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Beware of Bad Hair Day! Cape lax upsets Salesianum 9-7

Vikings complete boys' and girls' lacrosse state championship double
The Cape Henlopen boys' lacrosse team celebrates the 2014 DIAA state championship after their 9-7 win over number one-ranked Sallies. BY DAN COOK
Dave Frederick
June 1, 2014
Cape attack Blake Mann celebrates one of his five scores in the 9-7 win over Sallies. BY DAN COOK
Senior midfielder Todd Keen scores the first goal of the game. BY DAN COOK
Cape senior attack Luke Benson dodges around the Sallies' goal. BY DAN COOK
Cape junior middie Kyle Orton cranks the rock and scores. BY DAN COOK
Cape senior defender Austin MacCoy clears the ball from the Viking defensive zone. BY DAN COOK
Senior defender Aaron Mattioni makes a successful clear. BY DAN COOK
Cape senior goalie Grant Gillan holds the pipe during a Sallies' offensive play. BY DAN COOK
Jeb Monigle takes on a Sallies' defender. BY DAN COOK
Michael Hopkins,r, is congratulated on his goal by Todd Keen,top, and Jeb Monigle. BY DAN COOK
Cape midfielder Kyle Orton looks to dodge around Sallies' middie Andrew Witherell. BY DAN COOK

Beware of Bad Hair Day when Cape lacrosse heads into a state championship game. The Vikings were Mohawk-hyped entering the May 31 state Championship game versus Salesianum at Caravel's Bob Peebles Stadium connected by a contagious confidence and belief in the game plan and determined to complete the mission of the season and become state champions.

“We’ve all known each other since we were kids, and this is what we dreamed about. We weren’t about to leave anything on the field,” said Blake Mann, who scored five goals in Cape’s 9-7 surprisingly surgical win over heavily favored Salesianum, winners of the previous three state championships.

Cape was dialed in early and showed no signs of fading with the game tied after the first quarter at 3-3 and leading 5-4 at the half.

“Grant [Gillan] was having trouble seeing the ball through the sun glaring off the bleachers, but in the second half he was lights out and just kept getting better," said his goalie coach, Geoff Shupard. "We’ve seen Grant get in that zone, and when we went up by two goals with eight minutes to play, I felt pretty good.”

Cape entered the fourth period tied at 7-7 in the back-and-forth game, then two goals by – one off a nifty assist by Michael Hopkins – gave Cape a 9-7 lead with 8:30 left to play and it held up, thanks to Gillan's 12 saves and the close defense of Juan Saez, Aaron Mattinoni, Thomas Ott, A.J. Marshall and Austin MacCoy

Mann's five led the Viking scoring. Todd Keen with two, Kyle Orton and Michael Hopkins with one each rounded out the scoring for Cape.

“I am so proud of our team and the girls' team for both winning state titles with kids from Milton, Rehoboth, Lewes and Dewey,” coach Jack Lingo said after the game. “I can’t understand why any kid wouldn’t want to go to Cape."

Cape Superintendent Bob Fulton was on the field afterward enjoying the celebration and said, "This is great for our kids – the boys pulling off the upset and the girls winning the title Wednesday night. I can't imagine how good they must feel, and we all are so proud of them."

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