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Athletes of the Week Jan. 8

January 8, 2021
Ja’Vaughn Burton

This 6-foot-1 senior wing will take on the alpha dog role for the Cape High boys’ basketball team in 2021. An electric scorer with range all the way to Surf Bagel, “J-Roc” looks primed to improve on the team-high 15 points he averaged last season. “I’m trying to be more of a ‘take it to the rack’ player [this year], more of an iso player,” Burton said. “Coach [Shemik Thompson] isn’t running plays for me. He sees me as someone who can get a bucket whenever we need one.” The young Vikings will lean on Burton’s experience, as well. “I’m trying to be a leader and show everyone how it’s supposed to be done,” he said. Burton just finished a successful football season that saw him earn all-conference honors as a wide receiver, and his numbers in the classroom are just as impressive.

Bryan Garcia 

This Cape wrestler was 3-1 with two pins in the varsity lineup last year. He was 16-1 with six pins on JV. He also won the JV Polytech wrestling tournament, which is considered the unofficial JV state tourney. Coach Chris Mattioni said: “Bryan is a hardworking young man. He is a great example of a wrestler who entered high school with limited wrestling experience. He took his lumps and has worked his way into the starting lineup. He was behind Carson [Kammerer] last year, but had several close wrestle-offs with him. He has been focused during the preseason. He was training in Ocean Pines with the Stephen Decatur team two days a week all fall; he never missed a practice there. He competed with them in November at the NHSCA Fall National Duals. He was 4-2 and wrestled some tough competitors. Bryan is an overall nice kid who works hard in the classroom and on the mat.”

Ella Rishko

Ella just left a state championship field hockey team, where she was an awesome midfielder/defender, to join Cape’s basketball team. It gives her something to do until March, when her No. 1 sport lacrosse rolls around. Ella has verbally committed to play lacrosse at Virginia Tech. Basketball coach Pat Woods said: “Ella often competes for leading the team in rebounding. She is a phenomenal defender that always gets one of the toughest assignments. She flies all over the court and makes sure all her teammates benefit from her relentless effort. Every coach loves people like Ella. And she loves chocolate-covered pretzels.” Ella can run the open floor and penetrate with a fearless quickness. She is also a stellar student.

Lainey Shockro

Just a freshman, Lainey is new to the indoor track team, but not new to the sport, as she competed on many Beacon Middle championship teams and has been racing on the roads since she was 5 years old. Lainey works to the front of every workout and gives it her all each day. She has found a new training partner in junior Tia Jarvis, and they make each other better every day. Lainey, a straight-A student, has a weightlifting and conditioning program. She is loyal too, and was a part of the Cape Unified Flag Football team this past fall. Lainey can run any distance from 200 meters to two miles. She can hurdle, long jump, triple jump and pole vault in between. She can be as good as she wants to be in track & field.

 

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