Centennial's Stephen Lepore with Wayne Gent, Superintendent of St. Lucie Public Schools
March 28, 2017 – Fort Pierce, FL – St. Lucie West Centennial Student-Athlete Senior Stephen Lepore conducted an on-camera, live interview with Wayne Gent, Superintendent of St. Lucie Public Schools. The interview, in conjunction with Treasure Coast Sports Journal, took place during the Cobra Relays Track Meet in Fort Pierce at Lawnwood Stadium this afternoon.
Stephen who suffers from Autism Spectrum Disorder, is a sprinter on the school's Unified Special Olympics Track Team. He submitted a list of questions to the Superintendent prior to the interview, which is a standard journalistic practice when doing a non-investigative story.
Stephen will now edit the entire interview and provide Treasure Coast Sports Journal a finished copy which will be published on the company’s social media assets and internet site. A copy will also be provided to St. Lucie Public Schools and SLW Centennial High School for their use.
Superintendent Gent made a special trip to Lawnwood Stadium in the middle of a busy work day to participate. He commented afterward that, “Stephen did a really great job and came up with some excellent questions”.
Look for Stephens Interview with Superintendent Gent in the very near future on www.TCSportsJournal.com or on our Facebook, Twitter of Google Plus social media sites.
March 28, 2017 - Fort Pierce, FL - Stephen Stagg and Kyle Schammn combined for five strike-outs, while walking seven and allowing six runs to overcome Community Christian 11-6 at the Lawnwood Baseball Complex on Monday, March 27, 2017 in a non-district matchup. St. Andrews improved to 11-1, the best start in the three-year-old high school history. The small 2A school suffered its only loss this season to 9A powerhouse Fort Pierce Central.
The Lions are sitting in first place in Region 2A – District 4, with a one-game lead over City of Life Christian Academy who they have already beaten twice this season.
By the numbers and at the mid-way point of the season the Lions are overpowering their District opponents. District teams have scored a total of 546 runs this season with 100 of them – or 18% being scored by St. Andrews. Of the 544 runs allowed in District play thus far St. Andrews is responsible for only 14 of them, 100% less than their closest opponent and only 3% of the district as a whole.
St. Andrews hosts the 2A-4 District series this spring at Lawnwood Stadium that begins the first week of may.
The Titans have been spoiled for the past four years with star senior pitcher Katlyn “Light Speed” McCue.
AT 8-0 LADY TITANS CLICKING ON ALL CYLINDERS
March 22, 2017 – St. Lucie County, FL – The Treasure Coast Lady Titan Softball Team is clicking on all cylinders this season. With a perfect 8-0 record, the Titans took down District 9-7A rival Fort Pierce Central yesterday by a score of 8-1.
This year’s crop of student-athletes includes only three seniors so the team will be competitive for the next couple of seasons at the least.
The girls lead long-time powerhouse Vero Beach in the local 9A division by a full two games and will earn at least a tie with the Indians for the number one seed in the district playoffs which begin on April 24th and conclude on April 27th at St. Lucie West Centennial High School. The district champion and runner-up each advance to the Regional Tournament to determine who will represent specific divisions and classes at the State Championship Series held annually in May at Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach.
Divisions are created and managed by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) and include 1A – 9A. The determination of what division a school will be classified under is based on the school’s student population as follows, according to the FHSAA: 1A 72 – 600; 2A 32 – 161; 3A 162 – 378; 4A 379 – 738; 5A 740 – 1,358; 6A 1,359 – 1,700; 7A 1,701 – 2,039; 8A 2,040 – 2,406; 9A 2,407 – 4,492.
Junior Brianna Thomas accounts for 13.3% of the Lady Titan runs with her amazing batting average of .667, on-base percentage of .773 and slugging percentage of .833.
At the plate the Titans are led by Junior Brianna Thomas who pitches and plays center field. Thomas is batting .667 with 16 hits (average of two per game), eight runs scored and 12 RBI’s. And she manages an extra base hit in every other game she plays in. She has an on-base percentage of .733 along with a slugging percentage of .833 and has only struck out twice all season. Her eight runs scored account for 13.3% of all the runs the team has scored this season, while her 12 RBI’s account for almost a quarter of the RBI’s the team has put in the books this year.
Freshman standout Madison Hurley is hitting .429 with 12 hits, 10 runs and two RBI’s for the Titans.
