I am funny, all day long; it’s just the way I pork roll

Former Cape players Carrie Lingo and Maren Ford are former members of the U.S. National Field Hockey Team. Maren and Carrie played in an Olympic qualifying tournament March 31 to April 3, at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. South Korea beat the United States in the final with Belgium, Canada, France and Mexico rounding out the rest of the field. The national team will play Argentina this May at Princeton University. Maren Ford got her first international goal in the win over France. Katelyn Falgowski of St. Mark’s, a summer resident of Lewes, is also on the team, as well as University of Delaware graduate Katie Evans. Pictured with Carrie and Maren is former Cape coach Ruth Skoglund, who came to California to watch her girls play.

SOME PEOPLE CALL HIM MAURICE - Coached by science teacher Kathleen Fisher, emerging track athlete Maurice Mills, an eighth-grader from Mariner Middle School, earned first place in the long jump at the Blades Invitational held at Lake Forest High School Friday, April 16. Competing against 39 jumpers from 13 schools, he jumped 19 feet, 11 inches, just shy of the 20 feet necessary to qualify for high school state championships. In addition, he earned second place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.5 seconds. This is Mills’s second year on the track team.

PLAYING CHICKEN – My first year teaching at Cape, a little sophomore girl was crying in home room and I asked her friend, “What’s wrong with Anna?” “Her pet peg died,” Beverline said with a local accent, and her answer was followed by stories of the domesticated pig that slept in a bed and ate from a dog bowl. With all due compassion I asked Anna what happened, and she said, “He got hit by a chicken truck.” I took my line like a slab of bacon: “What was he doing hogging the road?” I believe her response was “You ain’t funny, white man,” but they learned I am funny, all day long, it’s just the way I pork roll. I passed the scene of the 1976 soufflé Saturday morning trucking north from Henlopen Soccer in Milton and reflected on the story. An hour later I was playing chicken with a Mountaire truck on Route 1 north. “Karma Chameleon!” I shouted and reached for my camera to autofocus my own demise. I was singing “Chicken truck, chicken truck ain’t it just my luck.” Turns out the truck was hooked to a wrecker, front end facing oncoming traffic and tires rolling backwards. Still for an instant I was frazzled, fried and petrified.

SHOWTIME! - The showdown is just about to go down for the Cape soccer team, which ran its season record to a perfect 5-0 with a 7-0 win over visiting Lake Forest last Thursday night, April 15. Rachel Sadowski, Alex Coverdale and Alexus Duffy scored in the first half for Cape. The second-half goals were scored by Alex Coverdale, Kathleen Heffernan and Kayla Albertella. Cape put 20 shots on goal. Cape will host a solid Indian River team Tuesday night, April 20. The Indians are 4-1 losing to Caesar Rodney 4-1 April 15. Cape will play at undefeated Smyrna Thursday, April 22; the Eagles are 5-0 and have outscored opponents 20-1.

SNIPPETS - Jimmy Gill and the Swarthmore baseball team are headed to the Centennial Conference playoffs for the first time in the school’s history. Jimmy is batting .373 with six home runs on the season, the most for a Swarthmore player since Dick Hall in 1952. Hope Cornell, former Sussex Tech softball player, finished her junior season leading the team with a .351 batting average and 8 home runs. Cornell, whose mother Jen is a Cape teacher, is the Shippensburg career leader in home runs. Diaz Nardo carried a no-hitter into the final inning April 15, where he gave up a run as the Vikings defeated St. Thomas More 11-1 to go 2-5 on the season. Jordan Plivelich, Jake Dmiterchik and Jared Boothman each cracked a double while Kyle McCoy launched a home run. Cape lost to Caesar Rodney Friday, April 16, 6-5 on the strength of CR pitcher Zach Candeloro, who pitched a complete game and also hit a three-run home run. Jared Boothman was 2-4 for the Vikings. Three of the Viking losses have been by one run. Cape will host 4-3 Milford Tuesday, April 20. The Bucs have won four games in a row. Milford’s 5-2 softball team, the defending state champions, will play Cape’s 3-4 team on the same day. Cape lost to CR last Friday 4-0 but defeated St. Elizabeth’s last Wednesday, April 14, 8-6. Jaylyn Maull and Rasa Koletar had doubles for Cape while winning pitcher Shannon Maner also had a triple. This Saturday, April 24, Cape girls and Cape boys lacrosse host Brandywine. The lacrosse teams are sponsoring an all-day fundraiser for Brian Tappan.

Admission is $5 a person and you can stay and watch one or all games. JV girls play at noon with varsity following at 1:45 p.m.; junior varsity boys start at 3:30 p.m. with the varsity following at 5 p.m. The day offers a BBQ, auction and raffle, T-shirt sales (specially made and designed for the event), and a bake sale - all good stuff - and great lacrosse played at the best facility in Delaware.