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Maroons win eight events at Dillon track meet

DILLON – The Butte Central boys won eight events and placed second in the team standings Friday at the Dillon Invitational high school track meet held at Vigilante Field.The host Dillon program won both team championships with the Beaver boys scoring 138.40 points and the girls totaling 284.With two wins each by Danny McCarthy and […]

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DILLON – The Butte Central boys won eight events and placed second in the team standings Friday at the Dillon Invitational high school track meet held at Vigilante Field.
The host Dillon program won both team championships with the Beaver boys scoring 138.40 points and the girls totaling 284.
With two wins each by Danny McCarthy and Keefer McGree and wins also by the relay teams, Will McGree and Justus McGee, the Butte Central boys stacked 127.20 points for second place in the team standings. Whitehall was third in the nine-school meet with 78.33.
The McGrees are first cousins.
The girls’ team competition saw Leadore, Idaho, scored 47 points to finish as distant runnersup to Dillon. Whitehall was third with 41 and Butte Central was next with 34.
McCarthy won the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes in 11.4 and 24.0 seconds, respectively. Keefer McGree came in first in both hurdles events, clocking 16.0 seconds in the 110-meter highs and 42.5 in the 300-meter intermediates. Will McGree sprang a 35-foot, 9-inch landing to take the triple jump and Justus McGee marked 19-7 ¼ for first place in the long jump. The 400-meter relay team won in 45.3 seconds and was made up of Keefer McGree, Patrick Stimatz, Palmer Kellicut and McGee. The 1,600-meter quartet of Will McGree, Grady Button, Burkley Lakkala and Teghan Sparks clocked 3:55.2 in its win.
Stimatz was a close second to McCarthy in the 100, Ayden Abraham placed sixth in the 200, Kellicut placed second to McGree in the intermediate hurdles and third in the highs. Michael Peck threw to fourth-place finishes in both the shot put and the discus. Will McGree was fourth in the javelin and McGee placed third in the high jump.
Eighth-grader Evyn Tippett placed in the sprints for the Butte Central girls, taking second in the 200 and third in the 100. Morgan Hardy placed sixth in the 800-meter run. Two Maroons placed in the girls’ 1,600-meter run as Lexa Thompson came in fourth and Nicolina Galindo fifth. Galindo was also fifth in the 800. Their 400-meter relay squad placed fifth. Caden Tippett was the runnerup in the girls’ shot put and Molly Peck was sixth for Butte Central in the discus.
Place-winners follow:
Boys
Team scores – Dillon 138.40, Butte Central 127.20, Whitehall 78.33, Twin Bridges 41.20, Townsend 33, West Yellowstone 24.20, Leadore, Idaho 16.33, Manhattan 15, Sheridan 11.33, Lima 11.
100 – 1, Danny McCarthy, Butte Central, 11.4. 2, Patrick Stimatz, Butte Central, 11.6. 3, Brooks Ressler, Whitehall, 11.9. 4, Canin Christiansen, Dillon, 12.0. 5, Jrney Mataafa, Dillon, 12.1. 6, Iverson Wiggins, Dillon, 12.2.
200 – 1, Danny McCarthy, Butte Central, 24.0. 2, Levi Maunu, Dillon, 24.9. 3, Noah Flores, West Yellowstone, 25.4. 4, Tripp Lefdahl, Dillon, 25.5. 5, Mason Reynolds, Manhattan, 25.6. 6, Ayden Abraham, Butte Central, 25.9.
