Wednesday, June 9, 2021
The Observer | www.theobserver.com
Sports & Recreation
9
Call him Zach
WITH
Jim Hague ogsmar@aol.com
Nutley’s Stoeckel a double threat Fallyn Stoeckel had no choice but to be a good athlete, especially a softball player. After all, the Nutley High School junior has practically grown up on softball fields in Essex County. After all, Stoeckel’s grandfather, Jim Sr., has been a long-time softball and baseball umpire who has been the assignor for the Essex County Tournament for almost 30 years. And her father, Jim, the former Belleville High boys’ basketball coach, has been a highly respected umpire as well. “You can tell when someone has grown up around the game,” Nutley head softball coach Luann Zullo said. “I think Fallyn grew up just watching the game.” “I think it always helped me to be around Dad,” Stoeckel said. “Dad pushed me along all the time and my grandfather goes to so many games and has always been around. It definitely has helped me.” It’s certainly helped Stoeckel recently. The junior flamethrower has been dynamite, both pitching and at the plate in recent weeks, especially with the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group III playoffs in full bloom. Last week, Stoeckel had about as good of a week both pitching and hitting that a player could have. On the mound, Stoeckel won both of the Maroon
Raiders’ state playoff games against Mendham and JFK-Iselin. Stoeckel fired a one-hitter against Mendham, striking out 15, in the Maroon Raiders’ 8-1 victory. Last Friday, Stoeckel struck out 14 over nine innings in the Maroon Raiders’ thrilling 7-6 win over Iselin Kennedy, coming back from a three-run deficit to do so. At the plate, Stoeckel was an unconscious nine-for-11 over three games, the two playoff wins and a regular season tilt with Millburn. Stoeckel delivered three hits, namely two doubles and a triple, drove in three runs and scored three in a 14-0 victory. She had three hits, including a double and a triple, with one RBI and two runs scored in the win over Mendham and finished the week with three more hits, including a double and a triple, and had three RBI in the victory over Iselin Kennedy. That pretty much sums up an impressive week. Needless to say, Stoeckel has been selected as The Observer Athlete of the Week for the past week. Stoeckel was fully aware that the games are much more important now with a possible state championship at stake. “I’ve been more excited for the state tournament,” Stoeckel said. “I definitely think I perform better in See VIEW, Page 11
Belleville transgender athlete a trailblazer for others By Jim Hague ogsmar@aol.com Zach Perez just knew from an early age that he just wasn’t right with the gender he was born with. “I was probably about six or seven,” said Perez, a Belleville High School junior who runs track and plays softball. “I just wasn’t comfortable with girly things and girly clothes. I didn’t like the way I felt. I’d cry when they put me in something girly. I’d always want to go to the boys’ section in clothing stores.” His mother, Fatima, also noticed the difference in his child who was born a girl. “I would have to say that he always preferred comfortable clothes,” Fatima Perez said. “He just felt uncomfortable in dresses and shoes. I understood because I’d rather wear be in sneakers and shorts all the time.” Zach Perez (born Madison Perez, but he calls that his “dead name”) said that he lived an uncertain lifestyle for the first 16 years of his life. In his heart, mind and soul, he was certain that he was meant to be a boy. “Everyone who knows me knows that I always wanted to be a boy,” Zach Perez said. Fatima Perez didn’t think there was anything wrong with the way her child dressed and acted. But last December, on New Year’s Eve, Zach Perez made a power point presentation to his parents. In the presentation, Zach had strategically did all the necessary research to explain his situation to his parents. He wanted to become a transgender person, wanted to be recognized as a male instead of what he was born as. “I spent a lot of time doing the research to fit my needs
Photo by Jim Hague
Belleville High School junior Zach Perez came out recently as being transgender and has remained a member of the Belleville softball program. .
gender-wise,” Zach said. “I sat them down and explained everything to them in detail. I told them that I wanted to be Zach. I wanted to improve that part of my life.” “He explained everything,” Fatima Perez said. “The presentation was thorough.” Zach said that when he was in middle school, he had to deal with a lot of tragedy. He lost an aunt, a close cousin and then his grandmother. “My mental health was bad,” Zach said. “I was going through a tough time. I talked to a therapist about my gender and she helped me to get more and more comfortable with it.”
So then there was the dramatic presentation to ring in 2021. “I was a little worried about my parents’ reaction,” Zach said. “It’s not something you normally talk to your parents about. I just wanted to start the new year as the person I want to be. So I decided to come out then.” Needless to say, the presentation caught Hector and Fatima a little off guard. Hector Perez is of Portuguese descent, while Fatima’s family originated in Puerto Rico. “I think Mom was a little more open minded,” Zach See ZACH, Page 10
