Sports

The Indian River varsity volleyball team set some goals at the beginning of the season but the main thing was to win the Southern Division and to regain respectability. The Lady Indians have won three of their last five matches, putting them in prime position to win the division.

“Five yards and a cloud of dust,” combined with a solid defense.
That is the way Indian River’s football team is going to win football games this year, according to Head Coach Jim Bunting.

Earning respect from one’s peers can be the ultimate satisfaction. The Indian River varsity soccer team may have done just that by tying their northern counterpart, Cape Henlopen, 1-1 on Oct. 6 and downing Dover 2-0 on Oct. 11 as they pushed their way toward a higher position in the state rankings.

After dropping their first two games, Indian River’s varsity field hockey team is headed in the right direction with their 5-1 victory over Lake Forest on Oct. 6. The win marked their fourth conference win of the season and fourth win in the past five games.

Conference wins count for the state tournament. Losing to top-tier teams’ counts for something altogether different — but equally important. St. Thomas More is the cream of the crop in volleyball, and though Indian River lost in three straight matches, something was earned and learned according to Head Coach Jess Dodd.

“They were hitting at first but I kept lowering my shoulder and as the game went on I could see that they didn’t want to hit anymore,” said Indian River running back Josh Gott.

Overtime games are always exciting to watch and be a part of, but Indian River might want to skip the kind of excitement they had to endure when they faced off with fellow Southern Conference contender Seaford on Oct. 4.

Bump-set-spike was a great combination for the Indian River varsity volleyball team against Lake Forest on Oct. 4 but it was more like game-set-match. The Lady Indians downed the Lady Spartans in three straight games, to even their record at 4-4.

Local golfers are already taking a swing at the rare opportunity to play the only tournament set at the brand new Bayside Resort Golf Club in its inaugural year.

Sussex Central’s junior varsity football team earned the cross-town bragging rights after beating Indian River 32-6 on Sept. 19.

Anglers have just a few more days to register for the Annual Fall Surf-fishing Tournament sponsored by the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce at early-bird rates.

The Indian River varsity football team massacred Washington High School’s team 37-0 on Sept. 23 in a mercy-rule effort. The Indians scored early and often, and dominated both sides of the lines of scrimmage. The team was even able to make wholesale changes in the second half to get its reserves some varsity playing time.

Anything can happen when a full moon is showing, and on the eve of the full moon on Sept. 16 Indian River scored 19 unanswered points to defeat Stephen Decatur in their home opener. Big plays, a prepared defense and a punishing ground attack squelched the Bayside perennial powerhouse, but it wasn’t without a cost.

The Lady Indians varsity volleyball team has jumped out to a hot 3-0 record as the fall season begins now in earnest. In their third match of the season, Indian River hosted Delmarva Christian on Sept. 20 and started off slowly. They lost the first game 25-17 but went on to win the next three for the overall win.

Nearly a thousand triathletes will converge on Sea Colony on Sept. 24 to compete in the 22nd Make-A-Wish triathlon to benefit terminally ill children.

Individuals and teams of various genders and age groups — totaling 980 athletes — will complete a 1.5-kilometer swim, 36-kilometer bike ride and a 10-kilometer run.