For the last 18 years, longtime Wellington resident Chris Fratalia has been serving as the volunteer president of the Wellington Wolves travel basketball program. During that time, he has been the heart and soul of the organization. Whether it was ordering uniforms, organizing practice times, planning travel for an out-of-town basketball tournament or running the longtime March Madness tournament in Wellington, Fratalia was very involved in getting things done.

As the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. This past fall, Fratalia stepped aside as the president of the Wolves, which means the organization is now moving forward under the leadership of Mike Colin.

Longtime Wellington Wolves supporter John Sitomer said that Fratalia was a brilliant administrator and will be missed.

“Chris did the work of 10 people,” Sitomer said. “He showcased tremendous leadership. His legacy with the Wolves is amazing.”

Throughout the year, Fratalia oversaw the administrative and business side of the Wolves organization.

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“With my marketing and business background, I focused on the business operations of the Wolves,” said Fratalia, who grew up in Charlestown, Massachusetts, where he played football and ice hockey. “I always left the coaching of the Wolves teams to our coaches.”

Fratalia started his long tenure with the Wolves because of his son’s interest in basketball.

“Years ago, my son, Max, was in the fifth grade, and he wanted to play basketball, so we visited Village Park to see what opportunities there were to play youth basketball,” Fratalia said. “I quickly realized that I could help the Wellington Wolves organization. I was asked to join the board of directors. And then I was asked to be the president. That was 18 years ago.”

Through the years, one of Fratalia’s strengths was understanding marketing and branding.

“In the early days, I would get clothing made that showcased our logo and our organizational name. We would sell the items at cost,” Fratalia recalled. “Then, when I would visit gyms around Palm Beach County to watch a basketball game, and I’d see people wearing our clothing. That helped spread awareness.”

A big part of Fratalia’s work with the Wolves was organizing and conducting the annual March Madness basketball tournament, which attracts more than 100 youth basketball teams from Florida and elsewhere to Wellington for a two-day event, always held in early March.

“I would start my early preparations in August, and in the week leading up to the tournament, I would take a week’s vacation from work to take care of final details,” recalled Fratalia, now in his 27th year as a sales director for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. “Our March Madness tournament expanded to 18 basketball courts around Palm Beach County.”

The organizational tournament work performed by Fratalia did not go unnoticed.

“We won the U.S. Amateur Award for the top travel basketball tournament for seven straight years,” Fratalia noted.

Besides running a travel basketball organization, Fratalia oversaw the creation of a shoe drive, a food drive, and helped with the Council of Dads, a group of adults who help tutor student-athletes with the Wolves who needed a helping hand with homework and their academic obligations.

Looking back at his time with the Wolves, Fratalia is quick to thank other people for their support.

“I had a very supportive board of directors who understood our mission,” Fratalia said. “I also want to thank Eric Juckett and Ryan Hagopian with the Village of Wellington for their ongoing support. Also, my wife Kate was very supportive of the time that I spent with the Wolves.”

As Fratalia reflects on his time guiding the Wolves, he will miss the relationships he made with players, coaches, parents, sponsors and referees.

“It has been a great ride, and it’s time to turn over control to a new group of leaders in Wellington’s basketball community,” Fratalia said.

Without a doubt, Fratalia will be missed and never forgotten.

Coach Ringo Bossenmeyer leading the Tillers in a game last season. (PHOTO: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).

The long-running Tustin Boys Basketball Classic has a new name.

It’s been renamed in honor of former Tiller coach Ringo Bossenmeyer, according to new Tustin Coach Jonathan Antolin. Bossenmeyer resigned at the end of last season after 25 seasons leading the Tillers. He joined the staff of the Chapman University men’s basketball team.

The Ringo Bossenmeyer Tustin Holiday Classic begins on Friday at Tustin High School and has pool play games through Monday. The championship is Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at Tustin.

Tustin, Servite, Hawaii Baptist and Huntington Park are in Pool A. St. Anthony, Tesoro, Mercer Island and Beckman are in Pool B.

