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Sports
Sports & Recreation www.oceancitytoday.com Dec. 9, 2022 Page 52
STEPHEN DECATUR WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW
LISA CAPITELLI/OCEAN CITY TODAY “We have five, six, seven girls that can just shoot the three, can drive, go mid-range, they can score from anywhere and it’s exciting,” said Coach Scott Kurtz. “There’s a lot of firepower that we’re coming into the gym with this year.”
SD girls’ basketball team big, athletic, bright
By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (Dec. 9, 2022) The Stephen Decatur girls’ basketball team returns nearly all of its starters from last season and the Lady Seahawks are showing their connection on the court.
“Our starting five has played a lot together. There’s a lot of cohesiveness already,” said Coach Scott Kurtz. “When we put something in it’s like we’ve done it already, so it’s very quick, and then we have a lot of new faces beyond them.
“We have a few reserve girls that are coming back that played limited time … We have like eight girls that have played for us, five have played a lot of minutes,” he continued. “It’s sort of like a mixture, but it’s that first group, it’s just like we’re right back into it, like we just picked up from last year right where we left off.”
The veterans helped lead last year’s squad to a 19-0 undefeated regular season. The Seahawks also captured their first regional championship title since 2004. The season ended with a 57-52 loss to C. Milton Wright in the 3A state quarterfinals. The team finished with a 21-2 overall record.
The returning starters have a high basketball IQ, so the coaches can do more with the group, Kurtz said. “It just elevates what we can put on them. You start with a floor and you shoot for a ceiling, and it’s almost like this year we’re starting just below the ceiling because they’ve already taken in so much that they’re ready,” Kurtz said. “We can spend more time on skill development then scheme, which is always a plus because anytime you can just work on the fundamentals it’s going to help your game, your team.”
Kurtz said the group overall is athletic, bright and big.
“We just have the tallest and longest – when you talk about arms – lean, it’s just a really big, intimidating-looking team,” Kurtz said. “When we get off the bus teams are going to be like, ‘wow.’ When you think about girls that are going to be on the floor starting the game they’re all between like 5’8’’, 5’11’’ all of them.”
The team also has many scoring threats.
“We have girls one through five that can pretty much score from anywhere on the court and there aren’t a lot of high school basketball teams at least on the Eastern Shore of Maryland that can just line up and shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor,” Kurtz said. “We have five, six, seven girls that can just shoot the three, can drive, go mid-range, they can score from anywhere and it’s exciting. There’s a lot of firepower that we’re coming into the gym with this year.”
Kurtz said the girls are self-motivated as a group and they have something to prove individually and as a team still.
The squad will be led by senior captains Mayah Garner (co-defensive player of the year/First Team AllBayside South/ First Team Defense), Shelby Rosemond (First Team Defense/Bayside South honorable mention) and Jessica Beck.
In addition, sophomores Sam Boger and Allison Swift are also returning and received conference accolades last season. Boger earned a spot on the second team and Swift honorable mention distinction.
Kurtz said the captains each bring something different to the table “that all of our younger girls should aspire to be like.”
“Mayah is the returning defensive player of the year, she gets a lot of blocks and steals. She’s got everything you would want a basketball player to have. She’s a quiet but strong leader that all the girls look up to,” Kurtz said. “We think Shelby is the best defensive player we’ve ever coached. We will always put Shelby on the other team’s best player. She is responsible for just the aggression, the tenacity, the toughness of the
Scott Kurtz
LISA CAPITELLI/OCEAN CITY TODAY “If we become healthy, I think our strength will be our quickness,” said Decatur Coach BJ Johnson. “I have a lot of kids out injured right now, but I think once we get healthy our quickness will be one of our strengths [and] the fact that we’ll be able to play an uptempo game.”
SD team hampered by injuries early
By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (Dec. 9, 2022) Once the Stephen Decatur boys’ basketball team gets everyone back on the court, the Seahawks will be able to use speed to their advantage.
Of the 13 players on Johnson’s roster, only three are returners from last year when the team went 14-8. The Seahawks lost, 72-58, to Oxon Hill in the MPSSAA 3A South regional tournament semifinals.
In addition to players out with injury, five football players only just returned to the court last week because the team was still competing. The Decatur football squad advanced to the 2A state semifinals, where the boys lost a close battle, 40-33, to Milford Mill Academy on Nov. 25. “Until we get everyone back, it’s probably going to be late December early January before we really start clicking,” Johnson said.
The team will be led by junior captains Brycen Coleman and Jayden Hudson.
Hudson is a transfer from Snow Hill and will play point guard and shooting guard. He is looking forward to playing for Decatur this season.
