After slipping last Friday to Dover, Indian River’s boys tennis team is right back on top. In fact, Tuesday’s 3-2 win against former conference champions Caesar Rodney (who last week, conquered Dover) put them at a three-way tie, marking it as one of the most astounding and pivotal victories the Indians’ tennis team has managed in years. With each of the aforementioned teams giving up only one match this season, among themselves, it proposes a likely feverous race for the conference title this spring.

Nothing more than a slight breeze stood in Indian River’s way as head coach Pat Cicala was ecstatic with his team’s performance on Tuesday. “This is the way good tennis should be,” he said. “Games are close, and the talent is there on both sides.”

First doubles team Eric Linde and Zach Izzo, picked off the first match of the day, winning two sets after narrowly escaping the first in a tie-breaker. “Dover was the first match I had played doubles,” noted Linde. “I had always played singles this season, so playing a good team got us ready.” Doubles partner Izzo didn’t need to tweak much when he and Linde were paired up for the first time last week. “It can be tough jumping in with someone new, but we’ve been friends for a while, so that helps.” His strategy to avoid the gusts of wind was attributed to different strokes. “We really had to work on technique today. We were putting a lot of backspin on our lobs to fight the wind.”

Second and third singles, armed by Zach Kmetz and Chris Connover, respectively, continued their streak, securing the win with two-set victories, as well. “This is one of the biggest wins Indian River has seen in years,” said Kmetz. “We have three number one seeds from our region playing for the top spot in the tournament. Caesar Rodney has clinched the conference for years. This win today is amazing, and it puts us right up there.”

Connover, who had played alongside Izzo until Dover’s match, swapped positions with Linde. “My first two games at third singles were against two of our toughest rivals,” Connover said. “Winning in three sets against my Dover opponent was a pretty awesome feeling. This [Caesar Rodney] opponent was pretty tough, too, and it felt really good pulling off a win like this. It’s a huge victory for our school.” He had a strategy on the blustery day, too. “The key today was to keep the ball low and not over hit it. I could charge the net, knowing that I could get back in time if he lobbed it into the wind.”

Until Friday’s match, the Indians held an undefeated record. “Two-three is a showing,” said Cicala, referencing last week’s sole loss on the season at Dover. “Their first doubles team had two seniors who have been playing together for years. Our guys came out strong. We played well.” The waver was apparently quickly shaken off. “I can’t begin to say what this win [against Caesar Rodney] does for our team,” he said, enthusiastically. “We’re going for the creme de la creme. We just have to keep bringing our best.”

The boys were to face Milford, away, on Thursday, April 24, after Coastal Point press deadline. Next week, they will host Polytech on Monday and Lake Forest on Wednesday before traveling to Seaford on Friday. All games are scheduled for 4 p.m. An away match on Tuesday, May 6 at Stephen Decatur will close out the season schedule and lead into the Henlopen Conference tennis tournament, set for Friday, May 9 at the Sea Colony tennis club.

Seven days, five games. It’s not an easy task for any soccer club, but the Lady Indians proved triumphant, even under pressure, tallying four wins — including three shutouts — in the last week to tighten their grip on the conference. From the young forward line to the solid upper classmen establishing themselves on defense, every one of the Lady Indians is proven that Indian River is a force to be reckoned with this season.

Imposing 7-0 and 9-0 wins over Sussex Tech and Red Lion Christian Academy, respectively, and a 3-1 trounce over Mount Pleasant, helped record some more checks in the win column last week for IR, while their sole loss of the season, so far, came last Thursday against undefeated Caesar Rodney, with a final of 0-4. The ladies turned it around, though, finishing the run of games with a 7-0 shutout this past Tuesday, hosting Seaford. The score holds as a potent reminder of the ferocity the Lady Indians brought to the pitch Tuesday night, as they nailed the uprights a total of seven times for a number of close calls.

Freshman midfielder Miranda Warrington started the night off, drilling the ball to the back of the Seaford net within the first five minutes of the game. Junior forward Courtney Lake followed up with a goal of her own in the 23rd minute. Not even three minutes later, Morgan Warrington added another. Kaitlin Forte marked two goals and Marlena Schleifer and Sarah Purdum each added one before the final whistle sounded.

Midfield and defense kept the ball on the favorable half of the field for IR, as senior goalkeeper Taylor Mushrush didn’t register a single touch on the ball in her 71 minutes between the posts.

Head coach Steve Kilby commended the dominant midfield and defense, cemented by the upperclassmen on the team. “When you look at our senior mids, Michelle Giorgilli and Marlena Schleifer,” he said, “they’ve done an outstanding job winning the ball before it gets into our defensive third. Then you have Erin Kortvelesy and Jenna McKone, our outside backs. No team is able to penetrate with them storming the flanks. Any ball that’s served in, Sarah Purdum cleans it up. She has really good vision on the field.” Purdum’s decisiveness and well-played ball led to Forte’s first score late in the first half.

