By Lisa S. Icenogle

CASPER, Wyo. — The Casper College Athletics Department was recently honored during the NERD YMCA of Natrona County’s 11th annual Wall of Honor Celebration.

Paxton Stoneking, who just finished his freshman year at the college as a member of the Casper College Men’s Soccer team, accepted the award on behalf of athletics. According to head soccer coach Ben McArthur Paxton has a unique relationship with the Y.

“Paxton started soccer as a child through the Casper YMCA, which made him a great person to accept this recognition on behalf of the CC athletics department,” McArthur said.

Stoneking, a midfielder for the men’s soccer team, noted that it was at the Y when he was a small child that he put on a pair of soccer cleats for the very first time.

“I was just a little kid, running around with a jersey that nearly reached my ankles,” he said. “Fast forward to today, and the YMCA is still a major part of my life.”

“Watching Paxton mature has been really fun over the last few years. Last year, as a soccer team member, he showed growth and leadership skills. Having the chance to represent Casper College Athletics is a full circle moment for him with the YMCA recognition,” McArthur added.

Four businesses or individuals are recognized each year. In addition to Casper College, the True Companies, Amber and Pete Fazio, and Trudi Holthouse were recognized.

“We are honored to be included in this year’s list of honorees,” president Brandon Kosine said. “This recognition represents the hard work of our student-athletes who engaged with community children and youth in sports activities at the Y. We genuinely value Casper College’s partnership with the Y and look forward to our continued collaboration.”

“The partnership between the YMCA and Casper College Athletics has greatly enhanced our youth sports programming. The athletes are great mentors and role models to our young sports players and help them see what the love for a lifelong sport can look like,” added Stephanie Disburg, CEO of the YMCA of Natrona County.

Santa Barbara Soccer Club held a ceremony on Friday night for its 19 high school seniors who have signed to play soccer at the collegiate level in the fall.

Of the 19 signees, there are 14 boys and five girls who will be competing all across the country beginning next year.

Boys

Samuel Anum – Amherst College

Anum, a native of Ghana, will head out to Massachusetts to play Division 3 soccer at Amherst College.

Bridge Baltes – UCLA

Batles, who went to high school at Laguna Blanca, will head down south to play as a Bruin for the next four years.

Giovanni Chavez – CSU San Bernardino

Chavez will remain in California for his college career, leaving his hometown of Santa Maria to play at the Division 2 level at CSU San Bernardino.

Adam Ding – St. Mary’s College

After spending his high school years at Ardingly College in England, Ding will return to the United States to play Division 1 soccer at St. Mary’s (CA).

Keean Elliott – Harvard

Elliott, who is finishing up his time at Santa Barbara High, will compete in the Ivy League for Harvard in college.

Giacomo Gabrielli – Princeton

Meanwhile, Gabrielli will also compete in the Ivy League for the Princeton Tigers following his graduation from Dos Pueblos.

Irving Garcia, Diego Gonzalez, Noah Jimenez – SBCC

The trio of Garcia, Gonzalez and Jimenez will all be staying local and playing for the Vaqueros this fall. Garcia attends San Marcos, Gonzalez goes to Dos Pueblos and Jimenez is in the home stretch at Foothill Tech.

Alex Kobayashi – Nazareth

Kobayashi will head across the country for his college years, as he will play Division 3 soccer at Nazareth University in New York.

Isaiah Robledo – Brown

Robledo, a Dos Pueblos student, will join Elliott and Gabrielli in the Ivy League when he heads out to Brown University.

Thiago Valerio, Geb Wilcox – Westmont

Valerio and Wilcox will also remain in the 805 for their college careers, heading out to Montecito to play for Wesmont. Valerio is a Santa Barbara High Don and Wilcox goes to Dos Pueblos.

Eli Meisel – Carleton

Meisel rounded out this year’s male signees and will head out to Minnesota to play at the Division 3 level at Carleton College.

Girls

Kenzie Hessell – University of St. Andrews

Hessell, a San Marcos Royal, will be heading abroad for her college years to study and play soccer at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Wendy Guarneros – Willamette

Guarneros was also a standout at San Marcos and will continue her career in the Pacific Northwest at Willamette University.

