Real competition features best on best

Friars Club - I have a good friend, Chuck Chinici, who used to be the AD at Malvern Prep in Malvern, Pa. Malvern is awesome in all sports. I asked Chuck why Malvern is so good at wrestling, and he responded, “Malvern Wrestling Club, for any boy from grade school through high school, certainly contributes. Kids come on campus from all over Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties and become part of the Malvern community by enrolling in the wrestling school. When it's time to choose their high school, Malvern is strongly considered. Also, the school's athletic/academic reputation and tradition attract top athletes in all sports. When I was athletic director from 1978-90, I had one to two phone calls a day inquiring about enrolling in the school. I remember one lady called telling me that her son was a superstar baseball player and was interested in Malvern Prep. She then went on about how he was MVP of his baseball team two straight years and made all-league three years in a row. He was also a superstar football and basketball player. Then she told me that she had already been contacted by Haverford School and Episcopal Academy. It was then that she mentioned that he will be going into fourth grade. I had to hold back from laughing.” Salesianum wrestling lost to Malvern Jan. 7,  64-6. Malvern had six placers and two winners at the Beast of the East Tournament. Malvern just won the East Coast Catholic Classic with 404 points over second-place Christian Brothers Academy. Sallies won the Delcastle Invitational Jan. 10 with 294 points and is the favorite for the D1 Delaware State Championship. They had five champions crowned at Delcastle. Upper school tuition at Malvern is $45,335 a year. Tuition at Sallies is about $20K per year. 

Best shot - Cape’s senior shot putter Mallory Kauffman placed first Jan. 10 at the Virginia Beach High School Relays with a throw of 37-9. There were 72 athletes with recorded throws. Mallory rises to No. 4 on the Cape all-time list. Athletically, a top-of-the-line shot-putter blends a combination of power, speed, grace, coordination and explosion. Screaming upon release is optional. Trey Johnson of Cape placed second in the 60-meter dash, running 7.05. There were 30 heats and 220 sprinters in the competition. Will DiPaolo placed second in the pole vault at 13-0. The winner, Victor Olesen of St. Christopher’s won the event, clearing 17-0. He entered the competition at 15-6. 

War on the Shore - It’s a two-day individual wrestling tournament held in Ocean City, Md., featuring 30 teams. Cape placed sixth with a record five place-winners (top 8) highlighted by Grayson Davis winning the 144-pound bracket. Nick Walker placed second at 157. Austin Guerrieri, a junior, placed  fourth and recorded his 100th career win. Tripp Gannon, 138, placed seventh, and Cale Baker, 120, placed eighth. Cape will host Sussex Central at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 14. The girls are away at Hodgson for a tri-meet versus Hodgson and Middletown.

Basic instincts - The more data that is instantly available, from AI to analytics, the more people are relying on basic instincts, especially when it comes to sports analysis. Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti and his quarterback Fernando Mendoza really don’t look the part, and they play for different reasons. Pigskin pundits have suggested that the Raiders or Browns commit to both, but what often follows a big swing and an even bigger miss. Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal and his quarterback Carson Beck are also an odd couple. Cristobal is of Cuban American descent and was born in South Florida. Beck with his name, image and likeness monies purchased a Lamborghini Urus Performante that retails for $250K. Beck doesn’t look like that guy, but evidently he is “that guy.”  

Snippets - Spreading erroneous news on purpose is not freedom of speech; it is garbage. Politics is bad enough, but false sports stories may be worse. A site out of Hong Kong seems obsessed with Phillies reports, none of which are true. Somehow the algorithm for the  targeted audience is “just plain stupid.” The site crossingbroad.com says, “Comments to these sites are littered with bots and boomers alike.” That phrase refers to AI intersecting with the baby boomer generation, who are susceptible to misinformation, like running a three-card monte game on your grandparents. Go on now, git!