into other areas.

“We simply don’t know what’s under there, and what materials that consists of, and how deep that goes,” Lowack explained. “If you put just a bunch of fields, with no vertical construction, we can do that. However, it’s going to be difficult, and you likely wouldn’t receive much private sector investment.”

Commissioner Rene Flowers said a complex needs “accessory pieces,” including lodging and restaurants, to attract premier tournaments from other areas. SFC proposed an optional “eatertainment” fieldhouse with indoor putting, sports simulators and an “interactive dining experience.”

Pinellas can use the FDEP grant to pay for environmental remediation, but not subsurface investigations. Commissioners approved using $250,000 in tourist development taxes to fund the studies Dec. 16 without discussion.

Commissioner Kathleen Peters said Dec. 11 that Toytown could host an amphitheater and a sports complex. She also noted that the county could have competing projects.

“It’s my understanding that there’s going to be a significant amount of fields being brought into Clearwater in a public-private partnership that I saw the plans on a couple of weeks ago,” Peters said. “That’s incredible. And a potential minor league soccer stadium. That may produce sooner.”

Lowack said SFC is also working on the Clearwater project. “If you’re working with the same firm, then I’m not concerned,” Peters said.

VSPC, with the commission’s funding approval, will now hire SFC’s geotechnical subcontractor to complete the studies. Pinellas can begin grant-related work once the process concludes in March 2026.

Lowack expects to receive a final proposal from SFC by the end of June. The redevelopment’s design and engineering phase could begin in October.

This content provided in partnership with stpetecatalyst.com.

The game ended, that’s the best thing we say about the Dallas Cowboys final game at home where the L.A. Chargers got an impressive victory. But how did the Cowboys rookie class perform during the defeat. Let’s break it down.

OG Tyler Booker 

(Game stats- Snaps: 58, Pass Blocks: 38, Pressures: 1, Sacks: 1, Penalties: 0)

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Booker quietly put another piece of solid tape in the loss to the Chargers, even while the offense stalled out around him. Dallas allowed just nine total pressures all game and one sack on 30 dropbacks, compared with the 14 pressures surrendered by Los Angeles, which tells you the Cowboys’ protection wasn’t the primary reason the game got away from them.

On the field, Booker’s night looked like what we’ve come to expect, a mostly clean performance. Inside, Booker and Cooper Beebe did a reasonable job keeping the A and B gaps from collapsing. There were no penalties on Booker, the key holding call that stalled a promising Cowboys drive was charged to Tyler Smith on the left side, which knocked off an unbelievable catch by Flournoy in the endzone.

The fairest conclusion is that Booker played well in a mediocre offensive performance. The Cowboys didn’t leak much pressure overall, but Booker was charged with the sole sack during the game. Against the Chargers he wasn’t the problem, instead he looked like a long-term answer at right guard in a game where the scoreboard makes everything else look worse than his individual tape.

DE Donovan Ezeiruaku 

(Game stats- Snaps: 39, Total Tackles: 2, Pressures: 3, Sacks: 0, TFL: 0)

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Ezeiruaku’s night against the Chargers was more about flashes than full-game impact, and it came inside a defensive performance that never really got Justin Herbert uncomfortable, which is most concerning. On the stat sheet he finished with two combined tackles, one QB hit, zero sacks, zero tackles for loss and no takeaways, contributing one of Dallas’ five quarterback hits in a game where the defense failed to register a single sack. Herbert went 23-of-29 for 300 yards and two touchdowns and was never sacked, while the Chargers piled up 152 rushing yards at 4.6 per carry, underlining how little consistent disruption the front managed overall.

His best moment came on a third-down sequence where Ezeiruaku and Markquese Bell collapsed the edge and chased Herbert into a hurried, off-platform throw that ended in an incompletion and a field goal instead of a touchdown. That rep showed exactly why Dallas is excited about him with his good get-off, disciplined pursuit and enough closing speed to finish the play even when he doesn’t get the sack. Outside of that, though, his impact was muted. The Chargers’ quick passing game and efficient run script meant Ezeiruaku spent most of the night squeezing the pocket and setting the edge rather than producing splash plays.

Through this week, PFF has Ezeiruaku at a 77.7 overall grade with 34 total pressures on 554 snaps, ranking third on the team in defensive grade, not bad for a rookie. Against the Chargers Ezeiruaku was active and technically sound, but not a game changer. He added a notable pressure on a key drive and one of the few clean shots on Herbert, stayed out of the penalty column, and continued to look like a high-upside rookie.

