DIAA football semifinals: Stats, trends, predictions for all 6 games

The semifinals of Delaware’s high school football playoffs will be held this weekend, with four games on Friday night and two on Saturday afternoon.

Here is a game-by-game look at the matchups, with trends, analysis and predictions for all six games.

Each of our three experts is hitting on more than 74 percent of their predictions. Brad Myers and Kevin Tresolini cover high school sports for Delaware Online/The News Journal. Defending champion Matt Kalin, who generates the Kalin Ratings for Delaware high school football, is a Mount Pleasant and recent University of Maryland graduate.

Class 3A

No. 5 Middletown at No. 1 Salesianum

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday.

Middletown (8-3)

COACH: Zach Blum.

KEY WINS: Sussex Central 41-7, Smyrna 14-12, Hodgson 31-14, Hodgson 28-7.

KEY LOSSES: Salesianum 37-14, Appoquinimink 38-23.

LAST WEEK: Running back Makai Walker and quarterback Austin Troyer each ran for two touchdowns as the Cavaliers did much of their damage on the ground in a 28-7 quarterfinal win over Hodgson.

Salesianum (10-1)

COACH: Gene Delle Donne.

KEY WINS: Smyrna 28-12, Appoquinimink 47-14, Middletown 37-14, Hodgson 38-19, Smyrna 41-40.

KEY LOSS: Dover 27-16.

LAST WEEK: Running back B.J. Alleyne rushed 34 times for 200 yards and five touchdowns - including a 2-yard score on fourth-and-goal with three seconds left - for a 41-40 quarterfinal win over Smyrna.

ANALYSIS: Rematch of a 37-14 Salesianum win on this same field on Oct. 27, a game with an immense change of momentum. The Cavaliers were leading 14-7 and had second-and-goal at the 11 early in the third quarter, an obvious threat to score again. But the Sals’ Yaheem Smith intercepted a pass in the end zone, and quarterback Ryan Stoehr came off the bench to complete 4 of 5 passes for 104 yards and three touchdowns as the home team scored the final 30 points. It was just the latest in a long line of seesaw battles between these longtime rivals, and whoever takes an early lead this time certainly shouldn’t feel comfortable.

PREDICTIONS: Brad Myers – Salesianum 31-28. Kevin Tresolini – Salesianum 31-21. Matt Kalin – Salesianum 27-24.

No. 6 Cape Henlopen at No. 2 Sussex Central

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday.

Cape Henlopen (8-3)

COACH: Mike Frederick.

KEY WINS: Red Lion Christian 21-14, Smyrna 21-6, St. Georges 35-7, Dover 25-20.

KEY LOSSES: Hodgson 35-0, Sussex Central 35-16, Dover 35-7.

LAST WEEK: Camryn Joyner’s second interception in the final 4:22 clinched Cape’s first state tourney win in 39 years, a 25-20 shocker at third-seeded Dover. Maurki James rushed for 166 yards on 29 carries, including a 59-yard touchdown sprint to put the Vikings up 25-18 with 5:48 left.

Sussex Central (8-3)

COACH: John Wells.

KEY WINS: DMA 17-7, Cape Henlopen 35-16, Dover 13-12, Appoquinimink 28-7.

KEY LOSSES: Middletown 41-7, Appoquinimink 31-30, Smyrna 40-35.

LAST WEEK: Will Harmon rushed 19 times for 107 yards and three touchdowns and also caught an 11-yard scoring pass from Gabe Cannon as the Golden Knights avenged an earlier loss to Appoquinimink with a 28-7 quarterfinal victory.

ANALYSIS: Rematch of a 35-16 Sussex Central victory on this same field on Oct. 13. But both teams made it this far by reversing a regular-season loss in the quarterfinals, so that first meeting may not tell us much. Especially since the Golden Knights only led 21-16 before scoring twice in the final 2:13. Sussex Central will need to slow down James, an Old Dominion commit who rushed for 101 yards in the first meeting and is a constant breakaway threat. Cape will need to slow down everybody, as five different runners combined for 278 yards on 53 carries against Appo last week.