Freshman Michaella Evans has wasted no time fitting right in with her niche at defense.

“Our defense is a brick wall,” she said with a grin. “It’s all about communication. We work with each other and we have great speed back there.”

“Our defense is really aggressive,” added Forte. “They’re not afraid to step it up, and that helps a lot. They do a great job supporting the front line.”

The back-to-back games hardly posed a hindrance for IR, as early training in the season prepped the team for the stint of matches. “We had a month of preseason with no games,” said Kilby, “and we put a lot of fitness into that month. I think that’s paying dividends for us now. When we do train between games, it’s got to be light. We’ll play back to back, sometimes barely getting a break, but these girls put everything they have into the games.”

The sudden turnarounds are surprisingly not too taxing on the girls, who use the impetus to their advantage. “It’s intense sometimes,” said Forte, “but we get right back in the swing of things once the whistle starts.”

“It’s all about being an athlete and being committed to the sport,” Evans added. “We all know CR is good. They pull a lot of talented players upstate. We know we have to play our best against them, and I think we held our own against them, for the most part. Games like this one [against Seaford], though, really get our momentum back up.”

Kilby was satisfied with the recent victories, but has his eyes fixed on the next task, as he prepared his girls for Woodbridge on Thursday, April 24 (after Coastal Point press deadline). The Lady Indians will return back to their home field at the old high school on Tuesday, April 29 to host Delmar at 7 p.m. Delmar’s only loss of the season as of Wednesday has been to Dover, who lost to the Lady Indians 4-1 at the start of the season.

“It’s always good to win,” said Kilby, not wanting the shutout streak to get into the girls’ heads. “The more wins we get, the better our seeding in the tournament, and we definitely want to get the best draw we can.”

Keeping on track, he remains focus and congratulates his team as they hone in on the last three weeks of the season. “Again, talking about not letting the ball through, you look at the effort of those center mids, and our outside backs. They’re all just doing a great job. These girls are playing great.”

The Delaware Wrestling Alliance took time at an awards banquet earlier this month to recognize Indian River head wrestling coach Jeff Windish, who was honored as the Division II State Coach of the year for his leadership with the program. This distinction marked the first time Windish received such a prestigious award, but was also a first time for any Indian River wrestling coach to receive this tribute.

“It’s a great honor,” he said, “because you’re being chosen by your peers. I give a lot of credit to winning that award to my assistant coaches and the kids I have in the program.”

Windish was recognized as the Henlopen Conference coach of the year two years ago, though not at the state level until now. The division encompasses all of the smaller schools throughout the state, from Sussex to New Castle counties.

“Having the assistance that I have makes my job even easier,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to surround myself with good individuals, like Steve Wilkinson and my brother Jerry.” Jeff Windish has spent four years as head coach at Indian River, and was an assistant two years prior.

This year, he will lose three seniors from his starting lineup to graduation, yielding 11 starters returning next season. “I have a solid core of kids coming back and the majority of them are participating in some sort of off-season wrestling program,” he said. “As a coach, you want your kids to do that as much as they can [throughout the year] because it will improve them for the next season.

Working with the athletes each year has offered Windish the opportunity to expand their capabilities and establish bonds as both a teacher and a friend. “Each year, I set our goals a little higher,” he said, “and we’ve been fortunate enough to achieve those goals. We’re getting closer and closer to the main goal, which is to win a state championship, and we were seven points short this year. We’re moving more and more in the right direction each year. We’re trying to get a little closer, and I think we’re doing a good job of doing that.”

Despite taking home the 2007-2008 Henlopen Conference Southern Division Championship and finishing in the Delaware Division II finals this year, Windish notes that there’s more than the score out there on the mat. “I take into consideration, it’s not just about winning and losing,” he said. “I want them to be student athletes. It’s more than just on the playing field or wrestling mat. It’s in the classroom. It shows that the kids are buying into it.”

The Indian River wrestling program has been a dominant force over the years with overpowering performances and notable state finishes, but now they have another feather in their cap, and a student athlete brimming with pride. Following his graduation this year, wrestler Michael Magaha will look to further his education and athleticism on the mat at Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C. This Monday, he became the first Indian River athlete to sign with a college or university, solely for wrestling.

Coastal Point • Submitted
Michael Magaha puts a hold on an opponent in a match this past season. He will pursue his wrestling techniques as a freshman this fall, signing with Limestone College in South Carolina.

