Sports

For years, Sea Colony Tennis in Bethany Beach has been recognized nationwide and internationally for their facility. Earlier this year, Tennis magazine placed Sea Colony in their Top 50 American Resorts, including No. 3 in the Mid-Atlantic region, and this summer, they hosted the ResortQuest Pro Women’s Open.

The offshore bite this summer has been the biggest seen in nearly a decade, with plenty of yellowfin, bluefin and big-eye tuna tipping the scales at the marinas, and not a moment too soon. This weekend, the 25th Annual Ocean City Tuna Tournament looks to impress, set for July 13-15 with a cash payout of $500,000.

Some Sussex County children got to burn some excess energy and learn a new sport this week at the Sussex Central High School’s first pee-wee and youth wrestling clinic, held July 9 to 13.

For making a positive difference in her community and inspiring others, Ocean View resident Marisa Grimes — a 2010 graduate of Worcester Preparatory School — was one of 10 teenagers from across the United States selected by Coca-Cola to be an Olympic Torchbearer in the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.

Some of his latest performances would suggest that Tiger Woods is again the best golfer in the world today — especially following his third win in his last seven starts, after sealing the AT&T National this past weekend for his 74th career PGA Tour win. The triumph put him in second, overall, in Tour wins, allowing him to pass the legendary Arnold Palmer.

Did You See That?

ByWindy and rainy conditions made their way through the Maryland and Delaware coast area this past week, and with Tropical Storm Debby moving up over Florida and northbound, anglers may only have a brief window this week in which to cast their rods for a big day. On a positive note, though, the warm water temperatures have been bringing in plenty of action.

The Maryland and Delaware coastlines are renowned for their summer hotspots, their vast selection of restaurants and, of course, their golf courses. The versatility that Bayside Golf Resort Golf Club, in west Fenwick Island, offers is well known, and it provides patrons with one of the most testing, yet scenic, backdrops along the pristine Assawoman Bay.

More and more anglers are getting their hooks baited up and into the water, and why not? The fishing has been great this week. Reports of good catches have been coming in from all around, while the variety of what’s getting caught is expanding, too.

France set the scene in a historic week of tennis as the sport’s finest took to the clay courts in the 2012 French Open. At the end, Russia’s Maria Sharapova walked away with the world’s No. 1 women’s ranking, after becoming just the 10th female to ever complete a career Grand Slam. Rafael Nadal showed why he’s earned the nickname the “King of Clay,” as his French Open win over Novak Djokovic — his seventh title at Roland Garros — vaulted him into the record books as the most successful tennis player in French Open history.

Ah, summertime… There’s nothing quite like hitting the ballpark, grabbing a couple of hotdogs and enjoying America’s pastime. Plenty of people, young and old, will even sport a baseball glove in hopes of catching that stray foul ball, or, better yet, a home run — though, more often than not, they come up without a souvenir.

Throughout his athletic career, Jamie Jarmon has had no shortage of decisions to make, with accomplishments spanning three varsity sports in high school. But this week, he was faced with his biggest decision yet. Back in February, the 2012 Indian River High School grad and outfield stand-out signed to play centerfield for the University of South Carolina, but earlier this week, with the 83rd overall pick in the second round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, Jarmon was selected by the Texas Rangers.

Two weeks ago, I was giddy with excitement as my beloved Baltimore Orioles were shocking the nation, leading the American League, and were only a game behind the top spot overall in the MLB. Growing up in Maryland, I became an Orioles fan during the Cal Ripken Jr. era, but, as all O’s fans can attest, it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen a Baltimore team of that caliber.

Two weeks ago, I was giddy with excitement as my beloved Baltimore Orioles were shocking the nation, leading the American League, and were only a game behind the top spot overall in the MLB. Growing up in Maryland, I became an Orioles fan during the Cal Ripken Jr. era, but, as all O’s fans can attest, it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen a Baltimore team of that caliber.

Over the past three years, the Indian River boys’ varsity tennis team has been on the upswing, improving their record with each season, leading to their capturing a 13-1 performance and the Southern Henlopen Division title last month – an achievement that they narrowly missed a year ago, to Seaford. IR head coach Paris Mitchell Jr. was named the Henlopen Conference Coach of the Year for 2012, but as he noted, it’s a testament to the kids.

The 2011-2012 school year was one to remember for the Indian River athletic department. From a state championship won by an established football program to the introduction of a completely new sport altogether, in lacrosse, the “Green and Gold” has had quite a year.

Last season, Indian River’s varsity golf team finished 11-2. This season, they rounded out the schedule 9-4. Though it wasn’t an improvement, the Indians made sure to prove that their season record wasn’t a deviation from their potential. And they went out this Monday, and locked up a third-place showing at the Henlopen Conference Championship, held at Peninsula Golf Club in Dover. The only teams to best them were the undefeated defending state champs, Caesar Rodney, and the 13-2 Ravens of Sussex Tech.

Last week, Indian River’s varsity baseball season drew to a close, as the Indians shut out Laurel, 14-0, on Thursday, May 17. The victory brought the Indians closer to a record of .500, but they still came up just shy, at 8-10, after the second half of the season fell into a tailspin. It has been a perplexing season for head coach Kevin Cordrey, who saw determination and desire in each one of his players all year long.

With summer around the corner, plenty of high-school seniors are eager to graduate and take that next step in their lives. For several Indian River High School student-athletes, that next step will come sooner than others, as they prepare to continue in the classrooms, as well as on the fields – and even in the pool – this fall.

Ever since I was a young kid, soccer has always been a part of my life. Unfortunately, over the years, though, the sport has picked up an unhealthy reputation for players taking dives — faux falls, pseudo spills, trumped-up trips — in order to get a free kick.

Until four years ago, many of Indian River High School’s student athletes didn’t have the spring athletic options they were looking for.

Earlier this month, Selbyville Middle School wrapped up their track and field season, and for the second consecutive year, the boys’ team captured an undefeated record and placed first at the Delaware Middle School Classic Invitational, held on May 4 at Cape Henlopen High School.

Indian River’s varsity golf program started off their season without a hitch, collecting six wins in a row, before facing defending state champions Caesar Rodney.

The Lady Indians’ soccer team wasted no time getting things underway this past Tuesday evening, May 15, as they squared off against Sussex Central. Brianna Belfiore scored the game’s first and final goals and added an assist as Indian River defeated the Golden Knights, 5-1, improving their record to 7-7 as the season drew to an end this week.

After trailing Cape Henlopen for most of the game on Tuesday, May, 8, Indian River High School’s varsity baseball team was potentially looking at their eighth loss in their last 10 games. But a late rally in the final inning – capped off with a walk-off shot to right field to score the winning runs – put the Indians back on top as they came from behind to defeat the Vikings 5-4.

The Lady Indians found themselves in an offensive battle on Tuesday, May 8, as they hosted the Cape Henlopen Vikings. The Indians knew a win wasn’t going to come easy, after the Lady Vikings jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and extended it to 8-1 by the third.

This past week, wins on the tennis court for both Indian River’s boys’ and girls’ varsity teams earned them locks on the Southern Henlopen Division titles. The boys fell just short last year, losing the crown to Seaford, while the girls continued their streak, mounting their third consecutive Henlopen South Division championship.

The three-year-old Indian River track-and-field program may still be in its infancy, and second-year head coach Bob Hahn may still have plenty in store for the team’s future. But the program broke new ground this week, as the Indians hosted their first-ever track-and-field meet as local rivals Sussex Central and Sussex Tech visited.