It’s been a busy summer in the Catholic Youth Ministry offices, which is where CYM athletics coordinator Don Tees has been preparing for the opening of the 2025-26 sports seasons.

Elementary school football teams in the Diocese of Wilmington were allowed to practice as early as Aug. 4 and the other sports a week later ahead of the beginning of competition in early September.

Tees has been focusing on impending action on the field as well as a few initiatives off. Fall sports has gotten its fair share of attention, with opening day quickly approaching.

Football returns looking much the same as in past years, but with one significant change. There are five varsity and five junior varsity teams, the same as last year. For the first time, all regular-season games will be played at Abessinio Stadium in Wilmington. There will be two JV and two varsity games each Sunday, with one team from each level getting a bye week.

Tees said the games will begin at 12:30 p.m. each Sunday, with the last game of the day kicking off around 5:15-5:30 p.m. “rain or shine every week from the first week of September up until the semifinals.”

The start time still gives families time to get to Mass, he noted.

Playing games at Abessinio, on turf, takes field conditions out of the equation in case of weather. In past years, regular-season games have been at Abessinio and Tower Hill School, but the CYM office is consciously trying to align its athletic program with Catholic teaching and values, so they wanted to be at a Catholic-affiliated facility, he said.

“Being around the cross, being around the images that display ministry components, for us is super important,” Tees said.

The championship game, he added, is expected to take place at Saint Mark’s High School.

Co-ed soccer also is part of the fall athletic program, but Tees said 2025 will be the final year for the sport in this format. Beginning with the 2026-27 season, it will be split by gender. Boys will play in the fall, and the girls will compete in the spring.

“One, to align with the rest of Delaware,” Tees said by way of explanation. “Two, to give more opportunities to empowering girls sports within CYM sports. Currently, we don’t have as many girls sports affiliated. We think that this will bring significant interest in girls soccer.”

The other fall sports are girls volleyball, which continues to see an increase in interest and number of teams, and cross country, which Tees said is one of the larger CYM programs in terms of numbers of athletes. Girls volleyball is one of the sports, along with basketball, that has a league for high school students. Tees would like to see that number grow.

“Anybody can play” Catholic Youth Ministry sports, Tees said. When a person registers, he or she is assigned a parish affiliation. Currently, 15 parishes sponsor athletic teams, although there is a chance that the number could increase, he said.

Any parish can field teams in CYM, he continued.

“They don’t have to sponsor every sport,” he said. “All that it takes to get involved is youth participants who are interested in that specific parish and a volunteer or two to coach those kids.”

Parishioners, Catholic school students and community members are all welcome to play as long as they meet eligibility requirements. “If you want to play sports, we will have a place for you.”

The same goes for anyone interested in officiating any of the sports. According to Tees, the organization can accommodate anyone from high school to retirement age who is interested. A section of the CYM athletics website, www.cymsports.com, addresses officials. Virtually all games take place Friday-Sunday.

The website has been redesigned and will have up-to-date schedules, standings, policies, forms and more. The principal CYM website, www.cdowcym.org, has information about all aspects of youth ministry.

Catholic Youth Ministry is a nonprofit organization, so its main focus is not making money, he said.

“We’re here to provide a sports ministry and to provide opportunities for them to play sports at a cost-effective and reasonable price and to give them a great experience,” Tees said.

KENT, Ohio – Kent State announced its game themes and promotions for the 2025 football season.

The schedule features five opportunities to see your Golden Flashes at Dix Stadium in 2025, with the home opener scheduled at noon on Saturday, August 30 vs. Merrimack.

Game Themes and Promotions Schedule

August 30 vs.  Merrimack 

• Home Opener
• Giveaway: The first 2,000 fans in attendance will receive a FREE Fearless Flash Football Flag 
• Blue Out: All fans are encouraged to join the team wearing their Kent State blue to the game.
• Flashes 101 Tailgate: Students enrolled in Flashes 101 are welcome to join the complimentary tailgate located inside Dix Stadium in the southeast party tent while socializing with their fellow Flashes
• Group Themes: Flashes 101, Faith and Family, Unions, and Healthcare Appreciation

September 13 vs. Buffalo

• Parents & Family Weekend
• Giveaway: The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a FREE Fearless Flash Hat courtesy of Ohio529.
• HS Band Day: Marching bands from the local area team up with the Marching Golden Flashes and perform throughout the game and during halftime.
• Group Themes: Scout, First Responder Appreciation

October 11 vs. UMASS

• Homecoming: Don’t miss out on a second of the festivities during the annual Homecoming game as we welcome students, alumni, and friends back to campus. Rally towels will be on hand to help showcase your school spirit. For complete information on 2025 Homecoming at Kent State, click here.
• Giveaway: The first 1,000 fans will receive a FREE Powder Blue Replica Jersey
• Group Themes: Education Day