Magaha has accumulated a credible career at the high school — one that flourished following his performance on Selbyville Middle’s wrestling team. The four-year starter, four-time state qualifier and three-time state placer earned recognition with the Indians.

“It’s been a great experience,” he said. “There was some pressure at first, coming up to the high school level, wrestling as a freshman.” He finished his career this winter in the 125-pound weight class, and captured a 127-26 record over four years. This year alone, he finished with 38-6 record. He admits there’s no true secret to his success. “I just go with the flow once I’m out there on the mat,” he said.

Magaha is among the first class of students that coach Jeff Windish will see graduate, as he began his head coaching career four years ago. “Mike has definitely had an outstanding career,” he said. “Anytime you’re wrestling as a freshman and finish up as a two-time state finalist is pretty impressive. It definitely shows that he’s putting in the work to get to that level. There’s no doubt that Mike works constantly for what he does. He really makes it a year-round sport.”

His effort on the mat reflects the guidance he receives from his coach. “Coach Windish has been a great help,” said Magaha, “and I’ve enjoyed working with him. There was a lot that I learned through my time on the team.” He extended his career outside of the high school season, as well. “Going to tournaments in the off-season taught me a lot, and it helped me learn different techniques,” he explained.

While numerous student athletes test their athletic ability across the board with various seasonal sports, Magaha prides himself with focus and discipline, centered on perfecting his skill and maintaining his weight with the sport to which he has devoted most of his time. “I work out, myself,” he said. “I try to stay in shape on my own.” Wrestling has become a healthy obsession for Magaha, who perceives the sport as more of a lifestyle than a pastime.

He’s projected to wrestle at the 125-pound or 133-pound weight class at Limestone, a Division II liberal arts school with less than 1,000 enrolled. “It was always my goal to get to college and continue wrestling,” he said.

Windish is confident that the class and school size will accompany his continuing career quite well. “Mike hit a growth spurt this year and was fortunate to be able to hold a 125 class,” he said. “Limestone College is a good fit for him. It’s a school where he’s probably going to be able to get in there and contribute right off the bat, and that’s what he was looking for. That’s not always the case, and he has the potential of doing well at the collegiate level. The coaches at the school agree with that, wholeheartedly. Seeing him sign the letter to Limestone was not only a big moment for him, but for our program and for the school, itself.”

Windish added that the appeal of the location can also attribute to athletic performance. “He wanted to go south and went down on an official visit and fell in love with the school and the area,” Windish noted. “That’s what you want. You want a place you’re going to be comfortable for four years. He’s put himself in a position where he’s going to succeed on the mat and in the classroom.”

Head Coach Mark Browne is pleased with the way his softball team is coming together, and who can blame him? The Lady Indians started two-for-two in pre-season scrimmage wins over Easton and Mardela. They were set to face Milford at the Pyle Center for their third and final scrimmage on Thursday, March 20, (after Coastal Point press deadline) before their season opens up against Nandua on Tuesday, March 25, at 1 p.m.

Coastal Point • Ruslana Lambert
Abi Buchler catches a piece of the ball during Tuesday’s scrimmage against Mardela. The Lady Indians start their season on Tuesday against Nandua.

With a few decisions left to be made to fill out the field, Browne was able to assess a lot of activity in Tuesday’s match-up.

“We’re just trying to get as many challenges in these games as we can get,” said Browne. “It’s nice to have the chance to work on different things.”

In last Thursday’s scrimmage at Easton, the Indians escaped with a 2-0 victory, without recording a hit.

“We had to find a way to win a ballgame when we weren’t hitting,” he said. “It was a nice time to emphasize making the plays and keeping yourself in the game, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Mardela’s left-handed pitcher provided plenty of swinging practice for Indian River to adjust to, as well. And chilly, windy weather conditions presented the Lady Indians with another challenge to overcome.

“It’s always tough to get through weather like this,” he added.

The team rotated a handful of girls on the mound. “Still pitching by committee,” Browne said.

Currently, the coaching staff is eyeing five pitchers between the JV and varsity teams.

“We’re working out the kinks from the back,” he said, “but it’s looking alright. On paper, it doesn’t mean anything until you get out there on the field against good competition, but we are experienced. That’s the positive, but we’ve got a long way to go and we know that.”

After a 2-2 deadlock against Seaford last week, followed by a rain-delayed match between the team’s top hitters, Indian River boys tennis players knew they had to return to the courts with precision and focus. Brendan Young, leading IR at first-singles, stepped back on the court last Tuesday to secure the 3-2 victory for the Indians in a tie-breaker — a win that just may help to give them the conference as the team approaches the midpoint of their schedule.