Hattie Valdez Lindgren – Lewis & Clark

Valdez Lindgren will join her San Marcos teammate in the Pacific Northwest, as she will be off to Lewis & Clark in Portland this fall.

Giselle Najera – SBCC

Najera will head down from Cabrillo High to Santa Barbara City College to continue her academic and athletic careers.

Giselle Silva – La Sierra

Silva will make her way down south after she graduates from Lompoc High, as she will represent the 805 at La Sierra University in Riverside.

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Coral Glades hosts signing day for 12 student athletes. Courtesy

Coral Glades continues its success with 12 student athletes officially signing to compete in college.

The Jaguars now have 26 student-athletes competing in college over the last two years following Carter Brooks’ signing with Palm Beach State. He was named PGA South Florida Player of the Year. Brooks led the division with three eagles and 44 birdies while helping his varsity team win their first District Championship in school history before shooting a 74 at Regionals.

Lily Bido will play college soccer at Pfeiffer University after scoring two goals and recording four points in high school. Gina Bido will compete at Trinity Baptist College and scored a goal along with an assist as the team won five games. Aryanna Marin is signed with Barry University and also scored for the Lady Jaguars.

In basketball, Bryan Jean and Andres Demoya will play at Coahuila Community College. Jean averaged 6.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while Demoya finished the season in double figures in scoring and also had five rebounds. The team not only won a District Championship but also its first Regional win in school history. Anthony Valdes will play at Webster University and scored nine points per game, including 19 against Northeast High School.

Asa Linda is the lone baseball player to sign and will attend Pasco Hernando Community College. He made one start and pitched in nine games while recording a win. The Jaguars finished the season 11-11 and competed in the District Championship before a loss against Charles W. Flanagan High School.

The flag football team had a historic season, losing only their opening game against Marjory Stoneman Douglas and postseason game against Monarch High School. In between, the Jaguars won 13 games and had Taejon Williams sign with Florida Memorial College, and Angelina Thompson heading to William Woods University.

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Matt Rothman

Matt Rothman is a 2018 graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University receiving his bachelor’s degree in journalism and then graduated from the University of Florida as a graduate student. He also works for the Mohave Valley Daily News in Bullhead City, Arizona covering high school sports.

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William Van Howe

OBITUARY

William R. (Bill) Van Howe passed away on May 19, 2025 at the age of 83. Bill was born on December 2, 1941 in Evergreen Park, Illinois, the son of William P. and Tena (Vander Meer) Van Howe. He is survived by his wife, soulmate, and the love of his life, Marilyn (Deckinga), two sons, Steve (Gail) of The Woodlands, Texas and Tim (Debbie) of Broomfield Colorado, two grandsons, Ryan Van Howe of Bakersfield, California, and Tyler Van Howe (Lauren) of Houston, Texas, and step-grandson Jon (Chandra) Hernandez of Littleton, CO. He was preceded in death by brother Bernie (Clara), sister Millie (Don) Vos and brother Ron. He was loved and will also be remembered by numerous nephews and nieces. Finally, he is survived by “surrogate daughter” Connie Brodt (Marc) of Longmont, Colorado. Bill was a lifelong learner and educator. After high school he attended Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights, Illinois, and was a member of the first class of that school. While there he was instrumental in choosing the school’s mascot, “The Trolls”. Later, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a master’s degree from Loyola University, Chicago. After moving to Colorado in 1970 he earned a PhD from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He did post-doctoral studies at several Universities. Bill began his professional career as a junior high school teacher in suburban Chicago., teaching English and Social Studies. He later served as an elementary principal in the very same school he attended in his youth, Evergreen Park Christian School. In Boulder he taught English at Fairview High School, later becoming that school’s assistant principal and principal. It was during that period that he led the school through the perils of the December, 1978 roof collapse. During that time, he also served as adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Colorado. After Fairview, he moved on to become the principal of Nevin Platt Junior High where he founded the Choice program and guided the school’s transition to Middle School. After retirement he served various interim positions in Boulder Valley Schools, including Direction of Secondary Education, principal of Angevine Middle School, and Director of the Technical Education Center. Bill held leadership positions in several professional organizations including National Association of Secondary Principals, North Central Association, and Phi Delta Kappa. Bill had many interests, including biking, skiing, fishing, snorkeling, model railroading, woodworking, watching his beloved Cubbies and hiking. The latter included jaunts to the top of Long’s Peak and the bottom of the Grand Canyon with his friend Larry. In retirement he and Marilyn were able to travel extensively, visiting all 50 states and more than 25 countries. He volunteered a great deal, supporting the efforts of Habitat for Humanity and his local church. He received a great deal of satisfaction from leading a four year volunteer effort in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina which resulted in more that 300 people traveling there to assist flood victims. Bill cherished his Christian faith, using it as a basis for how to deal with the issues and people in his life. Building on the guidance received from his parents and teachers, he attempted to show love to others and treat them with kindness and understanding. His favorite Bible verse served as a guide for many decisions he needed to make during his lifetime: “What does God require of a man but that he do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with his God.” (Micah 6:8) Visitation will be held on Thursday May 29th from 3-5 p.m. at Darrell Howe mortuary in Lafayette. Following a private burial, a service of remembrance, celebration, and joy will be held at 2 pm on Friday, May 30th at Rocky Mountain Presbyterian Church, 4097 Main Street, Westminster, CO. All are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to Compassion International, 12290 Voyager Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80921 in support of disadvantaged children worldwide.

