Central at Cape crowd tame compared to 1990 Little Big House

Vociferous not boisterous - The Big House wrestling crowd Jan. 4, with bleachers on both sides pulled out, was crying out noisily but short of “Off the Hizzy” like in 1990 when Central at Cape was double-decker mayhem at the Little Big House. “I’ll never forget that match,” said Jon Lobiondo, a two-time state champion who was at the Cape versus Central match Jan. 4, 27 years later. “That crowd was right on top of things. It seemed like people were hanging from the rafters, throwing things, but I’m sure my memory embellished events over the years.” Wrestling is a serious sport at Central with head coach Phil Shultie at the helm for 40 years and assistant Chip Illian there a quarter century. You wrestle the Golden Knights, you get a healthy dose of the Georgetown-Millsboro culture. It is old school, a throwback of fiercely proud athletes and coaches. They are a pain in the butt because they never stop coming after you. This wrestling season is just getting warmed up.

TT knows his plays - Young Tony Hazzard (Cape class 2013) is a comeback kid like his dad Tony; don’t ever write him off. I’ll never forget the sight of TT in uniform on the sidelines of a Cape JV football game with his dad Tony along the fence, one of few spectators. Cape was leading by 30 and TT had yet to see the field. I told the head coach of JV, “I think you forgot TT,” and he said to me, “He don’t know his plays.” I remember answering, “He don’t, do he?” TT found his way into the starting lineup for coach Steve Re in his first year coaching basketball, and it wasn’t that TT didn’t know what time it was, he just didn’t care. He had the old school, outdoor court, pick-up-type game where winners stay and losers sit. The winner that is TT Hazzard is still holding court playing for Valley Forge College, a senior majoring in psychology. Last week, young Tony had eight points and three assists in a road game versus Division I program UMES. The kid grew up around basketball and sports, and most importantly an extended family whose faith in him has never wavered. Great job, TT.

Snippets - Kat Judge, now a junior at Winthrop University, where she is an all-conference lacrosse player, is carrying a 3.9 academic average, not too shabby. Both my granddaughters playing lacrosse at Temple, Anna and Lizzie, and Taylor Gooch, also an Owl, are on the dean’s list. Temple lacrosse has a 3.6 team academic average with a 100 percent graduation rate. College lacrosse is listed as a spring sport, but teams play a half-dozen games before the spring equinox.

Cape basketball battles Smyrna at the Big House Friday, Jan. 6, and the winner goes into first place in the Henlopen Conference Northern Division. This year the DIAA tournament is wide open, and I’m just getting a feeling that some Cape team outside of girls’ lacrosse is going to win a state title before 2017 graduation.

Lots of ACL injuries as usual and more prevalent among girls. A good idea is to have a professional person who works in body assessment and prescription for injury prevention evaluate the athlete and set up a program. Elite Fitness on the Boardwalk is great on this and I’m sure so are the other top PT outlets which proliferate in our community like landscapers.

Many coaches and programs are still doing a lame job updating their school websites with results along with who scored points or won matches. Websites4sports.com is the clearinghouse for Delaware, not some team page on Facebook.

Cape school board member Roni Posner stumbled and fell coming down the bleachers at the Slam Dunk tournament. I am told she broke her fibula, so go ahead and say shin bone but which one?  Cape Athletic Director Bob Cilento went to the emergency room to check on her not even realizing who it was because Bob is that guy. Bob said, “Ronnie told me she just loves Cape.” Not the first thing I’d say after breaking my leg at a basketball game. What’s it like thinking you can coach a team in a sport you never played because you had no talent, no motivation or you were ineligible after failing driver’s ed, gym and shop? Man, everybody is suddenly John Wooden or Pat Summitt. Go on now, git!