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Sports
Sports & Recreation www.oceancitytoday.com Sept. 23, 2022 Page 65
LISA CAPITELLI/OCEAN CITY TODAY PHOTO COURTESY JIM MCKEE
Al “Hondo” Handy will debut his book, “Defying Expectations Family Sports & Recreation,” on Saturday at Residence Inn by Marriott Ocean City. The Worcester Prep golf team set a school record, shooting a 149 at GlenRiddle Golf Club in Berlin on Wednesday. Pictured, from left, are sophomore Aleksey Klimins, senior captain Harrison Humes, sophomore captain Mike DePalma, freshman Kain Crossett, sophomore Frank Miller and junior Vanesska Hall.
Handy to debut book this Saturday
Worcester golf team scores 149, new school record
By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (Sept. 23, 2022) When Al “Hondo” Handy retired from Ocean City Recreation and Parks in 2019 after nearly 40 years with the department, his goal was to write a book.
After a long process of re-writes and edits, the book titled, “Defying Expectations Family Sports & Recreation,” is complete and will be officially debuted on Saturday at Residence Inn by Marriott Ocean City, at 300 Seabay Lane, from 1-3 p.m. Doors open at noon.
“It almost describes my whole life – family, sports and recreation,” he said. “The book is about me growing up on the Eastern Shore and overcoming a few obstacles that I had to face.
“I always talk about how my mother grew up in basically the Jim Crow Era. Couldn’t go into restaurants, use public restrooms, even myself, when I grew up we had to go around the back of restaurants to order food,” he continued. “We didn’t have the greatest living conditions and a lot of times people equate your living conditions and where you come from to success. First, I wanted to prove them wrong about that.”
Books will be available for $25 on Saturday and Handy will sign copies.
“I’m excited. A little nervous. I’ve been doing a lot of promotion,” the 69-year-old said. “I’m happy with how it turned out – the cover, the layout. I’m excited for people to read it.”
For those who can’t attend, purchase the book at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/defying-expectations. The cost is $24.99 for a 218-page paperback and $9.99 for an eBook.
The Buzzed Word in the Food Lion Shopping Center at 118th Street also carries the book.
The book will be available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble website in October. Readers can pre-order now. It will soon be available at the Art League of Ocean City on 94th Street, and the Greene Turtle on 116th Street.
“At the beginning, I wanted to write this book to tell my family members coming up a little bit about me, but mainly about their family – all their aunts, uncles, grandmothers – obviously as the years go on they forget about these people,” Handy said. “I wanted to write two books. My first one was about me growing up, my family, what family meant to me, how they mentored me, then going from Flower Street Elementary to Stephen Decatur, then to Salisbury State College. Then, the second book was going to be all my experiences in Ocean City.”
Handy was asked to combine them, but said there’s plenty more to write.
“That’s why it’s 64 chapters,” he said.
One of his favorite chapters is about when he was asked to coach an all-star youth basketball team that lost by 100 points in one game.
“I always talk about the chapter and I tell people to Google ‘Give Hondo a Hand.’ (https://www.parksandrecbusiness.com/articles/2014/12/1 5/give-тhondoу-a-hand-2). We played in the Salvation Army tournament and lost a game 108-8. It was so bad a story was written about it in a sports magazine,” Handy said. “We got on the bus and started leaving Salisbury and one kid says, ‘coach anybody ever lost by 100 points before?’ ‘No, I don’t think so,’ I said.
“All of a sudden, the kids said, ‘I think we broke a record.’ I said ‘yeah, you probably broke a record,’’ he continued. “They started singing ‘hey, we broke a record’ … This is what recreation is all about. You lose by 100 points and they’re singing. When the kids got off the bus they were all happy and singing and the parents said, ‘how’d you get those kids happy and singing?’ I said ‘they broke a record.’ That’s my favorite chapter.”
In the book he talks about attending Flower Street Elementary, an allBlack school. Then in sixth grade learning that in the next few years all of the schools in Worcester County were going to be integrated, he said. They had an option to go to Stephen Decatur, which was seventh through See HANDY Page 66 By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (Sept. 23, 2022) The Worcester Prep golf team set a school record, shooting a 154 last week, then the Mallards topped that on Wednesday, scoring a 149 at GlenRiddle Golf Club in Berlin.