October 25 vs. BGSU

• Military Appreciation Day: Join us as we salute veterans and active-duty members of the Armed Forces. The first 2,000 fans will receive a FREE Digital Camo Hat featuring the Golden Flashes logo.
• Spirit Clinic: Our future Flashes will participate in the annual Spirit Clinic, featuring a special on-field performance.
• Group Themes: Military Personnel, Youth Sports

November 19 vs. Central Michigan

• Senior Day: Senior members of the football program and Spirit programs will be recognized for their contributions to Kent State.
• Letter Jacket Ceremony: Kent State student-athletes will receive their KSU letter jackets during a special on-field ceremony
• Most Valuable Professors: Our hard-working faculty is recognized by our Kent State football student-athletes during the game.
• Freeze Out: Join Kent State for the annual Freeze-Out game. The first 1,000 Students will take home a FREE Fearless Flash Plaid Blanket and enjoy complimentary refreshments and a chance to win great prizes during the game.
• Additionally, fans will receive assorted scarves and mittens (while supplies last)
• Mid-Week MACtion: Mid-Week MACtion continues at Dix Stadium for the home finale!
• Group Bounce Back Day: All groups who attended a game during the 2025 season are invited back to close out the home slate strong.

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Follow Kent State Football

For complete coverage of Kent State Athletics, download the official Kent State Golden Flashes app (iOS, Android) and follow the Golden Flashes on social media on X, Instagram, and Facebook for news and updates.

Rocky, the beloved mascot of the Denver Nuggets, is suing the team’s owner. 

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Denver District Court, the man inside the mountain lion suit, Drake Solomon, alleged that he was fired after he took time off to heal from a hip injury, in violation of disability protection laws. 

Solomon, 31, is seeking unspecified damages from Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Nuggets basketball team.

“It was not easy to go ahead with this because I love the Nuggets,” Solomon said Wednesday in an interview with The Sun. “They’ve been my whole life and my family. For things to end the way they did it was pretty heartbreaking.”

Solomon became Rocky in 2021, following in the footsteps of his father, who was the original Rocky more than 30 years ago. But in the 2022-23 NBA season, the younger Solomon was diagnosed with avascular necrosis, a condition that causes bone tissue to die as a result of damage to blood vessels and a lack of blood supply. 

He underwent surgery to deal with the condition and returned to work as Rocky 10 days later. However, he was still dealing with hip pain, the lawsuit says. In the 2023-24 season, doctors determined that Solomon needed a hip replacement. 

But when Solomon told his supervisors, they said they would “be holding tryouts for his position due to his record of impairment and their lack of confidence in his health.” 

Solomon recovered from the hip replacement quickly, then returned to a “hostile work environment” and news that the Nuggets would hold tryouts for the next Rocky because Solomon had “burned them last time,” the lawsuit says.

The team fired Solomon shortly after the tryouts, in August 2024. The termination violated his rights under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, the lawsuit alleges. 

His termination was a blow to a family who has been deeply connected with Rocky for decades, said his attorney, Siddhartha Rathod. He likened the termination to firing a person for going on maternity leave. 

Besides dancing and entertaining the crowd at Nuggets games, Solomon attended charity events, toy drives and youth basketball programs. Drake Solomon began his career with the Nuggets in 2012 as a “trampoline dunk artist” and part of the “promo squad.” And when his father retired in 2021, Drake was the only person invited to perform in a closed-door tryout before he was given the job.

Solomon and his brothers grew up doing their homework in the Nuggets locker room, then falling asleep on the way home from the games. “I was actually on the court at 2 weeks old, my dad using me for a little skit,” Solomon said. 

“We loved Rocky our entire lives. We always looked at the Nuggets as a second family and Rocky as a second dad. For it to end so cold … it’s kind of like losing a family member. My dad was pretty devastated when he heard. He was the one that suggested I look into seeing what I can do to make some wrongs right.” 

Solomon recently moved to Fort Worth, Texas, and is looking to continue his career in sports entertainment, perhaps as a college mascot coach or a mascot for another team, he said. 

“It’s in my blood,” he said. 

Kroenke Sports did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit, which also alleges that the company violated the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Workers’ Rights Act, a 2023 law that specifies what employers can write into severance agreements. The agreement given to Solomon included nondisclosure, nondisparagement and confidentiality provisions that violated state law, his attorneys allege. 

Kroenke Sports, which also owns the Colorado Avalanche hockey team and Colorado Rapids soccer team, has about 1,000 employees, according to court documents. This severance agreement issue could turn into a class-action lawsuit, Solomon’s attorneys said.

The BIG3 basketball league returned to Los Angeles this past weekend, bringing together basketball legends, community leaders, and youth from across the city for a celebration of sport, culture, and empowerment.

