Sports

Emotions ran high as a physical duel between Caesar Rodney and Indian River ensued on the pitch this past Tuesday night. But as the final whistle blew, after nearly an hour and a half of soccer, a relieved Caesar Rodney team walked away triumphant, serving the Indians their first loss of the season.

It’s been three years since the Indian River football program has recorded a season win over southern rivals Delmar. For the past two years, the Wildcats captured the Henlopen Southern division championship thanks to victories over the Indians. In those years, the Indians have entered the matchup with an undefeated record.

Four goals are all the Indians have managed to let up in the first seven games of the season, averaging over three goals each game. Not surprisingly, Indian River is dominating the conference with their undefeated record as they approach the season’s midpoint.

They may only be approaching the fourth week of the season, but the Indian River football team is presenting themselves as a force to be reckoned with, and one that may have the best shot at not only the conference title, but states, as well.

The Lady Indians’ volleyball team dropped their its first home game of the 2008 season on Tuesday, Sept. 24, as the Panthers of Polytech worked the ball across the net. Following the five consecutive road games that opened the schedule and netted Indian River a 2-4 record, Indians head coach Jess Dodd was hoping for a sense of comfort from the girls as they took to their home court.

Early ferocity on the pitch is the name of the game for the Indian River soccer team this year. Last Thursday, the Indians managed only a tie against a strengthened Dover team, backed by goalkeeper Cameron Lucas. But, since then, they’ve dominated the field, outscoring their last two opponents with a combined count of 10-1.

Indian River football has managed to outscore their Washington High opponents 99-6 in the past two years, though, head coach Jim Bunting is determined not to let the comforting scores get the best of his players this Friday, Sept. 19, as the Indians host the Princess Anne, Md., team.

Progressively improving teamwork and utilizing that teamwork don’t seem to be paying off yet for the Indian River field hockey team. After falling to Dover in their season-opener a week ago in the last two minutes of the game and letting a second goal slip in last Thursday to give Seaford a 2-1 victory, the Lady Indians’ unfortunate streak continued on Tuesday, Sept.

Dreary weather couldn’t hold off the Indians on the pitch as they rallied a 3-0 win under the lights this past Tuesday against Cape Henlopen to start the 2008 soccer season. Then again, when you outshoot your opponent 24 to 3, good things are bound to happen.

If there’s one thing Indian River’s football team knows, it’s the importance of starting the season off right. Over the past two years, their victories in the schedule opener against Cape Henlopen have proven vital, awarding them bids into the state tournament.

Stepping in as a new coach in a sport you haven’t exactly mastered is never a simple thing to do, but in his fifth year as head soccer coach at Selbyville Middle, Neal Barch is once again making the position look like second nature.

For Jesse Bare and Tim Clauson, two teachers at Selbyville Middle School, it’s all about the students. In the classroom, they help students excel in learning, but what they accomplish outside the classroom is even more impressive.

If this past Wednesday’s scrimmage was a foreshadowing of what’s to come for Indian River’s field hockey team, coach Julene Williamson shouldn’t have much concern. The Lady Indians shut out Stephen Decatur 8-0 in the pre-season face-off, showing an accelerated front line and a strong, sustainable defense. But the girls aren’t going into the season with their heads too high.

Regrouping each year is never something a high-school coach looks forward to as his team returns following the summer months, but for Indian River’s head volleyball coach, Jess Dodd, it’s a part of reality.

In the past five years, the football program at Indian River High School has only given up four conference losses. While the game will be one of head coach Jim Bunting’s most anticipated games this year, that record won’t be tested until later this month, when the Indians host Woodbridge in their first home game of the 2008 season.

Just over a week lies between the Indian River soccer team and a new season, where head coach Steve Kilby and his squad will look to make the most of their year, and, hopefully, advance past the second round of the state tournament.

As the days and evenings grow a little cooler and students prepare for their return to the classrooms, there are others readying themselves for change.

After a three week flat spell, the ocean finally came to life again last weekend, just in time for the 2008 Quiet Storm Maryland State Championships, which had already been postponed once due to no surf. With the arrival of the swell, more than 200 competitors had only a couple of days to get their sea legs back before the start of the contest Saturday morning.

After a reassuring trip to the Tropicana in Atlantic City, N.J., two weeks ago, I was convinced that while I’m not the top dog in the poker circuit, I like to think I have potential. Satisfied with a few hundred dollars won in a couple of cash games, I tested my play in a 48-person tournament, finishing in sixth place, the bubble spot, just before the big payouts.

For Jolene Williamson, field hockey has become much more than a game. It has become a passion and a lifestyle. Now, stepping onto Indian River High School’s field for the first time as the head coach, she’s hoping to make a difference in the lives of 32 girls this fall season.

In 2007, the ASOFEM Junior Little League Softball team from Maunabo, Puerto Rico, headed by manager Carlos Garcia, made history when it captured the international title in Seattle, Wash. Garcia did it again last Saturday, as he led the Senior Softball Little League team from Puerto Rico to the championship, defeating the USA East team from West Cumberland, N.J., 3-2, for the world series crown.

It was only the second time in the 35-year history of the White Marlin Open that there was a first-place tie in the coveted white marlin division.

In the past four years, the Indian River cheerleading squad has come a long way under head coach Kristine Johnson. Now, though, a new leader is stepping in, hoping to continue the tradition. IRHS employee Anne Divine, mother of one of the cheerleaders, will put her knowledge to the test, taking on the role this fall.

The Senior League Softball World Series, being held at the Pyle Center in Roxana for the fifth year started off its week of championship games this past Sunday at 3:30 p.m. with its opening ceremonies, amidst blue skies and oppressive August heat — the perfect backdrop for playing ball.

With the Little League Senior Softball World Series under way in Roxana, the fans are definitely witnessing plenty of exciting action on the field. Ten teams are aggressively swinging for the title, including the hosting District III team from Laurel, five teams representing their regions across the country and four international clubs.

When you live here, it’s easy to ride by a place day after day and never really notice it. If it’s off the beaten track a bit and there’s no reason to turn in or check it out, the hustle and bustle of life at the beach can make it easy for some places to hide from the masses and exist quietly among their surroundings.

While the girls are on the field, stealing bases and the spotlight, it’s easy to forget all of the donations, time and effort that goes into the World Series. The tournament would not be possible if it weren’t for the volunteers, medical and emergency staff, and, of course, the umpires.

It’s hard to imagine doing anything other than sleeping after a 21-hour flight that encompasses four cities and two continents. Well, maybe showering or eating…

Four out of the past five years, the Laurel Little League Senior Softball team has advanced as the District III champs to host the Senior League Softball World Series. They return this year, hoping to improve on their record when they finished third in the world in 2007.

The Sea Colony pools are infested with sharks… the youth swim team, that is. The Sea Colony Sharks, boasting 105 members between the ages of five to 18, are preparing to send their top performers, 44 of whom qualified, to the annual Delmarva Swim Association (DSA) Championships in Dover this Saturday.