“They were outstanding,” said Prep Coach Don McMullen. “This is the first time our top four golfers scored in the 30s.”
Sophomore captain Mike DePalma tallied a 35 and earned medalist honors. Also contributing to the victory was sophomore Aleksey Klimins (36), junior Vanesska Hall (39) and freshman Kain Crossett (39).
Gunston School finished runnerup with a 182. The Salisbury School shot a 239. Salisbury Christian only had two golfers participate.
“We’re very pleased with their accomplishments. They continue to put the work in that results in these low scores,” McMullen said. “Their practice rounds before matches continue to be very competitive.”
The next match is Thursday at Prospect Bay Country Club in Grasonville, Maryland, at 3:30 p.m.
Continued from Page 65 12th grade at the time, or Worcester High School in Newark.
“Myself and a few of my friends decided to go to Stephen Decatur. We were the only African-Americans that went there,” Handy said. “I think that some people weren’t sure we could compete in the school. We felt Flower Street had prepared us well.”
Handy also wanted to play basketball and accomplished his goal. He was a member of the 1970 Decatur state championship team.
Handy was also a four-sport athlete at Salisbury State.
Sportsmanship is very important to Handy. The Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department renamed it annual sportsmanships awards after him.
“I always tell people what I’d like to be remembered by in Ocean City is trying to promote sportsmanship,” he said. “I talk about the honor of having the sportsmanship award named after me.”
He also discusses his motto, “If you think you can, you can.”
“That was told to me very early in life by my basketball coach, Ward Lambert,” the Berlin resident said.
He said he wants people to get two things out of reading his book.
“To realize – which I talk about a lot – the value of family, how important family is to you, it’s the backbone of your life really, and how important it was to me growing up. And also, you don’t have to go out and do things all by yourself, family is there to mentor you,” he said. “And also, for recreation professionals, to encourage them to share their stories about their life because I’m sure all of their participants would love to hear about their journeys too.”
Handy also has a book signing planned for Saturday, Oct. 8 from 24 p.m. at the Art League of Ocean City. He will be at Harbor Day at the Docks festival at the West Ocean City harbor on Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
LISA CAPITELLI/OCEAN CITY TODAY The Stephen Decatur cross country teams hosted last Wednesday’s four-school meet in Berlin. The Lady Seahawks won their competition and the boys’ squad came in second place. Decatur sophomore Amber Marshall crossed the finish line first in the girls’ race and junior Ethan Justice won the boys’ competition.
Decatur runners Justice and Marshall win XC races
By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (Sept. 23, 2022) The Stephen Decatur cross country teams hosted last Wednesday’s four-school meet in Berlin. The Lady Seahawks won their competition and the boys’ squad came in second place.
The Decatur girls’ teams scored 20 points in the victory. Leading the group was sophomore Amber Marshall, who crossed the finish line in first place (24 minutes).
“I thought I started out a little weak but then I usually gain my strength after a couple of the hills. I know how to push myself and use my arms and especially with my teammate Macy being on there it got a lot easier to get that strength,” Marshall said. “She helps me pace myself and then gets me to that point where it’s like I can push myself more.
“I think I did pretty good,” she continued. “I’m proud of the performance, especially because a lot of my family came out to support me.”
Decatur field hockey squad edges out Kent County, 2-0
By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (Sept. 23, 2022) The Stephen Decatur field hockey team won 2-0 over the Kent County Trojans in Worton, Maryland on Tuesday.
“We dominated for most of the game, but had a lot of misses when shooting,” said Decatur Coach Katie Griffin.
Sophomore Ryleigh Smith scored her first goal two minutes before halftime. She netted the second with four minutes remaining in the game.
Decatur senior goalie Sarah Smith stopped two Kent County shots.
“Happy to come home with a win after a slow start to the game. Long bus rides tend to do that,” Griffin said. “But I will say, we had some players come off the bench and give us some great performances.”
Decatur will travel to Princess Anne to play the Washington Jaguars on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
Junior Macy Woroniecki came in second place overall (24:12). Rounding out the top five Decatur finishers were: sophomore Clarice Piela (fifth, 28:05), senior Mackenzie Cathell (ninth, 30:09) and sophomore Alessandra Fernandez (10th, 31:05).