But as already mentioned this team runs deep. So deep in fact that of the student-athletes that have played in all eight games so far this season, eight of the top nine batting averages belong to underclassmen including standout ninth-grader Madison Hurley who is hitting .429 with 12 hits, 10 runs and two RBI’s. And the combined batting average of this gang of eight is .431.
In the circle the Titans have been spoiled for the past four years with star senior pitcher Katlyn “Light Speed” McCue whose father Joe Jr., and grandfather Joe Sr. serve as the team’s head coach and assistant coach, making the Titan softball franchise a team of three generation McCue’s.
Light Speed has been truly blazing this year. Besides being undefeated in her six starts she averages 10.6 strikeouts per game – well over one per inning. Her opponent’s batting average stands at just .139. Putting that in perspective, 86.1% of the batters McCue has faced never reach base!
So what does the future hold for these dolls of the diamond? It’s hard to tell. But with the season over halfway completed and district play scheduled to end in just a couple of weeks the numbers sure look promising.
Here’s why –
There are 74 total teams in the FHSAA 9A classification. Of those only 16% are unbeaten in their district this season, including the Titans. The average district games winning percentage stands at .486, while the Titan’s is at 1.000. Add to that these girls score just over ten runs per district opponent faced with the overall average runs scored by other schools in the 9A class at 6.5 runs per game and it’s not hard to see why media giants such as MaxPreps predict that Treasure Coast will have a deep run into the playoffs this season.
Stephen Lepore: A young man that has made thebest of his high school years despite a disability.
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March 21, 2017 - St. Lucie West, FL - At Age two Stephen Lepore was just like any other toddler, talking up a storm, singing the theme song to Barney and just enjoying life. While his mother, Kathleen, was off at work he would hang out with his father. When his father was working it was mommy time for this St. Lucie West family of three.
Yet not long after Stephen turned two something changed; he just stopped talking and became very withdrawn.
“It was as if a light switch had been flipped off”, says his mother.
The transformation from happy go lucky bouncing baby boy to a child reserved and secluded, often staring at nothing and with a blank look on his face was startling to Kathleen and husband, Glen. They did not know what to think or what to do.
Medical professionals diagnosed Stephen with Autistic Disorder, something the Lepore's knew nothing about which was quite scary for a young mother and father.
In 2013 the American Psychiatric Association grouped together Autistic Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder,Pervasive Developmental Disorder-not oherwise specifiedandAsperger syndrome under a single diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is estimated that as many as 1 in 68 children suffer from some form of ASD which is much more prevalent in boys (1 in 42) than in girls (1 in 189).
However, 17 years ago, little was known about ASD.
Yet this did not stop the Lepore family for doing everything they could for their bundle of joy.
“It sure was not easy. We went everywhere, did everything and saw just about every specialist we could find. We pulled all our resources together. We were not going to let this thing beat us or get the best of our child”, said Kathleen.
Kathleen and Glen became not just advocates for their son, but super advocates.
They started by enrolling Stephen in intensive speech therapy to try and get him talking again. And it worked. By age five Stephen was talking and communicating again, although not to the same extent as other five-year old’s. However, it was a positive sign and a huge improvement over the past three years of almost total silence.
His mother and father attribute the turnaround to the efforts of Mrs. Melissa Whalen, who led Stephen’s Intensive Behavior Class at Savana Ridge Elementary School in Port St. Lucie. Not only did Mrs. Whalen teach Stephen his first words, but she taught him sign language as well.
While a student in their specialized Autism Spectrum Disorder Unit at Palm Point Educational Research School another teacher Ms. Katie Malloy, encouraged the family to consider placing Stephen in some non-contained classes such as Choir and Drama. Children with disabilities may often be placed in contained classes apart from the general education population at their school due to the additional resources that they require.
Kathleen and Glen agreed and Stephen not only took part in a school play but he remembered all 120 of his lines and those of the other children as well.
“I knew Stephen would be a special young man, not just because of his disability but because of his ability”, says Mrs. Malloy.
St. Lucie County School Board Vice Chairwoman, Dr. Donna Mills speaks with SLW Centennial HS Principal Andrea Popwell at the 2nd Annual St. Lucie Unified Games held at Lawnwood Stadium onWednesday, March 8th.
When Stephen moved on to high school he didn't just move to a new school, he moved out of his comfort zone, out of what was normal for him, a process which can be very daunting for many individuals diagnosed with a disability, especially those diagnosed with ASD. But he made no hesitation to give his new situation a chance. Yes, he struggled at first (as many first-year high school students do), adapting to a new school, a new routine, new teachers, and many new classmates, however, he continued to do what he does best, smile and enjoy every second he can. He quickly made friends and became adapted to his new routine, fully buying into what was expected of him and what he knew he could accomplish, according to Mrs. Malloy.
