Despite the unseasonably cold weather in Delaware,
Salesianum (Wilmington, Del.) is off to a hot start on the diamond with big wins over Sussex Central and Caravel Academy to start the season.
Senior
Lincoln Lamberton, a second-team all-state selection at designated hitter last year, has picked up where he left off at the plate for the Sals.
The second baseman hit a double, a triple, and drove in four runs in his team's 17-7 win over Sussex Central on Saturday.
Lamberton then followed that up with a 2-for-3, two RBI performance as the Sals cruised to an 8-0 win over Caravel Academy Monday afternoon.
"For me, the biggest obstacle coming back from the offseason was getting my timing down," said Lamberton, who was recently named a recipient of the prestigious Morehead-Cane scholarship from the University of North Carolina. "So to be able to see a lot of live pitching leading up to the season has really helped me get out to a quick start."
McDONOGH WINS EARLY BATTLE OF TOP GIRLS LACROSSE TEAMS The combination of
Taylor Cummings on offense and
Katie Ferraro in goal proved too much for Notre Dame Prep to overcome as
McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.) led wire-to-wire on its way to a 13-6 win Friday afternoon in what could prove to be a pivotal Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland conference game.
Cummings, a junior, scored five goals and Ferraro made 10 big saves to lead the Eagles to their second win in as many tries to open the season. The two-time defending IAAM A champs defeated Roland Park Country School 16-14 in their season opener.
Cummings and junior
Corinne Etchinson each scored twice to spark McDonogh to an early 5-1 lead. Etchinson finished with three goals and sophomore
Posey Valis also had a hat trick to spark the Eagles offense.
Erin Seipp scored five goals to lead
Notre Dame Prep (Towson, Md.) (1-1, 1-1 IAAM A). But despite Seipp's effort, she had little help on the offensive end of the field as McDonogh limited All-American
Covie Stanwick to just one goal.
RECRUITING NEWSLoyola Blakefield junior defenseman
Kyle Ricketts has made a verbal commitment to attend Robert Morris University to play lacrosse.
* Smyrna High School coach James Kiger confirmed in an email shortly before boarding his flight to watch
Betnijah Laney play in the McDonald's High School All-American Game that his highly-recruited senior would make an announcement about her college decision in a ceremony at the school on April 13. Laney, the only player participating in the McDonald's game who has yet to commit, has narrowed her choices to Duke, Oklahoma and Rutgers.
THE BUZZOccasionally as journalists we are obligated to report disturbing news. Or in this case follow up on an original report. Nearly a year ago I posted a blurb in this space about former Cape Henlopen High School football coach Thomas Ott being arrested and facing several charges sexual in nature. On Wednesday Ott pleaded no contest to three counts of raping a teenage girl and will face between 10 and 55 years in prison when sentenced in June.
But to end it on a good note …
DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) football head coach Bill McGregor announced his retirement last week after 29 seasons at the helm of one of the country's most respected programs.
Former University of North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith used to always say that if he would have been forced to make the decision as to whether or not to retire right at the end of the season it would have happened long before it ever did. I also heard University of Delaware football coach Harold "Tubby" Raymond say the same thing at his retirement press conference several years ago.
With those quotes from fabled coaches in mind, the fact that McGregor, who finished with a 280-39-3 record, made his decision four months into the offseason is probably a good indication that it's one he won't retract and that we've seen the last of the coach on the sideline – at least while wearing a headset.
Congratulations coach!
Jon Buzby is the sports columnist for the Newark Post, a freelance writer, and on the broadcast team for the 1290AM The Ticket High School Football and Basketball Games of the Week. You can reach him at jonbuzby@hotmail.com.
