Prayer more controversial than kneeling during anthem

Freedom from religion - The national organization Freedom from Religion sent an official letter to Cape, a public school, two years ago advising the school board that the football team should stop organized prayer after games or face a lawsuit for violating the separation of church and state doctrine ... provision ... or tenet ... whatever, what am I, a lawyer? But players can do the hokey-pokey during the national anthem because there are no required reverence moments, and you know, with the NFL setting the example, some high school players are going to copy them. And in small towns where football, God and country comprise the holy trinity of high school football, this has the potential to get dicey, meaning hometown kids being booed by the band and boosters, sub makers and bagel bakers, and it won’t play well at the Legion.

Dumb stuff in smart place - ESPN is a very conservative sports network, but it is very careful with its politics and on-air personalities, who sometimes lose their minds followed by losing their jobs. Robert Lee, who is of Asian descent - more closely related to Bruce Lee than Robert E. Lee - was taken off the broadcast team for the University of Virginia’s opening football game, as the ESPN network decided they didn’t want a remake of Dumb and Dumber occurring outside the stadium in Charlottesville. The universal reaction from fans with no responsibility for outcomes was “that is so dumb” followed by “what is happening to our country?” I’m not sure, I didn’t watch the political rally in Phoenix, which entered the zone where inane crossed insane.

Naked came the stranger - Ryen Russillo, an ESPN radio host, his program simulcast on TV for the hardcore unemployable, was found drunk and naked in the wrong condo Aug. 23 in Jackson Hole, Wyo., as he apparently just walked in through an unlocked door then refused to leave, thinking he had landed safely in his own place. He was too drunk to comprehend requests to get his naked butt out of the bed or start paying rent. We’ve all been there - no, we haven’t - but here in Beach Town USA we all recognize the behavior. I actually like Russillo. He had 350,000 followers on Twitter. Russillo, 42, a University of Vermont graduate, lost his mind on Aug. 23, which was my oldest son Dave’s 47th birthday. I hope he can come back, but I think the network will ditch him; it’s not like he’s Marv Albert. “Coming at you from downtown, yes!”  

Friends full circle - I took granddaughter Anna to her new sublet at 40th and Chestnut Street on the University of Penn campus where she will live with Sarah Young, her friend since they were 11 years old. Sarah is a senior at Penn. Anna is student teaching kindergarten at a public school in Chinatown, then will receive her degree from Temple. Both country girls know the city well, which I find totally amazing. Philly was popping with college kids returning all week. Penn has brigades of uniformed work-study students who help move students into dorms. Anna had one grandfather with a bad back.

Snippets - Megan Kugelmann is a Relative of the Week. The Florida International University softball pitcher is cousin to Brian Kugelmann, former football/lacrosse player at Cape class of 1996. Kugelmann threw two no-hitters as a freshman in the same doubleheader against Central Connecticut State and was on the Conference USA All-Freshman team in 2016. Last season, the sophomore had 15 wins with 53 strikeouts in 109 innings pitched. Brian Kugelmann still holds a Cape school record for shortest return of a touchdown pass  - a half-yard.

Robert Mitchell from Cape is a freshman at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa., and is current running first team right guard with one scrimmage remaining. Lackawanna is a two-year school with a big name in football, sending players off to Division I every year.

Kyle Lux, Delaware Tech baseball player, was named to the second-team NJCAA All-Academic team, which requires a GPA between 3.8 and 3.99. Brooke Stoeckel, softball player, was named to the third team 3.6-3.79.

Cape football will host Lake Forest and Middletown in a scrimmage at 5 p.m., Friday, Aug. 25. Cape volleyball and field hockey will be hosting Saturday morning play days Saturday, Aug. 26. A soccer 16-team play day at Cape is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.

Field hockey kept 47 players spread over two teams, including 26 on varsity. Karissa Lemaire, senior captain, and freshman sister Korrine are on the varsity roster for Lynchburg College field hockey. Zara Collison from Lake Forest is a freshman on the squad. Jack Ashby is a sophomore on the Lynchburg soccer team. Sam Cannon, senior goalkeeper, from Indian River is also on the Lynchburg squad. Tess Bernheimer is now a sophomore field hockey player at Drexel. Tess was first-team all-conference and Rookie of the Year as a freshman in the CAA conference.