Dan the Photog Man grounded down and rubberized with turf pellets

Dan got plowed - Friday night, Nov. 14, 2014, at Sussex Tech for first round of playoffs. Cape Gazette photographer Dan Cook got balled up and trucked in a sideline pileup under Salesianum players. My boy was lights out. Earned himself a free ambulance ride to a hospital in Seaford. The next day he was in Newark at the University of Delaware for the state championship field hockey game won by Cape 3-1 over Polytech. Many of the same Cape fans saw him go from unconscious to game day and affectionately refer to Dan as “Crazy Cook.” Friday night in the first half of the William Penn game at Cape with lots of offense (90 total points), Cook once again got carpet bombed on the sidelines. Objects look bigger through the long lens, not as close as they appear but faster than you can imagine. Wait for the perfect shot and you may get got. Dan got collisioned and  knocked silly, grounded down and rubberized with turf pellets. The emergency room docs gave him the all-clear, and the next morning Dan was at the Dewey Beach Sprint Triathlon. His spirit was always willing, but he was a bit of a wobbler. I tell people I’m like Randall Cunningham with two pulled hamstrings and a strained calf muscle, just no escapability. Just in the last two weeks I’ve had perceptually challenged runners sprint past me on both sides like I was a Jersey barrier at Great Adventure.   

Killer loss - The Cape stands were filled Friday night with the band and dancers and the student section rocking enough Hawaiian shirts to outfit all “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum P.I.” series reruns. Cape’s cheerleaders will rock and roll and tumble for four quarters. They are awesome. Freshman Maurki James returned the opening kickoff 80 yards. The Vikings compensated for the loss of leading rusher Jordan Baines with scoring from Daniel Saez, Chancler Johnson and Thomas Messick, and a Hank D’Ambrogi 24-yard field goal. I got a text from daughter Carrie, “Turn on 302 Sports on the computer. Cape is leading William Penn 38-22.”  Later she texted, “Nevermind, turn it off.” Jacob Tiberi of the Colonials threw five touchdown passes, four caught by Tayvione Squarrell. The Black and Red rolled a 30-0 crooked comeback number on the Vikings to win 52-38, all reminding me why I wasn’t tough enough to keep on keeping on as a football coach. Just too many moving parts; it's a game that often chews you up and spits you out and leaves you stupefied. Cape next plays at Dover, a Thursday night game beginning at 5 p.m. The Senators, under coach Chip Knapp, are 2-1 with back-to-back wins over Hodgson 19-6 and St. Georges Tech 21-14.    

Snippets - The Eagles are the Phillies in football helmets. Throw in the collapse of the Sixers in the playoffs and the image of Philadelphia as a tough sports town just doesn’t hold “wooder.” Bruce Arians of Tampa Bay was the head football coach at Temple 1983-88. Matt Rhule of the Carolina Panthers was the head coach at Temple 2013-16. Todd Bowles, who played at Temple and graduated in 1986, is the former head coach of the New York Jets 2015-18 and has been the defensive coordinator under Bruce Arians at Tampa Bay since 2019. And yet the Temple football program on North Broad Street is always on the ropes as the American Athletic Conference stalwarts Cincinnati, Houston and Central Florida bolt to the Big 12. Oklahoma and Texas are leaving for the SEC. Word among some Philly scribes is Temple would like to join the ACC for all sports, but don’t sit on your front stoop without a stadium cushion waiting for that to happen. West Chester University’s Montana Ott scored her first collegiate goal on a first career assist from Cami Smith as the Rams beat Mansfield 2-0 to go 5-1 on the season. Mya Kemp (Delmar) scored a pair of goals as Shippensburg, the No. 1 Division II field hockey team in the country, beat Limestone 5-0. Jody Boyer (Cape) got her first start of the season at midfield. Covering the Tunnel to Towers race last Sunday, I ran into Katie Couchman, former leadoff hitter for Cape softball and an avid deer hunter. Katie was in my class  20 years ago on Sept. 11, when the attack went down. It sure was great seeing her. Go on now, git!