Host and co-executive producer of the new ESPN series, “Backstory”
Member of three Pulitzer Prize-winning teams for national, explanatory and public service journalism
Author of three books, including New York Times best-selling “First Off the Tee: Presidential Hackers, Duffers, and Cheaters from Taft to Bush”
24-year newspaper career at The New York Times and Miami Herald
Oct 30, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
Federal law officers are investigating a youth baseball company owned by the Major League Baseball Players Association that spent at least $3.9 million while holding few sparsely attended live events for kids, sources familiar with the inquiry told ESPN.
The Florida-based business, Players Way, has generated barely six figures in revenue since its founding in 2019. While the union said it has put $3.9 million into the company, two sources with knowledge of union finances and who have talked with investigators told ESPN that the amount is closer to $10 million.
The former officials said Players Way funds largely paid the six-figure annual salaries of its executives and consultants. They include a handful of former major leaguers, some of whom were simultaneously working other full-time jobs outside the union.
One of the former senior union officials described Players Way finances as a “black box.”
Players Way was cited in an anonymous whistleblower complaint last November that triggered an ongoing criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, which last week brought criminal indictments against two NBA coaches, a current player and nearly two dozen Mafia-connected figures.
The complaint accused MLBPA executive director Tony Clark of self-dealing, misuse of resources and abuse of power at the union. It also alleged nepotism in his dealings with Players Way, which he helped launch with lofty aspirations to transform youth baseball across America. The MLBPA at the time denied all the allegations as “entirely without merit.”
Clark, who has not been charged with any crime, and other union officials have dismissed the whistleblower allegations as “baseless.” He declined to be interviewed for this story. In a written statement to ESPN this week, Clark said he created Players Way “as an oasis for young athletes and families who too often get exploited in today’s billion-dollar ‘youth sports’ machinery.”
Union officials declined to say how Players Way spent millions of dollars. The union told ESPN it has three budgets — one for operations ($27.5 million this year); another for MLB Players Inc., its for-profit licensing firm ($7.1 million this year); and a third players-approved “discretionary” budget for Clark to spend as he sees fit.
The union declined to say how much cash was in the discretionary pot this year, whether Players Way was ever funded from discretionary funds, or whether players specifically approved spending by the company.
“Any suggestion that Players Way has not been supported by our elected Player representatives and broader membership is patently false,” Clark said in his statement. “Players Way has been front and center at every annual meeting of the MLBPA Executive Board in recent memory, and our dialogue with Players regarding youth development continues throughout the calendar.”
Federal investigators declined to comment, citing the ongoing inquiry. Union revenues have grown significantly in recent years through the creation of OneTeam Partners, a group-licensing firm the MLBPA co-founded with the National Football League Players Association in 2019.
In May, ESPN reported that investigators from the Justice Department were looking into the unions’ financial dealings with OneTeam, which three years ago had a valuation of nearly $2 billion.
Sources interviewed by ESPN said the investigation widened this summer to include Players Way. Investigators also have asked witnesses about whistleblower allegations of excessive union spending on international and domestic trips for Clark and other senior union executives, the sources said.
One player leader, when asked about the Players Way expenditures, told ESPN, “It doesn’t matter how much we’ve made. Waste is waste.”
“And given the level of frustration we’ve had with [union leadership] about this sort of stuff, it’s going to come up,” the player said. “Whenever Players Way is mentioned, we all just nod along. But I don’t think any of us realized it cost as much as it did.”
ESPN interviewed nearly 30 current and former union officials, lawyers, players and people with knowledge of the federal inquiry, most of whom spoke only on the condition of anonymity.
Multiple former union officials said Players Way has operated without standard accounting practices and with no annual budgets circulated among senior finance officials.
An MLBPA official, in a written statement, acknowledged to ESPN that Players Way did not have its own budget but was operated as “part of the overall org budget.” “But the folks working on it were tracking and projecting expenses the way any department at the PA does,” the official said.
While public union filings show the MLBPA committed a total of only $83,550 to Players Way, nearly all the $3,891,249 the union said Players Way has spent came from Players Inc. Like Players Way, the finances of Players Inc. are not disclosed to the Department of Labor.
The union provided ESPN with an annual breakdown of money it says it spent on Players Way. In 2018, according to the MLBPA, Players Way spent $181,054, a figure that grew annually and peaked in 2024 at $1,127,656. This year, as of Oct. 6, the union said $647,058 has been spent on Players Way.