Pool play schedule:

Friday, Dec. 26:

St. Anthony vs. Beckman, 3 p.m.; Servite vs. Huntington Park, 4:30 p.m.; Tesoro vs. Mercer Island, 6 p.m.; Tustin vs. Hawaii Baptist, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 27:

Mercer Island vs. Beckman, 3 p.m.; Tesoro vs. St. Anthony, 4:30 p.m.; Hawaii Baptist vs. Huntington Park, 6 p.m.; Servite vs. Tustin, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 29:

Servite vs. Hawaii Baptist, noon; Tesoro vs. Beckman, 1:30 p.m.; St. Anthony vs. Mercer Island, 3 p.m.; Tustin vs. Huntington Park. 4:30 p.m.

Send basketball news to timburt@ocsportszone.com

Lely’s 3-0 shutout of Estero on Friday, December 19, could best be described as workmanlike. Trojans coach Robbie Schank, in year 32 at the helm, has coached—and won—a lot of games over that span.

Schank got after his young team at halftime, even though they were sitting on a 2-0 lead.

“Yeah,” Schank said. “Sometimes we’ve got to do that.”

But that doesn’t mean the coach isn’t pleased with his talented but inexperienced squad.

“I thought it was good,” he said, “we scored early. We controlled it. We got the clean sheet.”

A clean sheet in soccer is a shutout.

“We didn’t get scored on,” Schank said, “so that’s always a good thing. We didn’t have to go too crazy because we had the comfortable lead in the first half. And then we just tried to limit it. We just controlled it, slowed it down. If we have the ball, they can’t score. That’s always a blessing when we’re on our attacking side.”

Senior Ty Collins, who leads the team with 18 goals, started the scoring with a close-in goal just three minutes into the game. Eight minutes later, freshman Daniel Otero nailed a goal from 30 yards out. Collins finished the scoring by advancing the ball from midfield, then scoring in front of the Estero goalie with two minutes left in the game.

Schank has just three seniors on his squad. He sees his team’s overall youth as a good thing and a challenge.

“The strength of our team is youth,” he said. “It’s a very freshman, sophomore underclassmen-laden team. Our weakness is just the lack of experience. We don’t have that senior leadership because we don’t have the experience. So, I’ll have to use my experience to guide them through that.”

Fortunately, Schank has a couple of outstanding seniors.

“We’ve got Ty up top,” he said. “He’s always a threat, and he’s rusty. He got beat up in football. So, he’s still nursing a couple little injuries. So, we don’t have him at 100 percent. But he’s always a threat. If he gets the ball, you’d better be on your A game. And we’ve got another senior, Stive Argueta. He’s been commanding the middle for us with his hustle and his tenacity.”

Another leader for Schrank is an underclassman.

“In the back, we’ve got Landon Harmon,” Schrank said. “He’s a sophomore on the left side. He’s our setup man in the back. He’s been really putting the ball up through and creating the attack from the back.”

With his team sitting at 8-3-4 heading into Winter Break, Schrank has an interesting plan for his squad.

“We have a bunch of alumni teams being set up that we’re going to be playing here in the evenings,” he said. “They all want to challenge this team.”

So how does Schrank see this team stacking up against some of his better Lely teams over the years?

“This one’s right up there with them,” he said with a smile. “And the postseason will show you that. We still have some key components out with injuries right now. When those guys arrive, we will be alive.”

Lely travels to Palmetto Ridge on January 6, then returns home against Cape Coral on January 13. Both games are at 7:00 PM.

Registration for Patterson Little League’s 2026 season is now underway!

Registration for both Patterson Little League’s baseball and softball programs are currently running until January 9, 2026.

For baseball, young athletes can start their baseball journey as early as four years old and registration is available for players up to the age of 15. As for softball, registration begins at the age of seven and, like baseball, is available until 15 years of age.

The season will begin in March, and registration is currently available at PattersonLittleLeague.org.

This season, the Mount Si freshman football team played for more than wins. They played in honor of David Heyting, a Snoqualmie Valley native and longtime youth football coach who died in May after a 14-year battle with brain cancer.