CB Shavon Revel Jr.

(Game stats- Snaps: 55, Total Tackles: 9, PBU: 1, INT: 0, TD Allowed: 2, RTG Allowed: 145.4)

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Revel’s night against the Chargers was really rough, and it showed up both in the box score and in how the game felt. He was effectively a full-time starter on the outside, logging 55 defensive snaps, tied with Malik Hooker for the most on the team. On paper he finished with nine total tackles, which led the team which is telling on how the game script went. But that volume says as much about how often the ball found him and the issues that went on up front in the trenches.

The defining play was the first-quarter touchdown to Quentin Johnston. Revel was in tight coverage down the right sideline, but never truly played the ball. Johnston went up and made a spectacular one-handed grab for a 23-yard score. Revel looked in phase on the play but never got his head around quickly enough to contest the catch point. Later, he was singled out again for two more costly moments – failing to force Tre’ Harris out of bounds, allowing extra yards after the catch, and missing a tackle on KeAndre Lambert-Smith on third down, extending what turned into a 16-play, eight-minute Chargers drive. When you layer that on top of Johnston’s final line of four catches on five targets for 104 yards and a touchdown, with Herbert posting an insane 132.8 passer rating

All of this, however, has to be viewed through the lens of his health and development. Revel is less than a year removed from a torn ACL that ended his final season at East Carolina, and he missed the first 10 weeks of his rookie year rehabbing before being activated in mid-November.  Even this week, he only cleared the injury report on Friday after being limited earlier in the week with a knee issue.

Throwing a rehabbing rookie corner into full-time duty against a hot quarterback and big, explosive receivers is exactly the kind of trial that can either accelerate his growth or dent his confidence if the staff aren’t careful.

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LB Shemar James

(Game stats- Snaps: 50, Total Tackles: 5, TFL: 0, Sacks: 0)

James finally got a real defensive workload against the Chargers after DeMarvion Overshown went out, and he looked like exactly what he is right now, a young, fast linebacker who’s still learning but didn’t look out of his depth. Once Overshown left, James’ snap count climbed sharply compared with Minnesota, where he was exclusively a special-teams body. You could see Matt Eberflus trust him more as the game went on, rotating him into the nickel and dime looks rather than just keeping him for base or obvious run downs.

On the field he did the things you want from a backup suddenly pushed into a bigger role. He flowed to the ball, triggered downhill quickly against the run and finished a couple of tackles in space that easily could’ve turned into extra yards. In coverage he was mostly asked to handle underneath zones and running backs out of the backfield. The Chargers completed some short stuff in front of him, but he kept a lid on explosive plays and didn’t have a clear “that’s on James” bust on any of the big gains.

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Overall, it was a promising, if unspectacular, step. For a rookie who’d been living on special teams the last few weeks, that kind of steady, next-man-up performance is exactly what you want as a foundation going into next year.

DB Alijah Clark

(Game stats- Snaps: 13, Total Tackles: 0

*Snap count are all special team snaps*

Clark’s night against the Chargers was as low-impact as it gets, simply because he never got a chance to affect the game. He didn’t play a snap on defense and logged 13 snaps on special teams, where he finished without a tackle and without showing up on any of the major special teams swing plays. In one sense that’s neutral rather than negative, but in a game where Dallas needed a spark in the third phase, he was essentially anonymous. For a depth safety still carving out his role, this was more of a placeholder outing than any kind of statement.

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CB Trikweze Bridges

(Game stats- Snaps: 26, Total Tackles: 1)

*Snap count include special team snaps*

Bridges had a low-key but meaningful rotational outing against the Chargers, splitting his work between defense and special teams. He logged 17 snaps on defense, which is enough to count as part of the game plan but still very much in a depth role, coming on as an extra defensive back rather than a full-time starter. With that kind of snap count, his job is mostly about being assignment-sound and holding up in zone landmarks.

On special teams he added nine snaps and made his one contribution with a tackle on a kick return, a classic do-your-job play for a back-end corner trying to cement a role on game day. Taken together, 17 defensive snaps and nine on special teams with a solid kick-coverage tackle paints the picture of a depth defensive back who handled his assignments and quietly justified his place on the active roster, even if his name never showed up in the headline moments of the night.

RB Jaydon Blue

Inactive

OT Ajani Cornelius

Inactive

DT Jay Toia

Inactive

RB Phil Mafah

Injured reserve

WR Traeshon Holden

Practice squad

TE Rivaldo Fairweather

Practice squad

LB Justin Barron

Practice squad