Cape Gazette's Fredman the Great

MORE CANNON FODDER - I write 10,000 words a week, pretty much sticking and jabbing or floating and stinging like Ali. If people want to call WGMD and talk about rogue unwanted cannons at away football games, that’s their prerogative. Can I get a witness, Bobby Brown?

Back in 1999, in the greatest game ever played at Cape, Caesar Rodney beat Cape in the final seconds in the first round of the state tournament. But the bad news was they faced powerhouse Newark in the state final. I was standing on the Newark sidelines the next week in the first quarter and after the Yellow Jackets scored there was a surprise cannon shot that was way too “colonoscopy close for comfort,” and I leaped inches into the air in startled surprise. I turned in anger expecting to see some high school kid painted like a Yellow Jacket. But there, kneeling and reloading, was gray-haired Frank Hagan, the Newark principal, formerly the principal at Cape.

“Frank, has it come to this? You are the crouching cannon guy? What’s up, Frankie? Do you want to talk about it over a couple of beers? Do you remember at Cape that I helped you get through doing your laundry in the home ec room?

WE ARE ALL VIKINGS - No we ain’t! I was never in support of renaming all Cape middle schools Vikings – can’t we all get along - and I can’t believe the Lewes Pirates, Milton Warriors and Rehoboth Seahawks no longer exist in real time. I’d be in favor of dropping the unoriginal and commonplace Vikings in favor of Hammerheads - more nautical by nature - leading to chomp cheers and cool hats.

And really, allowing the Henlopen Conference middle school schedulers to keep Beacon and Mariner away from each other is a bad idea, or so I’m hearing from everyone who rings up my cell phone. And don’t expect Beacon to walk into a Mariner football invitation at the end of this season because, all talent imbalances aside, that just isn’t going to happen.

And the Sunday, Nov. 4 Mid-Fall Middle School Hockey Frolic scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Hudson Fields is just that - a frolic! It is NOT Mariner versus Beacon, which would be an end run to see which undefeated middle school team inside the Cape Henlopen school district is better.

Kids of Cape cannot be hijacked after a season by outside organizations even with parent permission. I have spoken with athletes and they are excited about the game and eager to reacquaint with friends. Many parents are stoked as well - and that is all great, but the regular coaches are not allowed to be involved in this game and the last time a Cape team I coached represented Cape when I wasn’t there would be the first time.

SNIPPETS - The good news is Delmarva Christian made the state volleyball tournament for the first time. This Saturday (Nov. 3) at Smyrna the Royals play the Raiders of Ursuline at 6 p.m., and all Christianity aside, everyone knows the god of sports in Catholic. I know Catholics are Christians and a Christian God has no favorites, so no one should pray or plead for victory - only worthy performances.

I remember in a Philadelphia Catholic game when 6’ 9” Maurice Savage dunked dead in my face on a fast break. I looked up to the rafters and asked, “What was that?”

Cape basketball senior Tracey Jones recently visited West Virginia University. Jones sat out his junior season after ACL surgery.

Lawrence Slayton, who was on a conference champion Delmarva Christian team that made the state basketball tournament, has returned to Cape and should help the Vikings off the glass.

Lamont “Poochie” Hazzard is the new head coach of girls basketball at Cape and will be assisted by Haywood Burton.

Bethany Pavlik of Lewes and Sussex Tech was recently named All-Freedom Conference for the Delaware Valley Aggies. Pavlik, who was the Freedom’s Rookie of the Year and a second team selection last season, recorded at least one point against every conference opponent this year. She finished with 20 goals and 10 assists (tying the single-season mark) for a school-record 50 points. Pavlik is already third on the Aggie all-time list with 32 goals and 13 assists for 67 points.

Cape football (2-6) is hosting Dover (4-4) this Friday (Nov. 2) for Senior Night at Cape’s Legends Stadium. Let’s call this a must-win for the Vikings and the program. Dover has lost to Sussex Tech, Sussex Central, St. Mark’s and Glasgow. The Senators play pretty good defense, but don’t score many points. Let seniors Max Coveleski, Isaiah Brisco, Zack Wood, Justin Lesko, Dominique Thomas, Colin Buchness, Steven Gregson, Kyle Kaminski and Colin Nilan be the first class to earn a football victory on the surf and turf field.

Gilbert Maull and Kai Maull were not the only father/son combination to quarterback the Cape Vikings. There is also Pete and Max Coveleski.

I have a seat in the press box for the Sunday night Dallas at Philly game. I strongly believe the Eagles will win this game and go on to beat Washington and Miami raising their record to 6-4. If anything less happens the Eagles are Cheese Whiz!

A friend and teammate of mine at Temple, Wayne Coleman out of Atlantic City High School, was starting weak side linebacker for the Eagles in 1969 and in game six at Franklin Field Dallas found him.

After the game Wayne was cut, then signed with New Orleans and played a total of eight NFL seasons. How have things changed? Wayne played at 6-foot-1 and 227 pounds. His son was a linebacker on the Titans 2000 team that lost to the Rams in the Super Bowl. My nephew, Mike, was also on that team. And a tight end named Frankie Wychek was a Titan who was a high school teammate of Cape’s offensive coordinator Tom Ott. In the football world everyone is connected.

The Pittsburgh Steelers won four Super Bowls in the 1970s behind several “roided up” linemen, but no one ever talks about that because they’re just too busy beating up on Barry Bonds and Marian Jones.

Brett Favre is a mega millionaire still making Wrangler commercials, and do you even know who caught the winning 82-yard touchdown pass last Sunday night in the Packers overtime win at Denver?

Greg Jennings, who said, “Brett is 70 years old and still overthrowing us at practice,” is a rookie who caught 39 touchdowns at Western Michigan, but last Sunday he was just the guy on the other end of a Favre pass. Show me Jennings in Wranglers. Now that would be a story.