The team powered on that week, knocking off Cape Henlopen and Smyrna on Thursday and Friday in commanding wins. Those matches were followed up by a 5-0 victory hosting Sussex last Monday, April 14. The Indians, now sitting comfortably on an undefeated record, can enjoy their triumph, although head coach Pat Cicala doesn’t want it to get to their heads.

“I’ve enjoyed our performances so far this season, and it’s quite exciting for the kids, too,” he stated, “but we can’t ease off.”

Cicala has been video-recording his players’ performance, and with a break in the schedule this week, he hopes it will benefit them as a teaching guide.

“We’ll watch the videos at practice,” he said, “not to point fingers, but to see where we can be making improvements. I can talk to the kids, and explain as a coach what they can fix, from dipping your shoulder to not rolling your hand, but if they see it for themselves, that’s much more of an instructional tool.”

Before even getting into the tapes, Cicala planned to ask each player what one part of their performance they felt they could adjust; then, by honing in on these tactics, they can better themselves as athletes. With three days before their next game at Dover on Friday, April 18, the players will have more than enough time to recuperate from the harsh early schedule that saw three matches a week on several occasions.

“These kids are working hard,” said Cicala. “They have the best advantage over the teams and these guys are eager to learn and improve their game. Our performance lets us know where we sit.”

He is exceptionally pleased with the way his second-doubles team and exhibition pairs have brought their intensity.

“They’re really vivacious,” he admitted. “This week, I’ll have four players challenging each other for the second-doubles position. As a coach, you have to love it, knowing that their talent is so close. It really gets them to lay in practices for the real deal, too.”

With time away from matches, he hopes to help his doubles players understand how to work together and figure out their strategy. As for singles, he wants to emphasize which strokes to use in situations that will help them win.

“We have to start looking at individual play,” he said.

Following the Dover match on Friday, the Indians will hit the courts this week, hosting Caesar Rodney on Thursday, April 22, at 4 p.m. and traveling to Milford on Thursday. IR managed a 5-0 win against Milford already in the third match of this season.

“We have a good week ahead of us,” said Cicala. “It’s time to focus.”

“We’re coming together really well,” said second-singles player Zach Kmetz. “With that Smyrna win, there’s no reason why we can’t bring home the conference title this year. We just have to keep playing the best way we know how.”

Cicala encouraged his team to stay on track, as the conference championships at Sea Colony loom less than a month away.

“We just need to keep our heads straight,” he said. “The guys are having fun while doing this. It’s great to see them enjoying themselves.”

Soggy conditions made for difficult play for Indian River this past Tuesday as they narrowly gave up their first game of the season to Lake Forest, 3-2. Standing water to contend with on a few of the courts eventually progressed into periodic sprinkles, then full-on showers for the athletes.

Coastal Point • Ruslana Lambert
Ramsey Ruether comes with a forehand in Tuesday’s damp match against Lake Forest. Ruether won her first singles match despite the team’s 2-3 loss, overall.

Early wins from the Indians’ second-doubles and first-singles teams were not quite enough to fend off the Spartans. The discouraging loss was unforeseen, as the Indians had pulled off two wins last year at both matches against Lake Forest. Experience may have been on Lake Forest’s side, however, as Indian River’s roster contains not one senior this year.

Second-doubles partners Casey Hull and Nicole Lord tallied the first win of the day for the Lady Indians, outscoring their opponents, 6-4, 6-0. Ward was moved up to the position that very day, proving she can work well, even in transition.

Junior and three-year starter Ramsey Ruether, finished her first-singles match 6-2, 6-2, adjusting well to the damp conditions.

“My main focus,” she said, “especially once it started raining, was ball movement.”

Ruether and the Hull/Ward duo were the only ones to finish on top.

On the lighter side, IR’s exhibition doubles teams pulled out impressive performances, which may quite possibly yield some position alterations later in the season.

“It’s reassuring to know the girls can play strong through the lineup,” said Indian River head coach Karen Oliphant.

Kayla Blake, who had proven herself at a doubles position previously, was moved up to third-singles for Tuesday’s match. Jocelyn Hazzard debuted at the second-singles spot, a position left last year by senior Erica Evans. Brittany Baker and Katie Farber returned for the opener, once again, as first-doubles partners, but as Oliphant noted, some changes may be in store.

“It’s hard for them not to blame today’s performance on the rain,” said Oliphant. “But, hopefully, we can turn it around by the Seaford match. We have to look at how we played, and they need to ask themselves what can they do better and what needs to change before we go back out on the courts on Thursday.”

Thursday’s match at Seaford (after Coastal Point deadline) was expected to test the Indians as they sacrificed two losses to the team last year. Racquets will continue swinging for the ladies next week with matches at Milford on Monday, and then hosting Cape Henlopen and Smyrna on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. All games are scheduled for 4 p.m.