The sources familiar with the MLBPA’s financials, though, told ESPN the company received far more cash from Players Inc., including more than $2 million over one 18-month period to fund payroll and other activities. At several other times when Players Way needed to cover shortfalls, roughly $1 million of Players Inc. money was transferred to the company, the sources said.
The money spent, the former officials told ESPN, included $1.2 million from 2022 to 2024 provided by Fanatics Inc., an MLBPA licensing partner.
When the MLBPA struck a deal with Fanatics in 2021 for the exclusive license to produce baseball cards, the company agreed to pay the union $400,000 annually from 2022 to 2024 to support the union’s youth baseball initiatives, including Players Way, the sources told ESPN.
“We were and continue to be excited to invest with MLBPA in Players Way as part of our multi-billion-dollar long-term partnership,” a Fanatics spokesman said. “Youth baseball development is critical to the success of the sport and we have complete confidence that the MLBPA will invest the funds in a way that creates long-term value for all parties involved.”
Both former finance officials said they raised concerns about the Players Inc. transfers with senior leadership, but the transactions continued. One of the finance officials said Clark personally approved the transfers to Players Way, usually in six-figure chunks. “It was just money going out the door,” the source told ESPN.
Another former official called Players Way a “total waste of money.”
ON ITS WEBSITE, Players Way lists its company headquarters at 13506 Summerport Village Parkway, Suite 226, in Windermere, Florida, about 20 miles west of Orlando. It’s in a strip mall, flanked by a liquor store and a chain hair salon. But the “suite” is not a suite at all. It’s a mail box at a UPS Store where an employee confirmed to ESPN that Box 226 is registered to Players Way LLC.
The MLBPA partnered with the United States Specialty Sports Association in 2018 to provide an alternative to existing youth baseball organizations that dominate the market. Players Way was officially founded a year later, with Clark saying he wanted to fix what many in baseball see as a broken youth baseball system. His son was involved in travel baseball at the time, and Clark said he believed the sport deserved better than the high costs, long weekends and lack of regard for young pitchers’ arms that existed.
“The goal — informed by players themselves — isn’t to become just another cog in the youth sports machinery, putting profits over players,” Clark said in his statement to ESPN. “It aims higher: to meet players where they are, teach the game the right way, and to foster lifelong lessons creating lifelong fans. Future generations deserve nothing less.”
Standing in a netted indoor practice facility, in front of pitching machines, tees and L-shaped pitching screens, Clark introduced Players Way publicly in June 2020 with a video posted on YouTube. A former official said Clark viewed the initiative as an essential part of his plan to tap retired major leaguers to shape the next generation of baseball players. “Players Way was something he always brought up,” the former official said. “It was very important to Tony. It was not anything anyone paid attention to in how it was operated.”
Inside the MLBPA, employees questioned the company’s purpose and apparent lack of a business plan despite Players Way having “a voracious appetite for cash that seemed to just waste money year after year,” a former employee said.
“We had no events, we had no activities, we are not publicizing, we are not partnering with other youth groups,” one former official said. “There was no clear goal.”
Former union officials interviewed by ESPN said that Players Way appeared to be a landing spot for Clark’s loyalists — and, said one, “few players knew anything about it.”
The MLBPA’s relationship with USSSA faltered after summer 2023, when two former employees with USSSA filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit alleging a top association official was running an illegal bookmaking operation. After severing from USSSA, the MLBPA rebooted its marketing effort for Players Way in 2024, including a new YouTube channel that as of this week had one subscriber. It features a video of former major league catcher Chris Iannetta that has been viewed about 200 times. The other two videos had a total of 28 views as of this week.
Iannetta is a former MLBPA executive subcommittee member who, along with former USSSA employees D.J. Wabick and Kevin Reynolds, is on the Players Way leadership team, according to union filings. In total, the union said, six employees and contractors work at Players Way.
According to the documents, the MLBPA paid Iannetta $156,000 and Reynolds $167,000 in 2024 as union consultants. Wabick, a former Triple-A outfielder, joined the MLBPA full time as its director of youth baseball and development in December 2024 but was paid $182,623 for his work last year.