400 – 1, Kalen Martinell, Lima, 58.1. 2, Abrams Clark, West Yellowstone, 58.9. 3, Gavin Greene, Townsend, 1:01.8. 4, Morgan Andren, Whitehall, 1:03.4. 5, Briggs Munns, Sheridan, 1:04.1. 6, Keaton Cavasos, Townsend, 1:04.6.
800 – 1, Mateus Brown, Leadore, 2:15.3. 2, Gabriel Huber, Dillon, 2:19.5. 3, Alex McElderry, Whitehall, 2:25.1. 4, Gavin Greene, Townsend, 2:27.8. 5, Avery Charlton, West Yellowstone, 2:31.6. 6, Hunter Grimm, Twin Bridges, 2:37.5.
1,600 – 1, Gabriel Huber, Dillon, 5:06.2. 2, Gavin Greene, Townsend, 5:20.4. 3, Avery Charlton, West Yellowstone, 5:27.6. 4, Alex McElderry, Whitehall, 5:31.6. 5, Porter Hopman, Dillon, 5:32.1. 6, Remi Jorgensen, Twin Bridges, 5:35.5.
3,200 – 1, Porter Hopman, Dillon, 12:27.5.
110 hurdles – 1, Keefer McGree, Butte Central, 16.0. 2, Cody Hopper, Dillon, 16.6. 3, Palmer Kellicut, Butte Central, 16.8. 4, RJ Aragon, Whitehall, 16.9. 5, Ty Wellman, Twin Bridges, 18.4. 6, Simon Powner, Manhattan, 21.0.
300 hurdles – 1, Keefer McGree, Butte Central, 42.5. 2, Palmer Kellicut, Butte Central, 45.8. 3, Flint Janzen, Twin Bridges, 47.7. 4, Ty Wellman, Twin Bridges, 48.7. 5, Mateus Brown, Leadore, 50.4.
400 relay – 1, Butte Central (Keefer McGree, Patrick Stimatz, Palmer Kellicut, Justus McGee), 45.3. 2, Dillon 46.5. 3, Butte Central “B” 47.9. 4, Dillon “B” 48.5. 5, Twin Bridges 49.5. 6, Townsend 52.3.
1,600 relay – 1 Butte Central (Will McGree, Grady Button, Burkley Lakkala, Teghan Sparks) 3:55.2. 2, Twin Bridges 4:01.4. 3, Dillon 4:04.2.
Shot put – 1, RJ Aragon, Whitehall, 39-8. 2, Trace Giomi, Townsend, 39-4. 3, Landen Miotke, Whitehall, 39-1. 4, Michael Peck, Butte Central,, 38-3. 5, Jared Ramsey, Leadore, 37-7. 6, Ethan Babcock, Twin Bridges, 37-5.
Discus – 1, Landen Miotke, Whitehall, 128-6. 2, Canin Christiansen, Dillon, 117-11. 3, Trace Giomi, Townsend, 113-9. 4, Michael Peck, Butte Central, 107-4. 5, Braxton Marxer, Leadore, 107-0. 6, Kalen Martinell, Lima, 106-10.
Javelin – 1, Flint Janzen, Twin Bridges, 137-0. 2, Kyler Theis, Sheridan, 135-6. 3, Cooper Abbey, Dillon, 134-0. 4, Will McGree, Butte Central, 130-2. 5, Brooks Ressler, Whitehall, 119-4. 6, Charles Larsen, Sheridan, 117-2.
High jump – 1, Cody Hopper, Dillon, 5-10. 2, Tucker Huckaba, Whitehall, 5-8. 3, Justus McGee, Butte Central, 5-6. 4, Joseph Dzenga, Dillon, 5-4. 5, Abrams Clark, West Yellowstone, 5-4. 6 (tie), Kyler Theis, Sheridan; Wyatt Foster, Leadore; and Lain Radliffe, Whitehall, 5-2.
Pole vault – 1, Cody Hopper, Dillon, 11-6. 2, Mason Reynolds, Manhattan, 11-0. 3, Canin Christiansen, Dillon, 10-0. 4, Kiowa Haynes, Manhattan, 10-0. 5, Levi Maunu, Dillon, 9-6. 6, Lain Radcliffe, Whitehall, 9-0.
Long jump – 1, Justus McGee, Butte Central, 19-7 ¼. 2, Canin Christiansen, Dillon, 19-5 ½. 3, Tucker Huckaba, Whitehall, 19-4. 4, Levi Maunu, Dillon, 18-7. 5, Cody Hopper, Dillon, 18-5 ¾. 6, Brooks Ressler, Whitehall, 17-8. Also, 7, Keefer McGree, Butte Central, 17-5. 8, Will McGree, Butte Central, 16-9.
Triple jump – 1, Will McGree, Butte Central, 35-9. 2, Jax Schuller, Whitehall, 35-6 ½. 3, Jay Mullaney, Twin Bridges, 35-4 ½. 4, Tripp Lefdahl, Dillon, 35-3 ¼. 5, Reece Hofer, Whitehall, 32-7 ¼.
Girls
Team scores – Dillon 284, Leadore, Idaho 47, Whitehall 42, Butte Central 34, Twin Bridges 29, Lima 14, West Yellowstone 14, Sheridan 10, Manhattan 8, Townsend 2.
