Sports

Although the Indian River High School varsity wrestling schedule first hit the mats back in November, the bulk of the schedule is just finally starting to get under way this week, as head coach Jeff Windish gets his team ready for the start of the team dual meets, following a collection of early-season tournaments.

More than 600 ambitious individuals got 2012 off to a positive start this New Year’s Day with the 1st Annual Hair of the Dog 5K and 10K runs in Bethany Beach, the newest fundraising effort assembled by the Quiet Resorts Charitable Foundation (QRCF).

The 2011-2012 season has already been a successful one so far for Indian River’s varsity swimming team, with inspiring victories obtained, several state cuts reached and school records shattered. And with half the season still left ahead of them, the swimmin’ Indians aren’t showing signs of slowing down. More impressively, they’re doing so with a program that’s only three years old.

Indian River sophomore swimmer Karlie Smith earned her second state-qualifying time for the season this past Tuesday, Dec. 20, as the Indians hosted Sussex Tech. She has recorded five personal bests so far this year, and has set two individual records for the swimming program at the high school.

In only the program’s third season, Indian River High School’s varsity swim team is learning that the sport can be just as much a numbers game as it is something based on performance. Both the boys’ and girls’ varsity teams fell short to Sussex Tech this past Tuesday, Dec. 20, as they hosted their meet at the Howard T. Ennis School in Georgetown.

Indian River High School’s boys’ varsity basketball season has gotten off to a slow start, as they picked up their fourth straight loss on Tuesday, Dec. 20, against Seaford. But with the bulk of the schedule still in front of them, the winless Indians and head coach Marvin Phillips are keeping their heads up.

Indian River High School’s Lady Indians kicked off their basketball season with a bang, defeating Lake Forest and Woodbridge for an early 2-0 start, but with a third straight loss on the year, after slipping to Seaford in their first home game on the schedule this past Tuesday, Dec. 20, the team will have to assess their focus if they are to take control of the Henlopen South for a third consecutive year.

Nearly two dozen teams arrived at Indian River High School this weekend for the Battle at the Beach, a wrestling tournament featuring some of the top athletes in the region. After putting together some impressive bouts and having several individuals surge toward the finals, the Indians finished 14th overall, and third out of the eight Delaware schools participating, in an effort that Indian River head coach Jeff Windish was happy with but one he hoped would help the team prepare even harder as the bulk of the schedule rolls around.

Indian River’s varsity wrestling program kicked off the 2011 season with a powerful start, after finishing third, overall, out of 17 teams this past Saturday, Dec. 10, at Newark High School’s YellowJacket Invitational.

An undefeated football season, clinching the division title and the second state title in the school’s history. Indian River High School quarterback Jamie Jarmon certainly has made his senior year a memorable one, and that was just the start.

If records were meant to be broken, then Indian River’s swim team is on a roll. The boys’ and girls’ teams wasted no time on Tuesday, Dec. 13, letting rivaling Sussex Central and Stephen Decatur know that they have arrived, as they hosted the season’s first tri-meet to open the 2011 schedule, at the Howard T. Ennis School in Georgetown.

It has been a taxing week for Indian River High School’s varsity boys’ basketball team, who dropped their first three games of the schedule for a winless start. But as more athletes make the transition from a successful season on the football gridiron onto the hardwood, head coach Marvin Phillips is hoping that the team can start to turn things around before it’s too late.

Prior to Tuesday night’s bout on the hardwood, the Indian River High School girls’ basketball team was sitting at 2-0, coming off of wins against Henlopen South contenders Lake Forest and Woodbridge, while rival Cape Henlopen had yet to win a game, after dropping the first two of the season to Smyrna and Ursuline Academy.

Sussex County is well-known for its scenic beaches and popular state parks, and the Delaware Easy Striders – a Sussex County-based hiking group – can attest. Earlier this week, the group – founded in 2007 by Pete Gisler as part of Walk Delaware, a Delaware Senior Olympics (DSO) affiliate – was recognized as the top hiking group in the state for groups of 80 to 150 members.