PREDICTIONS: Brad Myers – Sussex Central 24-20. Kevin Tresolini – Sussex Central 21-17. Matt Kalin – Sussex Central 24-20.

Class 2A

No. 5 Howard at No. 1 Caravel

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday.

Howard (8-3)

COACH: Dan Ritter.

KEY WINS: Woodbridge 60-22, Wilmington Friends 50-21, Wilmington Friends 30-28.

KEY LOSSES: Hodgson 43-12, Caravel 56-34, Archmere 13-6.

LAST WEEK: Quarterback R.J. Matthews, normally a prolific passer, ran for all four of the Wildcats’ touchdowns in a 30-28 quarterfinal win over Wilmington Friends. Matthews completed 10 of 18 passes for 137 yards and rushed nine times for 45 yards, including TDs of 1, 5, 2 and 14 yards.

Caravel (11-0)

COACH: John Reed.

KEY WINS: Hodgson 28-13, Howard 56-34, Laurel 21-3, Archmere 28-2, DMA 16-8, Red Lion Christian 31-6, DMA 35-7.

KEY LOSSES: None.

LAST WEEK: Jordan Miller rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns and Craig Miller added 69 yards and two scores in a 35-7 quarterfinal win over Delaware Military Academy.

ANALYSIS: Rematch of a 56-34 Caravel win on this same field on Sept. 15. Craig Miller rushed for 182 yards and three touchdowns, while Jordan Miller rushed for 148 yards and two scores. Matthews lit it up through the air for Howard, completing 26 of 34 passes for 350 yards and five TDs. This game will likely be more of the same, with both teams playing to their strengths but Caravel – the state’s only undefeated team – having just a little more.

PREDICTIONS: Brad Myers – Caravel 49-41. Kevin Tresolini – Caravel 35-28. Matt Kalin – Caravel 34-12.

No. 3 Woodbridge at No. 2 Archmere

WHEN: Noon Saturday.

Woodbridge (9-2)

COACH: Marvin Dooley.

KEY WINS: Laurel 24-8, Milford 52-30, Delmar 34-6, Laurel 14-7.

KEY LOSSES: Howard 60-22, Wilmington Friends 28-12.

LAST WEEK: Traci Johnson carried 35 times for 173 yards and two touchdowns in a 14-7 quarterfinal victory over Laurel.

Archmere (8-3)

COACH: John Bellace.

KEY WINS: DMA 14-12, Howard 13-6, Wilmington Friends 42-14, Red Lion Christian 35-16.

KEY LOSSES: Saint Mark’s 34-30, Newark 28-22, Caravel 28-2.

LAST WEEK: Brendan Burke rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns, Ryan Hagenberg rushed for 41 yards and two touchdowns and Miles Kempski completed 5 of 5 passes for 120 yards – including a 71-yard touchdown to Gavin Lee – in a 35-16 quarterfinal victory over Red Lion Christian.

ANALYSIS: These teams have not met this year, but their results against two common opponents would appear to give Archmere an edge. The Auks defeated Howard 13-6, while Woodbridge lost to the Wildcats 60-22. Archmere defeated Wilmington Friends 42-14, while the Blue Raiders lost to the Quakers 28-12. But both teams are coming in hot. The Auks have won seven straight after a 1-3 start, while Woodbridge has won six of its last seven. The Blue Raiders like to turn around and hand off to Johnson – the 5-foot-6, 160-pound senior has carried 25 times or more in eight games this season while piling up 1,732 yards and 26 touchdowns. Archmere spreads its carries among three or four runners and throws a little more than Woodbridge, averaging 14 passes per game. This should be a close, hard-nosed matchup of teams peaking at the right time.

PREDICTIONS: Brad Myers – Archmere 20-14. Kevin Tresolini – Archmere 28-22. Matt Kalin – Archmere 28-14.

Class 1A

No. 3 Charter of Wilmington at No. 2 Polytech

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday.