“Stephen is a young man that has made the best of his high school years. He is an active participant in the Unified Special Olympics where he excels as a sprinter and is a key member of the Television Production Program where he writes, produces and anchors the morning news program, said Ms. Andrea Popwell, the Principal at St. Lucie West Centennial High School.
Stephen is a key member of the Television Production Program
where he writes, produces and anchors the morning news
program at St. Lucie West Centennial High School.
Through the years, the family refused to give in or give up hope. And now 17 years after showing his first signs of ASD, Stephen is set to graduate from Centennial in just a couple of months, with not just a 2.6 GPA, but also with a Standard High School Diploma, a huge accomplishment not just for Stephen, but for the teachers, classroom aides and administrators that have unselfishly stood by him throughout his elementary, middle and high school years.
Stephen Lepore has set the standard for students with disabilities to be educated in the least restrictive environment, in St. Lucie County, by not just breaking down the barriers that needlessly label people with disabilities, but breaking through them.
It’s these barriers that parents such as the Lepore’s seek to make a thing of the past by energizing, enabling and strongly advocating on behalf of their children.
With the help of a school system that is in the middle of a massive turnaround, these barriers will come crumbling down sooner rather than later All to the thanks of not only teachers and school system employees but to super advocates like the Lepore’s who refused to give up when the going got tough!
Lady Gators Bryanna and Alexis Sharot making Fort Pierce proud.
March 19, 2017 – Fort Pierce, FL – When Fort Pierce Central grads Bryanna and Alexis Sharot enrolled at University of Florida this past fall they were itching to be involved in a sport. They had been stellar student-athletes while at Central on both the swim team, where school records fell & regional championships were earned and on the girls weightlifting team.
Participating in athletics at one of Florida’s most difficult schools academically is a challenge for any student, especially incoming freshmen. The pressure to maintain good grades is often overwhelming, especially at a school like UF which has an international reputation for everything that happens on the historic campus.
But these two twins aren’t your typical students.
With mom, a trauma nurse and dad a successful small business owner having the drive to succeed runs deep in their veins.
Bryanna, who is on a pre-med track is an A/B student while Alexis who is a nursing major has a mind blowing 3.5 GPA and is being inducted into the Honor Society next weekend.
Both girls are coxswains on the UF row team. Coxswains sit at the stern (rear) of the boat and face the bow (front) of the boat. They steer the boat and are responsible for its overall navigation. This is the first year that they have rowed.
The team is considered a club sport this year, however, because of the success they have had, they are hopeful that the sport will earn a NCAA Division One slot in the near future.
And that future D1 acceptance may come down to a National Competition on May 27 at the 1996 Olympic Site in Gainesville, GA on Lake Lanier where these Lady Gators hope to bring home a National Title.
John Carroll's Brandon O'Brien throws a shutout in his first start for the Rams on Friday, March 17th at Lawnwood Stadium against Somerset Canyons Charter School
March 17, 2017 – Fort Pierce, FL – John Carroll’s Brandon O’Brien tossed a shutout against Somerset Canyons Charter School on Friday at the Lawnwood Baseball Complex. O’Brian, starting in his first varsity game of the season, allowed just three hits while walking none and striking out eight. He went six and two-thirds innings before Senior Joey LeClaire came in to record the last out of the game.
Ram batters Austin Nirenberg and Michael Pedersen each had RBI’s at the plate with Michael Pederson and VonDravious Sands crossing home for the Rams.
John Carroll managed six hits, all singles, including two by Pedersen who led the team going two for three. Nirenberg, LeClair, Sands and Catcher Sandro Bourque each had a base hit as well.
The Rams only struck out three and walked once.
John Carroll is on Spring Break next week but has two away games. They face Treasure Coast at 4P on Tuesday, followed by a 7P game against Jensen Beach on Friday evening. They return home to face Hickman, a school from MS on Monday, March 27 at 6PM under the lights at Lawnwood.
March 16, 2017 – Treasure Coast, FL - John Carroll Catholic High School’s Gina Carvelli has been nominated for the Nike “I AM SPORT” Award which is given to one area student-athlete who is committed to getting other kids active in the community. Members of the community cast votes by logging on to goo.gl/bgw0lK. The student-athlete with the most votes will be honored on May 22nd.