100 – 1, Tatum Nagle, Dillon, 13.5. 2, Juliet Baker, Dillon, 13.9. 3, Evyn Tippett, Butte Central, 14.2. 4, Emma Bray, Whitehall, 14.3. 5, Tycie Davis, Sheridan, 14.4. 6, Kembri Schmidt, Manhattan, 14.5. Also, 7, Isla Bengston, Butte Central, 14.9.
200 – 1, Fayth Clarno, Dillon, 27.6. 2, Evyn Tippett, Butte Central, 30.2. 3, Tess Tash, Dillon, 30.8. 4, Jentry Dorvall, Whitehall, 31.6. 5, Alethia Martin, Whitehall, 31.7. 6, Sophia Boyd, Manhattan, 33.0.
400 – 1, Faye Holland, Dillon, 1:03.6. 2, Ava Graham, Dillon, 1:05.5. 3, Jentry Dorvall, Whitehall, 1:12.5. 4, Ashlynn Gray, Whitehall, 1:16.4. 5, Sierra Sherrard, Townsend, 1:22.2.e
800 – 1 Faye Holland, Dillon, 2:36.0. 2, Natalie Salinas, West Yellowstone, 2:58.0. 3, Kiersten Bernard, Lima, 3:17.8. 4, Gwen Kruse, Manhattan, 3:25.0. 5, Nicolina Galindo, Butte Central, 3:32.0. 6, Morgan Hardy, Butte Central, 3:56.2.
1,600 – 1, Azelynn Jones, Leadore, 5:41.3. 2, Ashlynn Gray, Whitehall, 6:15.8. 3, Natalie Salinas, West Yellowstone, 7:05.1. 4, Lexa Thompson, Butte Central, 7:06.2. 5, Nicolina Galindo, Butte Central, 7:50.6.
3,200 – 1, Azelynn Jones, Leadore, 12:34.0. 2, Elisa Roden, Lima, 18:10.6.
100 hurdles – 1, Riley McCoy, Dillon, 16.2. 2, Fayth Clarno, Dillon, 16.4. 3 (tie) Reine McCoy, Dillon, and Ava Graham, Dillon, 16.5. 5, Yeraldin Walton, Twin Bridges, 17.1. 6, Carli Wood, Twin Bridges, 18.8.
300 hurdles – 1, Reine McCoy, Dillon, 49.3. 2, Carli Wood, Twin Bridges, 51.9. 3, Yeraldin Walter, Twin Bridges, 52.0. 4, Valerie Smith, Dillon, 53.7. 5, Azelynn Jones, Leadore, 54.1. 6, Chapin Graham, Manhattan, 1:00.4.
400 relay – 1, Dillon (Fayth Clarno, Riley McCoy, Tatum Nagle, Reine McCoy) 51.0. 2, Dillon “B” 55.7. 3, Whitehall 56.2. 4, Twin Bridges 57.3. 5, Butte Central 59.4. 6, Manhattan 59.5.
1,600 relay – 1, Dillon (Juliet Baker, Ava Graham, Valerie Smith, Kenleigh Graham) 4:36.6. 2, Twin Bridges 4:46.9.
Shot put – 1, Olivia Maunu, Dillon, 31-8. 2, Caden Tippett, Butte Central, 31-3. 3, Shior Mataafa, Dillon, 30-8. 4, Lexi Bird, Leadore, 29-9. 5, Kenleigh Graham, Dillon, 29-2. 6, Haylee Bird, Leadore, 27-9.
Discus – 1, Haylee Bird, Leadore, 102-7 ½. 2, Kenleigh Graham, Dillon, 97-7. 3, Lexi Bird, Leadore, 91-8. 4, Clara Nittinger, Dillon, 90-3. 5, Shior Mataafa, Dillon, 77-1 ½. 6, Molly Peck, Butte Central, 75-7 ½.
Javelin – 1, Olivia Maunu, Dillon, 101-7 ½. 2, Tycie Davis, Sheridan, 98-1. 3, Juliet Baker, Dillon, 94-4 ½. 4, Brynna Gibson, Dillon, 91-8. 5, Lexi Bird, Leadore, 86-2. 6, Tess Tash, Dillon, 83-1.
High jump – 1, Amber Santos, Dillon, 4-6. 2, Violet Rhodes, Dillon, 4-4.
Pole vault – 1, Riley McCoy, Dillon, 10-7. 2, Amber Santos, Dillon, 9-6. 3, Kira Kemph, Dillon, 9-0. 4, Reine McCoy, Dillon, 7-6. 5, Juliet Baker, Dillon, 7-6. 6, Violet Rhodes, Dillon, 7-0. Also, 7, Brynna Gibson, Dillon, 6-6.
Long jump – 1, Reine McCoy, Dillon, 15-8 ½. 2, Tess Tash, Dillon, 15-2. 3, Amber Santos, Dillon, 14-11 ½. 4, Emma Bray, Whitehall, 14-9. 5, Ava Graham, Dillon, 14-7. 6, Kembri Schmidt, Dillon, 14-1. Also, 7, Meika Boyer, Butte Central, 14-0.
Triple jump – 1, Tess Tash, Dillon, 31-10. 2, Kira Kemph, Dillon, 31-1 ½. 3, Scarlett Garrison, Dillon, 30-10 ½. 4, Alethia Martin, Whitehall, 29-9. 5, Azelynn Jones, Leadore, 29-3.



