Bits
and Pieces 9
It's a great time of the year for local sports right
now because the first playoff season of the high school year has
begun. Our first state champions will be crowned next week as the
cross country championships are held and the volleyball tournament
begins tomorrow. More on that in a minute. Brandywine's Jenn
Joseph, a member of the Stanton-Newport softball team that won a World
Championship two summers ago, has given a verbal commitment to play
softball for the University of Delaware.
If you're a field hockey fan, one of these days go check out www.hockeypoint.com
A nice guy by the name of Michael Hardesty is the man behind the site
who looks for correspondents from each state to talk about the field
hockey activity in their home state.
Yes, there is a Delaware section complete with the top ten
comparisons between the News Journal and Delaware Sports. That is
flattering enough and is actually another one of a growing number of
sites that use our rankings here at DE Sports.
But what initially led me to find this site was a phone call
from a local coach who was a little upset about an article that was
written about his school on that site. He called me because the name
of the column was "Bits 'n' Pieces," just as this one is.
The article was not complimentary and was even a bit malicious, so
with the similarity in names, I received the phone call from the irate
coach.
The situation has been cleared up...all except for finding out
who writes the weekly piece...and all is well. The publisher of the
website called the column by that name, not the writer, and it was
strictly a coincidence.
So NO MORE e-mails from players of that school telling me that
I will be flogged with field hockey sticks the next time they see me.
(j/k of course). A new trophy shop in N. Wilmington, Crown
Trophy off of Garden of Eden Road, has made arrangements with us to
help us with awards for the All-Heart team. Happily, this idea has
caught on, and there have been some very touching letters written in
support of well-deserving athletes. Equally as pleasing for me is that
there have been a few fellow sportswriters who have contributed
nominations. In a business that is pretty competitive, these writers
(and you'll see who they are if they wish to be known) have
unselfishly taken time from their busy days to talk positively about
kids and forget about the business of competing with the other guys
for a story for a change.
We at Delaware Sports have a philosophy that the good of the
community will be served better if we in this business can all just
get along and work together. I think it's a bit foolish to think that
any one of us out here can be the only source for information and the
only one that can serve the community in this fashion.
When I first started hanging around the local sports scene
trying to pitch in whatever I could, it was difficult. I was kicked
out of a few games for taping them for the TV show, not offered any
information when I asked for it, and things like that. Basically,
because we are an independently operated small business, we weren't
taken very seriously at all. It is still a struggle sometimes because
we don't have the big budget (any budget) to throw around, so we are
still a small fish in a big ocean. But we're working on it and we
think we are starting to earn some respect.
We have always strived to be fair and operate with a level of
integrity that is above reproach. Do we always manage to seem that way
in everyone's eyes at all times? Nope. Occasionally someone takes
offense to what we say or do, but that's just the nature of the
business; it is impossible to please everyone and irrational to think
that anyone can. I see what the other guys, particularly at the News
Journal, have to go through. And quite frankly, those guys in the
sports department work with what they are given to work with and
everyone that I have met from there is sincere and hard working. They
can have it pretty tough with only a limited amount of space to work
with. There should soon be an announcement from us regarding
the expansion of the television show...again. This time we are hoping
to expand into southern PA, southern, N.J. and parts of Maryland. Be
excited sports fans, because more people will be able to see our local
athletes compete. More college coaches will be able to see our kids in
action, and we will able to show more of our kids in action also. We
are hoping to run our show four times a week and perhaps even four new
shows each week. The Diamond State Games may be adding a few
categories of basketball to it's schedule. We will be trying to work
out the details for that in the next ten days or so.
We are also planning to hold a 5k run/walk into the venue where
we will hold the opening ceremonies and award the first gold, silver,
and bronze medals right at the opening ceremonies themselves.
Let's move on.... Football bits....
Mt. Pleasant's loss to Dickinson might have well cost them a
shot at the playoffs, but more importantly, they lost a key player in
the game.
Receiver Daryl Holcomb broke his arm on the opening kickoff and
will miss the rest of the year. The injury will require surgery but he
should be back in time to help the Green Knights try to retain their
baseball state title. Holcomb, a third baseman, caught a line drive
for the final out of the state championship.
