Athletes of the Week Jan. 18
Ja’Vaughn Burton
His teammates call him J-Roc and his coaches call him fearless. Burton gives Cape a shot of adrenaline whenever he enters the game, as he can light it up from long range or hit impossible shots over taller defenders in the paint. He showed off both of those skills Jan. 11 against Smyrna, scoring 15 points and knocking down three shots from way downtown. He followed it up with an 11-point, six-rebound showing versus Delcastle four days later. Burton leads the Vikings with 22 three-pointers on the season, and he is shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc.
Abbey Hearn
The girls’ basketball team at Cape is 9-1 and ready for a big game Friday night hosting Sussex Central. Junior Abbey Hearn, more the classic low-post player who can shoot with either hand and bury free throws, is a big reason for the success of this well-balanced Cape team. Abbey transferred to Cape, her home district, after spending her first two seasons at Sussex Academy. Hearn doesn’t always put up big numbers on a Cape team that has a lot of scorers, but she shows up in big games, like a 57-51 win over Padua when she had 18, and in a comeback 41-36 win at Dover when she finished with 12, most in the second half. Cape and Abbey have some big challenges ahead hosting Sussex Central Friday, Jan. 18, and Saint Elizabeth Saturday, Jan. 26.
Carson Kammerer
Carson started his freshman year rehabbing at home from two orthopaedic surgeries. At Dover Jan. 16, Carson won a 7-5 varsity match at 120 pounds, and it was a big deal. The win was Carson’s third varsity dual-meet victory in a row. Carson won a 9-8 decision over Smyrna’s Darek Davis in the surprising win over the Eagles and won by decision over Michael Rodriguez of Polytech. Carson wrestled some early-season matches at 126, but has since flipped back to 120, while his freshman teammate Mikey Frederick has moved back to the 126-pound slot. “Carson is tough in general and really tough down on the mat,” coach Chris Mattioni said. Carson is a top-tier student and also plays goalie in lacrosse.
Collin Mallet
This Cape junior guard is the best shooter in the gym all night, every night. After toiling in the JV ranks for two years and logging just 43 minutes through the Vikings’ first eight games, Collin earned his first varsity start Jan. 8 against Dover. He made the most of the opportunity, pouring in 19 points and using his quick release to drill six three-pointers. “I’ve waited a long time to have a game like this,” he said afterward. Mallet followed that up with 16 in Cape’s overtime loss to Delcastle on Jan. 15. He has connected on 17 of his 40 three-point tries this year (43 percent) and is averaging a team-best 14.3 points over his last three games.