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Laina Engelbart signs to play college soccer. Courtesy

Marjory Stoneman Douglas soccer star Laina Engelbart is officially headed to Berry University in Georgia to continue her athletic career.

“I am so excited and grateful for this opportunity,” Engelbart said. “It honestly feels so rewarding after years of hard work. I just can’t wait to continue to grow as a person and play the sport I love.”

Engelbart started playing soccer when she was in second grade. After playing on the rec sports team, Engelbart joined the Parkland travel soccer team before switching to Coral Springs Prime. The team eventually became Sunrise Surf, which has featured the same coach and teammates for the last seven years. 

Engelbart also played with the Eagles for four years and won a District Championship all four seasons. This season, she scored five of her six goals and added two assists, helping the Eagles finish the season 12-2-6. 

Engelbart knew she wanted to play in college, but found it challenging to find a program where she could balance academics and athletics. Engelbart showcased her skills at tournaments, ID camps, and highlight reels while also reaching out to college coaches.

“I couldn’t have done it without my coaches and parents—they were always by my side, guiding me through the process,” Engelbart added. “After one of my tournaments, I started communicating with Coach Brown, and Berry really stood out to me; I saw the balance I had been looking for.”

Engelbart then visited the campus and felt it was a perfect fit for her. She will join a team that went 6-7-4 last year and hopes to improve her discipline and prepare for the new responsibilities and independence ahead. Engelbart also hopes to grow and has started training to get ready to compete at the college level.

Send your news to Parkland’s #1 Award-Winning News Source, Parkland Talk. Don’t Miss Tamarac Talk,  Coral Springs Talk, Coconut Creek Talk, Margate Talk, and Sunrise FL Talk. 

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Matt Rothman

Matt Rothman is a 2018 graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University receiving his bachelor’s degree in journalism and then graduated from the University of Florida as a graduate student. He also works for the Mohave Valley Daily News in Bullhead City, Arizona covering high school sports.

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Photo courtesy Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

USL Championship – Week 10

Riverhounds 1, Rhode Island FC 0

Match Stats: USL Championship Match Center

Instant Match Summary

The Riverhounds SC picked up a much needed full three points, earning the club’s first road victory in USL Championship play this season, beating Rhode Island FC, 1-0, at Centreville Bank Stadium, on Saturday afternoon in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Hounds captain and New England native, Danny Griffin scored the match’s lone goal — taking advantage after a Robbie Mertz corner kick was cleared away by driving a low, bouncing shot into the back of the net for his team leading third goal of the season.

A beauty of a strike from distance @DannyGriffin04 opens the scoring for @RiverhoundsSC in Rhode Island! pic.twitter.com/UG5sNf3AgN

— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) May 24, 2025

It was a classic Lilleyball victory for the Hounds (3-5-2, 11 points), who struggled a bit at the start to gain control of the match as Rhode Island started off strong, with three shots on frame in the first 30 minutes.

Riverhounds goalkeeper Eric Dick made five saves for the clean sheet, including a close range chance which kept the shutout in the 86th minute.

The hosts led the way in key statistical categories including shots (13-10, 5-4 on frame) and possession (60/40).

