Unsung is not unappreciated

Noah Diamond - “Sweet Caroline” is a song by Neil Diamond that inspired a new generation of fans cheering, “So good, so good!” Neil Diamond is an 83-year-old pop star. Comprende, Cracklin’ Rosie? Cape’s Noah Diamond is a senior starter on the Cape wrestling team at 150 pounds. He is the Diamond Dog dead center in the lineup who will bring his bite to the fight. In dual meets of the state tournament, Noah won by a 10-2 major decision against Smyrna and secured a 5-2 win by decision over Salesianum that propelled Cape to a 32-30 victory. On Jan. 27, with the score tied at 28-28 at William Penn, Noah earned a crucial 6-4 win by decision. In wrestling, there are the top dogs and the show dogs. Noah is the dog that shows up at 150 for Cape, and it takes a top dog showing up to beat him. He is unsung, so time for me and Neil to stop singing. 

Roundy Ball, now won’t you settle down? - March 7, 1994, a mere 30 years ago, the Cape basketball girls of Ralph Bayko were staring down a major upset win over No. 1 Ursuline in the quarterfinals of the DIAA state tournament. The Vikings trailed 52-50 with possession as the clock wound down to single numbers. Tesha Miller found Katie Rickards behind the arc. Katie’s shot was dead-on straight. That ball had backspin, just a perfect release. The ball rolled around the rim but didn’t drop. Major upset averted. It was 2011 in the semifinals of the state tournament when Meg Bartley and Johnesha Warren delivered flowers to the Raiders’ bench prior to the game. The Cape team was coached by Lamont Hazzard. Ursuline had lost a player to a torn ACL the game before, and one of their players was sucker-punched in the face in the handshake line (yes, it happened). Cape went on to win that game 63-55, then lost to Sanford 47-41 in the state championship game. Last season, 2023, marked 50 years since Cape won a championship in girls’ basketball and 12 years since they made it to the finals. Cape lost 56-34 at Ursuline Feb. 19, in a game that was 24-17 at halftime before the Raiders dropped a 22-5 third-quarter crooked number on Cape to lead 46-22, then coasted home for the win.

Oddly enough - Mikaylah Lindsay (Cape) is a freshman goalie for the Division I Winthrop Eagles lacrosse team. Last spring, I saw Mikaylah at lacrosse practice and made up my own version of an Eagles song, “Just another Mikaylah Sunrise.” She is the sunrise personality shining so brightly it hurts your eyes. Always a talker in the cage who stays locked in. Mikaylah played the entire 30-minute second half against Duke Feb. 18, allowing eight goals and making three saves in a 25-6 loss.  

Recruit themselves - Good schools recruit themselves, and if you’re a private institution with no hard boundaries, there are advantages to the process. But to stand in the middle of the Cape school district and talk about disadvantages is a stretch. The high school campus looks like a small college, and with all the amazing new buildings and fields, Cape has more satellite campuses than Penn State. Yet given all that and the best sports coverage of any high school in the state (Cape Gazette driven), there are athletes who leave to better their profile looking to the next level.  

Snippets - Gianna DeGregory (Caravel, Lewes), a junior field hockey player for the Alvernia Golden Wolves, is a defender who started all 17 games and played every minute of every game in 2023. She is a team captain and was just named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad for the third straight season. Gianna is the older sister of Cape’s Devon and Joey DeGregory. Grace Hudson (Cape) was one of three field hockey players for Division II Belmont Abbey to be named scholars of distinction for maintaining a 3.9 or higher average during the fall semester. Grace’s parents Amy and Chuck both went to Swarthmore. To borrow a quote from geneticist Grandma Rose, “Smart people don’t lick it off the bricks.” Peyton Hagy (Sussex Academy), a sophomore lacrosse goalie for the West Chester Golden Rams, played 26 minutes, allowing four goals with two saves in the Rams’ opening 19-6 win over Thomas Jefferson University. Widener University women’s lacrosse beat Arcadia University 10-7. Amanda Dill (Dover), a senior starter for Widener, picked up two ground balls in the win, while Kylla Henry (Dover) had a goal for Widener. Josh Reinhold (Cape), a shortstop for the 4-1 Christopher Newport Captains, is batting .381 with six RBIs. McDaniel College lacrosse beat Marymount 9-6. McDaniel had two Cape kids in the starting line – Finn Forcucci and Brexton Carter. Spring sports tryouts/practices begin Monday, Feb. 26. The Henlopen Conference wrestling championships are Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23 and 24, at Sussex Central High School. The heat is on! Go on now, git!