Cape girls’ lax earns big win at Broadneck

Looking for trouble - The Cape girls’ lacrosse team crossed the Bay Bridge April 15, looking at the skies as the weather called for a 50% chance of thunderstorms. The Vikings were set to play highly touted Broadneck of Annapolis, Md., the only team to beat Cape last season. This year’s score was tied 5-5 at the half. The Broadneck Bruins face-guarded Lulu Rishko, who had four first-half goals (someone may beat us, but it won’t be you). After halftime, the Bruins scored three straight goals to lead Cape 8-5. The Vikings came back to tie the score at 8-8 with 15 minutes remaining. With just under five minutes, the scoreboard read 11-11. With Cape in possession and 23 seconds on the clock, it was a Lulu Lullaby game-winning goal, as Cape escaped with a 12-11 win for a program that seeks out the best competition in the regular season to get ready for the postseason DIAA state tournament. Leading scorers for Cape were Rishko with five goals and Grace Wiggins with four. Carrie Clausius, Anna Sullivan and Lexi Nowakowski each had one goal. Cape assists were Clausius with two, and Claire Lopez and Rishko each with one. Broadneck goals included Lexi Dupcak and Lilly Kelley each with three, Olivia Orson with two and Cayman Holmes, Sienna Miller and Lily Trout with one each. The Vikings outshot the Bruins 26-16. Anna Lopez had five saves for Cape, while Megan Shields had three for Broadneck. The Vikings will roll back across the Big Bay Saturday, April 22, to play Severna Park, the defending Maryland 3A state champions. The Falcons have lost games to Good Counsel 18-16 and Archbishop Spalding 13-5, but on April 4  they beat Queen Anne’s County 18-4. Cape opened the season March 24 beating Queen Anne’s 13-12. Score comparisons are of little value when the better teams play each other, always playing to win with no fear of losing. 

Hillbilly Kobe - Austin Reaves is a 24-year-old, 6-foot-5-inch shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers who played college ball for the Wichita State Shockers before transferring to Oklahoma for his final two years where an assistant coach gave him his nickname, Hillbilly Kobe. He wears No. 15 and his other nickname is AR-15; Reaves has distanced himself from that nickname. Reaves scored the final 10 points in the Lakers’ playoff win at Memphis, prompting commentator Marc Jackson to call Reaves Austin Powers. Great minor league baseball mascots I discovered over the last week are the Rocket City Trash Pandas, Savannah Bananas, Monto Biscuits, Amarillo Sod Poodles and Hartford Yard Goats. 

Flying fried chicken - I was an awkward 17-year-old at an All City basketball banquet where I tried to use a butter knife to cut a chicken breast, which took off toward my belly and dropped onto my lap. I never knew before why the dainty banquet-going class shook out their napkins like pillow cases and placed them on their laps. Saturday night at the Delaware Afro American Sports Hall of Fame banquet, 60 years after the Philly flying frier, my chicken took off again, this time away from me. I quickly grabbed it, saying, “Get back here,” adding, “I own it, but I don't condone it.”

Spaghetti every Friday - Bob Fletcher from Houston, Texas, ran 50 marathons in 50 weeks in his 50th year in 1983. He authored a book and gave me a signed copy after he ran the Lewes event. Fletcher later completed 50 marathons in 50 states and logged 50,000 miles over 30 years of training. Sunday at the Coastal Delaware Marathon in Rehoboth Beach, Rob Toonkel of Elmira, N.Y., wore bib 500 as he ran and completed his 500th marathon over the last 25 years. Rob, just 48 years old, ran 3:48 and owns a personal best 3:19. In recent years, our own congenial crazy muppet Mike Wardian ran seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. And on the eighth day, he rested? Nope, he ran another marathon because Mike is the King of Crazy, but such a lovable guy.  

Snippets - A triangular track meet will take place at Legends Stadium Tuesday, April 18, featuring host Cape Henlopen versus Caesar Rodney and Sussex Central. Shane Massey of Lake Forest, also Cape-connected, owns the Legends Stadium track record of 48.4 seconds in the open 400 meters, set in 2019. Shane is now a senior running for Coppin State University. The Coastal Delaware Running Festival recorded 3,383 finishers over the 5K, 9K, half-marathon and marathon distances. Runners set, go on now, git!