Cape hockey rolling from harvest toward hunter’s moon

Hockey by quarters - A season where the clock has gone from two 30-minute halves to four 15-minute quarters has completed the first quarter of the 12-game regular season. Perennial powerhouse Cape Henlopen is 3-0, having outscored Lake Forest, Caesar Rodney and Caravel by a combined score of 23-1. Wearing neon-orange shoes, juniors Noelle Sabbagh and Reagan Ciabattoni have lit up the scoreboard, with Noelle going for a hat trick in all three games for a total of 10 goals and one assist. Reagan has five goals and five assists. Sabbagh has a verbal commitment to play hockey at the University of Delaware, while Ciabattoni has committed to Duke. “We have all unselfish players,” both athletes said. Cape had a physical battle with a tough Caravel team on a hot-as-a-pitch day Oct. 24 on the Champions Stadium turf, leading 2-0 at half before Molly Mendez scored the third goal with 16 seconds left in the third quarter. Devon DeGregory scored for the Bucs, followed by a fourth-quarter hat trick from Sabbagh for the 6-1 lead. Alex Boettcher had 12 saves for Caravel. Cape plays Tuesday, Oct. 27, at Sussex Academy, led by first-year head coach Maxine Fluharty. Cape will host Smyrna Thursday, Oct 29. The Delmar Wildcats will play at Cape Monday, Nov. 2, under the hunter’s moon. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. The Delmar game is bigger, but the election is regarded as more universally huge.    

Real-life saves - Cape field hockey goalie Julie Heffernan looks like the beach girl lifeguard and athletic person she represents. She is an unflappable gamer. If you bring the action to her house, she will meet you on the front porch. Julie guards in the summer at  the inlet for Delaware Seashore State Park. The other beaches have their challenges, but the southside surf is faster with more rip currents than the other beaches. Indian River Inlet itself, featuring treacherous currents, whirlpools, eddies and boat traffic, bracketed by barnacles and wet rocks, is part of the guards’ responsibility. “I had an inlet save last summer,” Julie said. “My lieutenant went with me and it was seriously wild.” And then she added, “It was so much fun.” 

Thinking is your first mistake - Football coaches have been telling players not to think since I played in high school and later at Temple. “Coach, I think if I step out and then back inside, my man may be angling away on the snap and he’ll be gone.” “Is that what you think, Frederick? Well, your job is not to think, and judging by your grades, you are on the dean's list of non-thinkers. Just do what you're told and leave the thinking to us.” “OK, coach, so what were you thinking when you bought those polyester coaching shorts made by BIKE?” Two boneheaded plays blamed on the athletes over the weekend cost teams a game. One occurred in Penn State versus Indiana, and the next day it was Atlanta versus Detroit. In both cases, victory was more likely if the runner didn’t score. Football doesn’t like players playing around with not scoring, but sometimes that is the call. Habitual behavior is hard to change, like the intentional miss on the free-throw line or the fake bunt that hits your bat.  

Post pandemic - Most sentences that include the word pandemic do not end with the word positive. I’ve read lots of opinions of pundits, most saying sports will not come back to the pre-pandemic levels. I tell them, “Take off your mask so I can smack you.” My observation is that sports have never changed – just venues – and young people supported by their families are embracing sports with more enthusiasm than ever. If schools decide “no go,” those athletes will just go someplace else. 

Hoop in the driveway - I played basketball relentlessly in the driveway using a black rim bolted into a stucco wall. It tore up the ball. I once knocked myself out trying to dunk when I crashed into the metal garage door – it sounded like thunder. No one on the block ever said, “He’s doing what he loves to do,” and when I became a high school star and MVP in the Philly Catholic League, no neighbor or relative ever said, “You worked so hard.” In fact, not one of them ever went to a game I played. They were blue-collar people who didn't have time for games. I didn’t have time for work.  

Snippets - The fall field hockey league K-8 with players as young as 4 concluded the fall season Oct. 25 at Champions Stadium in the rain. Amazing that the young girls learn so early how to go to the goal. Eastern Shore Lacrosse teams played in a tournament at the Brandywine Polo Club with the 2027-28, 2025-26, and 2024 squads all winning bracket championships. You had me at Polo Club. Go on now, git!