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PEOPLE IN SPORTS

No dog in the fight, but plenty in the yard off the chain

Sports venues where everybody or somebody knows your name
April 5, 2016

No dog in the fight - But plenty of dogs in the yard. I went to Wesley College April 1 to watch Tower Hill and Worcester play a girls' lacrosse game. I know players and families on both teams. I’m a fan of the game, so I hoisted my big old camera into the 4Runner and headed north. I parked at the stadium and immediately football coach Mike Drass walks by. We talk for a bit before I walk halfway around the block to find an opening in the gate. Worcester and Tower Hill each schooled Cape in the Vikings' early years of the sport - they were the standard. Worcester has Leigh Lingo, Regan Lingo and Mia Meacci from Rehoboth Beach. The varsity boys' team has Dakin Moore, Dylan Meoli, Trent Marshall, Carter Hill, Tucker Brown and Reece Brown, all from Rehoboth Beach, and Andrew Strickler and Spencer Copeland from Lewes. Ellie Wakefield, Tower goalie, is granddaughter of local auctioneer Butch Emmert. Avery Wakefield is a freshman. Worcester won the girls' game 12-7. Leigh Lingo had four goals, while Wakefield had nine saves. Worcester also won the boys' game 10-5.

Hardball up in the air - Cape baseball played 22 games last season on the way to the championship finals, including a 10-2 record over the last 12 games. This season the Vikings are 2-0, which means if they reach the finals they still have 20 games to play over the next two months. Big games dot the schedule and action resumes this week after Saturday rainouts. Cape will travel to Sussex Central Tuesday, April 5, then play at Caravel Saturday, April 9, at 1 p.m. Caravel already has wins over William Penn Charter from Pennsylvania and Roman Catholic from Philly and will play Salesianum and Malvern Prep before the Cape game. The Bucs have stacked their schedule with nine out-of-state opponents. They are a serious player when discussing teams expected to reach Frawley Stadium in May. The quarterfinal round begins at Frawley ... what a great venue.

Atlantic Lacrosse - Last Saturday morning the weather at Hudson Field was wet dog miserable. But that didn’t slow down Atlantic boys and girls from their scheduled home date against the programs from Queen Anne’s County in Centreville, Md. Atlantic has two teams each for both boys and girls for the age groups U9, U11, U13 and U15. And there are little scoopers programs as well. Mariner and Beacon have started after-school boys' lacrosse programs, averaging about 50 kids over the three grades. Some lax kids also continue to play Little League baseball and softball. Atlantic lacrosse is not just a feeder program for Cape, as kids migrate to all kinds of schools taking the Atlantic experience with them.

Good younguns - I see high school freshman being major impact players in all the sports this spring. I’ve always believed some 14- to 15-year-olds are ready for varsity action. They may not be ready, but youth and lack of experience are not good reasons to keep a kid down - in my opinion. There are varying coaching philosophies on this issue, even at the college level, but don’t get me started.

Wambach charged with DUI - Retired American soccer star Abby Wambach, 35, was arrested in Portland, Ore., for driving under the influence. She has two gold medals, which may have been in her glove compartment. She has also been U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year six times. You may ask yourself, "Why would someone who represented peak fitness and skill and who has achieved such notoriety be the drunk-behind-the-wheel person?” Pencil in your own name in the blank preceding “drunk driving in Portland” and the information never reaches Wyoming, let alone the East Coast. Who let the Wombat out of the bag?

Bunch of ballers - Villanova has been given little chance by pundits and gamblers of beating North Carolina in the Monday night NCAA championship game. This column goes to press before the game. I like the Wildcats to hang around because they play like a perfectly configured Philly playground team. Winners stay and losers go home; it got them to the title game. I just don’t see them getting blown out. Donte Divincenzo from Salesianum is on the roster, but has been out all season with a fractured fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot. Little bone breaks in the foot are tough to rehab.

Snippets - Major League Baseball has begun and if you have enough digital devices, apps and providers, you can stay inside until late October. The Phils open in Cincinnati, who are throwing Julio Iglesias, so maybe Philly will counter with Willie Nelson. Wait, Raisel Iglesias, a Cuban defector? I think if the Phils lose, we should blame Obama. I think Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon is Chris Christie’s cousin. Play ball! Go on now, git!

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