Cape dream endures after loss to Sallies in state title game
Cape coach Mike Frederick knelt in the end zone and pulled the team close to him. The big scoreboard at the north end of the stadium read Salesianum 45, Cape 17.
“Look around and never forget you were here,” Frederick said. “This first win in the tournament in 39 years – you won two games – the community came together to support you. And don’t forget we love you guys, and you should always love one another. We will always be connected by this journey.”
Cape and Sallies were tied 10-10 at halftime, but a 28-0 third-quarter run put Cape’s dreams to rest.
Frederick reflected by text a day later: “We played a solid first half. It felt like we left some points out there that we needed to convert after their two fumbles. But being tied at the half put us in a nice position. In its simplest form, win the second half by one point and Cape is the state champ. Title games are expected to be tight and you prepare for it to come down to the end. We hurt ourselves in that first half with penalties, including two false starts and a delay of game. You can’t beat great teams with self-inflicted mistakes.”
Salesianum took possession to start the second half, and on a third-and-11 play, quarterback Brady McBride hit Ben Anton for a 73-yard touchdown.
On Cape’s next possession, the Vikings were backed up to their own two after a penalty. Sallies’ LJ Smith then intercepted a Jameson Tingle pass and returned it eight yards for a touchdown.
The game was quickly 24-10 in favor of Salesianum.
“Coming out after halftime, they hit the long TD pass on third and long,” Frederick said. “It was the first time all postseason we had trailed by a touchdown. Championship teams must be able to play from ahead or behind, and we seemed to lose some life and energy. We had a holding penalty on the ensuing kickoff that backed us up. I wish I had that sequence to do over, as I wouldn’t have pushed the envelope from being backed up. Just run it and punt it away to gain some space. I put a young QB in a tough spot, and it led to the pick six and a two-score hole.”
Salesianum’s BJ Alleyne went off in the second half, scoring three touchdowns. He finished the game with 176 yards.
The Sallies defense kept Maurki James in check, holding him to 89 yards on 23 carries. Tingle was sacked five times.
“We really had difficulty blocking their front,” Frederick said. “We knew it would be a challenge, but I expected us to move the ball better and provide more time in pass protection.”
Cape put together a late 14-play, seven-minute drive to cut the deficit to 38-17. The drive was highlighted by a fourth-down touchdown pass from Tingle to Lucas Stevenson.
“I was pleased with the response, but it was too little, too late,” Frederick said.
“I think we did some good things. I thought Maurki ran hard and would have gone over 100 yards if not for the negative plays. We saw some really nice athleticism from Jameson that is a snapshot of what is to come from him. On defense, we just didn’t tackle well and allowed the big play. Those things don’t lead to wins.
“Heading forward, we lose some real impact players. We won’t replace [Maurki] James and Brenn Scott with just one player. We will need a bunch of players to step up and fill voids, and replace the production they provided. But those players are on the roster. We have the majority of both trenches returning and a stable of athletic 10th-graders. Sometimes when you have an offensive player as gifted as Maurki, we as coaches tend to rely on them too much. So I would expect to provide more balance and distribution of the football next season. Our staff has ideas of who will fill those roles, but those players will need to decide how hard they are willing to work. This part can be a lot of fun, as I expect good competition and many of our young men to elevate their game. I truly believe the future is bright. Getting back to UD is a tough road, but anything is possible.”
