Shields students compete in annual bowling tournament

The annual Shields Elementary School Bowling Championship was held this week with a competition among the fourth-grade students and another with the fifth-grade students. Each class competed in the tournament, with the top three scores advancing to the semifinals. In the semifinals, each student bowled three frames, with the top five scores overall advancing to the final Feb. 12.

The fourth-grade championship went to a tiebreaker with Ben Tollett (Team Peet) and Max Levis (Team Peet) each bowling a perfect 60 for the three-frame final. Third went to James Kurdes (Team Sell) with a score of 58, while Teagan Baker (Team Sell) finished fourth with 52. Rounding out the top five was Ty Smith (Team Peet) with a score of 32. In the tiebreaker for the title, each bowler was given two frames. Tollett bowled a perfect 40 to take top honors, while Levis scored 30 to take second.

In the fifth-grade bracket, Ethen James (Team Davis) and Atia Sabbagh (Team Townsend) each rolled a perfect score of 60 to finish in a tie. Noah Miafodzyeu (Team Gannon) rolled a score of 48 for third. Hannah Schaffer (Team Townsend) and Marchello Orsini (Team Tartal) each rolled a score of 41 to finish in fourth place. In the tiebreaker, it was James rolling a perfect score of 40 to win the title, while Sabbagh scored 39 for second place.

Each of the finalists will receive a bowling trophy, while the semifinalist in each class will receive medals. Congratulations to all the Shields bowlers for another successful year.

Cape indoor track & field

The Cape boys and girls are coming off successful showings at the Henlopen Conference Championships at UMES last week, where the boys were crowned conference champions and the girls finished second. They are getting tuned up for next week’s Delaware State Championships to be held Saturday, Feb. 22, in Landover, Md. Junior Josiah Miller is ranked No. 1 in the state in the shot put at 48-feet-8 ¼-inches, less than a foot away from the school record of 48-9 set by John Skoglund in 1994.  

Also ranked first is Bryan Ciabattoni in the pole vault at 12-9, while Giovanni Bendfeldt is ranked second at 12-6. Sophomore Ethan Edery is ranked second in the 3,200 meters in 10:12, while Karnell Wise is fourth in the long jump at 21-7 ¼. Wise is also fifth in the triple jump at 41-8 ½. 

Senior Sawyer Walker is ranked second in the high jump at 5-2, while senior Olivia Brozefsky is ranked second in the pole vault at 9-6. Sophomore Tia Jarvis is ranked third with a time of 59.68 in the 400-meter dash and fifth in the long jump in 17-6. Ny’Ashja Brown is fifth in the shot put at 32-6. The girls’ 3,200 relay team is currently third in the state with their season best of 10:08 for the team of freshman Katie Kuhlman, sophomore Elizabeth Melson, junior Taylor Johnson and Brozefsky.

Bits and pieces

Shields Elementary will kick off its annual American Heart Association Jump Rope for Heart program this week with the help of sophomore basketball all-stars Morgan Mahoney and Mehkia Applewhite of Cape Henlopen High School. Last year, Shields raised nearly $6,000 for the cause. Look for a possible open-water ocean swim event this summer as an add-on to the Seashore Striders’ road race schedule. I managed a swim back in the late ’90s, entering the water at Queen Street and exiting at the Henlopen Hotel, and the same course will likely be used. I am working with personal trainer Bruce Clayton and the YMCA on the event. Look for the event soon at seashorestriders.com. We are two weeks away from the 26th April Fools Midnight Flashlight Run to be held at Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes at 8 p.m. It’s a fun event that you have to try at least once. Buy your headlamp now. The month of March is a busy one for the Seashore Striders as we will have seven events. We will be in Lewes, Georgetown, Milton, Denton, Rehoboth Beach, Salisbury and Stevensville. Some great events in March with the Striders and only two events in April due to track season and a vacation over spring break. Sign up soon at seashorestriders.com.