Buster and Nancy Neeman, two good sides with a field in the middle

Buster and Nancy - Field hockey officials Buster and Nancy Neeman refereed Cape’s opening game in the 2020 state tournament Dec. 3 at Champions Stadium versus Charter School of Wilmington. I thought I overheard Buster say they had just celebrated 40 years of marriage. I sneaked a snappy photo before the game and thought, “I must have misheard.” They moved about like novice refs – very spry, decisive and flexible. I just say hi and stay out of their way.  Buster will invariably ask me, “Did you get my good side?” Together Buster and Nancy make two good sides with a hockey field in the middle.  

Publix - There was chatter around the coaches’ circle late afternoon Dec. 5 after Cape captured the Division I boys’ cross country state championship at Killens Pond. Cape was the first Henlopen Conference boys’ team to win a Division I state title, although Cape had won the Division II title five times. What about public schools? Had a public school ever won a Division I state championship? The answer: Delcastle won in 1975. And the 1988 Delcastle team under coach Lou Nicoletti lowballed the field with 29 points to win the championship. And of course, Charter School of Wilmington earned the title in 2019 and 2015. A coach from a New York State of Mind argued: “Tech schools and charter schools are not public in a traditional sense; they pull kids from all over the place.” “Yes, but they are free and therefore public,” I said. Division I and Division II placement in cross country and track have always been based on high school enrollment; the top 15 are in Division I and the rest of the field in Division II.

Shoes for the band - In the fall of 1979, 10-year-old Cape Henlopen High School won three state championships, including cross country under George Pepper, field  hockey with coach Carolyn Ivins and football under head coach Jim Alderman. The “all good” upside produced a downside discussion on the ramifications of overemphasizing sports. A parent stood up at a school board meeting and said, “I understand the school buys shoes for the track team, but we don’t buy shoes for the band.” Sure, I had jokes and actually went down the highway looking for a pair of size 13 “band shoes,” but no one knew what I was talking about. I would have worn those bad boys with my selection of Big Dog shirts. I can’t remember ever wearing “teacher shoes” or what we called dress shoes, and I’m from Philly, so we don’t wear sneakers, we rock sneaks and sweat socks. 

Getting gashed - Sussex Central survived a 5-2 seven-game season to make it into the four-team Division I state tournament. The Golden Knights will play at Smyrna at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 11, while Middletown hosts St. Georges at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 12. Sussex Central lost 34-28 to Smyrna Nov. 6. But that running game and Wing-T of coach John Wells is a nightmare to defend. Central chews up yardage and clock, while Smyrna’s fast-break approach thrives on a high-risk and higher-reward aggressive offensive philosophy. Photographers must shoot from the stands at Smyrna – there is no track surrounding the field. The upside: There are lots of seats with limited fans in attendance. 

Rankings and seeding - Being “ranked” by a conglomerate of sports writers means nothing because if you lose to a lower-ranked team, those scribes ain’t talking to you anyway. The same goes for being a lower seed in a single- or double-elimination tournament. The seeding system is itself imperfect. Just be happy if you get a home game, then go out and try to win it. Cape, the No. 1 seed in field hockey, faces a dangerous Dover team, No. 5, at 2 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 8. The big story is not if Cape wins, but if they don’t. Cape,  the No. 4 seed in volleyball, hosts Delaware Military Academy, the 12th seed, at 6:30 p.m., also Dec. 8. The Seahawks play a tough schedule and are a formidable foe for Cape. That stuff is all clutter inside an athlete's head, like being named or not named all-state preseason before you play an actual game. Gamers and fighting dogs are the intangibles inside games, where if you lose, you don’t have to go home, but in COVID time, you can’t even buy a ticket to the next round. 

Snippets - I wrote earlier that the New York Giants is a story I can get behind in 2020. I’ve been a side-road fan ever since I was mistaken for Tucker Frederickson in 1965 at a New York full-service gas station. Tucker was Heisman runner-up and No. 1 pick in the draft. I was wearing an Auburn shirt with the name Frederick on my license and before I could argue, “I ain’t him,” I had signed two autographs. Now at 74 as I trudge around in an aqua Miami Dolphins shirt, I’m sometimes mistaken for Larry Csonka. Cape’s home swim meets are at the Sussex Academy pool this season, a nice gesture by the Seahawks. Go on now, git!