During the Mt-Dickinson game, there was a Green Knight player,
a very important big player, who was thrown out of the game for
un-sportsmanlike conduct. He was upset because one of his players
didn't catch a ball, and when a few of his fellow teammates tried to
calm him down, he threw a few elbows in retaliation. His absence was
critical, because the Rams took advantage of the absence and
capitalized with two touchdowns. This player, originally on my pick
for an all-state selection, is now off of it. Good character is a
critical factor for me.
Nelson Drew rushed for 272 yards and four touchdowns for Newark
(7-0) as they beat McKean 55-34. Trevor McClauren rushed for three
touchdowns of 80, 35, and 23 in the game for the Highlanders and
Austin Kisner scored three times for Newark.
Jamil Young scored three touchdowns for Woodbridge as they
downed Seaford 38-7. Even if Woodbridge loses to Delmar when they meet
very soon, they should still be in good position for a D2 tourney
berth provided that would be the only other loss that they take.
Charles Clark has 151 yards rushing for Caesar Rodney as the
Riders beat Cape Henlopen 24-0. The Vikings playoff chances are now
dim as a result of the loss.
Andrew Blackston's three touchdown passes in the last three
minutes of the game gave Howard a 40-39 come from behind victory
against Concord and kept the Raiders winless on the field. Shawn Jolly
rushed for 120 yards for the Wildcats.
Hodgson's head coach Larry Cylc, picked up his 100th coaching
career victory when the Silver Eagles pounced on Charter 62-0.
Cecil Warner scored four touchdowns for Dickinson in that game
against Mt. Pleasant that was just mentioned. There
isn't any secret to how teams make it to the state tournament. It's
just hard to figure out without a great deal of information sitting in
front of you to look at. I do not have this information, so we'll have
to wait.
Playoff
Participants
 | A.The 1999 DSSAA
Football State Championships will consist of a Division I
tournament and a Division II tournament. The teams which are
eligible to participate in the Division I playoffs include the
Blue Hen "A" Conference, the Henlopen North Conference,
St. Mark's High School, and Salesianum School. The teams which are
eligible to participate in the Division II playoffs include the
Blue Hen "B" Conference, the Henlopen South Conference,
and all other DSSAA member schools not included in Division I. The
classifications are as follows: |
Division
I
William Penn, St. Marks, Salesianum, A.I. duPont, Delcastle,
Brandywine, Caesar Rodney, Sussex Central, Dover, McKean, Glasgow,
Cape Henlopen, Christiana, Newark, Sussex Tech, Polytech.
Division 2
Hodgson, Middletown, Concord, Laurel, Lake Forest, Archmere,
Dickinson, Delmar, Caravel, St. Elizabeth, Milford, Woodbridge,
Seaford, Tower Hill, St. Andrews, Smyrna, Tatnall, Howard, Friends,
Mt. Pleasant, Charter.
| B.The Division I
qualifiers will be the Blue Hen "A" and Henlopen North
champions and two (2) at-large teams. The Division II qualifiers
will be the Blue Hen "B" and Henlopen South champions
and two (2) at-large teams. |
| C.Each of the
aforementioned conferences is responsible for making such
scheduling adjustments as are necessary so that its champion is
available for the playoffs. In the case of a tie, each conference
is responsible for selecting its playoff representative. |
| D.The Football
Committee will select the at-large representatives according to
the following point index system and tie-breaking criteria: |
 | 1.Division
I Opponent -Division II Opponent |
6 points for a win
-4 points for a win
3 points for a
tie -2 points for a tie
1 point for a loss
-0 points for a loss
| a.Any
out-of-state opponent whose current school year enrollment
(boys and girls in grades 9-12) is equal to or exceeds the
current school year enrollment (boys and girls in grades 9-12)
of the smallest Division I team will be classified as Division
I. All other out-of-state opponents will be classified as
Division II. |
 | 2.Add 1 point
for each opponent that won 7 or 8 games during the regular
season. |
| 3.Add 2 points
for each opponent that won 9 or 10 games during the regular
season. |
| 4.Divide the
total points accumulated by the number of games played. The two
(2) teams in each division with the highest point indices will
be the at-large representatives. |
| a.If two (2)
or more teams are tied for the final at-large berth, the
results of head-to-head competition during the regular season
will be used to break the tie. If, after considering
head-to-head competition, two (2) or more teams are still tied
for the final at-large berth, the following criteria will be
used: |
| (1)The
team whose opponents have the most victories in regular
season play will qualify for the playoffs. |
| (2)If a
tie still exists, the team whose opponents have the fewest
defeats in regular season play will qualify for the
playoffs. |
| (3)If a
tie still exists, the Committee will choose the at-large
team(s) by vote. |
Field Hockey bits....
