By Nolan Baker

For the first time in a long time, nine and ten year olds played summer league competitive baseball with the word “Blaine” emblazoned across their chests, marking the first season of Blaine’s new 10U Cal Ripken team.

The group of 13 highly motivated young athletes just finished their first summer season, competing in a flurry of tournaments over the last two months.

Blaine High School varsity coach Hunter Anderson helped a group of local coaches to revitalize the program. Like any good coach, Anderson wanted to get a pipeline of youth baseball solidified in Blaine to create a clear pathway of competitive baseball from elementary to high school.

That’s when head coach Preston Bouma came in. The Birch Bay father of five boys – all in or graduated from the Blaine school district – and a class of 1994 Blaine High School graduate himself, wanted to give kids a local option for summer ball. Many of Blaine’s talented young athletes had previously signed up for other select summer league teams outside of Blaine, Bouma said.

Bouma was joined by coaches Brent Greene, Brett Jacobs and Bill Beckett to lead the team.

“The idea came from wanting to keep Blaine kids together in a competitive atmosphere to stop losing so many kids to all the select teams,” Bouma said.

The best high school teams keep local kids together, going up through multiple levels and summer after summer of competitive baseball, Bouma said. It’s a pattern Anderson hopes to instill in the baseball program, and one that head football coach Andy Olson and girls basketball coach Vic Wolffis have been doing for years.

“If these kids have intentions of playing high school sports together, let’s keep them together right now because ultimately the goal is to win at the high school level,” Bouma said.

In the team’s first year, Bouma said they “took their lumps,” but still made huge improvements, and the team is excited to return next summer.

“These kids came a long way over two months. We started scoring runs. We started making outs. Our pitching improved. We figured out positions,” Bouma said. “The kids’ attitude the entire time was great.”

Bouma’s goal for next season is to play more games and tournaments against local teams, instead of, as he said, “driving past 150 baseball fields to travel halfway across the state to go play in a tournament.”

More Cal Ripken league teams are expected to pop up in Nooksack, Ferndale and other cities around Whatcom County, which Bouma hopes will encourage even more Blaine kids to join. The goal for next year is an earlier tryout date, potentially sometime in the spring of 2026, and to expand to more age groups.

The logistics and finances of the team are handled through Blaine Youth Sports (BYS), the local nonprofit organizing K-8 sports since 2018. Bouma said his goal is to keep player fees to a minimum with the help of BYS. Travel baseball is a notoriously expensive sport, and Bouma said BYS helps lower financial barriers.

“We want to build that community bond with all these different families and kids. We’re growing up together, so we might as well stick together and represent Blaine,” Bouma said. “I’ve been a Blaine Borderite since the day I was born. I have a passion for the orange and black.”

For more information on next year’s Cal Ripken summer league baseball, contact blaineyouthsports@gmail.com.

Two people are expected to face charges for their involvement in an American Legion playoff game earlier this week, according to a report from TMZ Sports. 

The fight took place in Milford, Mass. on Monday night when fans ran onto the field and at least one brawled with East Springfield Post 420 players during the middle of a game against Milford Post 59, causing the contest to be postponed. 

Milford Police had previously told the Boston Globe that they were considering charging three individuals, including at least one player and a Milford High School student. 

No arrests were made nor were any injuries reported, per the outlet.

“Absolute mayhem taking place over by the third base dugout as members of the Milford crowd have now come onto the warning track on the third base side,” Milford broadcaster Tim Caouette said.

“Never in all of my years covering Legion Baseball have I ever seen this kind of activity from the fans.”

TMZ reported that the game is expected to resume Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. with “heavy police presence and restrictions” in place.

The game will include a “ban on bags, outside food and drinks … and those attending will be required to leave the game immediately after it’s over,” the outlet reported. 

The fight reportedly broke out in the fourth inning with the bases loaded in a 1-1 game and a batter facing a 2-1 count at Fino Field in Milford, Mass., as captured by the YouTube channel @MyMilfordTV.

The stream captured a “shut the f–k up” while the Milford catcher looked toward the stands situated near the East Springfield dugout, before one fan seemingly said: “You’re an old ass woman, what the f–k you doing coming in the stands?”

Play stopped while Caouette noted how “the fans are starting to get into it over on the third base side” before it got out of hand with players and those in attendance from both sides going at it.

WASHINGTON MYSTICS AND 318 FOUNDATION JOIN FORCES TO HOST INAUGURAL CHAMPIONS ACADEMY FROM AUGUST 4-8 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Washington Mystics and the 318 Foundation have partnered to launch the inaugural Washington Mystics x 318 Foundation SPORTS Champions Academy, a week-long leadership and basketball immersion experience taking place from Aug. 4 to Aug. 8 on the campus of George Washington University. 

Founded by Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and Washington Mystics Hall of Famer Alana Beard, the 318 Foundation exists to empower girls through sports, mentorship, and leadership development. The Champions Academy combined elite basketball training with its leadership curriculum, VISION: Voice, Identity, Success, Innovation, Opportunity, and Networking. 

In recognition of Beard’s deep roots in both the DMV and her hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana—home to the 318 Foundation—middle and high school participants have been selected from both communities. 

