Dane is in the game from jump to touchdown

The Water Boy - Dane Harrigan-Ferro is the water boy, ball boy and all-around fixer on the Cape Henlopen football sideline with older brother Merek on the team. He performs the same job for the Beacon team, where he serves as a football manager for both coaches John Parker. Friday night at Milford, when the Cape team dressed in white with gold trim roared onto the field, Dane was right there with them. He was two-toned blue colorized with his hat on backward – no water boy on Friday night had ever looked happier. The sideline culture of Cape football hasn’t produced a water boy at that level of athleticism since the days of Joey Cahill and George Glenn. 

Kids’ Ketch - The Moo Cow run at Hopkins Creamery Sept. 22 was just the best, with just 85 runners, and 21 of those not old enough to drive. And if everyone didn’t know everybody, then certainly everyone knew somebody. Mike Sewell, a 50-year-old masters runner, went Great Santini on a following field, running 19:40 to win the race. Places two through seven were: Mason Marrone, 13, 20:49; Katie Kuhlman, 14, 22:42; Ryan Baker, 14, 23:11; Bennett Brumbley, 12, 23:17; Ethan Thompson, 9, 23:51 and Jason Baker, 12, 24:25. Kai Mundock, 7, finished 10th. 

Illinois boys - President Frank Peyton of the Punkin’ Chunkin’ Association gave an Illinois media person representing a radio station my number so they could resource my walk-around, historical, anecdotal knowledge of the early days of throwing pumpkins in Lewes. I was at the blacksmith shop when the idea was germinated by accident. I just remember it involved lots of beer cans. She asked me if I was excited that “The Chunk “ was back. I told her, “People from my generation living in Sussex County aren’t excited about anything that happens in Illinois.” I gave her the number of John the Blacksmith, who talks less on the phone than an Amish man driving a buggy. I made a basic point that when grown men gifted with extraordinary mechanical abilities got into event promotion over throwing pumpkins, the culture was for sale and it was time to move on to something different, like catapulting toilets into the tall phragmites.    

Middletown Invitational - Blake Hundley of St. Andrew’s, by way of Ocean View, won the individual title at the Middletown Invitational Sept. 20 in 16:46. Cape’s Ethan Ederly was second in 17:19, while Julian Callaway of Cape placed 11th in 18:04. Cape was third overall with 90 points behind Charter (46) and Concord (63). The Cape girls were fourth overall with 118 points placing behind Ursuline (26), Charter (70) and Appoquinimink (109). Katie Kuhlman placed seventh in 20:42, and Olivia Brozefsky was 10th in 20:56. Cape won the JV boys’ team title with 27 points behind Ace Howard, who placed second overall in 19:04. 

Harder they come, the harder they fall - Cape had a big win at Milford Sept. 20, and when some players tried to douse coach J.D. Maull with water, he went Count Dracula (vampires don’t like water). We could hear him barking all the way to Fourth Street in Lewes. “We win with class,” Maull said. “When we win a championship, then they can dump water on me.” On Friday, Sept. 27, Cape welcomes Dover to Legends Stadium. The state championship team from 1979 will be honored with a social before the game, then at halftime. Coach Jim Alderman’s daughter Abby Alderman Jacobs will be in attendance representing the family. Cape will most likely be missing three starting linemen, two from injury and one to a field trip.   

Snippets - The Cape JV hockey team tied Padua 1-1 Sept. 21. Sommer Dorman scored for Cape at 11:47 of the second half off an assist from Alexis Truitt. Sophia Zych had three saves for Cape. Chloe Wenner scored for Padua with 7:29 left to play. Padua head coach Paul Zelenak is the son of Drexel coach Denise Zelenak. They have upgraded their schedule to play at Cape and Delmar to get themselves tournament ready. The Pandas are a tough out. Drexel field hockey lost at Temple Sept. 22 by a 4-2 score. Annie Judge started on defense for the Owls, while Tess Bernheimer started at middie for the Dragons. The Eagles are two games behind Dallas three games into the season. Angst but no thanks, but at least the Phillies went belly-up the last month of the season. Field hockey fence prognosticators are giving Cape hockey no chance to pull out a win at Delmar Tuesday, Sept. 24, ignoring that Cape has recorded 21 straight shutout wins. If anyone has a chance down in Cat country, it is Cape. Coach Jodi Stone has the Indian River field hockey team at 5-0. Last year, the Indians were 9-5-1. Head coach Steve Kilby of the Indian River soccer team brings the 4-0 Indians to Cape Tuesday, Sept. 24, to face the 3-1 Vikings of coach Patrick Kilby. Cape won the Killer Kilby matchup at Legends Stadium 2017 behind a hat trick from “Zackzilla” Zack Gelof, who’s now the starting third baseman for the University of Virginia baseball team. Go on now, git!