Cape hockey figuring out combinations in scrimmages
After six days of field hockey practice at Cape, 48 athletes were divided into two teams. The opening week culminated in a play day when the varsity squad played four games of 25 minutes against Sussex Academy, Wooten of Maryland, Caesar Rodney and Parkside of Maryland.
“We had to cancel all the JV games because the Bermuda fields were just not playable,” said Debbie Windett, who organized the day, then had to reconfigure it three times.
The approach to play days is just to get a dose and exposure to foreign competition. The speed of play increases and each hit is more meaningful.
Cape had been a program under coach Kate Austin that has reconfigured on the run, not just preseason but over an entire season. Combinations and chemistry are components of Cape hockey. Players get opportunities beginning with preseason play days. It gets real soon enough.
Delmar participated in the play day and its athletes looked like their usual catnip selves, relentlessly pummeling the goalie cage with shots and drawing corners.
The last team other than Cape or Delmar to win a state championship in field hockey was Sussex Tech in 2009 and 2010 under coach Nancy Tribbitt.
Cape has won nine titles since 2011, while Delmar has won five in a row. The tournament split into two divisions in 2017, with Cape winning four Division I titles and Delmar winning four Division II titles.
The Wildcats won the last single-division tournament in 2016. That year, Cape lost in quarterfinals at Tower Hill, breaking a streak of 100 straight wins against in-state opponents.
Cape has a home play day beginning at 2 p.m., Friday, Aug. 27, versus Caravel, Delmar and Polytech.
Cape returns Division I Player of the Year Reagan Ciabattoni and first-team all-stater Noelle Sabbagh.
Delmar returns Division II Player of the Year Maci Badford along with Division II all-state players Josie Hollamon, Jordyn Hollamon, Kelly Davis and Ella Shockley.