John Carroll's Gina Carvelli has been nominated for the Nike I AM SPORT Award. Community members vote for the winner by logging onto goo.gl/bgw0lK.
Carvelli, a Junior, has been a member of the Girl's Golf team since 9th grade and serves as Co-Captain. She was team MVP this past season. She has played golf since age four and always worked to bring others into the game she loves. She has volunteered at PGA in St. Lucie West on weekends tutoring other children in golf. While in the middle school golf program at Palm Pointe K-8 Educational Research School she helped recruit students to join the program.
On April 1st, she will receive the Silver Congressional Medal for youth which requires extensive volunteering in the community along with other requirements.
March 13, 2017 - Daytona Beach, FL -John Carroll High School Grad Mario Presutti is tearing it up at Daytona State College. The Mighty Mario has belted six home runs so far, this season including a walk-off against Ocala State College, a school that had promised to sign him and strung him along for six weeks before telling him thanks, but no thanks, and essentially leaving him hung out to dry last year.
The Freshman's six dingers not only lead his Falcons team but also account for almost 40% of the home runs hit by the team this season.
And if that were not enough, Super Mario is locked in a tie for third place for home runs in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) Region 8 which includes 25 Schools throughout Florida. Putting that in perspective, each of the 25 teams in the NJCAA Region 8 has 24 roster student-athletes for a total of 600 student-athlete baseball players, meaning that Presutti's home run hitting this season is better than 99.5% of all rostered baseball players in the NJCAA Region 8.
I'll bet you that Ocala Head Baseball Coach is kicking himself where the sun don't shine right about now.
Lesson learned - never count out a kid from Fort Pierce!
March 11, 2017 – Winter Garden, FL – Lincoln Park Academy Head Softball Coach, Roger Mathews, made history today by becoming the only area high school softball coach to win 500 games. Duel back to back 14-0 victories put the iconic coach and teacher over the top on the road in Winter Park this afternoon.
The 500th victory will be celebrated on April 4th after the Martin County game at the Lawnwood Softball Fields.
March 10, 2017 – Kissimmee, FL - St. Andrews took its powerful baseball team on the road for the first time this season and picked up right where they left off earlier in the week – with another W.
The Lions out hit and out pitched City Life Christian Academy in Kissimmee 9-2. Lions batters came to the plate 29 times and knocked out ten hits and seven RBI’s for the night while only striking out once. Lee Kubitschek, Matt Gustine, and Stephen Stagg each had two hits and one RBI. Courtney Brooks went 1-4 with two RBI’s.
Kubitschek threw 80 pitches over six innings allowing five hits and two runs, walking two and fanning six. Brendan O’Shea closed out the game allowing only one hit while striking out two.
St. Andrews plays next on Thursday, March 16 at St. Edwards in Vero Beach. They return to Fort Pierce to take on Brevard HEAT in a 6PM game at Lawnwood Baseball Complex on Tuesday, March 21 and play an in-school game at Ft. Pierce Central on Wednesday, March 22 at 12:45PM.
March 10, 2017 – Fort Pierce, FL – The Fort Pierce Central Cobra Baseball team earned a critical 5-3 win today against cross-county rival Treasure Coast High School in a District 8A matchup. The win, coupled with the Cobras recent win over St. Lucie West Centennial, puts the Cobra squad into a District 8A tie with powerhouse Vero Beach as the teams get ready to meet head to head on March 31 in Fort Pierce for the first of two District games.
Fort Pierce Centrals Brandon Stone had two hits a RBI and finished the game on the mound in the Cobras critical District 8A win over Treasure Coast High School today in Fort Pierce.
Central dominated at the plate by outslugging the Titans 11-5. Brandon Stone, Max Rymer and Bret Oliver had two hits each. Stone and Rymer each had one RBI and Oliver had two RBI’s.
Zach Moen went 4.1 innings for Central, throwing 75 pitches, allowing three hits, two runs, three walks and fanning two. Dylan Diguseppi tossed one and two-thirds innings, allowing two hits, one run, and one walk while striking out one. Brandon Stone, who has committed to play Division One Baseball at Boston College next spring, closed out the game throwing nine pitches and allowing no hits, runs or walks.
Both FP Central and Treasure Coast will face off again on April 13 at Treasure Coast in a game that is sure to have huge playoff consequences. Both teams have a light schedule next week as the schools are on Spring Break, with Central hosting Sebastian River on Monday, April 13.