The excitement centered around the Los Angeles Riot, who made its home debut on August 9 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The team is led by head coach Nick Young and features a roster stacked with talent, including NBA champion Dwight Howard.

Fans also experienced appearances from BIG3 co-founder Ice Cube, hip-hop legend XZIBIT, Hall of Fame coach Nancy Lieberman, and league icons like Julius “Dr. J” Erving and George “the Iceman” Gervin.

Before the spotlight hit the Dome, the BIG3 tipped off its Los Angeles takeover with a community-centered event: the YOUNG3 Free Youth Basketball Clinic. The event was held on August 8 at Verbum Dei High School in South Los Angeles.

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The clinic—presented in partnership with Kids Are the Heart of Los Angeles (HoLA)—brought together underserved youth for an afternoon of basketball skill-building, motivational speaking, and mentorship from BIG3 players.

Participants trained alongside members of the LA Riot and other BIG3 standouts, including Wesley Johnson, Jordan Crawford, Elijah Stewart, Mike Taylor, Garlon Green, and Jeff Ayres.

For Kirk Howard of Inglewood, whose son Karter attended the clinic, the program was a welcome opportunity for positive engagement.
“Anytime you’re helping the youth—positively directing them, bringing them up—how can you lose?” Howard said. “Karter’s got a good support system at home and in school. We’re letting him try different sports, and this experience has been great for him.”

The YOUNG3 initiative is dedicated to uplifting communities in each BIG3 city by fostering teamwork, confidence, and healthy habits. The program also provides a platform for conversations around mental and physical health—issues that hit close to home for many of the young athletes in attendance.

Motivational speaker and activist Rizza Islam, who co-sponsored the event, inspired the crowd with a powerful message on self-determination and accountability.

He encouraged the youth to set clear goals, stand against negativity, and represent their families and communities with pride.

“Stand for what is right, always speak up against evil and wrongdoing,” Islam told the group. “If you see someone doing something wrong, you have the power to say, ‘That’s not right.’ What you’re doing today is changing the future of our people.”

The energy at Verbum Dei was electric—a reminder that for the BIG3, the game is just the beginning. Through the YOUNG3 program, the league continues to use basketball as a bridge to inspire the next generation, both on and off the court.

With the LA Riot taking the floor at Intuit Dome, last weekend marked the launch of a new chapter in Los Angeles basketball that is fueled by star power, community pride, and a commitment to local youth.

MILWAUKEE – At Milwaukee Lutheran High School, these campers are getting some championship-level instruction.

What we know:

Kevon Looney, a Milwaukee native and three-time NBA champion, returned home to host his annual youth basketball camp. =

“It’s always fun to come back home to Milwaukee and do these camps,” said Kevon Looney. “I’ve been doing it for 10 years now. I remember being a little kid, coming to a Devin Harris camp, going to Brandon Jenning’s camp and going to other NBA player’s camps and having a great time. So if I ever made it, I was going to do the same thing and follow in their footsteps, so it’s been a lot of fun to see the kids kinda grow up and fall in love with the game of basketball.”

Looney has been hosting these camps for the last decade. He also does it with the support of Running Rebels, an organization he’s been with since second grade.

Local perspective:

“They’re like my second family,” said Looney. “I have a great relationship with everybody there. Came up with them as a kid. I worked there as my first job. I’m now becoming like a mentor, and they’re helping me run this camp and helping me leave an impact on the community.”

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Looney’s two-day youth basketball camp was a well-attended event. The kids did plenty of drill work, competitive shooting and even played some 5-on-5 basketball.

“I feel like I improved playing with Running Rebels, being here for two years, I learned a lot,” said Jonathan Long, a returning camper.

“I feel like it’s a good environment to be around,” said Bradyn Gordon, a returning camper. “It’s a lot of role models in better places than you are and places you want to be, so there are good people here that you want to look up to so you can get to their spot.”

For Looney, it’s always satisfying to see the high turnout with so many familiar faces who return year after year.

“The kids come up and show me the pictures,” said Looney. “The kids always say it’s their favorite time of the year, which puts a big smile on my face that I’m giving them something to do, and I’m having an impact on the community.”

His time in the offseason is always precious, but giving back was always one of his top priorities. Soon, he’ll be busy on the court himself.

Looney is entering his 11th season in the NBA. After spending a decade with the Golden State Warriors, a team he won three NBA titles with, Looney is starting a new chapter. He’s now heading to play for New Orleans, after signing a two-year deal with the Pelicans. 

What they’re saying:

“New Orleans has such a great culture in the city so I’m excited to be part of their team and part of their city, so look forward to going there.” said Looney. “I think we have a chance to be really good. We got young talent, we got older talent, so I’m looking forward to coming there and leading by impact.”

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Looney will also be reunited with another Milwaukee native on his new team. That’s Jordan Poole, his former NBA championship-winning teammate in the Bay.