The teams will meet again next week at Highmark Stadium, on Saturday, May 31, but the match will be a group stage match in USL’s Jagermeister Cup.

Look for a more detailed recap to follow here along with reaction from Head Coach Bob Lilley.  

Match Day Updates

Look for match updates and commentary to be posted here.

FINAL — PITTSBURGH 1, RHODE ISLAND 0

90′ ++ — Augi Williams with a great chance in transition but it’s saved by Vegas!!

90′ — Charles Ahl chance is saved off the line!!

87′ — Yellow Card.  Danny Griffin booked for some time wasting.

86′ — SAVE!  Eric Dick denies close range chance for RIFC!

76′ – Hounds Subs

• IN — Bradley Sample and Charles Ahl
• OUT — Jacquesson and Mertz

66′ – Another good spell of possession, but it ends with the offside flag raised against Jacquesson.

59′ – Zach Herivaux shown RI’s second yellow card after a foul on Griffin after he released a pass. No advantage, free kick

49′ – OFF THE POST! Falling attempt by Jacquesson in the box, and it hits the base of the left stick squarely before ricocheting away.

HALF — PITTSBURGH 1, RHODE ISLAND 0

Good finish to the first half for the Hounds, who brought more quality build up and pressure in the last 15-20 minutes.  Rhode Island started off the match on the front foot, but Pittsburgh remained solid defensively and brought an effective high press at times to stall and frustrate the hosts.

Hounds held shots edge (7-5) thought RIFC had three on frame while the Hounds had two between the posts.   RIFC with 55/45 possession edge.

44′ – Walti creates a turnover and unleashes a shot that goes just high of the bar from 25! Nearly a second right before half

Good continued pressure from Hounds.

38′ – GOAL – Riverhounds

Danny Griffin

Started with Mertz corner — cleared out but right to Griffin’s foot.  The Rhode Island native buries it.

A beauty of a strike from distance @DannyGriffin04 opens the scoring for @RiverhoundsSC in Rhode Island! pic.twitter.com/UG5sNf3AgN

— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) May 24, 2025

36′ – another good build up but Biasi settles for shot from distance which goes over bar!

33′ – Excellent sequence starts with Jacquesson cross, Mertz lays it back for Walti who has shot blocked

29′ – Yellow Card — Overzealous challenge by Walti

27′ – free kick chance from Sanchez finds Rodruigez who hits one-time volley too high

25′ – Mertz free kick connects with Suber but header goes over bar

21′ – cross for RIFC ends up to cenert of box for Dikwa who has shot blocked.  Maybe should have let thru for Rodrigez open on back post

15′ — Mertz chance!! From 25 yards a solid DIRECT hit but great diving save by Koke Vegas.

@KokeVegas 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 to keep @RhodeIslandFC level! pic.twitter.com/LzFkX55L9L

— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) May 24, 2025

7′ – RIFC build-up leads to Maxi Rodriguez low chance that is deflected out for corner.  Corner is cleared away.

6′ – Yellow Card — issued to Beto Ydrach for a late slide attempt knocked RIFC player into advertising board by technical area.

3′ — Off side negates RIFC chance from outside box from Holstad

4:05 p.m. — Match has kicked off.  Hounds are once again wearing their road all White with gold and black trim kit.

3:30 p.m. — STARTING LINEUPS

HOUNDS

RIFC

The kit for Rhode Island.
#RIvPIT #Grittsburgh @84lumbernews pic.twitter.com/qGJdNt6EHa

— Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (@RiverhoundsSC) May 23, 2025

Preview / What’s at Stake?

The Riverhounds finish up a crazy April and May stretch of playing eight out of the last 10 matches on the road with a trip to Rhode Island, where they’ll face the defending Eastern Conference champs and USL Cup runner-up, Rhode Island FC at the brand spanking new Centreville Bank Stadium at Tidewater Landing, in yet another matinee kickoff on the road.

The Hounds have not won a league match since late March.

Thus, any result would be a positive, but especially three points.  The Hounds (8 points) are still somehow right on the edge and above the playoff line and Rhode Island — thanks to two straight wins in league play are four points ahead in sixth place.

If the run of form for both clubs through the early part of the season is any indication, this contest could resemble a rock-fight.

