52 - CAPE GAZETTE, Friday, June 2 - June 8, 1995
Sports & Outdoors
Viking laxmen fall victim to
Sallies, 12-5, in state final
By Dave Frederick
I guess you had to be there. But
you had to be there twice. First as
a Cape fan and then as a Sale-
sianum supporte.r.
There is winning ugly and there
is losing ugly and then there is just
plain ugly.
Salesianum's 12-5 victory over
the Cape lacrosse team in the
finals of the state lacrosse tourna-
ment was a hard,hitting and nasty
game on the field and even worse
in the stands.
When action was suspended
(due to lightning) at the end of the
third period with Salesianum lead-
ing 6-4, the bleacher section was
close to erupting into a full scale
donnybrook. A Sallies wrestler
had already had been punched out
by a Cape field-hockey player, and
as Cape fans walked behind the
stands to their bus seeking shelter
from the storm, they were bad-
gered by Sallies students and mid-
die-aged over-the-edgers.
The Vikings had spent enough
time in the penalty box during the
first three periods to pay off the
mortgage on the real estate.
"There was one referee in par-
titular whom I know doesn't like
us and seemed to be taking over
the game. He was killing us," said
coach Jeff Mohr.
Cape survived numerous man
down situations and tied the game
at halftime on goals by Chris
George and Tom Frederick.
Goalie Jeff Trench, who came to
play, was spectacular in the first
half, stopping numerous point
blank shots to keep the Vikings in
the game. Spencer Steele knotted
the game at three apiece in the
third period and when Jack Lingo
scored with under two minutes to
play in the period giving Cape a 4-
3 advantage, the Cape crowd went
bazonkers.
But from then on, it was all
downhill for Cape. The turning
point in the contest came when
goalie Jeff Trench left the protec-
tion of the goal crease and sprinted
up the sideline for the Vikings. He
was violently cross checked into
the mud by a Sallies midfielder.
As Trench attempted to get up he
was stick checked across the back
of the shoulders by a Sallies
attackman. The play was brutal
and-hapl ned in front of the Cape
bench.
Yellow flags were slow to be
thrown. Both benches came onto
the field. The result saw Paul
Comenisch being ejected as the
third man, a call which carried a
three minute penalty. The Sallies
cross checkers were each given a
minute. Cape trailed 6-4 going
into the nearly two-hour rain
delay. When play resumed Cape
had more men in the box than
homeless people at the Broad and
Susquehanna subway platform.
Sallies ran off a 6-1 fourth quarter
surge making a strange game even
stranger.
Cape had lost a lacrosse game in
the finals at a neutral site 92 miles
from home, which more resem-
bled a surrealistic rollerbalI game
than a lacrosse contest.
Torch Run kicks
off Special Olympics
Above, CpL Jay King of Sus-
sex Correctional Institution
leads a contigent of Special
Olympians on the first leg of
the annual Torch Run to kick
of Delaware's summer Spe-
cial Olympics this weekend
in Newark. The run began in
Rehoboth Beach Wednesday
evening, a police officers
from all over the state will
make sure the torch makes it
upstate in time for opening
ceremonies. At right, Special
Olympian Scott Neil enjoys a
lighter moment with Peggy
Carmine of Lewes.
Angle Uoon photos
On the spirit within and Cape's super stringers
HEY GOD! I'M SHOOTING
ONE-AND-ONE - Every athlete
and coach has made at least one
deal with the spirit world for a
basket, touchdown or important
victory, as if some supernatural
being had more than a passing
interest in the outcome of an ath-
letic contest. I can remember back
in 1978 playing for the B Champi-
ouship of the Milford Adult Bas-
ketball League with such primo
players as Bill Schab, Chuck Epi-
fanio, Gary Myers, Don Mauer,
Mike Tigue, Ray Quillen, Ed
Brown, Charlie Hiekox and Dave
MeClintock. What we lacked in
speed was made up for in knowl-
edge of the closing times of all
Kent and Sussex liquor stores and
the fluctuating market price of Old
Milwaukee and Piels. Epifanio
and I used to joke together, "One
minute you're eating meatloaf
with the family and the next
minute you're breaking the full
court press." I was on the foul line
shooting a crucial one-and-one in
a tie ball game midway through
the final period. I had just
PEOPLE IN SPORTS
Dave Frederick
returned from my mother's funeral
and was a full-fledged orphan. I
dialed 1-900-cherubim (Catholic
humor). "Your boy's down here
on the foul line and he needs your
help. We are all one with the uni-
verse. I believe we are all togeth-
er. Nothing but net, right room
and dad?" I commenced to shoot
an air-ball. We lost the game. I
knew my dad was guilty of goal-
tending, but I couldn't prove it.
The Frederick family would never
pass up a good joke.
THE SPIRIT WITHIN - The
Cape lacrosse team recently
defeated three time defending
state champion T atnall 4-3 in the
semi-finals of the state tourna-
ment. The win was the biggest in
the history of Cape lacrosse. Par-
ents and grandparents were in
attendance. My parents are up in
heaven "messing with people"
(they're Rick Smits fans), but my
wife's parents were at the game to
cheer on their grandchildren. I
wanted that game so much I dialed
my good friend Dick Reiter, who
recently passed to the far side, and
asked for his assistance.
I talked to Dick throughout the
game and thanked him after Cape
beat Tatnall. We resumed our
conversation at the state champi-
onship game versus Sallies. When
the Sallies game became grim I
asked Dick to just help me get
through it. He did, but I had for-
gotten that his wife of 50 years
was Catholic.
RACING 101 - "O.K., drivers,
it's this simple. If you pass the
pace car at full throttle while it's
still on the race track then chances
are there will be some type of
penalty." "You mean if I jump the
pace car just when the left turn
signal goes on I might be black
flagged? .... Don't ask so many
stupid questions, Goodyear!"
Jacques Villeneuze, a mere 24
years old, was the first Canadian
ever to win the Indy 500, surviv-
ing a two-lap penalty "his own-
self.' and got to swig and slurp
milk and let it run down his neck
in the victory lane. The victory
lane announcer, I can't remember
whether it was Doctor Ferde Pec-
ceccho or Doctor Jerry Bunch
asked DaJockman, "I'm sure your
father is looking down and is very
proud of his son." "If he's watch-
ing I know he's happy," Vil-
leneuze said. Could be the old
man is a Rick Smits fan and on
another network.
SUPER STRINGERS - I
would like to thank the talented
students who contributed to the
Cape Gazette sports section during
this year's scholastic sports sea-
son. Travis Parker was the man
behind the camera along with
being a closet defenseman for the
lacrosse team. Rick Welsh, only a
sophomore, did a super job report-
ing on the activities of the middle
schools. Jessica Neal was a life-
saver reporting on this year's
baseball team. "Is it easier to
write about a team that wins most
of the time?" Jessica once asked
me. Better to ask Jeb "Deadbolt"
Lee, who did such a professional
job covering this year's boys bas-
ketball team. A fan of Gazette
sports recently interrupted me
while I was drinking from the
water barrel at the blacksmith
shop. "You're Dave Frederick,
aren't you"? I wasn't sure. "I real-
ly enjoy your writing. I especially
was impressed with the job you
did covering the basketball team
this season." I took the credit
because it was there to be taken.
Jeb's just a kid and he'll get lots of
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