Senior Night was a big game for the Staples Girls softball team tonight.The 8-0 win, played under the lights at the Green’s Farms Elementary School field, over rival Brien McMahon propelled the team into the state LL championship tournament. Senior Charlotte Axthelm pitched a complete game shut out in front of a large crowd celebrating senior night, and The Got Field? Project to build a varsity field at Staples and Westport Little League Softball. (Westport’s next game is Friday at 4 p..m against Bassick at Green’s Farms field. Pictured are Seniors Charlotte Axthelm (P), Heather Rosoff (CF), Shelby Shulman (2B) , and Madison Kashetta (1B). (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Matthew Mandell for WestportNow.com

More than 1,350 pre-registered runners took part in today’s 34th annual 5K/10K Minute Man Race, sponsored by the Westport Young Woman’s League, at Westport’s Compo Beach. See full results here. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The first place overall finishers in the today’s 34th annual Minute Man Race in the 5K competition were Timothy Milenkevich, 30, of Ansonia with a time of 16:09, and Emily Lasala, 26, of Bridgeport, the first place female finisher (and second place overall), with a time of 17:32. It was the first time either had run in the annual Minute Man event. See full results here. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The 10K first place finisher in today’s Minute Man race was Noredine Abdelfateh, 30, a native of Morocco who now lives in Norwalk where he is employed by Dunkin’ Donuts.  His official finish time was 32:43. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The first place overall finisher in the Minute Man Race 10K competition today with a time of 32:43 was Noredine Abdelfateh, 30, a native of Morocco who now lives in Norwalk where he is employed by Dunkin’ Donuts.  Abdelfatah was the first place finisher in the Minuteman 5K race in 2011. He said he is increasing the distances of the races he enters and plans to enter a half marathon race in Fairfield this summer. The first place female finisher (and sixth overall) in the 10K was Sharon Lemberger, a Stamford resident and mother of three children, 6, 4 and 2. See full results here. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Sophomore Staples JV first baseman Bryan Porter slammed a walk-off three-run homer over the right field fence at Wakeman Field Thursday to defeat Masuk JV 4-2. This was Porter’s first home run in only the second game of the season. Staples JV is now 2-0. Their next game is on Saturday against Newtown. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Robert Chasin for WestportNow.com

A fund-raising initiative called “Got Field?” to bring a varsity softball field back to the Staples High School sports complex got under way Friday night. Hosted at BG&C Wine Bar in Norwalk, the project’s goal is to raise $75,000 to create an FCIAC-standard varsity field with dugouts, stands and press box on the current softball field at Wakeman and renovate the JV’s sub-standard field at Staples. Currently the varsity team plays at Green’s Farms Elementary School where access and student attendance is difficult. The goal is to have all funds, approvals and construction done in time for the 2013 spring softball season. Pictured (l-r) are JV Coach Beth Anne Shellman, Players Katie Burke, Emma Moskovitz, Katherine Friend and Varsity Coach Sara Holland. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Matthew Mandell for WestportNow.com

About 20 members of the Staples High School Varsity Lacrosse team on Friday successfully completed a grueling afternoon called Judgment Day. The exercise was proctored by a professional leadership and team building company known as “The Program,” all multi-tour veterans having served in Iraq and Afghanistan as naval officers. The lacrosse team was challenged both mentally and physically as they were put through an almost five-hour long regimen of drills. The exercises were designed to build teamwork, inspire leadership, and encourage respect for individuals and their teammates. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

By James Lomuscio

The Planning and Zoning Commission’s (P&Z) eleventh hour approval Thursday night of permanent lights at Westport’s Staples High School came as a welcome relief to sports boosters who have petitioned for lights for 34 years.

An artist’s rendering of the new Staples lights and concession stand. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed graphic

“Usually we wake up the next day and say, ‘They didn’t vote for it,’” said Dan DeVito, operations supervisor for the Parks and Recreation Department and chairman of the Westport Football Association. “But this is good news. It’s surreal.”

The P&Z closed its public hearing on the matter early Thursday evening and approved it in a work session at 11 p.m.

Proponents had petitioned for lights since 1978, and through the decades their plans had been blocked by neighbors concerned about noise and light trespass onto their properties at night.

By James Lomuscio

UPDATE The Westport Planning and Zoning Commission tonight (P&Z) approved permanent athletic field lights at Staples High School—a decades long, elusive goal as sports boosters and neighbors clashed.

Efforts to add lights to the Staples football field go back to at least 1978. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

At the same public hearing held in the Town Hall auditorium, Jim Marpe, vice chair of the Bord of Education, also sought a special permit and site plan approval for a permanent storage shed and scorer’s area for girls field hockey at Staples, located at 70 North Ave., in a triple-A residential zone.

The P&Z closed the public hearing early in the evening and voted to approve the lights and shed special permit and site plans at about 11 p.m., according to member Chip Stephens.

“We have come to a moment that’s at least 30 years in the making,” said Marpe, adding that night home games, which have eluded Staples football team, offer “an opportunity to create community.”