March 8, 2017 – Fort Pierce, FL – Through six games the St. Andrews Lions Varsity Baseball Team has been nothing short of spectacular. With six wins and no losses so far this season, including four District 2A wins, the Lions have quickly become the talk of the high school baseball crowd all around town.
“To be honest, former Head Coach and current Athletic Director and our Pitching Coach Jason Fletcher really laid the ground work”, said first-year Lions Coach Andy Wells. Wells has a history of winning. Last year he took John Carroll High School all the way to the State Championship Final Four in Ft. Myers at Jet Blue Park. “I guess I’m fortunate in that I always seem to work with kids that are coachable and that have that burning desire to win”, say the technology teacher at St. Andrew’s waterfront high school in downtown Fort Pierce. A high school by the way that only has 85 students. Is it just a fluke or is this team really as good as their record? To find out, Treasure Coast Sports Journal went inside the numbers and here is what we discovered from the official score book. At the plate, the team has crossed home 78 times, an average of 13 per game, while allowing just nine runs, 1.5 per game, and throwing shutouts in three contests. Just in the last two games, the Lions have outscored their opponents 40-0. The team batting average is a very respectable .345. Lions batters have slugged 56 RBI’s in the last six games averaging 9.3 per game. St. Andrews hitters come to the plate an average of 24 times per game and reach base safely 83% of the time. The overwhelming majority of their hits are singles as they have had only nine doubles and two triples this season. And striking out just does not seem to be in their gameday playbook as they only whiff 12.6% of the time they are up to bat. In the field, the team is disciplined as they are able to force an out from opposing batters 71.2% of the time while they commit an error only 8.6% of the time the ball is in play. And if that were not enough, they are the only team in the area to have a very rare triple play this season. But this team's strong point may very well be the group of flame throwers that Fletcher has been molding the past three years. With an Earned Run Average of a tiny .636 and a WHIP of under one, the Lions are fast becoming known as a power pitching team. This is especially true when two of their five starters are south-paws. Want proof? Look no further than the 13 hits they have given up this year. That’s only 2.2 hits per game – 600% less hits than the team has. And that’s a big number! Factor in that the St. Andrews staff has walked only 19 of the 138 batters faced, throws strikes 61% of the time, average's four pitches per batter faced, throws 16.3 pitches per inning and it’s no wonder these kids control the game. While some may point to the team’s that St. Andrews has faced, this argument really does not hold up in high school athletics. Remember, half of the games they have played have been against teams in their 2A district. Any high school team in any sport can win any contest on any given day, and that’s just a fact. But the Lions true test will come on March 22 when they face 8A Fort Pierce Central at Central for an in-school game with the first pitch at 12:45 PM. Until then, Wells, Fletcher and their kids are just enjoying themselves and having fun. They are bought in and they believe they can win – which they have already proven!
Centennial's 4 runs were just not enough to come back against John Carroll on Tuesday, March 7 as the Eagles fell 9-4 at Lawnwood Baseball Complex in Fort Pierce.
March 8, 2017 – Fort Pierce, FL -The John Carroll Baseball Team held an early lead on its way to a 9-4 victory over St. Lucie West Centennial on Tuesday. The Rams scored on a single by Michael LaRocca in the first inning, a single by Michael Pedersen in the second, another single by LaRocca in the second, and a double by Brandon O'Brien in the second as well.
Centennial scored three runs in the third inning, but the Golden Rams still managed to pull out the victory.
Junior Brian Jacobus earned the win for the Rams, throwing two and two-thirds innings, allowing two hits, and striking out two. Josh Harrell threw three and a third innings allowing two hits and striking out two and finished the game with a .675 strike percentage for the night. A combined total of 242 pitches were thrown by both teams with 20 hits allowed, ten errors, eight walks and nine strikeouts by eight flame throwers for the Eagles and Rams.
John Carroll, who improved to 3-3 for the season, collected 12 hits with O'Brien, Austin Nirenberg, and LaRocca each collecting multiple hits.
The Rams hit the road on Friday as they face Highland Christian and then return back to Lawnwood to play Somerset Canyons on Tuesday, March 14 before facing off against powerhouse Treasure Coast on Tuesday, March 21 in Port St. Lucie.
Although St. Lucie Public Schools are closed next week for Spring Break, the Eagle will face Lincoln Park Academy in St. Lucie West on Monday March 13 at noon.