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Anthony Richardson to Host Free Youth Camp in Gainesville

Gator football alumni and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson will host his youth camp, the Anthony Richardson Football Skills Academy, in his hometown of Gainesville. The camp, as part of the Anthony Richardson Foundation, is free for the public on June 21 at Citizens Park. For Richardson, the camp is an opportunity for young athletes […]

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Gator football alumni and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson will host his youth camp, the Anthony Richardson Football Skills Academy, in his hometown of Gainesville.

The camp, as part of the Anthony Richardson Foundation, is free for the public on June 21 at Citizens Park. For Richardson, the camp is an opportunity for young athletes to learn about character-building through high-level athletic training.

“This is about more than football. It’s about showing kids that with hard work, discipline, and the right support, they can achieve anything on the field and in life,” Richardson told the Alachua Chronicle.

The camp will include a parent summit called “Navigating the Journey of Parenting Athletes” hosted by Richardson’s mother, LaShawnda Cleare. The summit will help parents by having experts lead conversations on topics including financial literacy, mental health, access to legal services and more. The goal is to help families support their children on their athletic journey.

“I want them to walk away from this experience believing in themselves and knowing they have a team behind them,” Richardson said.

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Richardson led Florida at quarterback from 2020-2022 before going 4th overall to the Indianapolis Colts in the 2023 NFL Draft. He is currently out with a shoulder injury, though he is expected to be back for Colts training camp.

Richardson shoulder has been a consistent issue, being sidelined for most of 2023 with a similar injury. In his second year, he threw for 1,814 yards, eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions amidst shoulder and oblique injuries.

Richardson will compete with former Giants Quarterback Daniel Jones for the Colt’s starting job next season. Their battle for first on the depth chart begins at Indianapolis’ training camp, which will begin July 26th.





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Staten Island obituaries for June 11

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — In honor of those who have died, here is a compilation of obituaries posted on SILive. Viewing times and guest books can be seen obits.silive.com. Frank J. LoPrimo, 92, died peacefully on June 4, 2025, in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Born on Feb. 3, 1933, in the Bronx, N.Y., Frank moved […]

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — In honor of those who have died, here is a compilation of obituaries posted on SILive.

