Athletes of the Week Dec. 17
Mehkia Applewhite
Mehkia has big talent and a bigger smile on defense. Think of her as an electric car; just don’t take the charge. Coach Pat Woods on Mehkia’s early-season play: “She was MVP of our games against Paul VI (No. 23 in country right now) and at She Got Game versus Calvary Christian Academy. She just has the ability to dominate every area of the game. She can out-rebound bigs, lock up guards, score at the rim, and at the three-point line and midrange as well. Perhaps the biggest play she made this week was supporting a younger teammate who was going through an experience that Mehkia has dealt with in the past. That, or the one-on-one fastbreak pro-hop versus Calvary – it was beautiful.” Mehkia has been Cape’s leading scorer in all four games this season. She will be attending Menlo College in San Francisco in the fall.
Alberto Castillo
Everyone’s friend Alberto Castillo became the first 90-year-old to compete in a Seashore Striders race, as the Rehoboth Beach resident and native of Argentina finished the Run for Santa 5K to a cheering crowd in 1:12:25. Alberto began hanging with the Striders more than 20 years ago and always seems to attract a crowd when he finishes. Alberto left his native Argentina in 1963 to work with the United Nations Development Program in Paraguay and has worked in Washington, D.C. He was appointed as an Inter-American Development Bank representative in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Bolivia in the years 1976 to 1982, and was an IDB special envoy based in Paris, France, from 1986-90 to negotiate technical cooperation funding (grants) with IDB members in Europe, Japan and Israel, before his retirement in 1992.
Brody Pedersen
“Crush” might’ve earned a second nickname this week for the Cape boys’ basketball team: “Clutch.” The senior off-guard hit a buzzer-beating corner three-pointer with multiple hands in his face to give the Vikings a dramatic 62-60 overtime win at Sussex Central Dec. 9. He stayed en fuego five nights later when Cape visited Caesar Rodney, draining a pair of threes in the final three minutes to spark an upset of the Riders. He finished with a career-high 20 points at CR, and averaged 18 points and three rebounds for the week, going 9-for-18 from long range. “All summer, I got up way too early and just shot [threes] from like 5 to 7 or 8 [a.m.],” Pedersen said. “I put up about 1,000 shots a day.”
Drew Zimmerman
Cape’s junior point guard brought his Superman cape to Caesar Rodney on Dec. 14, knocking down a dagger three-pointer from the wing with 50 seconds left that ultimately proved to be the game-winner. Drew flashed all his assets – handle, quickness, finishing and long-range shooting – in matching his career high with 16 points. “I’ve gotten a lot more confidence this year,” said Zimmerman, who went 6-for-10 from the floor, sank three shots from beyond the arc and added five assists. “I’ve gotten stronger with the ball and understand better how to lead the team at the point.” Drew started a few games two years ago as a freshman and, after a year off, is finally delivering on that early promise.