With Mt. Pleasant's 9-1 win over Christiana, the Green Knights
secured the BHC Flight B title. So the six automatic berths into the
state tournament go to Tower Hill for winning the Independent
Conference, William Penn for winning the BHC Flight A, St. Marks for
winning the Catholic Conference, Cape Henlopen for winning the
Henlopen North, and Delmar for winning the Henlopen South.
11 other teams will receive at-large berths. To figure out who
they might be before I do, check last week's Bits and Pieces.
Tatnall pulled off an upset win over St. Marks 2-1. Jackie
Ciconte scored the game winner to keep her hot streak alive. After a
three game losing slump, the Hornets improved to 10-4 with that win
and jumped up to the number 4 ranking in the state.
Cape Henlopen beat Caravel 2-1 Thursday afternoon. The Vikings
led 2-0 before being peppered by Buccaneer shots in the second half.
The Vikes held off the onslaught to remain undefeated.
There are two other undefeated teams; Tower Hill and Delmar.
Delmar has a tie and it was with Cape Henlopen. The Hillers record is
unblemished and I would be upset if my team ended up in their bracket
for the tournament because they are on a mission this year. Volleyball
bits....
In the news section from a day or two ago, we posted the
schedule and the first round pairings for the 2000 State Tournament.
There were a few surprises in my eyes.
Last year, only one Flight B team made it into the state
tournament; Dickinson. Both Hodgson and Charter (off the top of my
head) were 13-3 and had to watch the tournament action either in
person or on Delaware Sports (hehe). This year Concord enters as the
Flight B champ, of course, but Hodgson (11-8) and Dickinson (11-8) are
in as well. Hodgson gets the 16th seed and gets to face St. Marks, and
Dickinson is seeded 10th and gets Newark.
Ok, I admit I don't get it. Naturally, I need would need to sit
down in front of all the game scores and do all that math, but
something doesn't look right at all. St. Elizabeth at 12-4 is seeded
9th? How did that happen? It is sad that it unfolded that way, this is
for sure. St. Marks, St. Elizabeth, and Archmere are all in the same
bracket. St. E's gets A.I duPont in the first round, then plays the
winner of the St. Marks and Hodgson match. This formula didn't
work...again. This needs to be addressed. St. E's and St. Marks should
be at worst a semi-final round game, if not a championship game.
There is still a chance that there could be an all Catholic
Conference semi-final though since Padua made it in with their 6-10
record seeded 11th. They will face Concord (#6). The Raiders just
ended their regular season with a loss to Brandywine (#5) in the BHC
Championship game 2-0, and could have used a confidence builder going
into the tournament. They should be braced for a battle; the Pandas
are not your regular 6-10 team. They are 6-2 outside of the Catholic
Conference.
If I was to make any predictions, I would call St. Marks and
Archmere coming out to meet in the semi-finals, along with Ursuline
and Sanford in the other semi-final. And I would, if I did make
predictions, say that Ursuline and St. Marks would meet again in this
years final with St. Marks winning in two games to cap a third
straight state undefeated championship. But I don't make predictions
like that, so don't call me up if it doesn't happen that way.
By the way, only one southern team made it into the finals.
That is Caesar Rodney and they get to face Archmere in the first
round. Soccer bits....
Wilmington Christian is on a roll of late. They knocked off
Glasgow 3-2 and just beat A.I. duPont 2-1 to give them a 14-2 season
record overall. A.I. beat McKean 10-0 this week scoring nine
first-half goals. The Warriors weren't quite as prolific when they
beat the Highlanders 6-0. The Highlanders were Flight B champs just a
couple of years ago.
The Dragons have been in a slump. Besides the loss to the
Warriors, they fell 1-0 to Brandywine last weekend in a game they felt
they should have won.
The Dragons do have a very nice printed program that head coach
Bob Bussiere sent to me recently. It does a great job letting fans
know who all the players are and what they are all about. People can
individually sponsor an athlete in the program as well; a great way to
raise some money for the team.
