Belle Vernon soccer player Jake Sepesky fractures skull in on-field collision

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, September 6, 2018 | 5:48 PM

Previous Next

Previous Next

Belle Vernon senior soccer player Jake Sepesky had reconstructive surgery on the front part of his skull Thursday, the result of an injury he suffered Tuesday night during the Section 3-AAA opener at Ringgold.

He was in recovery early Thursday evening and doing well, according to Belle Vernon coach Rob Miele.

Sepesky reportedly was going up for a header when he collided head-to-head with Ringgold senior Jeff Soles. Initially, those on site thought Sepesky had a concussion, but it was later discovered the forward had a fractured skull.

“Jeff was coming for the ball at full speed and kind of jumped at an angle; Jake jumped straight up and they collided,” said Belle Vernon senior midfielder Aaron Brown, who was near the play. “We didn’t think much of it at first, but Jake was holding his head and you could tell he was dazed.”

Miele said the blunt force of the impact left an indentation on Sepesky’s forehead. Soles was not injured on the play, which happened with about 20 minutes left in the first half off a long set piece.

Sepesky was taken to a local hospital before later being transferred to Pittsburgh.

“Our guys seem to be in good spirits,” Miele said. “This is something we can rally around as a group. First and foremost, everyone wants to make sure he is OK. We’ll be happy when we see him back on the sidelines. Hopefully, that will happen.”

Belle Vernon played a home game Thursday night against Uniontown and took time to recognize Sepesky, who was miles away at UPMC Mercy hospital. Leopards players wore T-shirts with #ForJake on the front and Sepesky’s name and number (11) on the back.

Social media support also poured in as other WPIAL soccer programs reached out with “thoughts and prayers,” and the hashtag, #ForJake.

“He is a leader and everyone likes Jeff,” Brown said. “We’re dedicating our season to him. It’s tough because last year, he started out (at goalkeeper) but got hurt and missed most of the season. We want to play for him.”

Belle Vernon postponed practice Wednesday only partly due to excessive heat.

“We gave them the day off,” Miele said. “They were gassed and there was the heat. But what had happened with Jake and all, I didn’t think (practice) would be very productive.”

Sepesky is known around the program for his aggressive play and extra hustle.

“That is something I want our guys to think about,” Miele said. “Go out and play like Jake would.”

Senior forward Markello Apodiakos said of Sepesky: “He is our hustle guy. You’d never catch him being lazy. He is our grit guy … always a team player. Now that he’s out we definitely have to make adjustments.”

Miele said the Sepesky family is grateful for the support.

“They really appreciate the outpouring of concern,” Miele said.

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Belle Vernon