Athlete of the Week

The varsity soccer season has just gotten under way over the course of the past two weeks, but two things have been made clear: the Dolphins are for real, and ninth grader Peter Pearson is ready to establish himself as arguably the best player in the TCIS, a feat that he made strides towards as an eighth grader.

In his first varsity season last year Pearson gave the Dolphins a major boost offensively. He totaled 20 goals and earned a 1st team All-TCIS selection, a nod that surely thrust him into the spotlight of opposing coaches.

“He's done really well to handle all the focus opposing teams place on him,” head coach Dave Brun said of Pearson. “And he has stayed within the structure of the team.”

And the structure of the team has been dominant through the first three games of the season, and Pearson has picked up where he left off a year ago. After battling through a preseason injury, one that kept him sidelined through a majority of early season practices, Pearson has shined.

“He told me, ‘You know me, let me get his thing right and rest for a while but I'll go all out come game time,’” Brun said. And all out he has gone.

The Dolphins opened the season with a 4-0 dismantling of Denbigh Baptist, a game that was a precursor to an important TCIS tilt against Bishop Sullivan last Tuesday. Cape Henry was expecting a strong battle with Catholic, but thanks to the efforts of Pearson the Dolphins came away with a convincing 4-1 victory.

Cape Henry employed a possession-style approach to the game, and it had lots of experienced players surrounding Pearson in that effort. From the outset the team took control of the ball and the game, spreading apart the defense, and then Peter took over—despite the fact that he was tightly marked the entire game. He opened the scoring in the first half taking the ball from the center line, through a seam and several defenders before finishing the goal, and when all was said and done he accounted for all four Dolphins goals, including an impressive run and finish off a crafty ball played through from freshman teammate Curtis Kirby.

The 4-1 victory further solidified the Dolphins mark as a team to be reckoned with in the TCIS, and it served notice to the remainder of the conference and the state that Pearson and the veteran Dolphins are going to be a handful to deal with.

“He's done well to make as positive an impact inside of the school as he has on the soccer field,” Brun finished. “He is special.”

Athlete of the Week
Michael Kroll

With high expectations for a dominant 2010 season the Dolphins have relied upon a strong veteran presence to fight off any pressure, and those veterans have played great. The Dolphins just capped off a Division II State Championship to conclude what has been a great season, and the work of this week’s Athlete of the Week, first baseman Michael Kroll, helped Cape Henry position themselves for that title run.

Through the course of the 2010 season Kroll has been consistently productive at the plate, and more recently he has terrorized opposing pitchers. He is 3rd on the team with a .382 batting average, 2nd on the team in slugging percentage with a .650 and has an on base percentage of .480. He has hit seven doubles, three home runs and has driven in 17 runs.

“Michael has contributed to the club’s success in multiple ways throughout the season,” head coach Ryan Morris said. “But his offensive presence in our lineup has made everyone around him better. “

Over the course of the TCIS tournament that couldn’t have been more evident. Kroll helped the Dolphins get into the TCIS championship game, and he did so with consistent and clutch hitting.

Against Hampton Roads Academy on the last day of the regular season, Kroll helped the Dolphins close out an extra innings battle. Tied at 2-2 in the 8th inning, Kroll stepped to the plate and laced a game-winning single to secure the #2 seed in the conference tournament, and he didn’t stop there.

Kroll opened the TCIS tournament on the mound against Norfolk Christian, and he pitched a gem. He confused the Christian batters all day en route to a one-hit victory, securing the Dolphins a spot in the TCIS semifinals against Hampton Roads Academy, and once again Kroll showcased his sense of timing, hitting another game winning single to move Cape Henry into the conference title game.

“Michael has the physical strength and abilities to be one of the better hitters in our league, but his approach is the key to his success,” Morris continued. “His approach at the plate has matured throughout this season, and I believe this is what has sparked the results as of late.”

The late season success helped the Dolphins position themselves well for the Division II state tournament run, and that run ended beautifully. Cape Henry won its opening round game against Atlantic Shores thanks again to Kroll’s timing. Tied 4-4 in the bottom of the 7th inning Michael walked to the plate and launched a 1-1 pitch over the left field fence for the walk off victory. The win secured Cape Henry with another date against Greenbrier Christian, and this time the Dolphins hammered the state’s #1 team. From there, destiny was locked in, and Cape Henry took care of business in the state finals, earning the school its first ever baseball state championship.

“Michaels best tool is his competitive nature,” Morris finished. “When he can control that he can be very dangerous.”

And dangerous he was down the stretch. That production showcased his talents across the state, and it is one of the many reasons the Cape Henry baseball program is celebrating its coronation as the best baseball team in Virginia’s Division 2.

Dolphins Baseball Team Division II State Champions!

By Court Wills

Correspondent

The Virginian Pilot

All Cape Henry Collegiate pitcher Tyler Ballard had to do was look into coach Ryan Morris’ eyes and say “stay with me, coach; I’ll get it done.”

Those words proved to be true as Cape Henry won its first Virginia Independent Schools Division II baseball championship with a 9-3 victory against the Covenant School on Saturday at Shepherd Stadium.

“He just looked at me right in the face and said stay with me, coach … and I said OK,” Morris said. “He’s one of my best competitors and, win or lose, I’m going to stay with him. I knew he would do it for me.”

It was a rough beginning, however, as the Dolphins pitcher gave up three runs in the first inning.

After three innings and still no runs for the Dolphins’ offense, it was time for Morris to huddle with his team on the mound.

“I just tried to tell them to relax and believe in themselves,” he said. “The kids never panicked.”

Cape Henry responded by scoring five runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by Jack Wynkoop’s three-run homer, to grab a 5-3 lead.