Heyting coached many of the players during their junior football years, helping shape not only their skills on the field, but their confidence, character, and love of the game. He never had the chance to see them take the field as high school athletes.

That legacy followed them anyway. This year’s freshman head coach was Brian Tawney, Heyting’s brother-in-law, a Mount Si leadership teacher and longtime community mentor. What unfolded became a season defined by purpose, family, and connection.

The team finished undefeated, but the measure of the season was never the scoreboard. From helmet stickers and wrist tape marked “DH” to moments of reflection that carried through every practice and game, the players chose to honor the coach who had once guided them, carrying his influence forward together.

For Brian Tawney, coaching the Mount Si freshman team carried a weight that went far beyond a typical season. These were the last players David Heyting had coached during their junior football years, a fact that stayed close for Tawney as he stepped into the role. Before David became sick, the two had even talked about coaching freshmen together one day. In that sense, Tawney said the season felt like a continuation of David’s work and his legacy in the Valley, with the same group of kids David had believed in now taking the field at the high school level.

From the start, Tawney made it clear that football was a vehicle, not the destination. His focus was on teaching life skills the players could carry with them long after the season ended. “We often talk about using football as a vehicle to build great young men of character,” he said. Practices and games became opportunities to learn how to handle discomfort, accountability, and pressure. Tawney noted that the moments when the team struggled were often the most valuable, because that was where the most growth happened, both individually and as a group.

David’s influence on Tawney’s approach was constant, shaped by years of conversations about coaching philosophy and leadership. Tawney recalled watching former players seek David out at games, checking in on him and showing genuine care, something he saw as a reflection of the kind of coach David had been. “After seeing him with the kids and those talks I knew that a lot of our coaching points matched up,” Tawney said. That alignment gave him confidence, and it reinforced his belief in leaning into difficult conversations and leading with intention and purpose throughout the season.

Throughout the season, the players found their own ways to honor David. Many wrote “DH” on their arms or wrist tape before games, while others added helmet stickers made in his memory. Coach Tawney said the tribute was introduced briefly at the beginning of the year, and participation was optional. Some players chose additional personal markings on their pads, but the focus was never forced. The intention, Tawney explained, was to help the team learn how to play for others, without allowing the season to become centered solely on loss.

That purpose showed up week after week. Tawney described seeing players hold each other accountable, encourage one another, and care deeply about their teammates throughout the season. One mother described the connection simply, saying, “David had his hands on these boys every single game.” For the players, honoring their former coach became a quiet constant, woven into practices, games, and the way they showed up as teammates, carrying his influence forward together as the season unfolded.

Jason Wilmot, who coached Junior Wildcat Football alongside David Heyting for four years and coached alongside Brian Tawney this year, said the connection between those early teams and this season was impossible to miss. The team went undefeated their 8th grade year. “Our 8th grade championship was played in brutal conditions-sideways rain and wind. David came in a wheelchair that night to support the kids he coached for years. It would have been so easy for him to stay home. But he was there because those boys mattered more to him than his own comfort. This year, when 40 of those same kids went undefeated as freshmen, we saw David in every play. As an offensive line coach, David taught them that football is won in the trenches with teamwork, sacrifice and effort. David taught them that life is always won with teamwork, sacrifice and effort!”

David’s sister Keri said her brother was giving and selfless, someone who constantly showed up for the people and the community he loved. A three-sport athlete in high school, David remained deeply involved in youth sports long after his own playing days, coaching flag football and junior football, serving as a baseball umpire, and managing a Little League umpire program. As his own children grew older, he continued coaching with Wildcat Junior Football alongside his oldest son, Colby. “I think kids responded so well to David because he was steady and approachable,” she said. “He led with a calm, focused presence, and he was the kind of person you never wanted to let down because your respect for him ran so deep.”

