You’ll hear terms like ‘bragging rights’ being bantered about

On Saturday, Sept. 19, Delaware State will play the University of Delaware in Newark, the first-ever regular season game between the two schools. The run up to the game will be “all Delaware all the time” and such terms as “bragging rights” will be bantered about. But taking a close look at each team’s 2009 roster reveals that Delaware State has five players from Delaware high schools on the roster: Kyle Brown, freshman kicker from Laurel; Braheem Haywood, defensive lineman, Concord; Brandon Purnsley, offensive lineman, Howard; Chris Sears, offensive lineman, Dover; and Tyran Hurst, defensive lineman, Dover. The University of Delaware lists seven players including Cody Bristow, Laurel; Josh Tatnall, Newark; Justin Collison, Smyrna; Scoot von Duyke, Tatnall; Chad Davis, Newark; Sam Burrows, Newark; John Sclesky, Caesar Rodney; and Carl Batson, Dover.

DOG IN CAT COUNTRY - I got this information from my friend Paul Kmetz, longtime football coach at Laurel then Indian River: “Sean Larrimore, first team All-State both ways for Laurel’s back-to-back state champs in ‘86 and ’87, is the new principal at Delmar. Very impressive for a Dog in Cat country. One of the best performances ever at Laurel was versus No. 1 Archmere, upset by Laurel 7-2 in the state championship game in ‘87. Fullback/nose guard Larrimore had 23 carries for 87 yards and 7 tackles for losses against Archmere’s All-State center.”

Cape football is at Laurel Friday, Oct. 16. The dogs are now coached by Clarence Giles, a guidance counselor and former beast of a linebacker at Laurel then Widener University.

STRAIGHT UP - Dr. John Spieker of Orthopedics Associates has always been an active athlete who will push himself whatever the activity, from lifting to jumping out of airplanes and bike racing. Satuday, Aug. 15, John competed in the Mt. Washington Auto Road bike race in New Hampshire. “It’s generally considered the hardest hill-climb bicycle race in the world,” Spieker said. There were 600 entries this year from all over the United States.   Speiker won his age-group 55-59 division, pedaling up the 7.6-mile course in 1 hour and 20 minutes.  “Not a lot of fun and difficult to train for in coastal Delaware,” Spieker said. I know John Spieker was a big-time track athlete as a high school and collegiate athlete. Here are some of his accomplishments: He ran the 400 IH hurdles in college for Rutgers (1971-75); he was a four-time state champ and seven-time AAU state champ (1971-78).  He also ran on the 4x400-meter National AAU Relay Championships 1975 for third place.  He ran on Rutgers’ 4x60 shuttle-hurdle relay team in 1975, which had the third fastest time in the world. “I stopped running at age 41 after three knee surgeries and one ankle reconstruction,” Spieker said.  “I was a gym rat for 10 years until Bobby Cairo made me start biking.  I’ve been riding locally with Dewayne Fox, an experienced racer and professor of marine biology at Delaware State University. I spent a week in Spain and France this past July to train and ride with Thomson Bike Tours.  I saw three stages of the Tour de France and biked over 400 miles and climbed 41,000 feet in five days.”

SNIPPETS - Tryouts for an 11-and-under travel ball team will take place in Laurel beginning at 1 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 30, Contact head coach Shawn Phillips if interested, 302-604-4715 or email shawn.phillips23@yahoo.com. Volunteers are needed for the 14th annual Dewey Beach Sprint Triathlon to be held Saturday, Sept. 19, with Tower Road used as a staging area. Contact James Botti at the Sussex County YMCA at 302-296-9622 or email him at jbotti@ymcade.org.

Brienna Faust, Cape’s all-time leading scorer in girls lacrosse, just completed her sophomore season at Old Dominion, where she was on the dean’s list.

I have been switching the television back and forth between the World Championships of Track and Field and Phillies games. One looks like a real sport and the other a cross between backyard croquet and cricket. Cliff Lee is my all-time favorite Phillies pitcher after just four games. The club should sign him to a five-year deal right now.

Amazingly, football fans, just irked and perturbed at here-comes-Brett Favre stories again, have lost their zest for attacking Michael Vick. No sense kicking a dog while he’s down.

Lydia Hastings of Rehoboth led the Maryland Terrapins women’s soccer team in scoring last year as a freshman as the Terps finished 7-10-1. Maryland, considered one of the most improved teams on the national scene, will open the season this weekend with games at Army and Fordham.

Cape football will host Seaford in a Friday, Aug. 21 scrimmage beginning at 11 a.m at Legends Stadium.