Also, St. Mark's high school lax girls finish strong; freshman hits walk-off for Cape; Gardner ends 30-year coaching career; athlete with autism earns nine varsity letters.
It’s odd for a coach to get fired midseason at the pro or college level, and almost unheard of at the high school level. But that’s exactly what happened when
Middletown relieved boys lacrosse coach Chris Widener of his duties early last week.
"It was a personnel decision," Middletown principal Jeff Comegys said in a statement. "We elected to make a change in the coaching staff. It was not about wins and losses, but about the safety and well-being of our kids. We decided to go another direction and will move forward from here. There's really nothing else that needs to be said."
Middletown, whose record stood at 3-8 at the time of Widener’s firing, ended its season 4-11, finishing below .500 for the first time in four years. Two of those losses came when the Cavaliers had to forfeit early-season games for using ineligible players who had not completed the proper paperwork to participate. The Middletown administrators publicly blamed the coaching staff for the error but did not reprimand Widener and made no indication a coaching change would be made at the time.
Widener, who was in his second season as head coach after serving as an assistant in 2008, agrees the termination was not linked to wins and losses, but rather a negative public perception of his players. "I don’t think they thought their team was being cast in a positive light," he told the Middletown Transcript. "I truly believe my downfall was that I didn’t take the easy way out and let players go. Instead I tried to get them to change their behavior. … There were a few players who caused some problems and stress, and I tried to turn them into better people and players."
2. St. Mark’s girls finish with two strong lax wins: Rebounding from a disappointing 7-6 loss to Cape Henlopen earlier in the week, St. Mark's (Wilmington) defeated Ursuline 11-8 Thursday afternoon. Senior Kristina Mooney and freshman Haley Schweizer each tallied three goals for the Spartans, while senior Anna Rivituso came up with 10 saves in goal. St. Mark’s (13-2) then closed out its regular season with a 14-7 win over Sanford as Schweizer tallied five goals.
3. Cape freshman hits walk-off in 10th: Delmar’s rally from six runs down fell short when Cape Henlopen freshman Diaz Nardo smacked a walk-off home run over the left-field fence in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Vikings a 10-9 win over the Wildcats. Nardo and Kyle McCoy each finished with three hits for Cape (6-10). "I couldn’t be prouder of my team's work ethic and fighting spirit," Cape coach Joseph Roberts said. "They beat a very good team with an exceptional pitcher on the mound." Senior pitcher Dylan Shupe went the distance on the mound for Delmar, recording 15 strikeouts in the loss.
4. Gardner coaches final game on diamond: Mel Gardner may not have won his last game as baseball head coach at William Penn (New Castle), but he won plenty along the way, amassing a 370-208 record — No. 4 on Delaware’s all-time coaches win list — during a 30-year career that included winning the 1991 state championship and 20 postseason appearances.
Although finishing with a disappointing 7-11 record his last season, Gardner spoke highly of his senior class: "They are a diverse group of young men who have come a long ways in their high school careers. They play the game with a love for what they are doing."
Although not official, it is widely presumed William Penn alumnus Brock Donovan, an all-state second baseman in 2000, will be named head coach. This season he served under the title of co-head coach.
First-rate performances in the First State
* Nolan Magee (Salesianum): The senior southpaw pitched a no-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks to lead Sallies to a 3-1 win over William Penn.
* D.J. Miller (A.I. du Pont): The right-handed senior pitched a two-hitter to down St. Mark’s 8-2 on Saturday, handing the Spartans just their second loss of the season.
* Jazmine Reeves (Caesar Rodney): The Virginia Tech-bound senior was named Gatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year. She finished the regular season with 30 goals and nine assists for the undefeated (15-0) Riders.
Recruiting news
* Dover High’s Dan Valenti will play lacrosse at the United States Coast Guard Academy.
* Polytech High right-handed pitcher Thomas Dill has signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Delaware State.
* Hodgson defensive lineman Dominic Brown will play at Virginia State.
Games to watch
The boys lacrosse state tournament gets underway this week with first-round games taking place Wednesday and quarterfinals Saturday. First-round games include:
(12) Caesar Rodney (7-8) vs. (5) Delaware Military Academy (14-1) at Tower Hill, 6 p.m.
(11) Charter School of Wilmington (12-3) at (6) Archmere (13-2), 4 p.m.
(10) Concord (10-5) vs. (7) Mount Pleasant (12-3), time and site TBD
(9) Tatnall (8-7) vs. (8) Polytech (12-3), 4 p.m.
No. 1 Salesianum (12-2), No. 2 Cape Henlopen (12-2), No. 3 Tower Hill (11-3) and No. 4 Wilmington Friends (10-5) received byes.
The buzz
There are thousands of three-sport varsity athletes around the country. But not many like John Walters. The Polytech High senior was named the school’s male athlete of the year and has accepted a scholarship to wrestle at West Virginia Tech.
Walters also played lacrosse and football and finished his illustrious career with nine varsity letters. What separates him from his peers around the country is the fact he has autism. Walters hopes to one day teach physical education and coach. "That’s one of my dream jobs," he told the Delaware State News. "I’ve thought about it ever since I got to high school."
Jon Buzby is the sports columnist for the Newark Post, a freelance writer, and occasional color commentator for the 1290 AM The Ticket High School Football Game of the Week. You can reach him at jonbuzby@hotmail.com.
