Overtime

Sam Stevenson has become a household name, both in Darien and the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference. She was the leading scorer for the Blue Wave lacrosse team that won league and state titles, and will be going to play next year on the Division I level at the University of Richmond. She was a leading hitter for the school’s volleyball team, which also won league and state titles.

As you can see, success and Sam Stevenson go hand in hand.

What many people don’t know is Stevenson is an accomplished swimmer as well. She has been competing for the Country Club of Darien’s swim team for the past decade. Her coach, Pat Swift, told me that if she had focused on the sport she could have been one of the top competitors for the school’s swimming team.

As part of a feature on Stevenson that will be appearing later this week in The Advocate, I followed her for six hours today, from an individual lacrosse workout at Darien High School, to a diving competition during a swim meet at Wee Burn Country Club, to refereeing a lacrosse game at Greenwich High School.

Along the way I discovered that Stevenson likes to ride ATVs, used to enjoy sewing, likes to draw in her spare time and has an endearing personality.

And that Stevenson is a better person than she is an athlete, which, given her resume, is saying something.

Before Friday’s story, enjoy these videos and see for yourself.

(Taylor Zito is coming off a stellar sophomore season as the pitcher for Stamford High School’s softball team, leading the Black Knights to a league playoff berth and a win in the state tournament. Zito will be writing about her travel ball experiences this summer.)

By Taylor Zito

This softball season has been full of great memories and new experiences. Tradition South 16U, my summer team, has been doing well in tournaments and we’ve been playing together as a team. We only have ten girls so each of us puts in a lot of commitment and effort, and for the most part every girl plays almost every inning of each game.

Last weekend I got hit with a line drive to my wrist so it’s been difficult to pitch my changeup, but I’ve been hanging in there and putting in just as much effort. My coach wants to make sure I will be healed for our trip to Utah next weekend, so this weekend I’ll be taking a rest.

Yesterday we had a game and were winning 3-0 until the last inning, when a girl hit a grand slam off an error, making the score 4-3. Most teams at that point will just give up, but we did what we needed to do and got on base. Bottom of the seventh inning, we had the bases loaded with one out and our right fielder Lindsey Schmid was up at bat. With a home run in the first inning, she got up to the plate with confidence. She got a walk-off grand slam to win the game for us 7-4.

Summer ball and high school ball have both similarities and differences. For instance, high school ball is more intense, especially being an underclassman trying to prove myself, where in summer ball everything is more relaxed and everyone is around the same age.

Competition, on the other hand, is very similar between both high school and summer. The pitching is basically the same, and with hitting you never know what to expect. That’s why as a pitcher you pitch with all you have in every game, and you can never underestimate a team.”

(Patrick Murphy had a strong sophomore season, earning a starting job on the Trinity Catholic High School baseball team. Murphy wrote about his experiences playing this summer).

By Patrick Murphy

Now that high school baseball is over, I have been playing for the Stamford Redbirds, a travel team for 15-year-olds in Babe Ruth. This team is managed by Jimmy Serafina, and the other coaches are Mike Beldotti, Bobby Gerbert, Jim Lyman and my father.

Recently, my team went away for a tournament called War at the Shore in East Lyme over the Fourth of July weekend. We were supposed to play two games Friday and one game Saturday. Our first game was at 11:30 a.m. Friday against a team called “The Hit Club.”

Unfortunately, during the game I suffered an injury. I had hit a slow, ground ball up the first base line. I sprinted out of the batter’s box and was halfway up the line before the pitcher had even gotten to the ball. While running, I felt a pop in my hip.

I fell to the ground screaming in intense pain. My coaches carried me off the field and I laid down on the ground because I truly was in agony. I’ve broken a few bones before and pulled a muscle, but nothing compared to this pain.

We lost the game, 6-5, but that was the least of my concerns. My dad drove me to the nearest hospital, where I had X-rays taken and was given some strong pain medication.

The good news was nothing appeared broken, but I had to see an orthopedic doctor on Monday. He sent me to Stamford Hospital for an MRI, which took about an hour.

I just got the results back and was told that I fractured a piece of my growth plate and that a small piece of bone had broken off. I will be on crutches for another week or two and am not allowed to do any physical activity like running for the next four weeks. I will have to go to physical therapy for the rest of the summer, ending any shot of playing baseball again this summer.

I am going to continue going to practices and games as our All-Star team is on the verge of winning Districts and advancing to the States. I am also going to work hard on my rehab to get myself ready to play football in the fall for Coach Stokes and Trinity Catholic.

Stamford High School linebacker Khairi Fortt continued his college tour last weekend with a trip to the University of Tennessee, part of a family vacation that included a trip to the Pigeon Forge Cabins.

Fortt met with UT’s new head coach, Lane Kiffin, who was hired in November after a stint as the Oakland Raiders’ head coach. Fortt also met with Kiffin’s father, Monte, the long-time defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who now is assuming the same position with the Volunteers.

“It was a nice place and I liked the whole environment,” Fortt said. “I met with the staff and really liked them, and the stadium is huge. Monte Kiffin was telling me what it was like to coach Derrick Brooks in Tampa.”

Asked his feelings about UT as a possible landing point, Fortt said, “I’m a little more interested in them. I didn’t know much about them, but it’s the closest SEC school and they play in a top conference. They also don’t have a lot of linebackers.”

Next up for Fortt is a return trip this weekend to the place many believe he will eventually end up: Penn State. Fortt said this is more a social visit and he is going with his close friend, Silas Redd, the King senior who has committed to the Nittany Lions.

Fortt said he hopes to meet with Ron Vanderlinden, the assistant linebackers coach, and Kermit Buggs, the assistant safeties coach, who Fortt said has been Penn State’s point person during the recruiting process.