Hudson said it will take hard work and grinding to be successful this season.
“During the scrimmages, Jayden has probably carried us scoring wise and defensively. Anytime you get a caliber player like that it’s always a bonus,” Johnson said. “I like to think that all of [the players] have stepped up to the plate. They’re doing to the best of their abilities to try to acclimate what we’ve put in so far, so they’re all working really hard.”
Johnson said the goals for 202223 are the same as in past seasons.
“We want to win all of our home games, we want to contend for a Bayside [Conference] championship, a regional and state finals championship,” he said. “We’ve got to rebound the basketball and play good defense. If we do those two things I think we’ll have a lot of success. I’m very excited and looking forward to [the season].”
Decatur will play the North Caroline Bulldogs on Saturday at Chesapeake College at 4:30 p.m. The Seahawks will then host the Snow Hill Eagles on Monday at 6 p.m. in Berlin.
BJ Johnson
Decatur team has multiple scoring threats this year
Continued from Page 52 team. She preaches it and she shows it.
“Jes is the best teammate you could ever have,” Kurtz continued. “She’s the most unselfish player in this whole building. She will literally go out there and stand in front of every goal for every team that has a goalie she will put her body on the line day and night for soccer and lacrosse and she does the same kinds of things in the gym for the basketball team. She just leads by example. She doesn’t even need to say anything. She always does the right thing.”
Garner, a member of the team since she was a freshman, is happy to be a leader and is ready and excited for the season.
“I think I’ll help lead the group based on having just good leaders in the past, kind of build off what they did just seeing how it worked for me, just try to do the same thing for my younger girls, so I’m looking forward to helping them,” she said. “Our team is definitely young, so it’s going to take some time to get the younger girls to feel more confident on the court, but I think our team will be good this year … It will take a lot of communication and just building chemistry.”
Kurtz said the goal is to get better every day individually and as a team.
“I’m blessing to come in here and work with the girls and work with [Assistant Coach Aaron Wyatt] every day,” Kurtz said. “We just feel like we’re building a program we can be proud of that a lot of people support now. I’m proud of what the girls have done on the floor and the way they’ve conducted themselves to make the program what it is.”
The team kicked off the season with a 50-15 victory over the James M. Bennett Clippers on Monday in Salisbury.
Garner led the team with 18 points and Boger and Swift chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Decatur will host the Snow Hill Eagles today, Friday, at 6 p.m. in Berlin.
LISA CAPITELLI/OCEAN CITY TODAY “[We’re] just trying to get the kids to build some confidence, build some growth, see improvement, which with running they all improve,” said Coach Brenda Hommel. “You just want them to be able to walk out at the end of the season feeling like they grew as an athlete, grew as person, they grew in confidence, all of those things that sports adds to a kid’s life and just kind of rounds them out.”
Many new indoor track participants this yr.
By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (Dec. 9, 2022) A number of new participants have joined the Stephen Decatur indoor track program this season.
Hommel said after the first meet the coaching staff will have a better idea of where the girls’ and boys’ teams’ strengths will be and what events the student-athletes will do well in.
“We still don’t exactly know where everybody is and I think the kids themselves aren’t sure … so we’re going to be moving people around because we have a lot of new runners and we don’t have a lot of kids back that we know where to put them,” Hommel said. “Attendance looks good, so the kids are committed. We have about 40 kids.
“I think we’re still searching for speed … It’s tough for indoor season getting that speed because your really athletic kids are doing basketball or they need to do off-season training for lacrosse,” she added. “I think we’ve got a couple fast boys. I don’t know where our speed is with the girls, but as a team I think our strength is going to be again distance. Those distance runners tend to be more committed to all three seasons of running.”
Hommel will rely on junior Macy Woroniecki and several other veteran athletes to lead the group.
“She’s really just coming across as really strong, building more and more confidence every year,” Hommel said. “She’s just really mature, put together, has a good perspective. I think kids look to her as such a committed runner and just a composed, hard worker, so the girls definitely and even a lot of the boys look to her as a leader.”
Woroniecki said she will probably compete in the 3,200-, 1,600- and 800-meter races as well as relay events.
“I’m a junior – we don’t have any senior girls on the team this year – so I’m really just hoping we can kind of come together with what we have,” the two-year indoor track runner said. “I think were coming along really well. I think that for the beginning of indoor season a lot of it is building up endurance, especially for the distance girls, just from coming off other sports where maybe running was not as crucial, and running in the cold getting used to the weather and everything.”
