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Beacon Beau Smith barrels around left end for a touchdown

October 18, 2016

Beacon Beau Smith rumbles to pay dirt - Beacon head football coach Haywood Burton is sixth-grader Beau Smith’s teacher by day - he looks out for him and helps him negotiate his school world. Beau is a straight up character who makes people smile – that is his talent.” Before the Oct. 13 game versus Millsboro, coached by Lance Keeler, Beacon took possession on the 20-yard line. The play was a sweep left to Beau, wearing No. 1. He picked his way, setting up his blocks and reaching the end zone - it was a Kool and the Gang “Celebration Time, C’mon.” There were high fives and smiles. Beau was working the crowd afterward; he went to the sidelines and did a mock collapse onto his back and people continued laughing. Grandmom Rose: “The downside to truly inspirational people is you can never measure up, you just can’t get to their level.” Note: Beau looked at me and my camera before the game, smiled and said, “Facebook!”

Crooked Hammock - A total of 350 runners, walkers and daytime talkers showed up at the Crooked Hammock Oct. 15 for the inaugural Ashley Furio Memorial 5K for the Children’s Beach House. I was sitting in the green grass in a blue chair by the side of the road like an old fisherman along the Broadkill River, taking photos and waiting for everyone to return to port. A happy hand-holding couple wished me good morning, saying “lovely day.” My response: “Knock it off. Nobody is that happy.” “We just got married,” they said to a grounded guy in a chair who has been married 47 years. I would have guessed them at about 55 years old. Checking race results there they were, David Kobrin, 74, and his bride Marjorie, 70, of Lewes, and everyone who knows them sang, “Beautiful World-Wonderful People.”    

Fractured fairy tale - A six degrees of separation game at the New Jersey Pennington School Oct. 15. The Vikings lose to the national power 7-2, but embedded in the story is the return of injured goalie Brent Hochrein, who played the field in the second half and scored a goal on a header. The other goal was scored by Uly Slagle whose grandfather Jacob was a football star at nearby Princeton University, which Cape visited earlier in the day. The connections keep coming. Roberts Stadium at Princeton is named after Thomas S. Roberts, class of ’85, a Tigers goalkeeper and the project’s lead donor. Roberts’ high school coach was Gary Montalto (now a Cape guy) and in his senior year Roberts had 18 straight shutouts. 

Snippets - Dr. Ray Pursell is a great guy who used to substitute at Cape. He was at Lock Haven University Oct. 15 to support a friend being inducted into the Hall of Fame, coach Nick Polk, who was head coach at Lock Haven from 1996-99 and is now on staff of Atlanta Falcons. Polk had his daughter deliver remarks and she thanked our own Bill Collick. Retired football coach - now local guy - Jack Fisher was football coach at Lock Haven from 1978-86. Runner Jeff Evans - dressed as the devil for the Dogfish Dash - is coach Fisher’s son-in law.

Former Seashore Striders Jacki Warren and Laura Olenderski ran into coach Tim Bamforth at the Herring Point 10K Oct. 16. Both girls, now college graduates, played softball in high school. University of Delaware football coach Dave Brock was fired on Sunday. Brock was 19-22 over his four years. In contrast, former Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler is 6-0 at Sam Houston State, but lest fans forget, Keeler was also let go by Delaware. And of course a nationwide search will begin, but if I were on the board of directors, I’d insist on a coach with a Delaware connection. Big week in high school field hockey. It’s time to shake it down, as Milford, Delmar and Cape all play each other, beginning with undefeated Delmar at Milford Tuesday, Oct. 18. Caesar Rodney football is coming into the Cape game with a record of 0-6 with two consecutive 2-8 seasons on their heels. Head coach Dan Candeloro, former All-American defensive lineman, is a great guy and super teacher (special education) but he is rumored to be on “the hot seat.” Just don’t grab his hand and tell him; some guys like Candy just transmit power on the handshake and that’s when they’re happy. Does the traveling Cape caravan of fans now belong to history? How can it be that if you add up all the players in uniform along with cheerleaders and the band and divide by two you still have fewer fans than kids. Do the parents and family have something better to do? Question asked and answered. Go on now, git!

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