Viewing times and guest books can be seen obits.silive.com.

Frank J. LoPrimo, 92, died peacefully on June 4, 2025, in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Born on Feb. 3, 1933, in the Bronx, N.Y., Frank moved to Staten Island as a child, living most of his life in West Brighton. A proud U.S. Army veteran, he dedicated 36 years to serving as a firefighter with the FDNY in Manhattan and Staten Island. Frank was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who shared a passion for golf and coaching youth sports. He is deeply missed by his loving family. Read the full obituary on SILive.

Generative AI was used to produce an initial draft of this story based on data from Legacy.com. It was reviewed and edited by Advance/SILive.com staff.



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Dickson County hosts youth basketball camp

CASEY PATRICKDickson Post Dickson County Basketball Camp. DICKSON SPORTS MEDIA Dickson County Basketball Camp. DICKSON SPORTS MEDIA Dickson County Basketball Camp. DICKSON SPORTS MEDIA Dickson County Basketball Camp. DICKSON SPORTS MEDIA Dickson County Basketball Camp. DICKSON SPORTS MEDIA Dickson County Basketball Camp. DICKSON SPORTS MEDIA Dickson County Basketball Camp. DICKSON SPORTS MEDIA Dickson County Basketball […]

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Dickson County High School hosted its annual Cougar Basketball Camp with around 85 local youth, 50 boys and 35 girls, participating. 

“We really enjoy this week. It’s just the joy that these kids bring,” Dickson County coach Erin Webb said. “And we’ve got some competitive kids coming up so when you’re having to tone that down, that’s a great problem to have. Just watching my girls interact with these kids, the little girls and boys look up to them so much.” 

The camp, which was revitalized under Coach Webb, has continued to grow but not without help. Assistant coach Jana Baggett also helps run the camp with coach Webb and Webb credits her and the Lady Cougar athletes greatly for the camps’ success. Former players like AC Milam and Jada Fann also assisted with the camp as well as boys’ assistant Caleb Tuck. 

“This has probably been the easiest camp for me, because it’s been run for so long and my girls just don’t need my help to run it,” Webb said. “They don’t really need me, and Jana is always working with the kids, always helping them in whatever way. Adding in the other coaches and former players makes it a lot more fun too and adds to the camp’s atmosphere.” 

There’s no specific plan on changing or trying to improve the camp. Webb has had a few discussions, but nothing decided yet. 

“The play is to just keep building,” Webb said. “We just want to keep helping kids learn the game of basketball.” Dickson County basketball fans agree, and the camp makes future success of sports like basketball look even brighter.



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Who is Evelyn Shores? Meet the USWNT youth player winning NCAA titles and scoring $1m goals

University of North Carolina midfielder Evelyn Shores isn’t taking a break this summer. Six months after helping the Tar Heels capture their 23rd NCAA title,  she scored the winning goal last month for the U.S. women’s national team against Germany at under-23 level. And on Monday, she found the back of the net again, winning […]

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University of North Carolina midfielder Evelyn Shores isn’t taking a break this summer.

Six months after helping the Tar Heels capture their 23rd NCAA title,  she scored the winning goal last month for the U.S. women’s national team against Germany at under-23 level. And on Monday, she found the back of the net again, winning $1million for the US Women at The Soccer Tournament (TST) staged just miles from her university. 

Recruited by former USWNT midfielder Heather O’Reilly, 20 years her senior, Shores joined a team of American legends, including O’Reilly, Carli Lloyd and Ali Krieger, for the seven-a-side, winner-takes-all competition. 

“I was sprinting back to recover on defense, saw Heather (O’Reilly) win the ball, and just went. I was exhausted, but I had to go,” Shores tells The Athletic. “She put it on a platter for me. I had to finish it.”

Though still jetlagged from her trip across the Atlantic Ocean with the under-23s, Shores went straight into training alongside players she’d watched win World Cups and Olympic gold medals. 

