Athletes of the Week Jan. 10

Mikey Frederick

This sophomore and two-year letterman began wrestling at Beacon in eighth grade. Coach Chris Mattioni said of his 145-pounder: “Mikey is tenacious and in your face, which equates to wins. He is a risk taker, edgy, willing to lay it on the line. He had a great weekend, finishing 8-0 with six pins at the Iron Horse Duals. Mikey is coachable, hardworking and hates to lose. He is a gamer, dangerous in any match.” He was down 5-1 in the Caesar Rodney dual Jan. 8, before escaping and throwing his opponent to his back to take a 7-5 lead. He would go on to win by a major decision. He is a tough competitor. Mikey was a varsity attackman on Cape’s 2019 state championship lacrosse team. He takes honors and Advanced Placement classes and Academic Challenge. He has a 3.8 GPA.

Juan Lares

Juan is like Clark Kent as a wrestler. When he’s not in the wrestling room, you may find the honors student at cheerleading practice catching girls falling from the ceiling. The junior wrestled at Mariner and is now a three-year letterman, with a current record of 16-7 with nine pins. Juan had a great tournament at Battle at the Beach, finishing in third place. He followed that up with an excellent performance at the Iron Horse Duals, finishing 7-1 with four pins. “Juan is a hard worker who has come into his own this year,” said coach Chris Mattioni. “He has developed confidence in his ability and hopes to have a great year.” Juan got a quick pin at 160 pounds to help Cape beat Caesar Rodney Jan. 8. “I’m comfortable at 160, but I could go down to 152 by end of season,” he said. “It depends on what everyone else is doing.”

Sam Luciano-Solomon

This 6-foot-3 senior forward played bigger than his frame in the Cape boys’ basketball team’s win at Sussex Central Jan. 6, scoring nine of his career-best 11 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Sam converted a crucial three-point play on a third-chance put-back in the final frame and knocked down all seven of his free-throw tries on the night, including a pair that sent the game to overtime. Cape’s interior enforcer rounded out his line with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. A reserve last season, Sam has burst onto the scene this year thanks to his tenacity on the boards and steady, heady play on the offensive end. He’s a consummate glue guy who does all the little things for coach Shemik Thompson. A mainstay on Cape’s A honor roll, Sam recently visited Flagler College and is also considering Millersville University.

Collin Mallet

Cape boys’ basketball fans had been waiting all season for “Shrimp” to go off, and they got their wish in the Vikings’ overtime win at Sussex Central Jan. 6. Collin went 5-for-5 from beyond the three-point line to score a season-high 15 points for Cape, which survived an unexpected challenge from the Knights. This 6-foot senior off-guard added three steals and an assist in the victory. Mallet, who once canned eight threes in an AAU game, has the sweetest stroke Cape has seen since current coach Shemik Thompson’s days in the blue and gold. He also made a mark at Slam Dunk to the Beach, recording a monster block against St. Raymond (N.Y.) that made the tournament’s highlight reel. Collin is shooting a team-best 41 percent from long distance this year and has made 38 career three-pointers.