Drew Mulcahy, a three-sport athlete and triathlete
Drew is a diehard dog - Drew Mulcahy plays soccer, basketball and baseball at Cape. He is a senior and the most versatile male athlete in the school. Last Saturday, he jumped in the Dewey Beach Sprint Triathlon with no training, finished in 1 hour and 37 minutes, good for 119th out of 700 competitors, and grabbed a trophy for third in his age group. His coaches love him, and all call him a class act but tough act to follow.
Refs and replays - The game of professional football has been stolen by precision and pixelation. All scoring plays are reviewed and most electric plays penalized. The Dallas at Eagles game was almost unwatchable with the winning team, the Cowboys, penalized a franchise record 18 times. Offensive holding and hands to the face wiping out big gains, but who cares what the big old boys do in the synthetic trenches? The defensive holding call, a five-yard penalty and automatic first down, goes a long way to determining the outcome of games. Indisputable video evidence needed to overturn the call on the field and “Did he maintain control throughout the process of the catch?” I just wish everyone would be quiet. I want to watch football, not play a video game while admiring the graphics. The officiating is good, but I’d rather it be bad and not reviewable.
Rousing renditions - The Cape Chorus sang the national anthem prior to the Friday night football game. Their voices pumped through the new scoreboard. The sound was clear with no distortion, the ranges of voices and harmony were impressive. They sounded professional; I overheard visitors from Frederick, Md., remarking, “I hope your football team doesn’t level up to your chorus.” Who said that? Then Saturday morning, just past sunrise in the Tower Road ocean side parking lot, prior to the Dewey Sprint Triathlon to benefit the Sussex Family YMCA, after Lori Weeks opened with a prayer she crafted for the occasion, a volunteer from the crowd grabbed the microphone and sang the national anthem. It was Master Sgt. Neil Ewachiw, a member of the U.S. Army Chorus who was performing at All Saints' Church in Rehoboth later that night. Sarg was spectacular. I didn’t know whether I should go to church or get ready for war.
Hey, wanna pray with us? Cape’s Brandon Nixon asked some Oakdale coaches and players if they wanted to “pray with us” after Friday night’s game, adding “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Oakdale players wanted to, and the coaches just backed away knowing as public school coaches it’s safer to allow the players to have their day. Brandon led a prayer of thanks asking God for a safe journey for the Oakdale players on their trip back home. And Oakdale star player Malik Boyd, who had a pair of touchdowns and 118 yards rushing, also gave a prayer of thanks and wished Cape the best of luck. The players shook hands then headed for their separate end zones for football talk and the boys-to-men stuff. But those young men get it on a much higher plane than anything related to football.
Sportsmanship - Partisan NFL fans who share history down to the same area code but refer to different teams as “We” are downright brutal when it comes to busting on each other’s teams. Lots of Dallas fans in the 645 and 684 areas who Monday morning were just dogging their Eagles faithful friends I guess because it’s fun but it does have a certain pro wrestling feel to it. I’ve been in the Eagles press box and had to merge with drunk loser fans after a catastrophic loss so I affected a ”My life is over” look on my face so I wasn’t blinded like Ron Jaworski getting swallowed by Mike Reid of the Bengals at Veterans Stadium. Last week in the NFL, I picked nine games incorrectly. If I were a gambler, I’d be running from the bookies and exploding trash cans.
Snippets - A Rehoboth Beach Patrol section party last Saturday afternoon in the side yard of the Coveleski homestead in Rehoboth was a surprise under the big tent celebration to pay honor to Tommy Coveleski and his 37 years of service to the town. Former guards from around the country flew in for the event while Dan Sponaugle walked over from the “A&P parking lot” - that’s what I call it - joking “That’s the most exercise I’ve gotten in years.” Tommy is battling cancer along with an army of friends surrounding him for support symbolized by a Pete and Woody cannon shot off the side steps with Tommy bringing the hammer down to ignite the charge and sending a visible shock wave across the yard. The Alpha dogs never stop barking! Go on now, git!