“Playing one-v-one in practice with Carli Lloyd the day after flying in from Germany? That was insane,” she says. “They made us feel like equals. That was the craziest part.”

She was one of the five North Carolina (UNC) players O’Reilly invited to join her and the other World Cup winners at TST, which takes place over a week in Cary, North Carolina. 

“I have always liked Evelyn as a player, from the first minute I saw her play at Carolina,” O’Reilly tells The Athletic. “I’m thrilled that she had that goal, because she had a very good tournament and does a lot of nuanced work for the team that maybe isn’t flashy, but she had her moment, and we are all so happy about that.”

For Shores, TST was a refreshing change of pace.

“It’s such a fun tournament,” she says. “The ball moves fast, everyone’s pressing, you sub out the second you’re tired, and fans are basically on top of the field. It’s a different kind of soccer — and maybe more exciting for people who aren’t into the traditional 11 v 11 (format).”


Evelyn Shores was one of five UNC players to join USWNT legends at TST. (The Soccer Tournament)

The 20-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia, began her soccer journey at age four at Tophat FC, an elite youth academy in her home state. For Shores, soccer is a family tradition. Her mother, a former North Carolina player, was her first coach. Her grandpa had coached her mom. 

“I wrote a letter to myself in fifth grade saying I hoped I’d get a scholarship to UNC. I committed in eighth grade (a child’s aged 13 or 14 year),” Shores said. “I always knew I wanted to come here.”

That commitment has paid off. In her rookie year, she appeared in 13 matches, finishing that season ranked third on the team with four goals, three assists and 11 points, to lead all UNC freshmen. She scored her first college brace in a three-minute stretch against the University of South Carolina, which included her first goal. 

But in the October, her promising first season came to a halt. While attempting a tackle near the sideline against Wake Forest, she got tangled up with an opposition player and collapsed, clutching her right knee, unable to stand without help. Five days later, Shores announced she’d torn her ACL and that her season was over. 

Amid the heartbreak, she had support from her family and friends throughout the recovery process and she counted the days to her comeback. After two surgeries and a difficult rehabilitation period, Shores returned in 2024 to play in the final 10 games of the season, with her first appearance back coming against No. 1-ranked Duke in the regular-season finale. 

“My first goal back from my injury was very special,” she tells The Athletic.

She scored against Duke, UNC’s biggest rival, with her left foot in the 44th minute. 

“After such a long time off the field, coming back and scoring was like a huge deal to me,” she says. 

Just over a month later, Shores played 44 minutes as UNC beat Wake Forest 1-0 to win the NCAA title.


After recovering from an ACL tear, Evelyn Shores helped UNC to an NCAA title (Bob Donnan/Imagn Images)

Announcing herself with a goal is a habit now.

When Shores was named to the USWNT Under-23 camp last month, she was the only player there not signed to a professional contract. But that didn’t matter on the field. In the final minute of stoppage time on May 30 in the German town of Aspach, after a scramble in the box, Seattle Reign center back Jordyn Bugg lifted a ball over Germany’s defense. Shores got on the end of the looping pass and one-timed the ball into the net. 

“It was a surreal experience,” Shores tells The Athletic. “Honestly, I couldn’t even really celebrate after the goal, because I was just so relieved.”

The U.S. split results during the window, losing 2-1 to the Germans a couple of days later, and Shores flew directly back to North Carolina to represent the U.S. in a different capacity. She, again, introduced herself with a game-winning goal.

For now, Shores is focused on a healthy return, another trip to the NCAA College Cup, and if the stars align, TST again next year. 

As for the $1million she helped win, for not just herself but the players she’s looked up to? Unfortunately for Shores, NCAA rules prohibit student-athletes from accepting prize money. “I’m not actually sure where my portion goes,” she says with a shrug. “But I’m just happy to be a part of it.”

A spokesperson for TST confirmed that the money that could not be awarded to the college players was divided evenly among the rest of the group.

While her TST goal may be the most high-profile moment yet, it’s likely just the beginning for the rising college junior. She’s still undecided about whether she’ll pursue a professional career in the U.S. or abroad, but one thing’s clear: she’s got options.

