Athletes of the Week Aug. 14
Kasen Adams
Kasen pitched in three tournaments this summer for the Delaware Aces East 8U. He amassed a record of 3-0, yielding only three hits while recording 24 strikeouts. He led his team with a .737 batting average, which included 16 runs scored and 21 stolen bases. He plays for Henlopen Soccer Club in the fall. Last fall, he was a goalie for the Henlopen Soccer Club 9U team that won the Trident Cup in Virginia Beach, recording four shutouts. Last winter, he won his age group in the Run with Santa 5K and was second in the Hair of the Dog 5K. Kasen is entering fourth grade at Milton Elementary, where his mom Mindy is a school counselor. He has three siblings, Kellan, 10; McKinley, 6; and Madison, 3. His dad Kris is a former Dover athlete who is owner of Mattress Peddlers. It goes deeper. Grandfather Derek Adams played tackle at Dover and Wesley, while grandma Leslie Adams Pavilowski was all-conference in three sports at Dover.
Owen Daminger
Pat Woods runs skills development sports-specific training at The Factory over the summer. Owen will be a sophomore at Cape this school year. “Great kid,” Woods said. “Fast and smart. Never backs down from a challenge and wins most of our conditioning drills. He plays baseball and basketball, and any coach would want him on their team.” Owen was a freshman and part of a talented Cape junior varsity baseball roster before the season got canceled. He played baseball at Beacon for coaches Pat Irelan and Dwight Tingle, and basketball for Sean O’Grady. Owen played freshman basketball at Cape, scoring double figures in several games and proved deft in shooting the three ball. Cape baseball coach Ben Evick said: “Owen is a tough player. He showed us a lot of potential in tryouts and I’ve watched him during games. He’s a tough out at the plate and a good defender. He has a high baseball IQ and is an extremely hard worker. He’ll continue to develop and get better.” Owen’s mom is Jodie LoBiondo. His uncle Jon was a two-time Delaware state wrestling champion. Owen was on the Milton Major League team that won a state championship in 2017.
Madge Layfield
A Georgetown kid, daughter of Derrick and Sarah and sister of Garth, Madge competed in the USA Softball Girls’ Fast Pitch National Championship last week in Roanoke, Va., with the Delaware Cobras. She threw a perfect game – 13 strikeouts in five innings – and hit a two-run homer in a 7-0 win over Virginia Unity. She’s a rising freshman at Sussex Central High School, having earned her bones at Georgetown Middle School. In the second game, Madge pitched seven innings with 15 strikeouts for a 2-1 win over New Jersey Intensity. Her manager is Rich Edwards. Players on the Cobras team come from up and down the state of Delaware. Thirty-eight teams played in the tournament from all over the country. Madge trains at Peak Performance in Camden three days a week. Madge also plays field hockey. Her pitching coach is Nikki Shallcross Thomas, and her hitting coach is Luis Andrade. Her stats are 1.35 ERA for Tourney 1.83 ERA on the season
Jada Ricketts
Jada is going into first grade at Southern Delaware School of the Arts. Last week, the coaches of the Cape Champions Field Hockey Camp, run by Kate Austin and Debbie Windett, selected Jada for the Hustle Award because she just kept showing up at the intersection where offense meets defense. High school players are schooled to keep sticks down and block it up, yet this new-to-the-game player does those things by instinct. She is the youngest Athlete of the Week based on performance. A couple of newborns have made the lineup based on potential. Jada also plays T-ball and does dance. Her dad Jonathan was a three-sport athlete at Sussex Central and baseball player at Del State. He says Jada is highly intelligent and tends to leave a lasting impression on people. Jonathan is a corporal with Milford Police Department. Mom Sharde Ricketts is an Indian River and Del State graduate in biology. Grandmom Peggyanne Ricketts played for Debbie Windett at Sussex Central as a goalie and halfback.
