You can't keep a good man down

Iron Mike DeStasio -  Mike writes, "[We] watched the Cape Vikings beat Sussex Tech Ravens Saturday night in a great game to remain undefeated. With about 4 minutes remaining Thomas Ott goes down for about 5 minutes, gets up and strongly walks off the field! After the game I scoot to Cape end zone and greeted - or should I say I was greeted - by the players, which I must say was awesome. But more importantly when Thomas Ott greeted me he said when he got up off that field, he thought of me!!! Wow!! Tom, remember one thing.... You just can't keep a good man DOWN!!!! Peace.”

Common denominator - Andy Reid was asked about his team's fourth-quarter setbacks this season: “We didn’t score enough points offensively, and we didn’t shut them down enough defensively. That’s the common denominator.” The only place I ever hear the term “common denominator” is in reference to sports, and I guarantee a common denominator is that most Eagles fans are suffering from post-tailgate depression and wouldn't know how or why to find a common denominator other than calculating that the Eagles' winning percentage is 25.

Make-up calls - A big call on third down on a fourth-quarter drive by Sussex Tech was just the beginning of a four-flags great adventure, and I'm not saying any of the calls were wrong - I'm just saying.

Cape had finally stopped the Ravens for a loss on a third-down run left into the Cape bench. A flag came out for late hit out of bounds - didn't look like it. Coach John Parker gave a didn't-look-like-it silent stare and got banged with another flag.

A loss turned into a 30-yard penalty but at least the game was on the line. On the ensuing offensive play from scrimmage, the Ravens got called for holding. “Make up call,” came from the Cape sidelines. Two plays later another holding call on the Ravens. “Now we're even on bad calls, “could be heard from the Cape sidelines. The four flags resulted in a "walk this way - no, this way" back and forth.  Finally Dustyn Beebe set up for a 38- yard field goal that would have tied the game, but it was smothered by Sammy Mohr - no flags - and the game ended 26-23 in favor of Cape.

Scintillating soccer - The Cape soccer team is 5-0-1 with top shelf teams Dover and Indian River in the rear view mirror. The early season has been dramatic, to say the least, with a late goal by David Cespedes in the opening game leading to a 2-1 win at Smyrna then a late goal by Will Hastings to salvage a tie with Dover and improbable 3-2 overtime win against Indian River on Oct. 1.

Coach Gary Montalto redirects all credit to his players. He talks to them about respecting the game and keeping composure and about playing the game the right way. And after each game that I have interviewed him, he always says how proud he is of the boys and he means it. And here's another not-so-secret observation: Cape has a lot of very good soccer players who are being coached up and are buying in and just keep getting better.

Family on the fence - It was 10 years and five head coaches ago that Kevin Maull squirted through a blitzing Cape defense and scored the winning touchdown for Sussex Tech, sending the Vikings to 10 straight years of no winning seasons.

I remember J.D. Maull, a first cousin, saying, ”It's going to be a long Thanksgiving in the Maull family.” Last Saturday night Kevin Maull (now a star for OutKast in the YMCA flag football league) was on the Cape side of the field and I asked him why. “My dad [Gilbert Maull] is coaching at Cape, so I have to go with family.” Coach Bill Collick and Coach Jay Maull were on the Sussex Tech sidelines 10 years ago but they had also moved across the field.

Also, along the fence I chatted with former players Carl Floyd, Sean Bradham, Juan Saez, Danny Hudson and Haywood Burton, all from eras when Cape was knocking down winning seasons. Haywood told me that former player Deshawn James - I'm guessing about 1999 - once scored six touchdowns in a game and when added together, the total yardage was less than 40. I cannot verify that stat, but I would never doubt any claims coming from those halftime reunions.

Snippets - I was on television blackout all day Sunday so became smartphone granddaddy. Eagles and Phillies each lost by one, but at least it took them all day to do it. Pee Wee Pop Warner Vikings beat Smyrna/Clayton 6-0 to remain undefeated. This story is turning into a big one, so stay tuned. Go on now, git!