Attention, damsels, all lacrosse games are canceled

Country Road - “Country road takes me home where my games are postponed. I'm a damsel and all my games are canceled.” Route 9 from Sussex Tech to Cape Henlopen with Sussex Academy in between has two of the state's best girls’ lacrosse teams. Sussex Tech has canceled the season, but I didn’t get the memo. I just noticed canceled next to all games, and being astutely intuitive, I deduced not enough interest coming off a 1-13 season where the Ravens lost to Sussex Academy 20-0 and Cape Henlopen 23-0. Over the last three seasons, the Ravens were a combined 3-41. In the words of the late basketball coach Al McGuire, “No sense beating a dead horse to death.” Looking back at a three-year stretch 2011-13, the Ravens were 34-10 with three state tournament appearances. My late friend Bruce Hefke (a mill and cabinet teacher) started the program at Sussex Tech, admitting, “I know nothing, but these girls deserve a program.” History hangs like a homeless dog. All in-depth retrospective stories need to be told; just too much of the same stuff on sports pages. Late-breaking news: Lake Forest also dropped its girls’ lacrosse program Feb. 26. 

Pastor Paulen - Bob is an 88-year-old masters track athlete who lives in Dewey. “I have just returned from the USATF National Championships in Gainesville, Fla. We had 1,261 participants ranging from ages 25-95 in our four-day meet. I had my best results ever in the total number of medals won (seven). This included three gold (pentathlon, 60 and 200 meters); three silver (hurdles, high jump and triple jump); and one bronze (long jump). I also ran on a couple of club relays. Next month, I will return to the same venue to compete in the World Masters Athletic Games, representing the USA. I won't compete in nearly as many events, as the competition will be at a very high level. My events will include the hurdles, pentathlon and relays.”

One and done - “Son, I’m not sure what schedule you’re on, but looking at your grades, it’s time for you to get gone.” We all know what one-and-done means for NBA-caliber college freshmen, but what is not tracked are those high school players who commit and have signing ceremonies. The unspoken question is, "commit to what exactly?” Boys are more at risk than girls when it comes to managing being a student-athlete at the next level. Girls don’t play the fool, then swear they're cool, but boys are just more mischievous and likely to get into bad behavior patterns of drinking and recreational drugging followed by sleeping through morning classes. Del Tech snags more rebounds than Nikola Jokic, giving committed commuters a second chance to get it right. Don’t be a joker – a one-and-done. Commit to a degree or enter the job market.  

No opinion - Any people, including teachers, who have no opinions are flatter than white ceiling paint. The key is to stay off the soapbox and not use a forum or platform to foist unwanted positions on others. Back when I was a teacher, if a student asked my opinion on an issue the class was discussing, I would succinctly state it, then move on. How do I feel if the Eagles accept or refuse an invitation to be honored at the White House? I basically don’t care either way, but if I was invited to go along as a sportswriter to capture the experience, I would decline, just too much money, power and personality disorders in one big white house. If I were an offensive lineman on the Eagles, asked to be part of the group that visited, the answer is still no, but I wouldn’t make a big deal about it. 

States at Cape - Cape is a great venue for the DIAA Wrestling Tournament. It offers convenience for downstate schools and the atmosphere is cozy, but the gym can hardly hold the crowd that hangs around for the Saturday night finals. There is chatter about moving it to the University of Delaware’s Bob Carpenter Center. I guess it will eventually happen, but let’s enjoy it while it is here. Was Slam Dunk to the Beach just the best tournament when games were played at the Little Big House? Cozy Cape with beaches and restaurants. How could that get any better? Postscript: Wrestling coach Chris Mattioni: “This is Year 13 for Cape. We have held it every year since 2012, except 2017, when it was held at Dover. It has been voted on each March at the state wrestling committee meeting. There was talk about UD, but they had double booked with the Globetrotters. Buddy Lloyd said he wanted a two-year commitment from UD before moving. Dave Baylor said he wants a five-year deal, but cost is a barrier. The committee voted this year for Cape to host the next three years after this year. So we have it for this year plus three. I texted Mike [Connors] and Kevin [Smith] when we voted. They asked when I was retiring.” 

Snippets - Anderson Smith (Cape), a freshman lacrosse player on attack for the 4-0 Lions of St. Leo’s, has three goals and three assists on the season. Flagler men’s lacrosse is 4-1 on the season. Sophomore Luke Burton (Cape) has five goals and three assists for the Saints. Joe Coveleski (Cape) has six goals and one assist for the 2-3 Florida Tech Panthers. John Bishop (Cape 1976) set the record for most points in a state tournament game when he scored 40 against Newark in a game played at Laurel. And that is before the three-point shot. Bishop scored 104 over four games, also a record. Cape eliminated Salesianum in the 2009 state tournament by a score of 57-49; it was the last game at the Little Big House. Marcus Gooch had 31 second-half points and 35 for the game. Thirty-one in one half of basketball is an unofficial school record until someone proves otherwise. Go on now, git!