Adam Stuller's hat trick for St. Marks drove the Spartans to a
4-1 win over Dover (13-2-1). Yes, the Spartans are still that good and
are still favored to win their fifth straight state championship.
Stuller's three goals gave him 20 for the year. Cross
Country bits....
A few years ago when I covered my first cross country state
championship for the TV show, I was intrigued by something that I saw
in the Division Two boy's championship.
Some time after the winner of race, Dan Rodrigue from Archmere
if I remember correctly, had crossed the finish line at White Clay
Creek State Park, the second and third place runners came down the
final stretch. The runner in third place kicked in his sprint and
overtook the runner in front of him to gain second place. Just two
yards after he passed him, he got sick. But, he kept running and
crossed the finish line. He crossed in second place, not first, but
second.
I was taken back by the effort. Why would someone run
themselves sick just for second place? I could see first place
perhaps, but not second.
This young man's name was Morgan Scoville from St. Andrews. He
became state champion for the next two years. That was what it took
for him to become a champion. That indicated the determination he had
inside of him. It gave me a deeper look at what it took to win. It
also inspired me to run myself to try to duplicate that in someway.
I get sick when I run alright. But there is no passing going on
when I do it. At least not by me. I recently went over to White Clay
Creek to run the new course (with the old BIG hill) and the Glasgow
High School cross country team was there preparing for the New Castle
County meet tomorrow.
They were all passing me. The boys first, then all the girls.
Everyone of them. Man, that was rude. But I only mention all of this
because this is a tough sport for mentally and physically tough
athletes. Never doubt the resolve of these athletes and never question
any coverage that this sport gets, because it deserves more attention
that it gets.
When these meets are held, the attention is usually placed on
the individual winners. This is an obvious thing to get caught up in,
especially with the blazing talent of Meredith Lambert from Tatnall to
follow. But remember that this is very much a team sport. There are
team strategies out on the course and the simple presence of team
members is critical during difficult stages of each race. The support
of teammates while running is just as important as having a
blocking guard or tackle open up a hole in a football game.
At the big meets, there are five runners from each school
who score points for their teams. The points correspond to the
places that the runners finish in and those points are then totaled.
The lowest team score wins. This is why Salesianum is so consistently tough. It's
the 4th and 5th places that will make them a favorite to win the
team state title most of the time. St. Marks is perhaps five runners deep, but the
4th
and 5th spots appear to me on paper to favor Sallies. (Feel free to
correct me if I'm wrong about that, it's ok.)
The team efforts were critical in the girl's division two races
for the past two years in particular. Two years ago, Ursuline won with
a group of runners finishing in the 10 through 15 slots. Last year,
the Raiders finished 1-2 (Colleen Taylor and Kristin McGough) but
lost to Cape Henlopen for the team title as the Vikings placed
runners 9, 13,14,15,and 16.
By the way...I also ran the Bellevue State Park course and had
a hard time trying to figure out where it went. I wonder if anyone has
ever gotten lost during a meet before.
Oh yeah! I went to tape the Kent County Championships on
Wednesday at Blackbird State Forest. But all I found was a bunch of
trees! I couldn't find any runners anywhere. The map showed a few
different sections of the park, but I didn't have any luck. If someone
could let me know where the course for that park is, for future
reference, I would appreciate it. And I apologize to the Kent
Countians for missing the meet, I really did try to get there.
Fortunately, figuring out who can compete in a state meet is
much easier than all the rest of the sports. Here are the
requirements:
Entry
Requirements
| A.Each school
may enter a maximum of seven (7) contestants, who must be on the
starting line when the starting pistol is fired. |
| B.All
contestants must be entered as members of a school-sponsored team.
A team must compete in a minimum of five (5) regular season meets
or four (4) regular season meets and the conference championship
in order to be eligible to participate in the state meet. |
| C.Girls will be
allowed to run in Girls' Division I or II only if they competed as
members of the girls' team for their school during the regular
season. If they competed as members of the boys' team during the
regular season, they must run in either Boys' Division I or II. |
Please continue to look for candidates worthy of an
All-Heart award. We will take nominations throughout the year.
Good-bye for now.
Marshal Manlove
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