Field hockey picks up Maryland powerhouse for 2016 fall season
Embellish the schedule - Cape field hockey could stay at home in Delaware and work on fattening a winning streak and risk having an inflated opinion of themselves while not playing enough teams who can play them back with a chance of winning. Instead, the Vikings will host defending Maryland 4A Severna Park Saturday, Sept. 24, and have added an away game at Archbishop Spalding Thursday, Oct. 6. Spalding is a powerhouse in the greater D.C. area, sending several players each year to major Division I programs. “Coach [Kate] Austin told me if I could upgrade the schedule to do it,” said Cape Athletic Director Bob Cilento.
Killing your conference - Last year's state finalists in girls' lacrosse were Cape and Polytech. This year those squads are both considered among the power elite in Delaware. Smyrna, Indian River and Sussex Academy were added as full-fledged varsity programs in the Henlopen Conference for the 2016 season, so that makes eight, which is one more than half, and, by rule, qualifies as a conference sport. Cape with a seven-year formula for success - not only state championships but sending players to Division I programs - had to drop out-of-state powerhouses to add IR, Smyrna and SAS to the schedule. Personally, that seems like a good-for-nobody requirement. I just hope the new schools that opted for varsity status show up with teams that at least look like they are working at it.
Softball - Last spring, the Cape softball team of coach Jeff Evans was 9-9, then lost in the first round of the state tournament 11-1 to Caravel, which lost to Polytech in the state final. The Vikings return the roster with the exception of outfielder Jasmin Williamson. And there are players from JV and a few freshmen who will push for varsity spots. "I feel this can be a good year for us,” Evans said. Hopes are high. It's very important to win the close ones and get off to a good start. Cape opens at home Thursday, March 24, against Milford.
Rules of thumb for the competitively dumb - Spring sports will heat up, and we will all be incredibly annoyed when thunder and/or lightning send teams to swelter in a shelter. Rules: “When thunder roars, go indoors.” For lightning: “If you can see it, flee it” and “If you can hear it, clear it.” If your hair stands straight up and you hear crackling noises, make the sign of the cross, even if you’re not Catholic. Thirty minutes from the last sound or sighting is the rule of thumb. Heat lightning over Cape May is no threat in my book, but I am never consulted. These rules now even apply to indoor swim meets, as the boys’ state prelims at UD’s indoor pool were called after five events Feb. 24 due to lightning in the area. Forked lightning is my favorite to watch everybody going, “Whoa!”
Snippets - Wrestling royalty and storylines will be all over the Cape Big House this Friday and Saturday at the DIAA state wrestling championships. Sussex Central in 46 years of existence has had only had two coaches - Herm Bastianelli and Phil Shultie. Shultie passed 400 victories in 2014. He replaced Bastianelli in 1976. Assistant Chip Illian is in year 27. Cape has had eight coaches, with Chris Mattioni the longest tenured at 21 years and counting. Bill Collick was the head coach at Cape for possibly eight years of winning teams, and all the big guys would hide when he came into the cafeteria looking to fill the heavyweight class. He got Reggie Snead, Timmy O’Hara, Slim Ayers, Tommy Gibbs, Danny Paskins just to mention a few. Back when I played basketball in the Philly Catholic League, I was coached to back off the guy with the ball on a fast break because he was giving, because it was the righteous and Christian thing to do it up. Now it's coast to coast with blinders on in most cases. The game has changed and so have the people. Cape’s John Bishop will be inducted into the Legends Basketball Hall of Fame Saturday, March 19, at Porky Oliver’s Country Club in Wilmington. Call Mark Sills at 610-800-2590 for ticket information. Most high school athletic programs are missing a sports psychologist (they are everywhere) and a chaplain. The landscape is antiseptic and sterile teams are more dynamic than static; good coaches figure this out. The former Olympic head wrestling coach’s name appeared in print in this column as Richard Estrada but his name is Richard Estrella but everyone in the pipeline had watched “Chips” and knew Eric Estrada so yeah, it’s embarrassing, but speaking of bucket lists, I’m beyond the pale.
Go on now, git!
