The stronger the spirit the harder someone was going to get hit

I played at a Catholic high school where sport was a religion. I would never take to the basketball court without being blessed by a priest and making little crosses across the palms of my hands. A football game was begun and ended by prayer, and the stronger the spirit of my soul the harder someone else was going to get hit. I have always joked that the god of sports is Catholic because from my generation that was no joke. The 2010 Delaware All-State football team has a total of 27 players on first team, counting specialists. A conspiracy of Catholics looms above the list - not really - as a total of 17 of 27 first-team players are from Salesianum, St. Mark’s or St. Elizabeth’s. If you count up the second team of 24 players, there are eight from the four Catholic schools of Salesianum, St. Mark’s, St. Elizabeth’s and Archmere. That makes 25 of 51 first- and second-team players from just four Catholic schools. All those schools had great seasons and I’m sure all the players are worthy. I wouldn’t know otherwise as all my Friday nights were spent somewhere watching a Henlopen Conference game.

Downstate All-State
Desmond Sivels of Sussex Tech, Donte Shells of Caesar Rodney and Quidir Bryant were Henlopen Conference players who were first-team All-State on offense while Malcome Bowden of Sussex Central and Miles Hunter of Caesar Rodney made the defense. Andre Fonville of Cape was voted to the second team as a defensive end while Shane Marvel was selected as a linebacker. Eric Sumlin of Dover, a Cape connected kid through his late grandmother Barbara, made second team wide receiver while Byron Hodge of Sussex Central made the second team as an offensive guard.

Freeze frame
I hear and have heard more scratchy, slow-tempo recorded versions of the national anthem than any patriotic person in history, which is why I scan the crowd looking for something. I found young Declan Morrisey, hand on heart in reverent attention, and I thought “Shouldn’t he be punching someone in the back of the head or sliding under the hotdog table?“ Afterward, his dad Joe Morrisey said, “He’s on his way to Notre Dame,” and I think he should apply for early admission right now because red-haired Declan Morrisey looks born to be a Fighting Irishman.

More patriotic Irish kids - Seen at left are Liam, Emma, Laura and Catherine McDonough of West Chester, Pa., waiting for 8-minutes-per-mile daddy Bill to reach the 8-mile mark at last Saturday’s Seashore Marathon. Dad is enveloped by his loving family at the water stop and I think I heard his wife say, “You are watching them this afternoon while I do my long run.”

Snippets
The Sunday, May 15 Christiana Care Heath System Delaware Marathon Running Festival – catchy title but longer than the marathon - features a full marathon, half marathon and four-person relay marathon. Go to delawaremarathon.org before it fills up like an empty beer mug. The race attracts close to 2,500 runners from across the country. You can also check out Delaware Marathon on Facebook and Twitter on your Palm Pilot - I know, Palm Pilots are “so not androids.” Above is a picture of granddaughter Lizzie on a clean block of a Logan Shuttleworth shot during a YBA Saturday game. “C’mon ref, no way that was a foul! Who said ‘hack attack?’”

Delaware football will host Georgia Southern Saturday, Dec. 18, at noon in the semifinal round of the NCAA football championship subdivision tournament. Villanova plays at Eastern Washington Friday night, Dec. 17, in the other semifinal game. Maybe if Villanova and Delaware both win, the game can be played at Lincoln Financial Field and not Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas? Does Pat’s Steaks have a stadium? I sure am glad I’m not a Redskins fan. My goodness, an extra point holder with bad hands; what will they think of next?
The Eagles look destined for the playoffs and for them the toughest matchup is the Saints, who look wild-card-destined, which is why Philly wants to win the division and get possibly two home games. But really I have been an awful predictor this season, so I predict the Eagles will win the Super Bowl and will somebody please smack down Tom Brad