While union salaries, including Clark’s $3.4 million in 2024, are made public through annual Labor Department filings, the financial dealings of Players Way and other for-profit companies under the MLB Players Inc. umbrella are opaque. In the complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board last November, the union whistleblower alleged one of Clark’s daughters was employed by Players Way, identified in the complaint as “an MLBPA-controlled entity.”
The daughter resigned in March 2024, after union employees critical of Clark raised her employment as an issue, multiple sources said. According to union documents, she worked for five months and was paid $13,300 by the union as a consultant to Players Way.
The complaint against Clark also alleged he had “arranged for another daughter to be hired at another labor union using his influence.” That daughter has worked as membership services coordinator for the NFL Players Association since October 2022.
The whistleblower also alleged that Clark “improperly hired a family member as an MLBPA real estate agent and paid an unnecessary commission.”
Sources with knowledge of the ongoing federal probe said investigators have inquired about circumstances around the union’s securing of a satellite office in Scottsdale, Arizona, that Clark uses regularly and a new office space in midtown Manhattan.
After ESPN reported about the federal investigation in May, multiple empty offices in the New York office were affixed with OneTeam placards.
BY ITS OWN accounting, the union spent more than $3 million on Players Way from its founding in 2019 until November 2024. During that time, the union said, the company held six baseball clinics for kids, four “mental skills webinars” and several “panel discussions,” including one attended by Clark. The events could cost up to $499 to attend for a two-day camp, according to the website.
A union official told ESPN the rollout of Players Way was intentionally slow “because to figure out our rightful position within the industry without fragmenting it and without driving up more costs takes time and thoughtfulness.” Six years later, the return on the investment into Players Way has little to show.
This year, Players Way has hosted a handful of sparsely attended events for teenagers. The events, a mix of camps, competitions, showcases for those aspiring to play in college and a tournament organized with Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung, have drawn fewer than 500 attendees in all, according to the company website.
Jung told ESPN his event, a nine-team tournament last year, would return in 2026 and that he enjoyed the experience of working with Players Way. A union official said no further events supported by individual players are on the schedule, which, according to Players Way’s website, has seven events — with fewer than 25 kids signed up total — scheduled between now and March 21, 2026.
“I’m hoping we can expand it, and I’m hoping that we can get it out early enough,” Jung said. “You want to be able to put it on people’s radar early. And I think that sabotaged us a little bit this year. But also, they kept it pretty small just to make sure that they could run the event correctly.”
In recent months, as former union finance officials answered questions for investigators, MLBPA executives increased the Players Way slate of events and sent out promotional messages about the company’s future to player leaders.
During Labor Day weekend, Clark and Wabick, the leader of Players Way, met in Chicago and hosted a videoconference with other Players Way consultants to discuss strategy, the union told ESPN. On the same September day an ESPN reporter visited the Players Way UPS post office box in Florida, MLBPA executives sent a lengthy slide deck to players’ leadership updating them on Players Way.
A former union finance official said he told federal investigators that total company revenues over five years “barely hit six figures.” The company has canceled nearly as many events as it has held. “Players Way was a bad investment,” the former official said. “They just kept throwing money at it.”
A former major league player who worked with Players Way said the executives in charge seemed to do little and were busy working other full-time jobs.
“It was unclear who was in charge, who was running it,” said the former player, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Someone needed to be a CEO, but the people in charge said, ‘I don’t have time.’ But they were all getting paid.”
Reach reporter Don Van Natta Jr. at don.vannatta@espn.com and Jeff Passan at jeffrey.passan@espn.com. ESPN researcher John Mastroberardino contributed to this report.
What began as California’s first drone soccer team has made breakthroughs in the sport to become the gold standard of academic and competitive success in Long Beach within just three years of its founding.
The SATO Academy of Mathematics and Science Drone soccer team represented the United States during the 2025 Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Drone Soccer Championships in China from Nov. 15-18, where the team placed fourth in the 40 centimeter section and fifth in 20 centimeter matches.
“It’s honestly mindblowing because I didn’t think we were gonna get that far,” said Kira Black, president of the SATO Drone Soccer Club and the team’s goalie.
SATO Drone Soccer head coach Albert Gallo founded the program after he heard about the U.S. Drone Soccer League and subsequently pitched the idea to the principal, who “absolutely loved it,” he said. Gallo then began pitching the program to kids he taught in his engineering class during the 2022 school year, and it has grown ever since.
