Turkey Bowl lacrosse game honors former players
Nearly 30 former and present-day Cape lacrosse players dodged, passed, cradled, shot and checked each other in the 2016 Turkey Bowl pickup game Nov. 26 at Legends Stadium. They honored two former Vikings who had led Cape Henlopen lacrosse teams in numerous wins, glory days and championships. No score was kept and there were no referees. Score didn’t have to be kept, as the Vikings lax players weren’t playing for the win or even cared about the win. They were competing to remember Scott Brozey and Shawn Williams. Brozey was killed Sept. 30 in a tragic accident in Florida, and Shawn passed away Nov. 21 at his home.
“Scott was a teammate and a great friend of mine,” said co-organizer James Cook. “And Shawn was a former coach of mine. We didn’t play to just score goals and win or lose. This game was about honoring two of our friends and lacrosse brothers who did so much for Cape Henlopen lacrosse. They will never be forgotten.”
Brozey was a 2008 Cape grad who was team MVP, an all-state and all-American player for the Vikings. After graduation from Cape, he played for two years at Del Tech in Dover, where he was coached by Williams. He finished his college career playing for the Wolverines of Wesley College. Brozey also played for the Starboard club team.
Williams was a star player for the Vikings and was voted MVP of the 1991 squad and MVP of the senior all-star game. He enjoyed playing lax anytime and anyplace, and he competed with the Starboard club team. He was a former coach on the first state championship team in 1998.
“Shawn was one of my coaches in the ’90s,” said Cape coach Jack Lingo. “He also coached my brother Bill on the 1998 team. He was such a good guy. A really great person to be around and such a nice guy.”
Cape goalie coach Geoff Shupard spoke to the participants about Williams.
“He was the first official JV coach in 1998,” he said. “He was very influential to me and many of the guys, and we wouldn’t be where we are without him.”
Lacrosse is a small community, and players past and present support and honor their own. This was a game to pay homage to Scott and Shawn and their contribution to the Cape lacrosse community. Their legacy will forever live on in the hearts of the Cape lacrosse community.
