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Golden Knights light up track on a gray day along Patriots Way

March 30, 2018

A clear gray day - Tuesday afternoon, March 27, was a cold, gray day along Patriots Way in Georgetown, spitting precipitation. It was the perfect venue for a quadrangular track meet hosted by Sussex Central with invited guests Indian River, Lake Forest and Cape Henlopen. But the big story on Action News was the performance of the Sussex Central boys’ team who defeated Cape Henlopen 76-70 and Lake Forest 99-47. Cape and Lake have battled in boys’ track going back 45 years, but Sussex Central was never in their league. But through coaching, energy, recruitment and solid middle school programs, the Knights have put a competitive team on the track. Head coach Jen Cawthern and assistant Derek Shockro, with help from Wes Townsend and Leroy Mann, and cross country coaches Jason Stoeckel and Randy Ramirez, have developed a program that can compete. “I remember you told me the athletes were in the pipeline, you just had to go out and get them,” Derek Shockro said to me Tuesday in between being the referee/starter. “I’ve gone out and recruited athletes from other programs – we even have a golfer on the team.” What the success of the boys’ track program accomplishes is showcasing the diversity and positive energy from inside the Golden Knights’ student population. The students always show the way; everyone else just harnesses the power and rides the wave. It’s a good story.

A frozen moment in time - Before the running of the first race, the 4-by-800 relay, leadoff man Marc Mapp, a junior at Lake Forest, stepped forward from the field and gave me a hug, saying, “Nice to see you, Fredman.” I taught his dad Jermaine and mother Jessica back in the day, and my rep comes up solid in flashback stories (I’m not braggin’, I’m just sayin’), so I become like a great-uncle to the children. It happens to me all the time, and I assume many teachers and coaches enjoy those same moments. Along the fence were former Cape track athletes of mine Curtis Johnson, class of ’79, and Joe Snead, class of ’87. Curtis led off a mile relay that included Tracy Felton, Warren Perry and Glen Smith, and the end of a meet at Dover that snapped the Senators’ 33-meet victory streak. Joe Snead, a 6-foot-6 high jumper, tells everyone I was his coach but always credits Bill Degnan for taking the spring team of 1986 to the first and only boys’ state championship in D1 track. Then, a Fredman student formerly known as Wendy Willoughby, now Wendy McVicker, came onto the track to ask if I got a photo of her son Travon of Sussex Central who ran hurdles. I got him, and he won in 16.7. Then Wendy told me she and her husband have five children, all adopted, and they are a big, happy and loving family. The family includes husband John along with twins Caarlette and Rasheeda, 19, Travon, 16, Skyler, 14, and Robbie, 13. I wanted to chase that ball – and will – but I had more photos to take. 

Flow and know - I have watched more lacrosse than a little bit over the last 25 years, and I couldn’t coach or officiate the sport at any level, but I can tell good teams just by watching them warm up. I call it “flow and know.” It’s motion offense and multiple defenses. Cackling and yelling at players about the game you are seeing from the sidelines helps no one. And if you’re getting “housed,” maybe there’s a message embedded that even puppets lost their strings and became muppets who have a mind of their own and can talk and stuff, and have free will, so how do I get out of this?

Hype machine - Players don’t plug in the hype machine, and don’t blame the media, it’s everybody else. The walkers and talkers and midnight stalkers drinking high-test coffee all night long. Cape baseball is who we thought they were – after three games. Three pitchers, David Erickson, Austin Elliott and Zack Gelof, have been lights out in the daytime. Elliott has two home runs and Gelof has gone yard three times. But this is not a three-man team. Even the king and his court played softball with four. People outside the lines are going to talk about championships and a once-in-a-lifetime team, but inside the dugout, the players are just enjoying the ride, and, trust me, that is true. They are a loose group who’s savoring every inning of a once-in-a-lifetime journey.

Snippets - The Sussex Academy varsity baseball team won its first varsity game ever March 27 versus McKean, winning 10-9 in eight innings. Ryan Bishop hit a two-run double in the top of the eighth and the Seahawks held on to win 10-9. Nate Sneller got the victory in relief. Sussex Academy is led by Catholic University commit Jason Xiong, DC import Ryan Bishop, Jack Faust, Nate Sneller and Dylan Mooney. Coach Steve Oscar is working hard to build a quality program. I’ll be in downtown Bethany Beach Saturday, March 31, for the Bunny Palooza 5K and 10K, photographing all shapes and sizes of silly rabbits and hares hopping into my finish-line photos. I read on Wikipedia that “a rabbit is not a rodent,” but they used to be classified as such. I think “Former Rodent” would make a great race T-shirt, or “Bunny on the Runny.” Go on now, git!

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