Cape football launches into 2021 season

Launch angle - Cape football under the direction of head coach J.D. Maull has rocketed into the 2021 fall practice season with big numbers and big people preparing for a formidable schedule, which includes a Thursday, Sept. 2 home opener versus Salesianum. This is year No. 4 at Cape for J.D. and his 16th overall as a head football coach, which began with the startup St. George’s Tech Hawks. R.J. Lopez and Haywood Burton will coordinate the defense for Cape, with Lopez specializing in the front six and Burton the back five. “This year we will try to establish the run behind Lucas Ruppert and Ryan Betins with lots of play action using athletic quarterbacks Hank D’Ambrogi and Keishawn Mansfield. We have good wide receivers with Mansfield, L.T. Messick and Jack Schell,” said Maull. Cape will scrimmage at Sussex Tech Saturday, Aug. 14. 

Ravens “Nevermore” - The Sussex Tech Ravens are not on Cape’s football schedule for the 2021 season for the first time in a long time. Delaware’s new alignment for football is not conference-based and has Cape in Group 1 and Sussex Tech in Group 2. Tech head coach Brad Ellingsworth enters his second season with a staff of 13 coaches, which includes the return from retirement of Lineman for Life Marty Cross, longtime defensive coordinator for the Ravens. Transitioning to field hockey, Dom Scott is the newly named head coach of the Ravens, who will play at Cape Thursday, Sept. 16. 

Quick stop - Coach Gilbert Maull threw short passes – a Maull forte – during a practice drill last Friday. I reminded him that only coach Fred and he knew his high school number was seven. The other number is six, the number of Maulls who played quarterback for Cape, which included Gilbert, Jay, Lonnie, Obie (cousin), JD and Kai. Opposing players over the years knew not to catch the ball over the middle with a free-ranging Maull in the Cape secondary, or they would be  abruptly stopped and dropped by a vicious shin tackle. 

Not easily impressed - I watched Cape’s hockey camps over two weeks, both middle school and high school, taking action and group photos, and I came away as the football guy who is always  impressed by the talent, intensity and skill level of the players on the field – and they are not all Cape kids. Hockey is a great game when two good teams get after each other, and each hit and possession is meaningful. I say Cape and Delmar need each other. There is nothing more fun than watching those two squads get after each other. Hockey practice begins Monday, Aug. 16. Cape will host a play day on Saturday, Aug. 21. 

Painfully fit - There is nothing like the satisfaction of being physically spent and painfully fit. The Sussex County Chapter of the United States Lifesaving Association returned from the USLA National Championships at South Padre Island, Texas, with a second-place finish behind Los Angeles County. Sesame Street by the Sea is on the map, thanks to lifeguard muppets, some of whom actually go into the water. But local chapters have always ruled the soft sand; getting to the water first is a distinct advantage in rescues. If you have to swim far, do like Jersey and get a boat.     

Yo, Skippy! - Some 39,000 unmasked fans watched Zack Wheeler toss a 3-0 shutout Sunday to propel the Phillies to first place in the Eastern Division with a two-game lead over Atlanta. The Phillies, six games over .500, would not be leading any other division in baseball. The Dodgers (67-45) are at the Bank for three games. It's about to get real. The only Delta variant pondered by Philly fans is Delta Burke, who played Suzanne Sugarbaker on “Designing Women” 1986-91. Delta, now 65 and living in Florida, is still five years younger than Manny Trillo, who was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame on Aug. 7. Seriously, in all the athletic events I cover, I hear no talk about vaccination or mask wearing, but I know it's about to get real and wearisome, and I am prepared to be personally annoyed if sports slow down, but mostly I feel for hospital and grocery store workers who pay the price without a scanner.  

Snippets - I’m hoping middle school sports come back to Cape this fall, but my default position is I am responsible for no decisions that affect the well-being of others, which makes it easy for me to have opinions on everything. Have you ever won a medal for anything? Try wearing it the next time you go out and about. People wear championship rings, so why not medals? Speaking of an Olympic gold medal, I read its actual worth is like $800 if you take it to “Antiques Roadshow.” Go on now, git!