Jaxon Benton

Jaxon is a unified and adaptive three-sport athlete who played on the state championship flag football team, then basketball on the unified team and closed out the sports season this spring by capturing a second-place finish in the long jump with a distance of 15-feet-10-inches. His personal best is 18-feet-3-inches. He also took second place in the open 400 meters with a time of 59.5, which is just a little over his personal-best time of 58.4. Jaxon was on the championship-winning mixed relay teams – the 4-by-100-meter relay clocked a time of in 49.2 and the 4-by-200-meter relay team finished in 1:43.2. “I don’t really have a favorite sport," Jaxon said. “I love them all.” Jaxon scored Cape's first touchdown in the unified flag football championship game win over Caesar Rodney last November. He has five siblings. His dad is a nurse and his stepmom is a police officer.

Jack Feinstein

This Sussex Academy freshman has already made a name for himself in the Delaware tennis world after wrapping up an undefeated regular season. He topped that off by helping his team secure the team Henlopen Conference title by winning the first-singles bracket at the conference tournament. Feinstein showed tremendous technical ability in his eighth-grade year, but really took a leap forward physically in 2026. In addition to his high tennis IQ, he now has a devastating serve that is tough to send back. Jack battled through some adversity as the No. 4 seed in the state tournament to reach the semifinals. In his second-round match, he won 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. He opened the quarterfinals with a 4-6 loss, but stormed back for a 6-1 set win and a 6-4 third-set victory. He lost to eventual champion Ryan He, but the future remains bright for this young star.

Ryder Kroll

Ryder is a 14-year-old eighth-grader at Beacon Middle School. Ryder is the lacrosse goalie at Beacon, but also plays on the U14 Atlantic Lacrosse team and the 2030 Coastal Lacrosse travel team. He’s been playing lacrosse since he was 3 years old starting in Baltimore. He comes from a family of lacrosse players. In fourth grade on his Atlantic Lacrosse team, Ryder decided to try goalie. It has stuck with him ever since. He’s dedicated his time on and off the field to learning the skills a good lacrosse goalie needs. On the Beacon team this year, he was a team captain and had 60-plus saves, leading his team to a 7-1-1 season. He also helped his U14 Atlantic Lacrosse team to the ESYL championship game with a 4-2 record. Ryder also played for Beacon’s football and wrestling teams this year – both for the first time. In his extra time, Ryder loves fishing, hanging with friends and being on the boat. 

Chase Madden

Chase is an eighth-grade pitcher and shortstop on the Mariner Middle School baseball team. Chase led the team with a batting average of .655 and an on-base percentage of .744. Of his team-leading 19 hits, he had four doubles, two triples and three home runs. He also led the team in RBIs with 21, runs with 20 and stolen bases with 22. Chase was also a dominant force on the mound, leading the team with 19.2 innings pitched. He also had a team-leading four wins and an earned-run average of 0.915. "Chase possesses elite athleticism, which is easy to see just by watching him play," said coach UJ Johnson. "With his elite athleticism and range, he makes a lot of plays that a ton of other guys aren't able to. Chase is a hard worker as well. He came to me at the end of last year and asked me what he needed to get better. It's pretty apparent the work he put in and the jump he made."