“I was happy with how the girls performed. Most of our returning girls took time off of their hill times from last year,” said Decatur Coach Brenda Hommel. “We ran strong as a team earning the first and second place spots with Amber Marshall attacking the hills and Macy Woroniecki running consistent throughout the race. Every girl finishing the race refused to let the hills beat them and gained confidence in their abilities as runners.”
Parkside was runner-up with 41 points. The other schools had less than five runners and didn’t record a team score.
North Dorchester won the boys’ competition, scoring 35 points. Decatur tallied 45 points, followed by James M. Bennett in third (58).
Decatur junior Ethan Justice crossed the finish line first overall (18:58).
“I usually just try to stay consistent and come out in the same pace and not try and kill myself in the first mile. I was definitely surprised to come in under 19 [minutes] since we made the course longer,” Justice said. “I thought I did pretty good. I kind of struggling a little. Just up the hills kind of kills the legs. It’s a brutal course.”
Also scoring for Decatur were: sophomore Liam Hughes (eighth, 22:21), junior Connor Smith (10th, 22:47), senior Evan Justice (12th, 23:07) and junior Graham Field (14th, 23:11).
“The boys’ team earned a disappointing second-place finish after beating the first-place team of North Dorchester the previous week. The North Dorchester team had new runners this week, but our boys’ team did not have the strongest showing,” Hommel said. “Ethan Justice lead the boys’ team in a time of 18:58 on a new, longer 5K course beating the second-place finisher by nearly two minutes.”
The next meet is in Queen Anne’s County on Wednesday beginning at 4 p.m.
“Both teams worked very hard on the hills over the last week and are becoming stronger runners with stronger mindsets,” Hommel said. “We are feeling good about a positive outcome for both teams at our next meet.”
LISA CAPITELLI/OCEAN CITY TODAY Worcester Prep freshman Caitlin Shimko plays the ball up the field during Monday’s game against Salisbury Christian in Berlin. She scored one goal in the 3-3 tie.
Worcester Prep, Salisbury Christian finish in 3-3 tie
By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (Sept. 23, 2022) The Worcester Prep girls’ soccer team led 3-0 at halftime on Monday in Berlin, but their opponent, the Salisbury Christian Jaguars, battled back, tallying three goals in the second half. The game ended in a tie after two 10-minute overtime periods.
“It was a heartbreaker … But, both the coaches and players learned from this,” Prep Coach Carol Hartnett said. “It taught us were we need to put some personnel … where they work better on the field.”
Prep freshman Caitlin Shimko scored about 24 minutes before halftime. Sophomore Jayden Scopp made it 2-0 about four minutes later. Freshman Lilly Phillips provided the Mallards with a 3-0 advantage about five minutes before the break.
“We played great in the first half. I think they were a little stunned with freshmen and a sophomore scoring,” Hartnett said.
Salisbury cut the lead to two five minutes into the second half. At the midway point, the Jaguars tallied their second goal. They tied it up with nine minutes remaining in the game.
Prep sophomore goalie Abigail Ament recorded seven saves.
“We shut down fairly well their most powerful players, then others stepped up,” Hartnett said. “We moved some personnel around. They made some adjustments but our backs got caught too far up and that happens with a young and inexperienced team. Our back line did a great job, we just dropped off a bit in the second half and gave them opportunities.”
Hartnett is looking forward to Tuesday’s rematch with the Saints Peter and Paul Sabres in Easton at 4 p.m.
When the two teams met in the Sept. 8 season opener in Berlin, the Sabres edged out the Mallards, 3-2.
“It was our first game the first week of school. We’re a totally different team now. I feel like we outplayed them and won the 50/50 balls. I feel very confident against them,” Hartnett said. “We’re connecting passes, we have our layers and we have our shape. I feel pretty good as far as where we are in the conference, especially with 18 underclassmen.”
WP boys’ soccer team nets 6 goals in win over Salis.
By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (Sept. 23, 2022) The Worcester Prep boys’ soccer team scored one goal in the first half and five in the second to win 6-0 over the Salisbury Christian Jaguars on Monday in Salisbury.
“We moved the ball quicker [in the second half]. More urgency,” said Prep Coach Jake Perry. “The team was more connected and we stopped shooting right at the goalie. I think we just wore them down.”
Prep junior captain Dylan McGovern put his team on the board in the first half.
Freshman Ashton Browne and junior Hunter Simons tallied two goals each in the second half. Junior Cole Campbell also netted a shot in the second half.
