Alphas and boomers stride and collide 

Boomers and bouncers - Allen “Chattahoochee” Jackson, 57, straight outta Milton, representing Station 85, burst from the starting line Nov. 15, in full fire gear carrying a large American flag. The Tunnel to Towers 3.43-mile run commenced to remember Sept. 11, 2001, and to never forget first responders. I’m from the boomer generation when muppets were hand puppets kept in a sock drawer. We are part of the population boom produced when soldiers came home from World War II. There were no 5Ks celebrating and remembering past battles; we boomers just bounced into life like rubber balls in street games. The 2025 Tunnel to Towers male and female races were won by generation alphas – Deacon Odenwelder, 10, and Chloe Cawthern, 9. They are the children of millennials. AI describes them as digital natives fully integrated with technology and social media. I’m a recovering boomer, self-correcting from life’s missteps and mishaps. I landed like a state police helicopter in a parking lot by the sea. Deacon finished 15 seconds ahead of John Costello, 64. Chloe placed 45 seconds ahead of Teri Welsh, 58. John qualifies as a late boomer, while Teri is part of a smaller sub-group known as Generation Jones.

Strafing mission - A peaceful, easy feeling is free by the sea just sitting in the truck like a fat cat on the windowsill gazing and reflecting like a setting sun on a dirty windshield. I sometimes do that. Other times I do drop into a practice like Marvin Gaye to see what’s going on, and I always learn a lot. I checked out girls’ basketball and said hello to new coach Ron Dukes, a great guy I’ve known forever. The talented underclassmen from field hockey and lacrosse have re-entered the basketball world, as their work and fun meters seem aligned, which always equals success. The girls aren’t into trudging through the tedium of a four-month season unless it involves laughs and funny stories. The wrestling room is always a fun insertion; usually hard-hitting music pulsating during intense workouts. It's a family-type feeling, if your family enjoys rolling around on the carpet and wrecking the house.

Balance of power - Double-digit years ago, I mentioned Saint Mark’s High School in Newark, a coed Catholic school unlike Sallies, which is an all-boys school, and how the Spartans had won eight state titles in one school year. Later, Saint Mark’s enrollment dropped and they subsequently went down to the Division II level in sports. This fall, Saint Mark’s boys won the Division II state title in both boys’ cross country and boys’ soccer. And the girls reached the state final in volleyball and girls’ flag football. Saint Mark’s and Sallies cost between $18,000 and $21,000 in yearly tuition. The private schools in Delaware are closer to $40,000 but have lots of grants and scholarships, and basically no one knows what anyone else pays.    

Final Four Division II hockey - It’s Newberry versus West Chester followed by Kutztown versus Shippensburg in the Division II semifinals Friday, Nov. 21. Emma Westbrook (Sussex Academy), Payton Keeler (Woodbridge) and Parker Keeler (Woodbridge) play for Newberry. Laura Rogers (Delmar), Ella Shockley (Delmar), and Addison van Rensler (Caravel) play for West Chester. Sierra Jester (Lake Forest) plays for Kutztown. Mckenna Boyle (Sussex Central) and Emily Bitters (Delmar) play for the Raiders of Shippensburg. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference has 17 member schools. Bloomsburg, Clarion, Edinboro and Lock Haven also compete in Division I wrestling. Salisbury University field hockey lost 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the Division III tournament at No. 1 Christopher Newport. 

Snippets - Head middle school wrestling coaches inside the Cape district are Sean Sheehan, Beacon; Johnny Longo, Mariner; and Chip Wilt, Fred Thomas. Rayona Benson returns as the head coach of the Sussex Academy girls’ basketball team. Ray is assisted by Justin Benson, Will Edwards and Rick Barry. Tom Pedersen is an assistant boys’ basketball coach to Pat Woods at Delmarva Christian. Brody Pedersen is an assistant boys’ coach to Brad Leinback at Sussex Academy. Sussex Central High School Hall of Fame inductees presented in a ceremony Nov. 14 were Faye West (Class of 1976), Dave Rodgers (Class of 1971), Blake Hersehelman (Class of 2001) and Edward Ghabour (Class of 1994). Eddie was presented for induction by Mike Frederick, whom he coached with at Cape. Eddie also works with foxbusiness.com, but just like coaching the quarterback, I have no idea what he is talking about. Go on now, git!