“I’ve always wanted to be a pro. That’s been the dream since I was little,” she said.

“This will be my first healthy preseason in a while,” Shores said, speaking about her immediate future. “Just being back on the field, competing, playing with teammates I love, it’s all been surreal.”

(Top photo: The Soccer Tournament) 





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Youth Coaches in All Sports Will Need Higher-Level Criminal Background Checks

A new Florida law requires coaches and their assistants in all organized sports to be more thoroughly backgrounded. (© FlaglerLive) Palm Coast government wants to align city policy with a new state law requiring more detailed criminal backgrounding of youth athletic coaches and others who supervise children in organized sports even when they do not […]

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A new Florida law requires coaches and their assistants in all organized sports to be more thoroughly backgrounded. (© FlaglerLive)
A new Florida law requires coaches and their assistants in all organized sports to be more thoroughly backgrounded. (© FlaglerLive)

Palm Coast government wants to align city policy with a new state law requiring more detailed criminal backgrounding of youth athletic coaches and others who supervise children in organized sports even when they do not work for the city. 

The backgrounding could result in disqualification from coaching in some cases, but council members want to more precisely define those thresholds so that, say, a drug offense from 10 years ago isn’t a life sentence away from coaching. The city attorney is cautioning council members to be consistent, whichever policy they adopt. 

“It’s going to be a tightrope for sure to find that spot where we’re keeping our kids safe but also not doing a disservice to them by removing people that would be good mentors,” Council member Ty Miller said. 

Last spring the legislature passed a bill requiring state and national criminal background checks–called Level 2 screenings–for youth athletic coaches and their assistants starting no later than July 2026. The requirement applies to private organizations such as little league baseball, soccer or flag football, all of which operate in Palm Coast. The governor signed the bill into law. 

An important caveat to the law: “a person who has not been background screened may act as an athletic coach if he or she is under the direct supervision of an athletic coach who meets the screening requirements,” according to a legislative analysis of the bill

Employees and volunteers working for Palm Coast already receive a Level 2 screening through the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, which also provides that $60 to $105 service to anyone else who requests it. (The fingerprinting the city was requiring of its employees and volunteers had cost $36 until recently, which the city paid.) 

Typically, athletic coaches received Level 1 background checks, which don;t include national backgrounding. Vendor at city events who directly interacts with children are also required to be backgrounded. Now, all those individuals will have to have Level 2 checks. The requirement is annual. Nothing stops a local government from requiring it sooner than July 2026. 

Since numerous athletic organizations operate in the city, the council had two options: to require each organization to provide an affidavit that certifies compliance with the new law, or for the city to conduct the background checks for each organizations’ coaches and assistant coaches directly. The city in the past has asked certain organizations to provide letters certifying who had been backgrounded. But the approach was informal, and must now be according to law. 

National organizations have generally required screenings “due to insurance purposes,” , Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston said. “They make all volunteers, including coaches, anybody that’s going to have any direct interaction with children, go through that background process. But this previously it was like a Level 1, and now they have upped it to a Level 2.” 

Council member Ty Miller was looking for consistency in expectations and enforcement of the new requirement. A lot of organizations, he said, may focus on crimes against children. There could be individual coaches who may have faced criminal charges unrelated to children who the organization would not disqualify, “which is a concern of mine,” he said. “Same thing with say, drugs. You sold drugs, but you didn’t sell them to a kid, so it’s ok. It doesn’t seem right to me.”

To Miller, the city could define the threshold of disqualification for coaches and others interacting with children, even if they are not volunteering for the city, or employed by it, but running sports organizations within its borders. Violent crime and drugs should be disqualifiers in his view. “In effect, they’re acting on our behalf because of that use of the city facilities and parks,” Miller said. 

He did not specify what kind of drugs or what level charges, but in a text exchange with FlaglerLive today he said he favored a common-sense approach without being too heavy-handed. 

He’s not interested in adding costs to the city to pay for those screenings. But he is interested in having access to an organization’s screening records “and make sure they’re all matching up at any given time, so that we’re keeping them honest,” he said. 