Woroniecki said the goal for the girls’ team, being inexperienced, is to get as many points as possible and “just seeing what we can do and how
Brenda Hommel
See ATTENDANCE Page 55
STEPHEN DECATUR WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW ‘Attendance looks good, so the kids are committed’
Continued from Page 54 we can build from what we have.”
“I think a team goal would be to see how much progress we can make in the season,” she said.
Hommel will look to senior sprinters Riley Calloway and Jaden Holland to help lead the boys’ squad.
“The past few years I’ve been the sprint captain and I think I’m doing a pretty good job leading the block work and everything,” Holland, a four-year indoor track participant said, noting he may run in the 55meter and possible the 300-meter events as well as relay races. “I think I have good leadership with everybody … We’re looking pretty good. Our sprint team is a little low on numbers but we’re going to make it work, and long distance we’re looking pretty good.”
Hommel said senior Nick Purnell and junior Adelaide Webber will return to throw the shot put along with senior Bryce Soloman, who competed in the event outdoors last spring.
Sophomore Brandon Fitzgerald has potential in the high jump, Hommel said, and added that junior Tiara McDonald is very athletic and “probably our fastest girl.”
Hommel is looking forward to the season and to see the athletes improve.
“Just trying to get the kids to build some confidence, build some growth, see improvement, which with running they all improve. You just want them to be able to walk out at the end of the season feeling like they grew as an athlete, grew as person, they grew in confidence, all of those things that sports adds to a kid’s life and just kind of rounds them out,” she said. “It’s easy with running because it’s so measured. They can see their growth. I always feel like we have a successful season because the kids always leave feeling good about themselves, which is great.”
The next indoor track meet is the Pat Russo Invitational on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Worcester County Recreation Center in Snow Hill. Russo, who still assists with meets each season, was a longtime Decatur track and cross country coach.
LISA CAPITELLI/OCEAN CITY TODAY “We have multiple people at every weight just some are not as experienced, but the effort has been there … They might not go undefeated but they’re going to go out there and wrestle hard,” said Coach Josh August.
August leading SD wrestling team
By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (Dec. 9, 2022) The Stephen Decatur wrestling program has a reputation of being successful and new head coach Josh August hopes to continue the tradition.
August, who was an assistant coach for six years, took over for Todd Martinek, who announced at the beginning of the 2021-22 season that after 29 years, it would be his last leading the Decatur wrestling team.
“It’s an honor. Not everyone gets the chance to take over a four-time, state championship-level team, especially on the Eastern Shore,” August said in April when it was announced he was the new head coach. “There’s a lot of expectations within the team itself … There’s like a legacy behind Decatur wresting and I’d like to continue to keep that going. It’s a big undertaking, and like I said there’s pressure to continue to be good, but it’s pressure we’re putting on ourselves, and I look forward to it.”
Last winter, the Decatur squad went 14-1 during the regular season (26-1 overall), and captured its third consecutive regional dual and state dual titles.
Decatur also won the Bayside Conference championship title by more than 100 points.
In addition, several wrestlers won individual Bayside and regional titles last winter.
Twelve wrestlers – seven boys and five girls – competed in the MPSSAA 1A/2A state championship meet in March, and six came home with medals.
“We still have a really young team. We had five freshmen start at one point last year,” August said. “This year we’ll have probably five or six sophomores in the lineup and then we have one really good freshman and another one that’s like on the edge of maybe starting a little bit.” There are about 60 wrestlers participating this season between JV and varsity. Many wrestle yearround. “Usually we get a ton of kids and then some quit. That hasn’t really happened yet this year. There’s a lot of new kids. We have a ton of freshmen,” August said. “Varsity’s been good. A lot of team chemistry from last year, and not too many brand new kids and the new kids that have come fit in right away. We’re inexperienced at some weights and we have tons at other weights, so it can all even out.”
August said the transition from assistant to head coach has been smooth.
“Feels similar, it’s just different not having Todd in the room, and the admin stuff, just a little more for me to do that I didn’t do last year with the AD and matches and picking tournaments,” he said. “We kind of all did things as a team last year. Todd didn’t do anything without really talking to us. There was always a lot of discussion, so we try to keep it that no one is really making a decision, even myself, without just asking what the other guys think, the other coaches, and making a smart decision from there.”
Several big contributors graduated, but the varsity team returns seven starters, including captains, senior Logan Intrieri (132/138 pounds) and junior Gavin Solito (160).
Solito took second in the 145pound weight class division at states in March. He went 27-4 last season and won a Bayside title and regional championship at 145 pounds.
“I love the team. It’s like a bonding experience,” Intrieri, a four-year member of the program, said. “It’s definitely fun for me to take the kids under my wing. I love helping the younger people.