Drone soccer consists of four defenders and one designated attacker (the drone with red stripes). The attacker’s goal is to go straight through the goal ring to score points for their team. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)
Drone soccer is a five-on-five sport where the aim of the game is to score as many goals as you can by driving a “striker drone” completely through the opponents goal. Two members of each team are designated as the “striker” and “goalie” as the match is broken up into three, three-minute sets. The team who scores the most goals wins each set, and whoever wins two sets wins the match.
The SATO Drone Soccer program is broken up into two senior-led official teams they send to tournaments, “Mushu” and “Dragon Fire.” The two separate groups of seniors have been on the team since its inception at SATO. The school also has a separate club for students to join recreationally.
“I told them [the professional players from Mushu and Dragon Fire] from the beginning that, ‘you guys are the pioneers of this sport,’ we’re rewriting playbooks [and] we’re writing strategies.”
– SATO drone soccer coach and team founder Albert Gallo
SATO’s drone soccer team has been dominating the U.S. drone soccer sphere since its inception.
Since starting the program in 2022, they’ve placed first in the U.S. Drone Soccer Championships in 2023 and 2025, and earned a second-place finish in 2024. Multiple members of the program have received recognition from the United States Drone Soccer Association.
Most recently, team Mushu won the U.S. Drone Soccer Championship on May 3, 2025 and had the opportunity to represent the U.S. National Team in China.
The SATO Drone Soccer Club talks with one another just before being dismissed at their 7 p.m. practice on Dec. 9, 2025. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)
“I’m extremely proud of our students and our pilots, I couldn’t have done it [without] my wife helping me, the principal of the school helping, the district helping us finance the equipment. Seeing all that growth is very satisfying,” Gallo said.
Drone Soccer originated in South Korea in 2016 from the research team in CAMTIC Institute of Technology, but the first tournament in the U.S. started in April 2021 in Colorado, with the United States Drone Soccer Association formally launching near the end of 2021.
SATO’s Drone Soccer program has helped students apply the skills they learn in STEM classes as well as build their communication and teamwork skills.
“I’ve made a bunch of new friends just by being in the club, I’ve been more social, I’ve been a better communicator,” Black said.
As their success has catapulted them into a Long Beach sports powerhouse, the team’s goals have shifted from just having fun to placing first in every single tournament they enter.
Kira Black, senior and president of the SATO Drone Soccer Club, talks with the team on Dec. 9, 2025 as they draw up different types of formations during their last practice. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)
SATO’s program has also helped influence other schools across the United States. According to the U.S. Drone Soccer Association, U.S. Drone Soccer has reached 300+ schools and organizations, serving 5,000+ students in 38 states.
The team has also been instrumental in getting other drone soccer teams in Long Beach started, allowing the Millikan High School drone soccer team to practice at SATO and loaning them drones to use.
Albert and his wife, Andrea Gallo, are co-founders of California Drone Sports, which holds camps, coaching clinics and helps fundraise for schools with the goal of continuing to expand, promote and support drone soccer programs throughout California.
Even with all of the success as one of the pioneers of drone soccer in California, the team faces challenges on the horizon.
Twelve seniors from the official teams will soon be graduating from SATO, which means more than half the program is leaving. Gallo’s main goal is restructuring the team while maintaining their competitiveness, he said.
SATO Drone Soccer Club head coach and team founder Albert Gallo poses with the team’s awards, trophies and a signed team USA shirt on Dec. 9, 2025 in Long Beach. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)
“I’m gonna miss these kids the most because there’s 12 of them,” Gallo said. “[To] see them go on to do great things is gratifying, but it’s also the knowledge base that is leaving.”
The other challenge is finding money to get students to international tournaments. During the tournament in China, donations from the Long Beach Airport and Supervisor Janice Hahn were divided between hotel rooms and equipment, while the students’ parents paid for the flights to China.
“I heard there’s a tournament coming up in April in France and I would love to take a team, but where do we find the money? You could probably find money for hotels and food but who’s gonna pay for the flights?” Gallo said.
Gallo said they’re hoping to have an invitational on Jan. 31 and host a regional competition on March 21.
“I would love to fill the stands with more fans and more people wanting to come,” he said. “[The March 21 event] would be great just for people to come out and watch and see what drone soccer is about.”
For more information about their program and events, follow SATO’s Drone Soccer Club on Instagram.