David’s son, Colby Heyting, a Mount Si grad now at Montana State who helped him coach Junior Wildcat football, said his father’s connection with young athletes came from the way he showed up for them. “I believe the connection he had with the youth was so impactful simply because he proved what love does. He was there for every kid and knew what it took to make every kid feel loved and seen. He did more than just talk, he proved it by the way he lived his life and loved on kids so well. He was the first guy to shout out the kid that was struggling or having a bad day. He made every kid feel important and that’s why he has such a big impact on the youth.”

Colby also described what it meant to see the team honor his dad throughout the season. “It was such a blessing seeing the boys he coached honor him through their season. Seeing the impact he left on that team that they would do that for him was so awesome. They are such an incredible group of boys who made the whole community feel their love for him”

Watching the Mount Si freshman team choose to honor David throughout the season carried deep meaning for the family. His sister said one of the hardest parts of losing someone is the fear that their memory will fade, a fear eased by seeing the boys intentionally carry him with them.

She recalled bringing David to watch the team play when he was deep into his cancer battle and losing mobility and being struck by how the players checked in on him with kindness and maturity. “Having the Mount Si Freshman team honor David this season meant the world,” she said. “The boys truly wanted to honor David’s memory and embraced a larger purpose for the season, one rooted in heart, not just athletic ability.”

The Mount Si freshman football team finished the season undefeated. As the final whistle sounded, the moment carried significance beyond the record. It was the season David Heyting never had the chance to see, but one that reflected the values he had passed on to the players long before they reached the high school field.

After the final game, Coach Brian Tawney gathered the team and spoke to them about what the season had meant. He told the boys how every practice, every game, and every moment of grit had been played in honor of David. He spoke about their heart, their resilience, and the way they showed up for one another throughout the season. As he spoke, Tawney was visibly overwhelmed.

He then looked into the stands for his wife, David’s sister, and for Sue Heyting, David’s mother. Tawney walked to them and wrapped them in an embrace. The tears that followed reflected both the weight of loss and the pride felt by a family and a community at the close of a season shaped by connection, care, and purpose.

The Moorhead Spuds won when they faced the Sartell Sabres at Moorhead Sports Center on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025.

The final score was 10-3.

The Spuds took the lead in the first period, with a goal from John Gramer. Max Cullen and Evan Wanner assisted.

The Spuds’ Will Cullen made it 2-0 in the middle of the first period, assisted by George Arnold and Brandon Mickelson.

The Spuds’ Zac Zimmerman increased the lead to 3-0 halfway through the first, assisted by Brandon Mickelson.

The Spuds made it 4-0 with a goal from George Arnold late in the first, assisted by Drew Kortan and Will Cullen.

The second period ended with a 7-2 lead for the Spuds.

Brandon Mickelson increased the lead to 8-2 with a goal in the third period, assisted by Max Cullen.

Seamus Campbell also made it 9-2 with a goal two minutes later, assisted by Will Cullen.

Preston Deragisch narrowed the gap to 9-3 with a goal less than a minute later.

Drew Kortan then increased the lead to 3-10 with a goal four minutes later, assisted by Gage Kallhoff and Noah Petersen.

Next games:

The Spuds will face against the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders on Thursday, Jan. 01, 2026, at Dakotah! Ice Center, with the Sabres set to challenge Blake on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at St. Louis Park Rec Center.

Read more prep coverage

Scoring:

Minnesota, Moorhead Sports Center

2nd December 2025

Sartell Sabres at Moorhead Spuds

10-3

1st period:

Moorhead Spuds, 0–1 (8:26) John Gramer

Moorhead Spuds, 0–2 (10:56) Will Cullen

Moorhead Spuds, 0–3 (11:29) Zac Zimmerman

Moorhead Spuds, 0–4 (13:50) George Arnold

2nd period:

0–5 (24:15) John Gramer, 0–6 (24:54) Brandon Mickelson, 1–6 (27:15) Lane Larson, 2–6 (29:43) Preston Deragisch, 2–7 (33:39) Will Cullen

3rd period:

2–8 (48:25) Brandon Mickelson, 2–9 (50:04) Seamus Campbell, 3–9 (50:59) Preston Deragisch, 3–10 (54:26) Drew Kortan