Charter of Wilmington (8-3)

COACH: Brian Winnington.

KEY WINS: First State Military Academy 16-13, Glasgow 10-0, St. Elizabeth 18-0, St. Elizabeth 10-8.

KEY LOSSES: Polytech 40-0, Tatnall 52-0.

LAST WEEK: John Foley kicked a 22-yard field goal and L.J. Aldas rushed for a 2-yard touchdown as the Force grinded out a 10-8 quarterfinal win over St. Elizabeth.

Polytech (10-1)

COACH: David Eilers.

KEY WINS: Charter of Wilmington 40-0, First State Military Academy 35-6, St. Andrew’s 36-14, Brandywine 24-21, Glasgow 28-6.

KEY LOSS: Indian River 25-14.

LAST WEEK: Jalen Anderson returned the opening kickoff for an 86-yard touchdown, the Balcerak brothers – quarterback Isaac and receiver Simon – connected five times for 98 yards and a touchdown and Noah Walker scored on a 3-yard run in a 28-6 quarterfinal win over Glasgow.

ANALYSIS: Rematch of a 40-0 Polytech win on this same field on Sept. 15, when Walker rushed 28 times for 155 yards and three touchdowns. Charter has been carried by its defense since then, shutting out its next five opponents and producing six goose eggs overall. But the Force has yet to be competitive against 1A’s top teams, also losing to top-seeded Tatnall 52-0. The Charter offense has scored more than 21 points only twice this season – against Dickinson and A.I. du Pont. The Panthers have exceeded 21 in nine of 10 outings.

PREDICTIONS: Brad Myers – Polytech 35-10. Kevin Tresolini – Polytech 20-7. Matt Kalin – Polytech 24-13.

No. 4 Indian River at No. 1 Tatnall

WHEN: 1 p.m. Saturday.

Indian River (8-3)

COACH: Phillip Townsend.

KEY WINS: St. Elizabeth 20-14, Polytech 25-14, St. Andrew’s 42-7, First State Military Academy 28-6, Brandywine 14-10.

KEY LOSSES: Delmar 35-14, Seaford 23-6, Brandywine 38-28.

LAST WEEK: Dylan Grise rushed for a 4-yard score and threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Darnell Stokes in a 14-10 quarterfinal victory over Brandywine. The Indians stopped the Bulldogs inside the 10-yard-line with 24 seconds left to reach the semifinals.

Tatnall (10-1)

COACH: Brendon Ireton.

KEY WINS: St. Andrew’s 53-7, Tower Hill 55-7, Charter of Wilmington 52-0, First State Military Academy 53-0.

KEY LOSS: Wilmington Friends 22-8.

LAST WEEK: Rahshan LaMons rushed for 204 yards and three touchdowns and completed 4 of 4 passes for 125 yards and three more scores in a 53-0 quarterfinal win over First State Military Academy.

ANALYSIS: Tatnall has been absolutely overwhelming since opening the season with a 22-8 loss to Class 2A playoff team Wilmington Friends, outscoring its last 10 opponents 471-40. Only Glasgow has come within three touchdowns of the Hornets, and that was 22-0. LaMons has dominated, averaging 14.8 yards per carry and completing 65.6 percent of his passes while accounting for 43 total touchdowns. But Indian River is no pushover. The Indians own a win over second-seeded Polytech, and have allowed just 8.6 points per game during their current five-game winning streak. IR will be the best team Tatnall has played since Friends, and it will be interesting to see how they match up.

PREDICTIONS: Brad Myers – Tatnall 21-14. Kevin Tresolini – Tatnall 40-14. Matt Kalin – Tatnall 30-14.

LAST WEEK’S RECORDS: Myers 9-3, Tresolini 10-2, Kalin 9-3.

SEASON RECORDS: Myers 193-56 (.775), Tresolini 191-58 (.767), Kalin 185-64 (.743).

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on X (aka Twitter): @BradMyersTNJ

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: DIAA footbal playoffs: Previews of all 6 semifinal games