Sports

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.

It had been six years since Indian River’s varsity football team clenched the Henlopen Southern division title, but this past weekend, they did just that, with a divisional game still left on the schedule.

Indian River’s cross country team may only be a few season’s old, but as the program’s schedule drew to a close this week, with the Henlopen Championships being held this coming Saturday, the team, as well as head coach Maj. Frank Ryman proved that the Indians are definitely a force to be reckoned with. After an impressive finish from their 19 runners at the Sussex County Championships, held at Sussex Tech this past Tuesday, Nov. 1, Indian River was right there celebrating at the end.

Heavy winds and some driving rain over the past week have kept most fishermen at bay, but with autumn temperatures slowly dipping down, the striper bite is expected to pick up even more this week. Flounder season is closed until the end of the year, but with sea bass opening back up, and a steady run of tog and blues, anglers should have more than enough to keep their rods reeling.

Stepping in as a first-year head coach is a daunting task. Doing so for a program that has gone through five head coaches in five years could be downright frustrating. But Katie Holloway, head coach for the Lady Indians’ varsity field hockey team, hasn’t let a discouraging season get her down, and her athletes have kept their heads up, too.

Despite a long, tough season, junior field hockey goalie Amy Mitchell has held her own in the cage this year, helping to bring the team together and establish leadership.

Sussex Central kept things close in the first half as they hosted Indian River’s boys’ varsity soccer team this past Tuesday evening, trailing by a slight 3-1 margin. But Indian River’s depth and talent shined through the second half as they held the Golden Knights from getting any more goals and knocked in five more of their own, for an 8-1 win.

With seven games down and not so much as a single loss on the season, Indian River’s varsity football team is one win away from locking up the Henlopen Southern Division title. If anyone this season has overlooked the Indians, led by fourth-year starting quarterback Jamie Jarmon, they’re looking now, following the Indians’ 28-7 homecoming win this past Friday, Oct. 21, over Laurel.

Ahh, the cool, brisk chill of October – or, as many anglers in the area like to refer to it – Rock-tober. It’s been a slow start this month to the rockfish bite along the shore, especially after the uncharacteristic run we had late this summer, but reports are coming in that the rockfish bite is getting back up there as the water temperature is slowly dipping.

After coming out strong and leading 2-0 in games this past Tuesday, Oct. 25, the Lady Indians’ varsity volleyball team was upended by a persistent Polytech team, who rallied behind a sustained defense to pull out a come-from-behind 3-2 win, vanquishing Indian River’s division championship dreams.

A devastating injury at the start of October had benched Indian River’s varsity soccer co-captain, Josh Mercer, but the Indians have rallied as a team and pieced together five straight wins since then, most recently shutting out Polytech, 5-0, on Tuesday, Oct. 18.

Six years have come and gone since the Indians had a 6-0 record on the gridiron as the schedule moved into the tail end of the year. But this past Friday, a 55-16 win over Polytech has Indian River’s varsity football team not only leading the Henlopen South, but as the only undefeated team in the entire Henlopen Conference.

After a few missteps this season, the Lady Indians’ varsity volleyball team seems to have once again found their stride. Last week’s narrow loss to Cape Henlopen, which went the distance in five games, was followed up by a loss to Delmarva Christian, but Indian River bounced back with two Henlopen Conference wins, as they knocked off Southern Division rivals Woodbridge this past Thursday, then beat Sussex Tech on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 3-1.

Indian River freshman Luis Cruz has assumed a strong role at midfield and front line this year as a member of the Indians’ varsity soccer team. This past Tuesday, in the team’s win 5-0 win over Polytech, Cruz netted a goal and an assist. He also scored and contributed an assist last week in a crucial win against Henlopen rival Caesar Rodney.

The 2008 season was the last time Indian River High School managed a gridiron win over Henlopen South Division rival Delmar, and in a game that has determined the divisional champion more than half a dozen times over the past decade, Indian River head coach Ray Steele understood what was on the line. As the two undefeated teams clashed this past Friday, Oct. 7, most expected a great matchup – one that has recently favored Delmar – but it was the Indians who continued their winning streak this season, derailing the Wildcats 28-14 and remaining undefeated.

Indian River senior and volleyball captain Kitty Cole has taken a stance at the net, putting on a strong showing in the Lady Indians’ recent games. During last week’s wins over Delmar and Milford, she contributed a combined 15 kills and 15 aces. Though this past Tuesday’s game ended in a loss to Cape Henlopen, she attacked the net again, with nine kills, five digs, two aces and two blocks.

Indian River’s varsity volleyball team enjoyed three straight wins from late September into October, letting up only a single game in three matches, but history was doomed to repeat itself this past Tuesday as Cape Henlopen came out on top, 3-2, to bring the Indians’ season record to 5-4.

As we creep further into October, the fishing continues to stay steady in some spots, and with even cooler weather expected in weeks to come, the bite will likely pick up.

The varsity field hockey season has been a long one for the Lady Indians and first-year head coach Katie Holloway. They have struggled to record a single win as they move past the schedule’s midpoint, but a positive outlook and easygoing personalities have not made this season a regrettable one by any means.

Amid one of the best openings for a varsity football season that the Indian River Indians have had in decades, the Indian River High School Football Boosters are looking for support from the community. This Saturday, Oct. 15, the IR boosters are teaming up with Ford Motor Company’s Drive One 4 UR School program, a fundraising initiative that aims to raise $6,000 for the program at Indian River.

The Indian River boys’ varsity soccer team has been fighting to stay above .500 this season, and a 4-0 win over Lake Forest earlier this week was definitely a welcome one. But with injuries plaguing the team, it will require some assistance coming off the bench to step up and take charge if the Indians are to make a run for the conference title in the season’s tail end.

Last week, the Indian River boys’ cross-country team fell just shy of Polytech, 26-29, but senior Michael Longoria made Indians history, marking the first time someone donning the green-and-gold finished first overall in a cross-country meet since the sport was welcomed to the school three years ago. Longoria ran the green course at Indian River in 19:22. Although it was not his personal best – Longoria has finished a 3.1-mile cross-country run in 18:09 – he believes it brings a positive outlook to the sport.

For most middle- and high-school students, much of the week-long ritual revolves around the anticipation of the weekend. For a good majority of them, that tradition is kicked off with the excitement of the Friday night lights – the sporting events, the crowds, the fun. Beginning this Friday, the Ocean View Church of Christ is hoping to keep the fun going, as they debut the “5th Quarter,” a free, no-strings-attached evening of music, food, games and more for kids in grades 6 through 12. Each Friday, from 8 p.m. until midnight, students can take part in a variety of activities, in a safe and healthy environment, among friends.

The Indian River cross-country team has struggled in the opening weeks of their season, but for head coach Maj. Frank Ryman, the potential and drive of his athletes and their improving performance speaks volumes for the program’s future.

Indian River volleyball setter Molly Brennan pieced together four kills, five aces and five digs in Tuesday’s win over Dover to help the Lady Indians level their record at 3-3 on the season. Despite a loss to Caravel Academy one day prior, Brennan’s performance at the net, with four kills and three blocks, and three digs on the floor, showed her perseverance as a valuable member of the Indian River roster.