“That was one of the most exciting things about going to New Orleans, being able to play with him again,” said Looney. “We’ve got a great relationship on the court and off the court, so I’m excited about that. Having another Milwaukee guy on the team for me has always been fun.”

Back in Milwaukee, what Looney is doing can’t be understated. That’s because the assists he’s giving these young hoopers could turn out to be life-changing.

“You never know how much of an impact you actually have until you see a kid grow up and they actually remember those times, so I’m very proud to be doing it for this long and I hope to keep it going,” said Looney.

Local News

Braintree American will open its Little League World Series campaign against South Carolina on Thursday afternoon.

By Cam Kerry, The Boston Globe

August 13, 2025 | 2:00 PM

3 minutes to read

Braintree American Little League manager Frank Fasoli acknowledged that he and his son, Frankie, have yet to bask in the moment.

With last Thursday’s New England championship game knotted at 2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, a wild pitch escaped the Bedford (N.H.) catcher. Frankie started dashing down the third base line but slammed on the brakes.

The throw to the plate eluded three players, and Frankie reversed course, sliding home safely. Pandemonium broke out behind the plate, in the stands, and across taverns and living rooms in Braintree and beyond.

Frankie Fasoli’s heads-up base running created a highlight for life.

“He’s an 85-pound kid that plays like he’s 6-foot-5,” said Braintree American Little League president Nick DiMartino. “He’s one of the smartest 12-year-old baseball players I’ve ever seen in my life.”

After the walkoff win, assistant coach PJ Kippenhan stayed awake until 2:30 a.m., responding to 440 text messages. Videos from Jake and Joe’s, The Tree, and Braintree Brewhouse erupting in celebration poured in. Frank Fasoli had 288 text messages of his own, from friends, co-workers, and former college roommates.

In 72 years, Braintree American had never won a state title. Now, it is at the pinnacle of the sport, serving as the heartbeat of a proud baseball town.

Representing New England, Braintree American will open its Little League World Series campaign against Irmo, S.C., the Southeast champion, on Thursday at 3 p.m., on ESPN.

“This is the biggest story in town ever,” said DiMartino. “This is the biggest baseball story in the history of Braintree.”

Braintree American owns a spotless record, undefeated in its march to Williamsport, Pa. The adversity of years prior shaped this team.

Tee ball in Braintree begins at 6 years old. The first year of baseball is at 8, which consists strictly of league play. This group was the first 8U team in Braintree American history to win the Friendship League.

The same coaching staff of Frank Fasoli, Kippenhan, and Shaun Needle has been with this group from the beginning. In the age of AAU baseball and privatization of youth sports, this group has stuck together to compete every summer.

“They’re like my own family,” said Frank Fasoli.

At 10 years old, they were in the mix but fell short to Norwell in District 8. Last summer, the 11U Braintree American team lost in the district championship, again to Norwell.

Kippenhan instructed the players to remember the feeling of watching Norwell celebrate on their field.

Fast forward a summer, and Braintree American dances on as one of the final 10 teams out of 6,000 in the country.

“This year, we caught lightning in a bottle,” said Kippenhan. “There’s something special about this group.”

Pitching and defense carry the team. Colman Gouthro, Frankie Fasoli, and Henry Kuka serve as the team’s aces. Gouthro lights up the radar gun in the low 70s, while Fasoli and Kuka can fire in the high 60s.

Gouthro swings a powerful bat, launching home runs throughout the summer. He left the park in the District 8 final, a 9-3 victory over Hingham, and in the sectional final, a 3-1 victory against Bridgewater. In the Braintree American home run derby, he sent a dizzying 25 balls over the fence.

“I’ve never been so happy to have a net in front of me,” quipped Kippenhan, when pitching to Gouthro in the batting cages.

Sam Trotta, the only addition to the team this summer, slugged a solo home run, which amounted to the difference in a 1-0 victory over Walpole in the state championship.

“If this kid can bring us one big hit, make a difference — he’s a kid that could do that,” said Frank Fasoli. “There couldn’t have been a bigger spot to do it.”

The team’s success has captivated the town.

Members of the Braintree High School baseball team, which reached the Division 1 state championship game, help throw batting practice to alleviate the aching shoulders of the coaching staff. The varsity team drove two hours to Bristol, Conn., then chanted the players’ names in the left field bleachers during regionals.

SouthSide Tavern offered a special sandwich every day, named after a different player.

“These kids are living the dream,” said Frank Fasoli.

Early in the summer, parents debated signing up for the players to compete in a tournament in Cooperstown. The coaches quipped that they’d rather be in Williamsport.

Now the coaches watch their players sit next to compatriots from Japan, Czechia, and Pennsylvania, and trade pins.

“It’s amazing to watch them do this,” said Frank Fasoli. “The way that they are fitting in and evolving and growing, they don’t even know it.”