Athletes of the Week Sept. 30

Aldo Hernandez-Becerra

This Cape junior is one of the top scorers in Henlopen Conference soccer this season, recording five goals and five assists in the first six games. He is a big part of the Vikings’ 6-0 record. "Aldo has such a high soccer IQ," said head coach Patrick Kilby. "His technical ability is some of the best I’ve seen. He has great vision and his distribution is on point. He creates scoring opportunities through combination play in the central midfield and makes our team better." An attacking center midfielder, he continually mystifies the opposition with his field coverage. "When we create offense, our most dangerous chances are facilitated by him," said assistant coach Joe Rupar. "When he is on the field, he elevates the play of others on the team." In the off-season, he plays for Henlopen Soccer Club.

Avary Miller

The last time a Cape freshman hockey player tallied a hat trick in the first half with all three goals coming inside 4:07 was Sept. 27, 2022, until some proves otherwise. In fact, it may be the school record for most condensed hat trick in the 52 years of Cape hockey history. Cape led Indian River 7-0 at halftime Tuesday with Miller and Grace Wiggins each collecting three goals. “The Biz” is a sometimes starter, and one of those forwards programmed to attack and score, but she has the instincts to center the ball when her neighborhood gets crowded. “Avary and others have accepted their roles and are team players,” said coach Kate Austin. Bigger games and bigger moments loom for The Biz. The Cape team started nine underclassmen against Indian River.    

Grace Wiggins

Grace is the proverbial player to be named later, and later is now! A starter on state championship teams full of stars in field hockey and lacrosse, this junior midfielder is a shooting star in the Cape constellation. Sept. 27 at Champions Stadium, Wiggins went full-bore Ciabattoni – as in Reagan, a former Cape middie who is now at Duke – scoring a first-period hat trick in a span of seven minutes. All goals were unassisted and heard before seen. “Grace just went nuts,” said Cape assistant coach Debbie Windett. “We are still trying to figure out where our scoring is coming from with this team,” said coach Kate Austin. Goalies react; they don’t reflect, but Wiggins is just another weapon to ponder inside the circle. 

Asher Woods

This seventh-grader from Mariner Middle has turned away all challengers early in the cross country season, leading the Vikings to a 3-0 dual-meet record via a pair of dominant performances. At Browns Branch Park in Harrington Sept. 19, Woods clocked 13:02 for 2.09 miles and finished 23 seconds clear of a sizable field, as Mariner eased past Beacon and Milford. He lopped 50 seconds off his time from the same meet last year. Woods continued his winning ways a week later by covering a 2.03-mile Sandhill Fields course in 12:22, good for a 6:05 mile pace. Asher placed sixth overall at the 15-team DAAD Invitational in 2021 and has his sights set on taking the title this season. He’s certainly off to a good start. When he’s not logging miles, you can find Asher hooping it up with his dad, Cape girls’ basketball coach Pat Woods, at The Factory.