The season got off to a slow start for Indian River’s boys basketball team this past Tuesday, as they opened their schedule with a conference rival against Lake Forest.

The Lady Indians’ varsity basketball team picked up right where they left off last season, as they hit the court at Lake Forest with a 49-31 win this past Monday, Dec. 6, to get the year rolling.

Defense came up big for the Indians this past Friday, Nov. 25, as Indian River knocked off the Howard Wildcats, 49-14, in the state semifinals to advance to the championship game for the first time in 20 years.

With a few scrimmages under their belt, Indian River’s varsity wrestling team is preparing for the quickly approaching season. This past week, head coach Jeff Windish was able to see his athletes in action as they squared off in preseason matchups against Cape Henlopen and Middletown High.

Last year’s varsity swimming season was a historic one for the two-year-old program at Indian River. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams picked up their first wins and, this year, with more practice time and a few more home meets, girls’ head coach Donna Smith is hoping to set even more records and progress the program even further.

Last year’s varsity swimming season was a historic one for the two-year-old program at Indian River. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams picked up their first wins and, this year, with more practice time and a few more home meets, girls’ head coach Donna Smith is hoping to set even more records and progress the program even further.

It has been a shaky few seasons for Indian River’s boys’ varsity basketball team, who finished 3-17 two years ago and 4-16 last year, but head coach Marvin Phillips expects some veteran leadership and young ambition to help fuel the Indians to a respectable season this year.

With the Southern Henlopen Division title clinched for the past two years and the majority of the roster returning to the hardwood this season, the Indian River High School girls’ varsity basketball team is poised to continue their success with the approaching schedule. Head coach John Frye is turning to a solid core of seasoned athletes to help the Lady Indians get things going.

The Indian River High School varsity football team has been working nonstop, week in and week out, all season, perfecting a 10-0 record and averaging more than 44 points per game. Their performance under first-year head coach Ray Steele has earned them the Southern Henlopen division title, the top seed in Division II DIAA state tournament and a bye week headed into post-season play.

Indian River High School’s swimming program is only a few years old, but they have sent waves through the sport over their opening seasons. Last year, the boys’ varsity team captured two wins against Milford and Sussex Central, the first two victories in the program’s history. In addition, five swimmers on the boys’ varsity team qualified for the DIAA state tournament held at the University of Delaware. Fortunately for the team and head coach Colin Crandell, all five will be returning this season.

Throughout last year’s wrestling season, the Indian River High School squad was a dominating force with the tail end of their lineup. In fact, three of the team’s top four state finishers weighed in at 189 pounds or higher. All four finished within the top four spots in their respective classes at the state individual tournament, but they also all wrapped up their senior year last season, as well, forcing head coach Jeff Windish to once again step back and assess his roster.

For the fifth straight year, the Indian River High School boys’ varsity soccer team saw their post-season run come to an early end, after an overtime 3-2 heartbreaker to the state’s third-ranked team. St. Mark’s eliminated the Indians in the quarterfinal round this past Saturday, Nov. 12, at Appoquinimink.

The Indian River High School boys’ varsity soccer team earned the No. 6 seed in the postseason after defeating Caravel Academy last week, 3-0, to improve their overall season record to 12-2-1. This past Tuesday, Nov. 8, they took advantage of the rankings in a first-round, 4-1 victory against the 11th-seeded Dover Senators in the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) State Tournament.

Last year, Selbyville Middle School’s football team struggled through the season, failing to pick up a win. A losing record was not exactly something that the Selbyville Indians were accustomed to, let alone a winless one. But this past fall was about redemption, and for the sixth time since 2001, the Selbyville Middle School football team put together an undefeated record, finishing 7-0.

Indian River’s varsity field hockey team has seen its share of struggles over the past few seasons, but first-year head coach Katie Holloway and assistant coach Whitney McMillon aren’t discouraged. The attitude of the varsity team has remained at a constant, as the girls have kept their heads high, even through the toughest losses of the season, but it’s what the coaches have noticed on the junior varsity squad that may be the answer to the school’s field hockey woes in seasons to come.