Low-scoring matches have been the norm for both teams this season, and they also played to a 0-0 draw in their first-ever meeting in Rhode Island a year ago. Only 19 combined goals — for and against — have been scored in Rhode Island’s matches this year, and only five teams have a lower total than that, one of which is the Hounds with a league-low 16 goals scored in their nine contests.

Still, RIFC is coming off winning two matches on the road against teams at the bottom of the standings (see below) but they’ve yet to win a match in their new stadium.  They might be feeling that this match-up vs the Hounds provides a solid opportunity given how much the Hounds have struggled on the road this season.

The clubs will play again next week in Pittsburgh, but it will be as part of USL’s Jagermeister Cup tournament round-robin play.

Rhode Island FC: A Closer Look

With Head Coach Khano Smith leading the way in the club’s first season, as a six seed out of the Eastern Conference, RIFC made a remarkable playoff run to the USL Championship Final — only to lose at Colorado Springs.

Much like they did a year ago, Rhode Island were meddling, playing in a lot of low scoring contests early in the season, but they enter this match with more momentum, delivering a six-point week on the road — beating two teams (Birmingham and Tampa Bay) at the bottom of the standings was exactly what they needed.   In fact, Rhode Island FC is currently riding an unbeaten streak of four games, which is the third-longest in club history and longest since last season’s historic run to the USL Championship Final.

Former Hounds Golden Boot winner Albert Dikwa is coming back from injury and just getting back into his team’s regular rotation this month, while other former Hounds Marc Ybarra and Dani Rovira also have been unavailable for a large chunk of the season.

Low-scoring matches have been the norm for both teams this season, and they also played to a 0-0 draw in their first-ever meeting in Rhode Island a year ago.

Pittsburgh did put together an impressive shut out of Rhode Island in the return match at Highmark when they were pushing for a postseason spot.

Debutant Jacquesson scores, leads Hounds back to playoff position

Only 19 combined goals — for and against — have been scored in Rhode Island’s matches this year, and only five teams have a lower total than that, one of which is the Hounds with a league-low 16 goals scored in their nine contests.

Still, the wins at Birmingham and Tampa Bay showed that this squad could be just rounding into form at a good time.

Much like Bob Lilley coaches Riverhounds teams when they’re peaking, Smith’s squad does an excellent job of dictating terms of matches, especially in the past two wins.

They have solid defensive group, along with goalkeeper Koke Vegas and this year’s new addition, Aimé Mabika, has been strong at center back.

RIFC’s midfield was dynamic in the win at Tampa controlling possession and having been responsible for — not one or two, but three long-distance strikes that connected — first it was Clay Holstad in the first half, then former Rowdie Zachary Herivaux and Noah Fuson each scored from distance.

Here’s how RI lined up against Birmingham.

Riverhounds SC Personnel / What to Expect

The Riverhounds made the quick trip up from Philadelphia to the Ocean State following its midweek US Open Cup Round of 16 clash with MLS Philadelphia Union — a humbling 4-1 loss.  Now, they have to recover and be ready for an important league match.  The club had a light training session on Friday.

The good news for the Hounds is that they don’t have anyone on the injury report for the first time in a long time.

Despite the team’s struggles on the field through the early part of the season, Head Coach Bob Lilley has been able to dip deeper into the roster depth at times, but whether he’s truly found the best combination for success in producing a 90-minute performance is still yet to really happen.

Rhode Island are a good defensive team so the Hounds have to be more dynamic in the final third or this could be a long season.

There’s no sign that Danny Griffin and Jackson Walti or the center back core (Sean Suber and Beto Ydrach) will sit for any big league matches, even on the tail end of a three-match in eight day stretch.

Otherwise, the Hounds could opt to roll out Jacquesson and Augi Williams at the top of the attack again hoping they can finally break through.  Primarily coming off the bench, Jorge Garcia is tied for the team lead in goals this season in all competitions with two strikes from behind the box.  Maybe it’s time Garcia gets a chance to play extended minutes?

Could the Hounds also give veteran keeper Eric Dick a rest too?

Regardless, Pittsburgh will likely use most of if not all of their alotted subs to help them get to the finish line this week as they push for an all-important result on the road.

John K’s Projected Riverhounds Starting XI 

John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of ‘Miracle on the Mon’ — a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).