the Cafe
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Practice was less than 30 minutes
away and Cape Henlopen field hockey coach Mike Eisenhour sat behind a desk
in his classroom, discussing the Vikings' prospects for the 1998 season.
Beneath his blue sweat jacket was a white T-shirt proclaiming "I'm Having A Maalox Moment" in red letters across the front.
With the type of success Cape has enjoyed in the 1990s, it would seem those moments have been few and far between. The Vikings have been perhaps the most dominant field hockey team in Southern Delaware during the past seven years, winning four Henlopen Conference titles and a state championship.
But Eisenhour was taking none of that for granted the week before the 1998 season opener.
"There's a whole lot of people taking aim at us," he said. "I think they (players) understand the pressure we're playing under."
The Vikings won their third straight conference title last year and reached the state semifinals before losing to William Penn 2-1. They finished with a 16-2-1 overall record.
That type of success is nothing new at Cape, where, during the past 20 years, the Vikings have won two state titles (1979 and 1995), reached the state final four times and won at least eight Northern Division titles.
The pressure to maintain those winning ways may be the reason for the slogan on Eisenhour's shirt.
"As long as I can remember, there's been that tradition of having very good teams," said Eisenhour, who is entering his second year as varsity coach. "It's been there, I'm just trying my darnedest to keep it going."
He classified Delaware and the Mid-Atlantic region as a hotbed of field hockey talent that has sent numerous players to college hockey programs.
Helping Cape's cause is a winning tradition dating back more than 20 years. Eisenhour is now coaching the children of those who played there decades ago.
"That's another tradition of sorts," he said.
But winning a fourth straight conference title in 1998 won't be easy. The Vikings will be challenged by a host of other talented teams, including Sussex Central, Laurel, Indian River, Dover and Milford.
"You have to come to play," Eisenhour said. "Everyone in this conference is extremely competitive in field hockey."
Cape will be led by a solid group of returning seniors, including Billie Jo Brittingham, Emily Walls, Angela Griffith, Rachel Meluney and Buffy Jackewicz. Junior Amanda Hopkins, a first team all-conference selection last year, will also provide a boost.
Those players will be instrumental in filling he void left by graduating seniors Kelly Palekar, Jackie Warrington, Kim Smith and Erica Waples.
"I think we all have really high expectations," Brittingham said, noting teamwork is one of the squad's strong points. "We all get along really well."
Brittingham, a second team all conference selection in 1997, hopes to provide senior leadership while leading the team to another conference crown.
"I think everybody wants it bad," she said. "Our conference should be pretty good this year."
Added Eisenhour: "We just hope to be there competing at the end."
That would likely keep the Maalox moments to a minimum.
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