“I don’t want to go overboard here but I also want to make sure that we don’t have bad people under the radar either,” Miller wrote. “Vice mayor also indicated that there may be other things like animal abuse or domestic violence that may not be a felony that need to be considered as well.” 

Local governments generally suspend an employee who is charged with a felony, but not a misdemeanor. First and second-offense drunk driving charges are typically a misdemeanor, as is discharging a weapon in public or battering someone, including a domestic partner. Aggravating factors convert the charges to felonies. (Child abuse or child neglect are automatic felonies, though they often get pleaded down to misdemeanors.) 

“We have to keep in mind that we’re talking about coaches that are mentoring our young people,” Council member Theresa Pontieri said, with children coming from “some troubled backgrounds of their own, and sometimes it takes a mentor who’s been through that to pull the kid out of that. So I don’t want to disqualify people who have a past history of drugs, but it was 10 years ago.” 

Mayor Mike Norris is worried about city overreach, what he calls “getting in the weeds when you shouldn’t be, and I don’t want the city to incur legal ramifications or something like that.” He’d support requiring affidavits from local organizations, but nothing beyond that. 

 



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Agency seeks to connect youth with community | News, Sports, Jobs

Submitted photo(From left) Pictured are Commissioner Todd Graybill, Commissioner Alice Gray, Christian Retreat Center Director of Development and Events Wendy Kerstetter, and Commissioner Mark Partner. MIFFLINTOWN — Local youth will be working with homeowners this month on various home repair and maintenance projects, according to Wendy Kerstetter of the Christian Retreat Center. The Center, Kerstetter […]

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Submitted photo
(From left) Pictured are Commissioner Todd Graybill, Commissioner Alice Gray, Christian Retreat Center Director of Development and Events Wendy Kerstetter, and Commissioner Mark Partner.

MIFFLINTOWN — Local youth will be working with homeowners this month on various home repair and maintenance projects, according to Wendy Kerstetter of the Christian Retreat Center.

The Center, Kerstetter told Juniata County Commissioners Tuesday during the board’s meeting, is working to help meet the needs of the community while giving teens valuable life experience.

Kerstetter told commissioners the Center is seeking both youth and homeowners to participate in the program.

“It’s not only a way to meet practical needs, but also a chance for teens to develop a heart for service and build meaningful connections with the community,” said Kerstetter.

Located at 369 CRC Drive, East Waterford, the Christian Retreat Center is best known for its youth summer camps and year-round retreats. Kerstetters said programs have expanded and they now offer lodge accommodations, RV and tent camping with full hookups, and various recreational opportunities like fishing, hiking and canoeing.

“Most importantly, CRC is a place where relationships are built and strengthened,” said Kerstetter.

As part of the program, in June youth groups are housed and fed at the Center. They can partake in camp activities in the evenings, but during the day they are out in the community tackling various jobs.

This program is not only for the youth but helps the homeowners in the area as well, some may be physically unable to do some of the work or just cant tackle it financially.

This week they have groups working in areas of Honey Grove, Licking Creek, Thompsontown, Mifflintown and Cross Keys, she said.

Commissioners took action on the following agenda items..

Approved a three-year contract covering fiscal years 2024, 2025 and 2026 with Maximus Consulting Services, Inc. to prepare Juniata County’s annual indirect cost allocation plans. The annual preparation fee is $5,100 for a total contracted cost of $15,300. The agreement shall commence on Aug. 1, 2025 and remain in effect until July 31, 2028;

Approved tax exonerations for Monroe Township;

Approved payment of the Juniata County Hazardous Material check to S & B Automotive Detailing for $250;

Hired Nikolas Aumiller to fill the vacant caseworker position, effective June 30. Aumiller replaces Ashley Campbell, who resigned Oct. 31, 2024. Aumiller’s starting wages will be $20.18 per hour;

Hired Angelica Ybarra to fill the vacant caseworker position, effective June 30. Ybarra will be replacing Kelsey Drolsbaugh, who was promoted to caseworker supervisor on June 3. Ybarra’s starting wages will be $20.18 per hour.



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