All Cape Henlopen all the time, except at the polls

Board member Spencer Brittingham tapped me on the shoulder in the early moments of the third quarter during last Tuesday night’s basketball game against Caesar Rodney. “The referendum lost by a little over 100 votes,” he said, before I had a chance to put my hands over my ears. “The community for kids took another big loss from the purveyors of negativity,” is all I could think. And on the court the Vikings went down by 17 points with 14 minutes left to play. I looked across the gym, and in the doorway stood 6-foot-9 Oliver Gumbs, a former Delaware basketball player, Cape’s director of finances, a great guy and very smart, who looked slightly dazed, digesting two realities: one that gives up on kids and the other a spirit that just never quits. Cape ran off 21 unanswered points, the crowd of students and adults going bonkers, getting lost in the moment, overwhelmed by the energy: It was all Cape all the time! Cape kids have so much to teach us, and it’s all about them. I can honestly say spending 35 straight years as a teacher, I never for one minute thought the job was about me, but many recent additions to the workforce think their own psychological balance is someone else’s responsibility. CHEA, the teachers’ association that I paid dues to for 30 years, did not publicly endorse the technology referendum, and all I can say is, “weak effort!” You were not against or for it, you were just nowhere, including the game, begging the question, “How can you be two places at once when you’re nowhere at all?”

GRAPPLERS A GO-GO – Cape Henlopen sends eight wrestlers to the individual state wrestling championships this Friday and Saturday. Following is a short scouting report of first-round matchups from head coach Chris Mattioni.  

Zach Lee at 103 has a tough first-round match.  He wrestles the Blue Hen champ Joey Gladstone from Middletown.  Chris Young, 112, wrestles Mark Ardecki from Caravel first round.  He beat him last year but lost to him 3-0 in the dual.  Chris is capable of beating him.  If he can win then he will have Blue Hen champ Brandon Davis from Hodgson.  He is tough.  Chris should place top 5. Chris McMahon, 119, wrestles Daniel Graham from Sallies in the first round.  He finished second in the Independent Conference. He is pretty tough.  Chris hasn’t wrestled him before.  He has tough competition and will have to wrestle well to place. 130 Andrew Westgate wrestles Nick Schenk from St Mark’s in the first round.  He is a tough draw.  He is ranked nationally.  He has a tough road to place at states. Kevin Smith, 135, wrestles Clint Harris from Hodgson.  Kevin has the best chance of a Cape wrestler to win a state title.  He should be in the semifinals if he wrestles like he is capable of.  If so, he will face Stephen Swiggett from Smyrna.  He has lost two close matches to him this season. Jason Flannery, 189, wrestles Blue Hen champ Andrew Zaldivar from Charter.  He is a tough wrestler.  If Jason shows up to wrestle, it should be a match.  He is hot and cold, so anything can happen.  If he wrestles up to his ability he has a good shot at placing. DJ Reed at 215 wrestles Alex Zwier from Caravel.  He should beat him and then face Damian Spicer from Central.  He hasn’t beat Spicer but lost to him in overtime in the dual.  If he wrestles well, he should be in the semis. Matt Schneider at 285 wrestles Bobby Telford from St. Mark’s.  He is a Beast of the East champion and is nationally ranked. Matt had a great year for a first-year wrestler. 

SNIPPETS - Registration for Cape Little League is Sunday, March 1, from 1 to 6 p.m. at Nassau Fire Station. A birth certificate and copy of the parent’s driver’s license (or bicycle lock) are required.

Registration fee is $50. This also includes baseball and softball players ages 13-18. For additional information call Rick DeWitt at 302-542-2941. Channel 9 is now back on your cable box brought to you by WRDE TV Channel 9 Digital 31. I don’t know what any of that means except Channel 9 will broadcast 50 Phillies home games, mostly weekend afternoon contests, and you can’t beat kicking about the garage watching the Phils while vacuuming the braided rug with a leaf blower. Performing on Armed Forces Day at 7 p.m., Wednesday, July 29, at the Harrington Fair is Darius Rucker with Chuck Wicks and Julianne Hough.  Ticket prices range from $28 to $32 and go on sale March 14. Darius Rucker is of course Hootie whom I met at an Eagles game after he sang the national anthem. I love Hootie but if you see me lay down $32 for a Hootie ticket while singing “the Dolphins make me cry” you will know I have purchased a lot in the land of the lost. My hero of the week is Arthur Jones, diehard Cape basketball fan and Bible teacher at Eagle’s Nest. I was a “do drop in” guest in his Bible class last Wednesday and watched a skit performed by students about standing up for your beliefs. I was inspired! And you know Noah was the world’s first comedian?

After his first full day on the ark he went back to his room, sat down and said to his wife, ”I’ve worked some tough rooms but those people are animals!”