Cape boys’ lax wins Henlopen title over Sussex Academy
The Cape boys’ lacrosse team scored a 20-4 victory over Sussex Academy May 14 to win the Henlopen Conference championship.
Cape started off hot and continued to boil over the Seahawks throughout the game. They finished the first quarter up 9-2 and went into the halftime break ahead 15-3. The third quarter found the Vikings ahead 18-4. They then shut out the Seahawks 2-0 in the fourth.
Jack Schell and Mikey Frederick each scored four goals to lead the Vikings. Gabe Best and Jaden Davis added three, Hank D'Ambrogi and Will Bragg hit the twine twice, and Joe Coveleski and Brexton Carter scored single goals.
“It’s good to get back on stride continuing with what we did my freshman year,” said junior attack Mikey Frederick. ”We won the conference championship and then the state championship. Hopefully we can do the same this year. It definitely gave us motivation after having to give up our the season last year.”
D'Ambrogi tallied three assists, while Schell and Best had two helpers. Luke Burton and Will Bragg tallied one each.
Cape middie C.J. Fritchman snagged 17 of 20 face-offs in the contest.
“It feels good winning the conference,” said Fritchman. “But we’re looking for the state championship, honestly. We definitely took this game seriously, but we’re looking forward too. We just look to work harder the next day.”
Cape goalie Mike Sposato made six saves, while Carson Kammerer stopped two shots.
“I feel like we could have done a lot better,” said Sposato. “I think from this game we can all grow. The offense played great tonight and I think we had a good game defensively. This is setting a tone for us moving forward.”
“It’s hard to make up for the whole season we lost, but it’s nice to see the players get rewarded for their hard work in the off season and for this season itself,“ said Cape head coach Mark D’Ambrogi. “I was happy for them. The guys last season set a good standard for us, so we’re just trying to keep up with it. We got everybody in and they brought a lot of energy to the field. A bunch of guys got opportunities and they keep getting better. Michael [Sposato] played well. Carson [Kammerer] played well. Our defense with Landon Best is continuing to do a good job. C.J. [Fritchman] has been a difference maker for us throughout the season and he continues to do it. Hank [D’Ambrogi’s] game has gotten better. Going forward from here I hope we continue to grow.”
The Seahawks were led by Jackson Dinger with two goals. Burke Healy and Ryan Burke tallied one goal each, while Gannon Burris recorded two assists. Goalies Lex Johnson and Danny Hearn made six and four saves, respectively.
“I’m proud of our team,” said SAAS head coach Justin Hetherington. “They played hard to the end whistle and left it all on the field. Proud of our seniors for leading the way.”
Cape begins DIAA state tournament play Wednesday, May 19, when they host Friends at Legends Stadium. The Seahawks host Smyrna at Sussex Academy.