Sophomore goalie Dillon Scopp recorded two saves in goal for Worcester.
“I thought our buildup especially See MALLARDS Page 68
Worcester Prep XC runners battle tough terrain at meet
By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (Sept. 23, 2022) The Worcester Prep cross country teams battled tough course conditions during last Thursday’s sixschool meet in Centreville, Maryland.
“The terrain was difficult with the kids saying at one point there was a steep incline. Some kids apparently went up it on all fours, but not any of our runners,” said Prep Coach Megan Leslie. “…[The terrain] was curvy, lots of roots, [and runners] had to jump a stream at one point.”
Worcester’s boys’ team came in second place overall with a score of 58. The top five finishers for the team were: senior captain Jason Todorov (fifth, 21:32.6), seniors Cooper Ludt (ninth, 22:24.7) and Riley Moyer (11th, 23:13.9), freshman Jake Timmons (16th, 24:10) and sophomore Jackson Fernley (17th, 24:15.2).
Gunston School won the competition, tallying 28 points. Salisbury School finished third behind Worcester with 77 points.
Only four Lady Mallards finished the race so Worcester didn’t receive a team score. Five runners is considered a complete team.
Worcester’s runners who crossed the finish line were: freshman Ayla Yonker (ninth, 28:13.2), senior captain Caitlyn Hoen (12th, 28:55.3), freshman Catherine Cullen (21st, 31:59.1) and sophomore Sydney Tingle (26th, 37:24.1).
Gunston won the competition, with 39 points. Salisbury School was second (40) and Delmarva Christian third (43).
The next meet is Thursday at 4 p.m. in Salisbury.
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Lady Mallards win first two games, but lose third and 4th, take tiebreaker, 16-14
By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (Sept. 23, 2022) The Worcester Prep volleyball team battled with the Salisbury Christian Jaguars on Monday and pulled out a win, three games to two.
“We didn’t make many mistakes, but we weren’t aggressive,” said Prep Coach Mike Kelley. “We weren’t scoring points. It was just get it over. We made it easy for them to come back and attack us.”
The visiting Lady Mallards edged out the Jaguars, 25-23, in the first game.
“We missed four of the first five serves. We gave them a head start,” Kelley said. “We were down 8-2 and came back to win.”
Worcester then came out on top, 25-15, in the second.
“The second set we won handily,” Kelley said.
Salisbury took the third and fourth games, 25-22 and 27-25, respectively, to force a tiebreaker.
Scoring went back and forth in the fifth game, but the Prep squad prevailed, 16-14.
“I told the girls after, on a positive note, good teams win bad games,” Kelley said. “Monday on the road and we survived it. It was a big conference win. It was an important win.”
Worcester was successful on 85 percent of its serves.
Junior captain Natasha Richter had four aces, three digs and two kills.
Senior Haris Gjikuria chipped in with 15 kills and one ace. Junior Sara Freih tallied four aces and four kills.
“Now we control our own destiny for home-court advantage [in the playoffs],” Kelley said. “We’re 2-1 in the conference. If we win out and take care of business, no one can stop us from taking first place.”
Worcester will host the Saints Peter and Paul Sabres on Tuesday in Berlin at 4 p.m.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2022 Mallards buildup in 2nd half key
Continued from Page 67 in the second half was good,” Perry said. “Good combinations in the middle and then getting the ball out wide for our wings to get in good crosses. Defense was finding our midfielders to build the attack.”
Worcester will host the Cape Henlopen Vikings today, Friday, at 4 p.m. in Berlin.
The Mallards will then take a trip to Georgetown, Delaware, to battle the Sussex Central Golden Knights on Tuesday at 4 p.m. Those who are unable to attend can watch the game live at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCndaMi4f2VN56fkxsDIkS8A.
SD golfers ‘rise to every challenge,’ Stearman says
By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (Sept. 23, 2022) The Stephen Decatur golf team racked up win number six last Thursday at Nutters Crossing Golf Club in Salisbury.
“It was a great win today and I continue to be impressed with this team and how they rise to every challenge and exceed my expectations,” Decatur Coach Dan Stearman said after the competition. “They are extremely focused on getting to our team goals.”
