Meep! Meep! Elite cross country runners sustain speed over distance

Meep! Meep! - Keelin Hays of Tatnall bounded down the trail at Killens Pond State Park at the Cross Country State Championships Nov. 11, leading the chase pack of Division II thinclads who would never catch her. Keelin is built like the Roadrunner – her legs churn in elongated strides and she is fluid with no wasted motion. A peloton of wily coyotes give chase over 5K, but unless they can run a 5:50 mile pace, they are just wheezing in the wind. Keelin won in 18:15. The Division I girls’ race was even more crazy, as untouchable Lydia Olivere of Padua, the state’s best female runner, led from post to paddock in 17:45. Olivia Brozefsky of Cape was seventh in 19:56. Tatnall, with 32 points, won the D2 team championship, while Padua won the D1 girls’ title with 18 points. The boys’ D2 race was won by Connor Nesbitt of Wilmington Friends in 15:37. Austen Cave of Delmar was on his shoulder early but faded to sixth place in 16:15. Tatnall won the team title with 45 points and St. Andrew’s was a strong second with 59. Michael Keehan of Salesianum won the D1 boys’ race in 15:49. Albert Norman of Sussex Central was sixth in 16:18 and Greg Boyce was ninth in 16:30. Sallies won the team title with 28 points. You don’t see these kids out much training on the roads because it’s just too dangerous. 

Sing it and zing it - An opera tells a story belted out in Italian which appeals to the highbrow crowd and the pretentious, meaning those who pretend they like it. I know the name of Beverly Sills, a soprano but not related to Tony, and I know the name of David Sills, the seventh-grader who committed to Southern Cal to play football, later the quarterback at Red Lion Christian in Bear, then Eastern Christian in Maryland, all very sketchy, but no one denied the 6-foot-4, 200-pound quarterback could play the game. David Sills knew Cape kids at the beach and everyone confirmed he was a nice guy. Sills ended up at West Virginia as a wide receiver then transferred to El Camino College so he could play quarterback then back to West Virginia as a wide receiver and is still listed as a junior. I saw Sills on Sportscenter’s Top 10 making some incredible catch against Kansas State. David Sills leads the nation in TD receptions with 18. Sills is his own opera, a better storyline than “Hamilton.” I know nothing but see him as a high draft choice, maybe second round because he’s 6-foot-4 and catches touchdowns, and the NFL is a copycat league and currently “white receivers are in favor.”

Rankings and spankings - Game day brings no guarantees that favored teams will prevail for all the obvious reasons – that’s why they play the game. Underdog was a superhero cartoon. I don’t know who brought that concept to animation, but it was brilliant. Auburn football beat top-ranked Georgia 40-17 Nov. 11 afternoon, then later that night Miami beat favored Notre Dame 41-8. I work in the world of high school sports, so I know who is favored, and I also know it counts for nothing. My working philosophy is, “You never know, but mostly you do, except sometimes, which is why you play the game.” 

Discovered yards - DE Turf is on the tournament map, a facility like no other, so what if you have to drive halfway to Dover to turn around and head back south? There are no Buicks in crowded lacrosse parking lots, you can bet your Range Rover on that. Privilege rims the fields. The game is lacrosse, and the prize is the network of connected colleges leading to Wall Street. Sure that’s a stereotype, but I’m there too, so where do I fit in?  The answer is, I don’t.

Snippets - Delaware Valley College and Wesley College are both in the 32-team NCAA Division III football tournament. The tournament is divided into four eight-team brackets. The Del Val Aggies (10-0) host Western New England (8-2), while the Wesley Wolverines (9-1) host Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (8-2). Both Del Val and Wesley are in the same bracket. Cape’s Sammy Mohr plays for the Aggies, while Devin Miller plays for Wesley. Del Val and Wesley would meet in a regional final. There are 13 undefeated teams in the D3 tournament. Shawn Miller and Antonio Johnson, Laurel; Breon Dennis, Dover; and Timaun Williams, Sussex Tech, also play for Del Val. Franklin & Marshall College field hockey defeated Kean College 2-0 to advance to the Division III Final Four tournament for the first time since 1983. Cape’s Erin Coverdale leads the Dip in goals (16) and assists (7). Go on now, git!