Athletes of the Week March 20

Tim Gray

Timmy’s name was recently announced as a member of the 2020 class for the Delaware Afro-American Hall of Fame. He is best remembered in Cape sports history as an unblockable sophomore nose guard on the 1979 Cape state championship football team. Tim was selected to the all-state team twice, graduating in 1981, and served as Gold captain in the Blue-Gold All-Star game. Tim also received the Sam Russell Award at Cape his senior season. Tim went on to be a two-year starter at Delaware State, recording 10 career sacks. Gray also coached at Delaware State and Dover High, where his JV team amassed a 19-1 record over two seasons. Tim was a sprinter on Cape’s successful track teams. Major Tim Gray also served in Iraq and was an honorary game captain for Cape football when he returned.

Riley Shields

Riley was the starting goalie her senior year in 2016 for the Cape field hockey team that went 19-0 and won a state championship. She had 13 shutouts and six games with one goal allowed. That spring, she was the starting pitcher on a Vikings softball team that went 14-4 before losing to Red Lion in the state tournament. Now a senior at Alvernia College and starting pitcher on the softball team coming off shoulder surgery, Riley was 3-3 with 28 strikeouts over 41 innings and had a 0.22 ERA before the season was halted. She threw five complete games, including one shutout. Career stats include 411 innings pitched over 79 appearances. She struck out 241 batters and finished with a career ERA of 2.46 with 35 wins. She is a two-time first-team All-MAC Commonwealth honoree. Riley is completing her degree in occupational therapy. The sudden end to her season closed out a storybook career. 

Cailey Thornburg

Cailey was a 100-point goal scorer for Cape girls’ lacrosse, graduating in 2017. Cailey was an offensive player running midfield and attack who started on four state championship teams. She also dished off multiple assists in big games. Cailey and her goalie teammate Izzy Cryne both went to Division I Mercer University in Macon, Ga. Cryne was a starter from game one, but Cailey was slowed by injuries and had to bide her time and keep her focus. This season, the junior started all six games she played in, scoring 12 goals to go with three assists. Freshman Chloe Schaeffer (Cape) had eight goals. All was going in a positive direction for the 5-2 Bears, but then the season was shut down. All three Cape players will be back next season.

Jon Jon Warren

Jon was the all-purpose athlete during his years at Cape. He could play all the sports, as he was blessed with a long, lanky, athletic body with the strength, speed and coordination to make it work for him. He settled in and focused on being a basketball player, where he could run the floor, hit the jumper and dunk on a defender and all his cousins at the end of a fast break. Jon played college basketball at Harford Community College, two years at Central Baptist College and his last year at nationally ranked NAIA Talladega College in Alabama. He was a team captain at every stop and an all-academic performer. He also amassed 1,000 career points. Talladega made the Big Dance for NAIA, but then the tournament was canceled and traveling man Jon Jon’s career was suddenly done. He is scheduled to graduate this summer.