Cheers to Cape Region’s champions

Championships are not won by accident; they are earned through early mornings, relentless training and the belief that hard work pays off.

Over the last two weeks, athletes from Cape Henlopen High School and Sussex Academy delivered several championship performances that will be remembered for years to come.

At the state track and field championships, local competitors left everything on the track. Sussex Academy senior Ryan Moody captured the 1,600-meter crown with a gutsy final-lap kick. In the field events, Cape’s Will DiPaolo soared to another state title in the pole vault, defending his championship with a towering leap of 14-feet-1-inch. In doing so, he continued Cape’s rich legacy of pole vault success.

In the wrestling arena, Cape hosted a thrilling state finals night. Freshman Grayson Davis captured the 150-pound title with an explosive first-period tech fall, and senior stalwart Nick Walker cemented his legacy with a hard-fought 5-2 victory at 157 pounds. Walker, already a four-time Henlopen Conference champion, has capped his high school career with excellence both on the mat and in the classroom – a true testament to dedication.

The Cape Region’s swimmers also made a splash this season. The girls’ swim teams from both Cape and Sussex Academy swam with tenacity at the state championships, highlighted by an outstanding gold-medal performance from the Cape girls’ 200-yard free relay team of Lily Touw, Isla Touw, Sidney Caldwell and Mia Jaoude. Jaoude also became Cape’s first individual state champion with a win in the 50 free.

For Sussex Academy, Anna Mumford took gold in the 500 free with a 12-second win over the next-closest finisher. She took silver in the 200 free. 

Congratulations are in order for these Cape and Sussex Academy athletes for a job well done. All the hard work put in over the last few months, or even years, has been rewarded. These achievements were earned, and that is something of which to be proud.