Junior Reid Caimi, who placed sixth at states in the 126-pound division last year (24-11 record overall) has also taken on more of a leadership role. He will wrestle at 132 pounds this year.
“He’s matured. He’s been more vocal in the [practice] room and been more of a leader than he has been,” August said. “Everyone else is kind of young … and not really super outspoken. All the guys are friends, so they kind of follow each other’s lead anyway. I don’t have a problem with kids not listening to each other.”
Freshman Elijah Collick (106) is a welcomed addition to the team.
“Elijah Collick, he’s pretty experienced and he’s won several junior league state titles and placed in the regional and national level at tourna-
Josh August
Team starts season with 3 wins
Continued from Page 55 ments,” August said. “He’s going to have a big impact for us. He’s wrestled with these guys before. He might be inexperienced as far as age, but on the mat he’s very talented and we look for him to make some waves this year.”
The 2022-23 team is already off to a good start, winning its first three competitions this week.
The Seahawks hosted the Wicomico Indians on Monday in Berlin and won, 78-6.
“They performed well. It’s great to start the season with a win,” August said.
On Wednesday in Easton, Decatur again dominated, topping the Warriors, 76-6, and the Colonel Richardson Colonels, 78-6.
“We have multiple people at every weight just some are not as experienced, but the effort has been there … They might not go undefeated but they’re going to go out there and wrestle hard,” August said, adding that the team is strongest in the lower to middle weight classes and less experienced at the heavier weights. “Someone is going to step up and if not, someone else will as the season progresses. These guys want to win. Even when you win a dual you don’t want to be the guy that loses.”
There are five females competing this season. Senior Jenna Danner (115) is the captain of the girls’ group. The girls will have three of their own tournaments this year.
Decatur’s next meet is against the Kent County Trojans and the Cambridge Vikings on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in Cambridge.
“We have a tough schedule this year. We’re going out of our conference twice and our tournaments are always across the bridge,” August said. “We lost some really good wrestlers. I think some of the guys feel like they have something to prove now that they’re juniors and seniors.”
The goal, August said, is for the team to again win a state title. A couple guys will probably be in the state finals individually, August said.
“Our goal is to be back at North Point in February to wrestles whoever it is that’s there,” he said. “We have tough teams in the region. It’s not like it’s a given. That’s our goal though. We want to be back where we were before. Even though we lost guys, we think we have the ability to get there.”
SD girls’ team experienced and boys’ swim squad young
By Lisa Capitelli Managing Editor (Dec. 9, 2022) The Stephen Decatur swim teams opened the season with a win over Nandua on Tuesday at the Pocomoke YMCA.
The Lady Seahawks won, 107-62.
“They did great. All of the girls but one I’ve coached so they know the deal with meets and know what to do,” said Coach Kristina Watts. “They’re experienced. We have things to work on and improve on, but I have no complaints about the first meet.”
Seniors Kayden Hamby (200-yard freestyle, 2:19.18; 100-yard freestyle, 1:02.41) and Natalie Canham (100-yard butterfly, 1:10.27) and junior Trista Harner (50-yard freestyle, 27.18 seconds) won their individual races.
Canham, Harner and sophomores Vienna Williams and Kaolin Riser came in first place in the 200-yard medley relay (2:06.39).
Hamby, Riser, Harner and senior Katelyn Pizlo won the 200-yard freestyle relay race (1:54.71).
The girls’ team is stacked with veteran swimmers. Of the 22 swimmers on Watts’ roster, only seven are new to the squad.
The girls’ team had a successful 202122 season, finishing second overall in both the Bayside Conference championship and 3A-2A-1A East Region competition.
Eight female swimmers represented Decatur during the state meet and several earned spots on the podium for placing eighth or better. Decatur finished tied for eighth overall out of 26 teams at states.
“The [strength of the] girls’ team is in the numbers. As we saw last season, a lot of the teams didn’t have full rosters so we were able to fill our lanes and get all the points, which helps,” Watts said. “The girls’ team I would say is experienced. Even the new girls have been on club teams and I know all but one of them from coaching from Ocean Pines. They have all the swimming background already coming in.”
Pizlo, Canham and Hamby are the captains of the girls’ team. Leading the boys’ squad will again be senior Gavin Stearn and junior Daniel Karcheuski.
“They are pretty much natural leaders anyway, so it wasn’t a hard choice for the captains,” Watts said. “Especially the boys, we don’t have very many veterans on the team but Gavin and Daniel have been here and they know what’s going on. They’re See SD Page 57
STEPHEN DECATUR WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW SD swim teams win first meet
Continued from Page 56 confident with their other teammates, and the girls are good leaders. They’re organizing things for me that I don’t have to worry about. I trust all of them very much.”