“I am incredibly proud to partner with the Washington Mystics and their Girls Empowerment Program to bring the Champions Academy outside of Shreveport for the first time,” stated Beard. “This partnership is more than a camp—it’s a movement, designed to build bold dreamers, doers, and global leaders through the power of sport. I am grateful to the Mystics for recognizing the value of the work we’ve done in Shreveport and understanding the impact we can bring to D.C.” 

Five girls from Beard’s 318 Foundation SPORTS Champions Academy in Shreveport will travel to Washington to train alongside 15 girls from the D.C. area. Local coaches and educators nominated all 20 participants as high-potential leaders; the D.C. selections intentionally prioritized students from Wards 7 and 8. Participation is provided at no cost to the girls, with all program expenses covered. 

“Alana Beard is one of the greats of the game – WNBA Champion & 4x WNBA All-Star, and a Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee to go along multiple collegiate recognitions,” stated Alycen McAuley, Washington Mystics chief business officer. “She has excelled at every level on the court. She’s also selflessly given herself to her communities – and we could not be more honored to help bring her Champions Academy to her adoptive hometown of D.C. and allow the next generation of female players & leaders learn from this Mystics great.” 

The Champions Academy is a cornerstone activation of the Mystics Girls Empowerment Program, part of Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s District of Play—a multi-year, multi-million-dollar commitment to expanding access to youth sports in Washington, D.C. 

Girls will train under the leadership of former WNBA player April Sykes, while coaches will engage in professional development sessions led by Edniesha Curry, a former WNBA player and NBA assistant coach. 

On Wednesday, August 6, local coaches are invited to participate in a free professional development clinic led by Curry and the Champions Academy coaching staff. Coaches can RSVP here. Space is limited.  

If you walk by Harlem River Park on any given weekend in the fall, you’ll probably hear the sharp clap of shoulder pads, coaches barking out instructions, and unified chants as young boys run laps together. The heartbeat of the field — the youth football program Harlem Jets — has served as a life raft for hundreds of Harlem’s young people.

Jamel “Coach Mel” Wright and a group of committed fathers launched the Harlem Jets in August 2005, fielding just four teams and fewer than 100 youth. Since then, the Jets have blossomed into what their website describes as “a transformative two-generation sports and development organization” that is grounded in the belief that sports can be a powerful catalyst for personal growth and academic achievement.

Over the last 20 years, more than 5,000 children ages 5–13 have passed through the program, earning spots at prestigious high schools such as Cardinal Hayes, Stepinac, Iona Prep, Bergen Catholic, and Don Bosco Prep before competing at the collegiate level. A record 19 alumni are committed to college football for the 2025 season at Georgetown, Penn State, Duke, and Rutgers, to name a few.

Notable players include Ajani Cornelius, a standout offensive lineman at the University of Oregon, who is now a rookie with the Dallas Cowboys; Justin Joly, a senior tight end for North Carolina State, who was named preseason All Atlantic Coast Conference by “USAToday” this week; cornerback Elijah Jones, Arizona Cardinals; and Sanoussi Kane, now a safety with the Baltimore Ravens.

Kane still remembers the exact feeling of putting on a Harlem Jets jersey. “The camaraderie we had as a team — that bond is unforgettable,” he told the AmNews. “Those guys are still my brothers to this day.”

Kane’s story embodies what the Harlem Jets are about: belief, effort, and perseverance. “I wasn’t the best guy when I was younger,” he admitted, “but hard work and dedication pushed me over the top. I had a great support system, and that started with the Jets.”

He credits Wright with changing his life. “Coach Mel’s belief in me meant everything. That’s like my uncle — we went through a lot together. I can’t thank him enough. Some of us went to the NFL. Others became producers, news anchors — you name it. I’m just one testimony [to] his impact.”

Sanoussi has paid it forward by mentoring Jets players, not because he has to, but because he wants today’s youth  to believe they can follow in his footsteps. “When I was growing up, we didn’t have NFL players come back. If these kids see me, someone from their program who lived around the corner, they’ll believe they can do it, too.”

That belief is also what fuels Coach Bob Mazer, a retired attorney who joined the Harlem Jets in 2008 after searching for a youth sports program to support. “Football rewards effort,” Mazer said. “Some kids who might not thrive in other sports can become essential players here. That’s something I love.”

He checks report cards personally, holds players accountable in the classroom, and teaches life lessons one huddle at a time. “Even when it’s tough, they stick with it. That’s growth. That’s what we’re here for.”

Former Harlem Jets quarterback and current coach Sofian Massoud echoes Wright’s philosophy. “The Harlem Jets changed my life — and the lives of so many people I grew up with,” he told the AmNews. “It gave us a productive outlet, but more importantly, strong men to look up to.”

Massoud added that “coaching is twofold. You teach the technical side, but you also share your story, your mistakes, your lessons. You give them a blueprint.”

Every Harlem Jets coach, from Massoud to Mazer to Wright himself, carries that same torch. “Football teaches you to get knocked down and get back up. That mirrors life,” Wright said.

Today, the Harlem Jets run eight teams from ages 6 through 13, in addition to cheerleading, wrestling, lacrosse, a summer camp, and a youth employment program. The organization remains proudly rooted in Harlem River Park, the field where it all began — which is now renovated and buzzing with activity, thanks to the program’s community advocacy and growth.

In an era where youth sports can feel transactional, the Harlem Jets remain transformational. “Ten years ago, nobody thought we’d have three NFL players come out of this program,” Kane said. “Now we do — and more are coming. The sky’s the limit.”

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