Five-year-old Everleigh flies high for Vikings Pop Warner

Therapy Freddogg - A few years ago, former student Mandie Manship was a substitute secretary at Beacon Middle School. I walked in one early morning to see what condition my condition was in and to snag a student for Athlete of the Week. Mandie suggested I hire myself out as a human therapy dog because it was always so comforting to talk to me. I thought, “What a nice thing for her to say,” and started thinking, “What color collar should I wear on which to hang my therapist license? Mandie gets “The Power of Nice,” a book written by my sports agent friend Ron Shapiro. Mandie sent me a photo of her 5-year-old daughter, Everleigh Fletcher, who cheers for Cape Vikings Pop Warner. Everleigh’s mom, a 2004 Cape graduate, says it best in her own words, “Everleigh is 5 years old and cheers for Cape Vikings Pop Warner. A kindergartener at H.O.B. and born with a limb difference, Fibular Hemimelia, Everleigh is a determined young lady that loves a challenge. Everleigh is a multi-sport athlete including cheerleading, Little League and juice box kart racing at Club Milton. In all areas of her life, Everleigh is a great friend, awesome athlete and definitely a role model to others around her. Her determination doesn’t go unnoticed and is a light to those around her! Many thanks to Cape Pop Warner and her coaches, Tiffany Barlow, Dana Briggs and Brittany Cannon, for allowing Everleigh to fly high during their routine last Saturday! This was a stunt she begged to try but was unsure if she would be able to do! Inclusion matters!” 

The wife - I think most married women of action-figure men don’t like the expression “the wife,” preferring their actual first name. I’m never guilty of that social awkwardness, but covering sports, I sometimes go deep diving on biographical background, saying to the standby spouse, “And how are you doing?” Jack and Marge Huxtable have been married 55 years; they are humbly quirky humanitarians on a life journey to do good things for others. Both Peace Corps persons have lived in Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Cameroon, Nepal, Indonesia and Pakistan. Jack has set numerous 5K age-group state records; he rolls in old sneakers that should have been retired decades earlier. Marge, with a BSN, studied graduate-level nursing at Georgetown, having worked administrative-level jobs with the Peace Corps in all the places listed above. Jack is an Ivy League Cornell guy. Jack had 5K state age-group records in 75-79, 24:16, and 80-84, 27:52.

Lying without trying - A Philly friend once called me out for lying about something with no consequence. “Fred, have you ever been to the Electric Factory?” “Sure, I’ve been there.” “Who did you see?” “Vanilla Fudge.” He looked at me sideways. “You’ve never been there, have you?” “No, I haven’t.” Tuesday night along the field hockey fence, Rick Burton asked me, “Did you see the end of that Eagles game?” I nodded my head yes, but I left that game in the first half and left the Phillies game in the third inning, saving myself from double disappointments. Lots of people talk without knowing much, but let's leave politics out of this sports column.

Five quarters - A quarter is a fourth, so what’s up with football players being limited to five quarters a week between varsity and JV, and we’re talking honor system, because really, who knows and who cares? Actually, a one-quarter guy knows because he wants to get on the field. Cape JV beat Woodbridge Monday afternoon 20-12, as sophomore quarterback Noah Miafodzyeu scored on a long fourth-quarter touchdown run. I was there, not covering the game, just practicing taking photos with a bad knee. Monday afternoon JV games are my favorite. 

Snippets - Coaches have an IEP for each athlete on their roster, just don’t ask them, “What is the plan,” because that is considered out of bounds. I always advise, “Once you step across certain lines, you can never get back.” Playing time is the No. 1 issue, and it’s often befuddling. In the best-case scenario, it involves redshirting, the worst case, “not ready for primetime.” My twin sons, Tom and Jack, played soccer, but switched to football in 10th grade. I remember a varsity home game in the rain – mud not turf. Cape was wearing white. They lost 38-0. Neither twin played and their white uniforms looked like LED bulbs. I said to coach Jim Leyh (a great guy), “You know what’s worse than playing in a game like this? Standing there and not playing.” Coach said, “You’re out of line,” and he was right. The quarters for the twins were being saved for the JV game. A flashback fact: six of the first seven balls Tom threw to Jack resulted in touchdowns. Newberry College beat Belmont Abbey 2-1 in field hockey Sept. 17, with the winning goal scored by Emma Westbrook (Sussex Academy). Payton Keeler and Parker Keeler (Woodbridge) are also on the Newberry team. Grace Hudson (Cape) plays defense for Belmont Abbey. Maybe I’m crazy? Probably? Go on now, git!