Sports are jargonistic language takes on different meanings

Hard charging - It just made me laugh because the phrase "bull in a china shop" aptly describes the style of Cape wrestler Nick Walker. During a recent match at 144 pounds, Nick was riding his opponent when freshman Austin Guerrieri, standing behind me, said, "C'mon, Nick, bully on top.” I thought it would make a good T-shirt. “Excuse me, sir, what does that mean?" Guess it would need some artwork, and if you don't get wrestling culture, you just don't get it. 

Don’t say anything - I’m not a blabber, but I talk and write a lot and share stories and photos on social media and have my own column. In that regard, I am relentless and have a history of using good judgment; but it seems in the last couple of years, more people, after telling me a story, say, “Please don’t say anything. I’m just letting you know.” Quite often those people are members of my own family. I am the same age as Trump, and we are both under multiple gag orders.  

Take me to your feeder - If you are the head coach of a high school program, it's comforting to look down at the middle school teams and see talent. But because those athletes are in the developmental stage, the predictability of future success is hard to quantify. Recruiting from your own building when athletes enter ninth grade is the ticket. Most top-shelf athletes can excel at any sport they focus on, and they make overall programs stronger. Mariner football last fall posted a record of 0-6-1. Beacon football was 3-4. That’s a combined 3-10-1. Mariner field hockey was 6-1-2. Beacon field hockey was 9-0. That’s a combined 15-1-2. Fred Thomas Middle School will add all sports for the 2024-25 school year. 

Silver medalists - Wrestling coach Shane Jensen and I talked about how hard it is for an individual to lose in the finals, the disappointment of the day that follows you around like an old dog that refuses to cross over the rainbow bridge. Here is a list of stellar Cape wrestlers who reached then lost in the final bout: Joe Gibbs (1972) at 180 pounds; Tyrone Gibbs (1974) at 185 pounds (Tyrone would go on to win twice); Tyrone Gray (1981) at 119 pounds; Andy Nowakowski (1990) at 171 pounds; Baron Vincent (1991) at 275; Eric Beamon (1997) at 112; Bobby Hopkins (2005) at 171; Jason Flannery (2009) at 189; Justin Lopez (2014) at 170; Nick Carroll (2014) at 285; Ja’Von Currie (2015) at 160; Anthony Caruso (2017) at 120; Zach Flores (2017) at 285, Anthony Caruso (2018) at 126 (Caruso also won two titles); Chris Handlin (2019) at 182 pounds; Billy Ott (2019) at 195 pounds; Dalton Deevey (2021) at 182 pounds; Jackson Handlin (2021) at 195 pounds; C.J. Fritchman (2021) at 152 pounds; Lucas Ruppert (2021) at 285 pounds; C.J. Fritchman (2022) at 160 pounds (Ruppert and Fritchman would later win state titles); Carson Kammerer (2022) at 170 pounds; Alex Taylor (2022) at 195 pounds; Dalton Deevey (2022) at 220 pounds; Nick Walker (2023) at 132 pounds; Andrew Schaen (2023) at 150 pounds; and Alex Taylor (2023) at 190 pounds. I’d like to host a forum titled “Let’s Kick it Real and Tell Us How You Really Feel.” Cape, by the way, has claimed 25 individual state titles.

Snippets - There are several local men’s lacrosse connections in the Florida-based Sunshine State Conference, beginning with Hunter Jones for Rollins College and three Salesianum players for the University of Tampa, including Dom Ruttura, Charlie Ruoss and Zach Friend. Cape alum Joe Coveleski is a freshman at Florida Tech, and Adem Tekman is a senior at St Leo's. Blake Gipko, who played a year of lacrosse at Wingate University followed by a year at Delaware Tech, is now a junior midfielder at Elizabethtown majoring in exercise science. Trey Leggins of Cape, a freshman at Queen's University in Charlotte, N.C., runs the 400 meters in indoor track. Cape pole vaulter Bailey Fletcher trains at the Philadelphia Jumps Club, where one of his coaches is Sam Young, Cape’s outdoor record holder. Cape sends four vaulters into the state meet this Saturday, Feb. 3 at the Prince George’s Sports Complex in Landover, Md. In addition to Bailey, Eddie Houck and Brady Mauro are in the boys’ competition, and Allison Bowman is a contender on the girls’ side. Late Eagles football coach Buddy Ryan: “All close football games come down to five key plays – you make them, you win; you don't, you lose.” Buddy ain’t wrong! Go on now, git!