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Sports are peeking out and sneaking out

February 5, 2021

Spring field hockey - Division I field hockey play was shut down last fall because of COVID concerns, but before you can Zoom in a doom-and-gloom conference call, major conferences have put together a spring schedule. Our local Cape girl Alia Marshall plays in the Big 10 for the Northwestern Wildcats, who will open play Saturday, Feb. 27, in Virginia  Beach, Va., against Michigan State, then face Maryland the next day. There are 14 games scheduled using limited venues. Most are using the formula of playing two games against the same team at the same place two days apart. The Big 10 tournament is scheduled for April 20-24 in Iowa City, Iowa. Temple University, where Cape’s Annie Judge is a player, will play a 17-game schedule which includes 12 conference meetings and eight home contests. Temple field hockey plays in the Big East. Villanova will host the Big East tournament. Division II and III teams have posted no spring conference schedules, but each school is free to run scrimmages and play days. The NCAA will allow Division I athletes to retain that year of eligibility from a fall season lost to COVID. 

College lacrosse - Granddaughter Lizzie Fred was a 2020 senior captain on the Temple lacrosse team when the season was shut down. Lizzie moved on to pursue a master’s degree in speech pathology at the University of Delaware. A redshirt extra year was available, but like a lot of graduated athletes, she elected to move on, leaving tracking relatives in a remote parking lot sighing, “What am I supposed to do now?” The Temple women – first time in seven seasons without a Cape player on the team – will play a spring season focusing on Philly-area teams like Villanova, Penn and Drexel. The Owls will close out the season at the American Conference tournament at the University of Florida. Temple will open play Saturday, Feb. 20, at Delaware. 

Spring football - The University of Delaware and Delaware State University will each play a seven-game spring schedule, including Delaware at Delaware State Saturday, April 10, a contest I have dubbed The Battle of the Bypass. This will be no EZ Pass for the Blue Hens. No word yet on spectators, bands or chicken sandwiches. The Blue Hens and Hornets band performances promise to be as good as the game, as both groups can rock.   

Popeye’s - I am the 74-year-old white guy watching the NBA on TNT, a game between the Nets and Clippers that was interrupted by a Popeye’s chicken and biscuits commercial. You can bet your Bluto I’ve never eaten a Popeye’s chicken sandwich, but now I’m jonesing. Popeye Jones is the Sixers’ assistant basketball coach, and he has two sons, Seth and Caleb, who are defensemen in the National Hockey League. Seth plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets, while Caleb is a defenseman for the Edmonton Oilers. Sometimes the ball you are chasing ends up being a hockey puck. 

Apollo and Rocky - Old Rehoboth Beach Patrol photos are swimming through social media as we approach the 100th anniversary of RBP this summer. It was recently announced that former Rehoboth Beach Patrol guard and Delaware State Police trooper Jeff Giles will take over as captain from Kent Buckson, who resigned. I am a middle man, having guarded 45 years ago and spent many days in the same section with my then-new best friend Bill Collick. I posted a photo of Bill and me running “boardwalks” and hundreds of people commented, “There they are, Apollo and Rocky.” Each lifeguard who worked through the ’70s and ’80s has a collection of photos taken by the late Bob Christy, a summer visitor who walked the beach in long pants and dress shoes snapping photos and never charging for them.  

Snippets - Ja’Vaughn Burton and Jaden Davis have been selected to represent the Gold squad in this June’s Blue-Gold All-Star Game. J-Roc’s dad, Haywood Burton, also played in the Blue-Gold game. The DIAA individual wrestling championships are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 27 and 28, at Cape Henlopen High School with a final day Wednesday, March 3. The tournament is open and all 14 brackets will be seeded. Team champion and runner-up trophies will be provided for both Division I and Division II. The Henlopen Conference Swimming Championships are scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 13. Bring back the kite festival ... talk about social distance, a giant airborne pink pig. Go on now, git! 

 

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