Pizlo, a member of the team for four years, is enjoying taking on a leadership role and helping the less experienced swimmers with whatever questions they have.
“I do Decatur plus Ocean Pines swim team – I’ve been doing Ocean Pines for eight years – so I have a lot of experience and if the people that haven’t been swimming that long have a question I can be the first to answer it, the first to step up … We have a lot of people willing to learn and it’s really exciting to see,” she said. “It’s really sweet. They come up to me like, ‘I’m getting nervous about this one swim’ and I’ll be like, ‘I can totally help you with that.’ I love it.
“I’m really sad that it’s my last year, but I’m really excited for it because it looks like it’s going to be a really good season,” she added, noting that she hopes to qualify for states this year.
The boys’ squad also won Tuesday’s competition, topping Nandua, 87-51.
Karcheuski (200-yard freestyle, 1:58.41; 100-yard butterfly, 56.36 seconds), Stearn (50-yard freestyle, 23.49 seconds), freshman Jake Harner (200 IM, 2:32.78) and sophomores Chase Ponton (100-yard freestyle, 1:07.74) and Gavin Conway (100-yard backstroke, 1:09.54) came in first place in their events.
Karcheuski, Stearn, Harner and junior Mason Castanares won the 200-yard medley relay race (1:54.89).
Stearn, Conway, Castanares and Karcheuski were victorious in the 200yard freestyle relay race (4:02.60).
“They did awesome. The energy and effort were great and it was a strong start to the season,” said Coach David BernalClark. “Back to work at practice [Wednesday] as we want to get better every day and every meet.”
Bernal-Clark is excited to join the program as a coach this year.
He was also an assistant boys’ varsity soccer coach during the fall season.
“It was a cool opportunity. It’s a good group of kids and anything I can do to get more involved with the school the better,” he said. “It’s awesome. It’s really fun … I’m pretty competitive. My goal is to help them anyway I can.”
An educational assistant at Decatur, he is a 2014 graduate of the high school. He played soccer for Decatur, and swam for the Ocean Pines team when he was younger.
Both Watts and Bernal-Clark are pleased to see the number of boys participating. Only six boys competed last season. This year, there are 14 on the roster. “It’s more than doubled, so that’s awesome. A lot of them are new swimmers, but our teammates are helping them out,” Watts said. “They’re giving them little lessons, which is awesome. The returning boys are strong. They’ve been on club swim teams before … The boys’ team is young, a lot of freshmen and fresh talent, fresh abilities that we’ll just be working on throughout the season.” “We’ll have a lot more depth, a lot more room to work with instead of the same swimmers doing the same events relying on the same points,” Karcheuski added. “We’ll have a lot more diversity, a lot more variability.” Five boys are returning from last seaKristina Watts son, when the team finished sixth at both the Bayside and regional meets. Four boys competed in the state championship meet last year. The group came in 12th place overall out of 28 schools represented. Stearn had the best finishes overall, placing third in the 100-yard freestyle and fourth in the 50-yard freestyle at David states. Bernal-Clark Stearn won the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle at regionals. He is Bayside champion in the 200IM and 100-yard freestyle. Karcheuski came in fifth place in the 200IM and seventh in the 100-yard butterfly at states. He is the 200IM regional champion. He hopes to do even better this year and is enjoying taking on a leadership role again. “I’ve been on the club team, in and out of summer teams since I’ve been 10 years old. I’ve always had a passion for swimming and I’ve been trying to expand my role in swimming, getting more involved with my club team, learning how to coach, getting into the administrative side, just kind of overall trying to be more involved so I can be more knowledgable so I can also pass it on to help other people as well,” said Karcheuski, a three-year member of the Decatur squad. “I’m really enjoying helping the newer kids … I just want the team to have fun and learn new things. I’ve seen a lot of new, eager faces and I’m really excited about that and really proud of that.” The next swim meet is on Tuesday at 3 p.m. against Easton at the Pocomoke YMCA. “My goal is for the girls to get first at Baysides and as many as possible going to states from regionals … and boys it would be nice if we can bump up some spots in Baysides now that we have more, and hopefully take a good number of them to regionals and states too,” Watts said.
LISA CAPITELLI/OCEAN CITY TODAY The girls’ team I would say is experienced,” said Coach Kristina Watts. “The boys’ team is young, a lot of freshmen and fresh talent, fresh abilities that we’ll just be working on throughout the season.”
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