Samuel Chacko
Photojournalist
Samuel Chacko is an award-winning photojournalist from Long Beach, California. Samuel currently works as a freelance journalist for multiple publications and he is a class of 2025 Cal State Long Beach graduate. Samuel loves watching sports (the Ravens and the Yankees) and taking photos. Check out more of Samuel’s work here: https://samuelchacko.com/
“His sudden passing will be felt deeply by all who knew him.” That’s what the East Alton Police Department posted on social media, Friday, following the death of Officer Jack Stalcup on Christmas Day.
The 69-year-old Stalcup had served in various capacities with EAPD since his retirement as a South Roxana police officer. He served 32 years there.
East Alton Police say Stalcup also worked with parks and recreation to coordinate youth sports and volunteered with village events.
Visitation is from four until seven Tuesday afternoon at Mark’s Mortuary in Wood River. The funeral service will be on Wednesday at eleven.
A friend sent me a photo of Mt. Holly in Michigan. Funny thing is, that’s where I first learned how to ski with my brother and my parents. I wore two pair of heavy socks and a pair of red rubber boots. My feet froze and I don’t remember having fun. Just being cold.
Mt. Holly opened in 1956, I was 8 years old and my brother was 10. My parents were in their early 40s. I’ve always thought that they were brave to begin a sport like skiing in their 40s.
But in Michigan, you either huddle by a fire or get out and enjoy the snow. My family enjoyed the snow.
I remember wearing an old pair of my mom’s ice skates. They weren’t figure skates just plain white skates. I always thought that if I had had figure skates I could have been a contender. But no, I ended up skating on my ankles with absolutely no support. I was the worst skater in the neighborhood.
Skiing was about the same. My brother got a pair of Head skis, great ones available at the time, and I skied on a pair of wooden skis until I was 16. It was after my brother died that I inherited his skis. At 6 feet 3 inches, his skis weren’t for me at 5 feet 7 inches. They completely ruined my skiing. But that’s what I got.
It’s my belief that if your children are going to participate in a sport, they should have the tools/equipment to do so, even though it’s not always easy as equipment is expensive.
Maybe my parents knew I was clumsy. But then they must have known that I persevered for decades in skiing, even after a ski accident that caused a spinal injury. Not in skating though as I never skated on a pair of descent skates.
Renting equipment helps while learning to ski.
My friend Mabel said, “Being one of the parents in the stands for wrestling competitions was like watching paint dry because it would take forever with only two wrestlers wrestling at a time. It was boring and I’d take a book. If my son didn’t make it to the next level, I’d have to stay, for it was a team sport, even for the parents as it wasn’t good sportsmanship to dip out. Rah, rah, rah.”
One friend told me they were dirt poor when she was a kid, and she tried soccer but wasn’t good at it. But she found her love for horses through her dad, a horse trader, so she rode horses and still does.
MoneyFit had great tips on how to budget for youth sports.
Rather than buying all the equipment at one time, get the most important gear, i.e. helmets and cleats for football and skates and helmets for hockey.
Many sports stores have used gear. As with clothing, kids outgrow equipment so it’s a good idea to check with sport stores in your area for items. Also, teams have gear-swaps. If your child is moving up an age bracket, there are others also moving up and leaving their equipment for a child behind them.
Comments on Reddit say that Rec Leagues are much more affordable than competitive sports travel/clubs. Rec Leagues also provide great coaching and skill building for players.
Several comments said the players’ parents should look at helping the team with coaching and other volunteering, plus consider working at events to raise funds for the team to offset the cost of their child/children’s sports.
I have three great grandsons and I’m sure (knock wood) their parents are planning wisely as all three are playing sports.
What’s a girl to do?…guess it’s time to start a “sports fund.”
127 Sports Intensity (FBC) will host their annual boys & girls Basketball Jamborees at Fairfield High School, in January. Girls divisions are set for Saturday, January 24th, with the boys divisions on Saturday, the 31st. Mike Schmidt, at Fairfield High, is looking for girls & boys who’d like to participate & play in the Basketball Jamborees. Please contact Athletic Director Mike Schmidt, at Fairfield High School, at www.fairfieldeagles.com, & then get set to JAMBOREE! Go Eagles!!
The Wilmington High wrestling team hosted its annual Sons of Italy tournament last weekend.
Before the Sons event, Wilmington competed at the Wakefield tournament.
