Former pro player and coach Ken Bolek has been named the next leader of SSES baseball. Coach Bolek brings a long and impressive resume to the Falcons that started at the University of Arizona, where he was a member of the school’s 1976 College World Series championship team.

Falcon student-athletes were honored on Thursday (June 2) when the Florida High School Athletic Association named Saint Stephen’s as the recipient of this year’s Fred E. Rozelle Sportsmanship Award in Class 3A.

Tod Creneti, the head coach who built Saint Stephen’s football into an independent school powerhouse, has resigned his position after nine seasons at the helm. Veteran assistant coach A.J. Brown has been named as Creneti’s successor.

The SSES girls basketball team’s historic season came to a close in the Class 3A State Final Four on Wednesday night (Feb. 26) with a 67-30 loss to Carrollwood Day School at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.

With their victory on Tuesday night (Jan. 21), the 2019-20 SSES girls basketball team is now in the record book as the winningest team in school history.

The fall season wrapped up on Nov. 9, and football, boys golf, swimming, and boys cross country all advanced deep into the postseason. The football Falcons (9-2) fell one step short of returning to the independent state championship game for the fifth straight year, losing to Orlando’s The Master’s Academy in the semifinals.

Falcons head baseball coach Mike Verrill has been selected for induction into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. Mike coached high school baseball for 20 years in the state and also led the program at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.

The Falcons boys and girls tennis teams dominated the 1A-District 9 tennis tournament (April 15-16) at the Payne Park Tennis Center in Sarasota, winning all four doubles titles and nine of 10 singles to advance to regional play.

The Falcons completed a sweep last week, with both soccer teams winning 1A-District 7 soccer titles.

Despite the dejection on the field after the Falcons fell, 35-14, to Orlando Christian Prep on Nov. 17 in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference Independent State Championship Game, the 2018 season might go down as SSES’s most noteworthy.

Led by sisters Maria and Catherine Huang, the SSES girls golf team finished in 10th place at the 2018 Class 1A State Championship Tournament, Oct. 30-31 at the Mission Inn Resort, Howey-in-the-Hills.

If you were to wander onto the practice field at Saint Stephen’s where I coach high school football, there are any number of phrases you might hear that, without some context, make absolutely no sense.

Saint Stephen’s has added another high-caliber coach with a championship resume to its already impressive roster with the hiring of Guy Virgilio to lead its girls soccer program.

Saint Stephen’s football completed an undefeated 2017 season and defended its Sunshine State Athletic Conference Independent State Championship with a 49-21 Florida Bowl win over Windermere Prep on Nov. 18 at the Master’s Academy in Oviedo.

The SSES girls and boys golf teams successfully defended their 1A-District 16 titles on Monday, Oct. 16, advancing to their respective regional tournaments on Oct. 23.