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Cape spring sports begin

Hope springs eternal as athletes start spring sports
Cape baseball’s new head coach Dave Doherty, left, reviews personnel with assistant Ben Evick. BY DAN COOK
Dave Frederick
March 4, 2011
Cape senior pitcher Kyle McCoy snags a ball during opening day practice at Chris Short Memorial Field. First year head coach Dave Doherty will be looking toward his three seniors of McCoy, Brad Walker and Arthur Lodge to lead the younger players into a tough Henlopen Conference schedule. BY DAN COOK
Cape boys’ lacrosse head coach Jack Lingo enters his third season with hopes of returning to the DIAA state tournament, where his team lost in the 2010 semis to eventual state champion Tower Hill. BY DAN COOK
Junior midfielder Jerome Johnson, front, escapes from the crowd of (l-r) Matt Millman, Dean Julian and Tim Blackburn in a loose ball drill during the opening day of boys’ lacrosse practice March 1. Cape travels to the Severn School Saturday, March 5, for a scrimmage with the Severna Park powerhouse. BY DAN COOK
Cape two-time state champion girls’ lacrosse team welcomes new assistant coach Courtney Aburn, a 2010 graduate of the University of Delaware, where she captained the lacrosse team.  She is shown discussing offensive strategy with senior Brittany Betts.  "Courtney is a draw specialist," said head coach P J Kesmodel. "We are very lucky to have her as a coach." Aburn lives in Fenwick Island, where she serves as a lifeguard in the summer. BY DAN COOK

Story Location:
Lewes, DE
United States

“Could be worse--it could be raining.” Igor in “Young Frankenstein.”

 

The weather might have been windy and cold March 1, the first day of spring practices for 10 high school sports teams, but it wasn’t raining. The two turf fields were green not white, and two Bermuda fields playable. Facilities can always be better but it was time to get ready because in a short three weeks there will be no play days, it is all for keeps.

Cape baseball has reasonably high expectations with a solid returning nucleus that was 8-10 last season, a record which included five losses by one run.  Head coach Dave Doherty is new at the helm and will be assisted by former Cape head coach Ben Evick .

Doherty and his crew have been working on field preparation and improvements the last three weeks and most likely the centerfield scoreboard will actually work this season.

Joe Bernheimer returns as softball coach with Allison Sullivan and Candy Brown as assistants. The girls were 6-12 last season, giving up double digit runs in 8 of the 12 losses.

Boys’ lacrosse is reloading after graduating 14 players.  Under Coach Jack Lingo, the team was 12-2 last season, losing in the semifinals to eventual state champion Tower Hill 12-8.

The girls’ lacrosse team under head coach P.J. Kesmodel is coming off consecutive state championship seasons, including a perfect 19-0 in 2010.  The girls sport a 26-game winning streak, which the Vikings will put right on the line March 22 with a game at highly touted Episcopal Academy of the Philadelphia Inter-Academic League. The Vikings lost only four players to graduation.

Cape girls’ soccer under head coach Robin Erthal finished last season 9-6 after starting out 6-0. Cape lost three games by a single goal. The team was hit hard by graduation, losing 11 players.

The girls’ track team under the direction of George Pepper, who took a couple of days off for open heart surgery last spring then ran the table, winning the dual meet and conference meet championships. In track, it’s not how many you graduate but how many events your graduates scored points in. Rebecca Pepper, Andrea Wells and Arvantis Smith were big meet point producers last year, and other blue chippers will have to pick up the slack.

Boys’ track will once again be directed by Charlie Pollard; and as always, if the athletes decide to come out and run and jump, the team is capable of being successful. The last couple of seasons, the lack of participation has hurt the boys’ program.

Girls’ tennis finished the regular season last season 10-4 and graduated only one athlete. All the frontline players are expected to return. The boys’ tennis team finished last season 0-14 and can move in only one direction this spring.

Golf is coming off a 10-4 season.  The Vikings return six of their top eight golfers.

New assistant coaches will join several spring programs, pending school board approval.

 

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