Decatur scored a season-low 153. The Seahawks were led by co-medalists, junior captain Kole Kohut and sophomore Sam Boger, who both shot 37s. Also contributing to the victory was sophomore Clayton McCabe (39) and junior captain Evan Oglesby (40).
Parkside came in second place with a 173. James M. Bennett took third in the nine-school match with a 174.
Decatur finished runner-up in Tuesday’s nine-school competition at GlenRiddle Golf Club in Berlin.
“We didn’t play our best. We were a little inconsistent as a group, but Parkside was the better team and hopefully this match reminds them that the competition is tough and we need to play well every time out,” Stearman said.
Parkside won with a team score of 166. Decatur finished three strokes behind with a 169. Bennett came in third with a 194.
Scoring for Decatur were Kohut (39), McCabe (41), Boger (43) and Oglesby (46).
The next golf match is Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. at Ocean Resorts Gold Club in Berlin.
PHOTO COURTESY DAN STEARMAN The Stephen Decatur golf team racked up win number six last Thursday at Nutters Crossing Golf Club in Salisbury. Pictured, from left, are junior captains Evan Oglesby and Kole Kohut, sophomores Sam Boger and Clayton McCabe and freshman Johnny Malinowski.
By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (Sept. 23, 2022) The Stephen Decatur volleyball team picked up two wins over Bayside Conference opponents this week on its home court.
The Lady Seahawks hosted the James M. Bennett Clippers on Monday and were successful in three games – 25-22, 25-12 and 25-10.
The team had a great night. They kept the energy high and played up to their level the whole time,” said Decatur Coach Sara Patrick. “They were much smarter about moving the ball around and finding the holes on the court.
“I am proud of our senior leadership for keeping everyone focused and positive,” she continued. “I am excited about the momentum we are picking up as the season continues.”
Senior captain Cora Shaw had five aces, three kills, one assists and one See DECATUR’S Page 69
By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (Sept. 23, 2022) The Stephen Decatur girls’ soccer team earned two shutouts this week.
The Lady Seahawks hosted the Kent Island Buccaneers on Monday and won, 3-0.
In the final seconds of the first half, senior captain Mia Kemp crossed the ball from the end line and senior co-captain Hannah Dang scored to put Decatur up 1-0.
Kemp was fouled in the box in the second half. Dang took the penalty shot and was successful.
Kemp netted the team’s third goal off a sophomore Payton Piercey pass.
Decatur senior goalie Jessica Beck recorded six saves.
“Mia Kemp was a dominant player with a goal and assist and could have had three other assists. She also created the penalty kick,” said Decatur Coach Rich Venere. “Our center backs Payton and Riley Wilson are really starting to understand our defensive system that led to less errors and better decisions.”
Decatur traveled to Mardela Springs to battle the Mardela Warriors on Wednesday and came home with a 4-0 victory.
“Solid win. We need to do a better job finishing, but we are doing a great job of creating goal-scoring opportunities,” Venere said.
Kemp scored two goals and junior Katelynn King tallied one goal and one assist. Junior Morgan Sullivan chipped in with a goal.
Beck stopped five Mardela shots.
Decatur will take a trip down the road on Monday to face the Snow Hill Eagles at 5:30 p.m.
LISA CAPITELLI/OCEAN CITY TODAY The Stephen Decatur girls’ soccer team shut out Kent Island on Monday, 3-0. Senior captain Mia Kemp jumps over the Kent Island goalie to avoid collision. She scored the team’s third goal. “Mia Kemp was a dominant player with a goal and assist and could have had three other assists,” Coach Rich Venere said.
PAGE 69 Decatur’s senior leadership strong during matches
Continued from Page 68 dig. Senior Julia Carlson chipped in with eight aces, five assists and three digs.
Senior Sydney Patrick added three aces, five kills, two assists and one dig. Senior Taya Price had two aces and five kills.
The Pocomoke Warriors came to Berlin on Wednesday. Decatur won the competition – 25-10, 25-13 and 25-5.
Shaw had 11 aces and five kills. Price logged eight aces and two kills. Patrick contributed with eight aces and a kill.
“The team played well. It was a struggle to keep the energy high, but they did a great job rallying each other and remaining in control of the tempo of the game,” Patrick said. “I am impressed with the leadership of the seniors this year. I am excited to see us continue to be successful and grow.”
Decatur will travel to Hurlock, Maryland, to play the North Dorchester Eagles at 5 p.m.
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