In Wakefield, both Mason Kwiatkowski (157 pounds) and Jonathan Panatta (heavyweight) placed sixth. Samuel Beaudoin (106) and Joshua Lopez (140) picked up some good wins also.
Last year, Wilmington finished 3-12 overall in dual meets, but return plenty of experience with captains Kwiatkowski and junior Theo Bryson leading the way.
Other top returners include senior heavyweight Jonathan Panatta, junior Adam Saied at 165 and sophomores Domenic Bonanno, Ronan O’Shea, Beaudoin, Rafael Hernandez, Joshua Lopez and Colby O’Brien.
Newcomers include sophomore Gabriel Andrade and freshman Jordan Wedge.
“We have a great group of second-year wrestlers that we are confident will make an impact on the team’s performance,” said WHS coach Kevin Riley. “Samuel Beaudoin, Joshua Lopez and Colby O’Brien all picked up some quality wins at the varsity level and we are excited to witness their continued progress. Adam Saied and our junior captain Theo Bryson are now upperclassmen. They are both looking to rebound from a previously shortened season due to injury. We are excited for their return. Our heavyweight, Jonathan Panatta is looking to build upon a great junior year picking up several quality wins including success at the Lowell Holiday Tournament. Our senior captain, Mason Kwiatkowski is focused on making his final year his best yet. He produced a lot of quality wins for the team last year and they look forward to his leadership for the 2025-2026 season. We welcome David Watson to our coaching staff.
Coach Watson brings a vast amount of wrestling experience and family pedigree to the table and we are fortunate to have him. We are also fortunate to have former standout wrestling alums Evan Walsh and Ken Adams back as assistants. Both Coach Walsh and Adams bring college level experience to the table which is invaluable.”
Gymnasts ready
The Wilmington High gymnastics team is ready for a solid season.
The Wildcats will be led by seniors Sienna Brickman, Maddie Plurad and Lexie Masters this season.
Juniors on the team include Jordan Haering and Isabelle Maiella while sophomores are Emma Callahan, Martina Andreeva and Lindsay Fontana.
Freshmen on the squad consist of Emmy Rada, Kelli Tkachuk, Isaure Pretot, Janice Ryou, Grace Call and Lily O’Connor.
Three eighth graders will compete with the Wildcats including Gia Slusher, Teagan Sullivan and Liora Dashevsky.
“We hope to have a great season,” said WHS coach Kristen Hannon. “We have our returning captains Lexie and Maddy, who are entering their senior season. Along with our other senior Sienna returning, we have our new junior captain Emma returning; as well as our other juniors Jordan, Isabelle and sophomores Martina and Lindsay. We have the potential to use a variety of our talented kids in the all-around or at least to fill in the gaps where needed on other events. We hope to keep up the success and momentum we have had from this past season, while building for the future.”
Swimmers optimistic
The Wilmington High swim team is partnering with North Reading this winter with coach Jim Boyle as the head coach.
The squad was 1-5 last season, but is looking forward to improving this year.
Senior Ella Dong and junior Cole Falk are the team captains while other returning letter winners for the Wildcats include senior Vijay Cudia, senior Declan Savage, senior Jon Mehr, senior Gabby Latson, junior Cooper O’Shea, junior Kyle Griffin, junior Angelia Vo, sophomore Stella Michaud and freshman Emily Falk.
Promising newcomers are freshmen Alita Nguansiri, Ruby Davidson and Molly Bagtaz along with eighth grader Vasili Listapod.
“Our goal is to continue growing the team while becoming increasingly competitive within the Cape Ann League,” Boyle said. “We have several swimmers with the potential to qualify for Sectionals and States, led by junior Cole Falk, who aims to build on his top-five finishes in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly at last year’s state championships.
Girls hockey drops opener
The Wilmington Girls Hockey is starting in a new co-op opportunity with Wakefield this season.
The team will be led by senior captain, Vivien Savoie, who was the squad’s leading goal scorer last season.
Also returning are goalie, Emma Allard, forwards Dani Chillemi and Olivia Raposa and on defense, Emma Ebert.
Freshmen Kelsie Morrow and Riley Lopes are exciting new additions as well as sophomore Rita Bishop, who is coming off of being out with an injury last year.
Woburn beat Wakefield/Wilmington last Saturday evening, at Stoneham Arena, 3-0.
Allard had 29 saves on the day.