“That home run was key,” Morris said.

In the sixth inning, Ballard helped his cause by crushing a two-run home run to center field to bring in Adam Karides, who had doubled.

Reliever Sean Poppen closed out the victory, giving up only a leadoff hit to Sean Rutherford.

Ballard finished with six strikeouts in six innings.

Story and Any Photographs Copyright (c), The Virginian-Pilot. Reprinted with permission.

Athlete of the Week
Bryan Wacker

The Dolphins have been on a roll in 2010. With high expectations entering the season Cape Henry suffered two early losses. Those losses did little to dent the Dolphins confidence as the team picked up its collective play to finish the regular season with a 12-4 record, and that successful run happened thanks to players like this week’s Athlete of the Week, Bryan Wacker.

“Bryan has been a huge boost to our club’s offensive surge,” head coach Ryan Morris said of Wacker. “He has done so by being one of the hardest working players in a CHCS uniform. It’s not out of the ordinary to see Bryan working extra after everyone has headed home for the day. Whether it’s extra swings in the cage, extra fly balls, or simply extra conditioning, Bryan puts the time in it takes to excel as a player.”

That extra time has produced results for Wacker, and as a result the Dolphins received another player they could lean on in crunch time. Through the course of the regular season Wacker has batted .422 to go with an on base percentage of .520. The junior has hit 11 singles, six doubles, two home runs and he has driven in 19 runs to go with 15 runs scored of his own.

“Prior to the beginning of the 2010 season Bryan was eager to make strides as a hitter, and was confident he could be more productive for the club,” Morris continued. “He did not look for a shortcut to success, and put in the time and effort to improve.”

And improve he did. But Wacker’s success is not just from the plate, he has been a key member of the pitching staff throughout the course of the season.

Over the course of a three game stretch against Lake Taylor, Walsingham Academy and Hampton Roads Academy, Wacker excelled, and so did the Dolphins. Against Lake Taylor, Bryan went 3 for 3 with two singles, one home run, six RBIs and two runs in a Cape Henry win. He followed that effort in a win against Walsingham with a walk, two singles and two runs. Against HRA, an extra innings victory for the Dolphins, Wacker had a double, two runs scored and was hit by a pitch, but he provided big relief on the mound as well.

Wacker entered the HRA game in the 7th inning with one out and the bases loaded. He allowed no hits and struck out both batters he faced to keep the game tied heading into the bottom of the inning. In the 8th inning he left HRA hitless and gave the Dolphins a chance to win the contest in extra innings.

“Bryan has made a commitment to remain aggressive and trust his stuff, which has made the biggest difference in the results,” Coach Morris finished.

The Dolphins have been getting those results all season thanks to efforts like Wacker’s, and they hope to get more of the same in their postseason run.

Total Team Effort By Girls Lacrosse Falls Just Short Against Bishop Sullivan

In their most intensely battled contest of the season, Cape Henry fell to top seed Bishop Sullivan yesterday, 14-12, in the TCIS semifinals. The Dolphins set the pace, both offensively and defensively, from the first whistle to the last and did not let up once. The Crusaders got on the board early, up by two, but the Dolphins attack answered back with patient and effective play. It was a one goal game for most of the first half with the Dolphins ahead 6-4 until a free position by the Crusaders with :01 remaining in the half cut the Dolphins lead to one. At the start of the second half, Bishop Sullivan immediately tied the score off the draw, but Cape Henry continued to battle. The score was within one goal until the Crusaders were able to convert four straight goals to gain momentum and the biggest lead of the game. Unfazed, the Dolphins stayed in the game, playing exceptionally tenacious defense and working for good offensive opportunities, but fell just short when the final whistle blew. Outstanding play was registered by every Cape Henry player, especially on the defensive end where a Bishop Sullivan player did not get to hold the ball for longer than three seconds before being aggressively double-teamed. Anchoring the defense was again goalie Meghan McKnelly, who posted nine saves on the day, and she was backed by phenomenal play from defenders Alexis Smith, Payton Schaubach and Maddie Houck. Offensively it was a total team effort, with goals tallied by Megan Bradley (one), Regan Haegley (five), Ashmore Standing (three), Alison Riccio (one) and Jordan Mahone (one). The Dolphins now wait to hear their final seeding for next week’s VIS tournament and will likely host a quarterfinal game on Tuesday (4:30pm).

Strong 4th Quarter Spurs Boys Lacrosse to Comeback Victory Over NSA

The Dolphins traveled to Nansemond-Suffolk yesterday to take on the #2 ranked Saints in the TCIS semifinals, and despite a 5-goal fourth quarter deficit Cape Henry scored six unanswered goals to earn an 11-10 victory. John Everett's play in the final quarter was key to the Dolphins victory. Everett won all five face offs taken, giving Cape Henry a major victory in time of possession. From there the Dolphins showcased patience on offense and slowly chipped away at the lead until senior Phil White scored the game-winning goal with 2:19 remaining in the game. The defensive effort of Will Overman (11 saves), Weston Bradley, John Jepson, Neet Patel, William Jordan and Steven Sims clamped down on the Saints offense in the final quarter, giving the Dolphins offense the chance to earn the comeback. Colin Corcoran led Cape Henry with three goals and two assists. John Everett (two goals), Mike Maroon (one goal, four assists), Phil White (one goal, one assist), Austin Curran (one goal), Corey Mavromatis (one goal, one assist) and Garrett Kelly (one goal) rounded out the offense. The #3 ranked Dolphins will travel to Norfolk Academy on Friday to take on the #1 ranked Bulldogs in the TCIS Finals.

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