Sky looked like swirling nun spirits seeking me for a final smackdown

Stormy Monday - It was late for me, showing up 30 minutes early for the 4:30 p.m. Henlopen Conference Championship field hockey game at DE Turf featuring the colossal matchup between Delmar and Cape Henlopen. But there was no one there – no players, coaches, fans or staff, not even a seagull. I checked my phone and saw the game had been changed to 7 p.m. There were no red-letter alerts, just an embedded black 7 p.m. where 4:30 used to reside. And I was the only dumb bunny to show up three hours early. But at least the auto alarm system was going off like a 1957 air raid drill indicating a lightning strike was 10 miles away as the crow fries (pun intended). School buses should not roll into zones labeled “Tornado Watch.” But the teams were en route when the game got canceled, so they turned around while my 4Runner began to rock in the wind under a menacing bluish-black sky with patches of bright-white, circling clouds that to me looked like swirling nun spirits searching me out for a final smackdown. It would have been poetic if I had been blown away and lost forever waiting for a game where not even the teams showed up.

Wrestling my wheelhouse - I’m not suddenly the wrestling guy because my grandson Mikey is a grappler. I’ve been covering and supporting the sport since my days at Temple University. I have more funny stories than most, but they fall into the “I can tell it but can’t sell it” bin of memories. My point is I have credibility, and I think the masked wrestler is the dumbest idea since girdle pads and neck rolls for football players. 

Fans in the stands - My grandson Davey is the inclusion kid of high school sports. I miss seeing him in the stands with all the other students supporting their teams, which is a huge part of the high school journey. Volleyball players are energized by a vocal student crowd – even a yokel crowd is welcome. I feel bad for this year’s Cape team, which enters the DIAA tournament with a Friday night home game with no student fans. And the traveling Cape Caravan of fans which has been a big part of the Cape story for 50 years is now mostly sitting home streaming games while listening to Spotify and shopping on Amazon. The game is just not the same without student fans in the stands.

Sometimes gifted - I am often gifted with meeting new people whom I find inspirational. Last weekend, it was cross country runners Kenny Guy and Matt Gatune of Polytech, Brynn Crandell of Indian River and Ian Hayes of Woodbridge. It’s the first I remember having four Athletes of the Week from Henlopen schools besides Cape. The refracted light of excellence shines on us all, and the athletes know and appreciate that. Trust me, they get it.

Snippets - Social media spread the word Dec. 1 that former Caesar Rodney head coach and Athletic Director Mike Schonewolf had passed away suddenly in Florida at the age of 63. “Schoney” had also been a quarterback on the 1979 University of Delaware national championship football team. I was on the Caesar Rodney sidelines as a sports reporter in 2008 when Schonewolf’s Riders defeated the Golden Knights of coach John Wells 26-13 to win the Division I state championship. I saw the charisma, leadership and decision making under fire. The Riders were not coddled or babied through the adverse moments that occur during all football games. Coach Schonewolf was riveted; he barely blinked, standing tall under his Riders cap. Coach was all over that game; the backs and linemen all looked into his eyes for reassurance.

Cape hockey opened the DIAA state tournament in the D1 bracket Dec. 3, hosting Charter of Wilmington [after our deadline]. Since 2011, the Vikings have won eight state titles with a record of 30-1 in state tournament games, including 19 shutouts, with a 120-21 scoring differential. Cape was knocked out of the tournament in 2016, losing 2-0 to Tower Hill in the quarterfinals, which broke a streak of 100 straight wins against Delaware opponents. Delmar won the state title that year, the first for the Wildcats. The tournament split into two divisions in 2017, with Cape in Division I and Delmar in Division II. They’ve each won titles the last three seasons. And not to forget: Sussex Tech under coach Nancy Tribbitt won back-to-back state titles in 2009 and 2010, going through both Cape and Tower Hill on its journey. And that is a wrap from the keyboard of Mr. Field Hockey – better a cross check than a bounced check. Go on now, git!