“Yes, she (Allard) was tough to beat, last year (with Stoneham/Wilmington), and we put a lot of shots on her,” said Woburn coach Steve Kennedy. “I would have liked to have seen more offensive production, but they (Warrior Cats) were a good team.”
Wilmington/Wakefield’s best chance came from Savoie as she had a last-second breakaway in the middle stanza.
Orange’s leading scorer Friday night Ivan Kim in the tournament opener. (PHOTOS: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).
Orange’s boys basketball team got off to a slow start and couldn’t recover, falling to Incline High of Nevada 52-32 in an opening round game of the 60th annual Orange Holiday Basketball Classic Friday at Orange.
Incline forward Halen Hanson led all scorers with 17 points to help the team snap a five-game losing streak and improved its record to 4-6 while Orange (5-9) lost its third consecutive game.
To see additional photos, click on the first photo:
Incline players left to right with Coach Tim Kelly, Halen Hansen, Jonah Miller, Lucas MacDonald and Andrew Bodel after the win Friday.
Orange Coach Jake Rhodes (fourth from left) talks to his team during a timeout.
Irvine players warm up before Friday’s game.
“We lack basketball awareness and making adjustments,” said Panthers Coach Jake Rhodes, who was missing four players due to sickness and unavailability. “We’re not shooting well. I think we’re shooting something like 18 percent from the 3-point line. We can’t continue to try and shoot over taller opponents in the paint. We must push through this and be focused on the fact that the team comes first.”
The Panthers fell behind 14-7 in the opening quarter but held Incline scoreless over the final 3:40 of the quarter and added baskets by Sebastian Nunez and Fernando Reyes to cut the lead to 14-11 after eight minutes of play.
Both teams didn’t shoot well in the second quarter. The Panthers were held to two baskets by Anthony Randle and Ivan Kim in the quarter but still only trailed 23-15 at halftime.
Orange’s shooting woes continued in the third quarter as the Panthers didn’t sink a bucket until Alex Villa nailed a 3-pointer with 1:12 left in the quarter, but Orange trailed 36-21 after three quarters and the Highlanders cruised to a victory.
“Shooting has been our big problem,” said Panthers assistant coach Rob Nasman. “Our defense is improving but as a team we’re still having too many lapses and we’re giving up too many second chance points.”
Orange forced 13 turnovers in the game but was never able to draw any closer than 10 points of the lead in the second half.
“We didn’t have the energy today; we need to come out with more energy,” said Ivan Kim , who led Orange with 13 points. “We know we’re better than this and we know what we are capable of, but we have to prove it.”
The Highlanders were consistently able to drive into the lane for layups and limited Orange to one shot on the offensive end. Incline also outrebounded the Panthers and moved the ball efficiently.
“Tonight was the best job we did all season getting Lucas MacDonald the ball in the key,” said Incline’s coach Tim Kelly. “We need to get him the ball more in the paint for him to be effective. We are still trying to find our identity as a team.”
“We did good getting back on defense, moving the ball, rebounding and getting key baskets,” said Hanson, who scored 10 points for the Highlanders.
In other tournament games, Fullerton defeated Boulder City, Nev. 54-42 and Shadow Ridge topped Irvine 50-49.
Notes:
—Orange will play Shadow Ridge of Nevada on Saturday at 6 p.m. while Incline faces Irvine at 7:30.
–—The Orange Holiday Basketball Classic is the longest running Christmas basketball Tournament in Orange County. The event started Friday, including boys’ and girls’ divisions with the girls championship game scheduled Tuesday at 6 p.m. The boys’ final will follow at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday night.
—In the boys division, Pool A consists of Incline, Nevada; Irvine, Orange and Shadow Ridge of Nevada, Nev. Pool B will include Boulder City, Nevada, Cerritos, Fullerton, and Long Beach Wilson.
—In the girls division, Pool A includes Apple Valley, Laguna Hills, Montclair, and Valley Christian. Pool B includes Cabrillo, Fullerton, Irvine, Orange.
—Incline’s coach Tim Kelly is the son-in-law of former Servite football coach Larry Toner. Kelly said his son, John Paul Kelly, is currently an eighth grader and is a skillful basketball player who plans to relocate to Southern California next season and attend Servite or Mater Dei and play basketball.
—Incline High School is in Nevada on the north shore of Lake Tahoe.
