District 3A-2 football preview: St. Georges makes move, but already knows opponents
When the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association added Saint Mark’s as the 12th football team in Class 3A last December, one of the District 3A-1 teams was going to have to switch to District 3A-2.
St. Georges coach John Wilson, president of the Delaware Interscholastic Football Coaches Association, volunteered his Hawks.
“Why not go to the other division to make it work?” Wilson said. “I’m not sure who would have gone over to the other division, so why not us?”
St. Georges, located within site of the Roth Bridge over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, will be the northern-most school in 3A-2. But travel expenses won’t increase, because the Hawks were already playing every 3A-2 team.
When DIAA realigned Delaware high school football into three divisions two years ago, 11 teams were placed in Class 3A – the highest level. St. Georges filled its schedule by playing all of the other 10.
“We play everybody,” Wilson said. “We put them on the schedule. We’re not looking for anything but to play the best competition.”
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For what it’s worth, the Hawks went 3-2 against 3A-2 teams in 2021, then 2-3 against them last year. St. Georges ended both seasons with a playoff loss to 3A-2 member Dover, last year in the state semifinals.
“It’s been exciting,” Wilson said. “Every week, you’ve got to bring your ‘A’ game.”
This year, the Hawks had 108 players on the first day of preseason practice. So they fit right in among the state’s largest, most successful football schools, wherever they play.
“I think the biggest thing is trying to develop all of these guys, from our freshmen all the way up,” Wilson said. “Because we don’t just want to have a good team, we want to have a good program. That’s what we’re trying to emphasize here. Everybody is going to get coached up and develop.”98
Here is a team-by-team look at the District 3A-2 football race, in predicted order of finish:
1. Smyrna Eagles
COACH: Mike Judy.
LAST YEAR: 12-1, won Class 3A championship.
RETURNING STARTERS: WR Kahmaj Kearney, so.; WR Andre Ashley, sr.; RB Tim Yancy, jr.; OT Jaydin Price, sr.; G Chijioke Eule, sr.; G Nate Roscoe, jr.; OT Dylan Champlin, sr.; LB Cole Moyer, sr.; DE Brandon West, sr.; DT Caleb Blane, sr.; DB Corey Williams, sr.; DB C.J. Kearney, sr.; DB Nazir Evans, sr.
KEY NEWCOMERS: QB Jesse Dixon, sr.; QB Jacob Tiberi, sr.; C Dom Zuck, sr.; DL Sean Supinski, sr.; DB Aamir Thomas, so.; LB Me’Kenzie Square-Ward, jr.; LB Triston Williams, sr.
OUTLOOK: The defending champs have long had an explosive offense, but defense may be the strength of this team. Some new faces will need to play big roles to score points, which could lead to a couple of early bumps in the road. But when the playoffs near, expect the Eagles to be back in serious contention for another 3A title.
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2. Dover Senators
COACH: Chip Knapp.
LAST YEAR: 8-5, lost in Class 3A championship game.
RETURNING STARTERS: QB Nahseem Cosme, sr.; RB-OLB Jakwon Kilby, sr.; OL-DL Mike Stevenson, jr.; OL Dan Shockley, sr.; OL Jason Hoskins, sr.; OL Keegan Countryman, jr.; WR Jaheim Cole, so.; WR John Parker, jr.; LB Rasheed Branch, jr.; DB Jakhai Tilghman, sr.; DB Tamir Darden-Jefferson, sr.; DB Chris Grady, jr.; K-P Brandon Yoder, sr.
KEY NEWCOMERS: TE-OLB Amir Byrom, sr.; OL Connor Ridgway, sr.
OUTLOOK: The Senators have improved steadily in Knapp’s two seasons, and this could be the year they put it all together. Cosme, Kilby and Parker key one of the state’s most explosive offenses.
3. Sussex Central Golden Knights
COACH: John Wells.
LAST YEAR: 8-3, lost in first round of Class 3A playoffs.
RETURNING STARTERS: LB Gabe Cannon, sr.; LB Justin Negron, sr.; DE-TE Kyle Custis, sr.; DE-TE Kevon Moore-Briddell, sr.; CB Will Harmon, so.; DT Victor Perez, jr.
KEY NEWCOMERS: Joaquin Rodriquez; HB-LB Jajuan Sturgis, jr.; FB-LB Sam Pucci, jr.; Tony William, Rodney Escobar.
OUTLOOK: Custis and Moore-Briddell are among the state’s best defensive ends, and points should be tough to come by against the Golden Knights. If the normally reliable wing-T offense can control the clock, Sussex Central will be a 3A title contender again.
4. St. Georges Hawks
COACH: John Wilson.
LAST YEAR: 5-7, lost in Class 3A semifinals.
RETURNING STARTERS: RB Camron Montgomery, sr.; LB Odai Morgan, sr.; RB-OLB Terry White, sr.; OLB Aaron Staggs, sr.; WR-DB Emory Womack, jr.; WR Jayson Askins-Brooks, jr.; DE-TE Jase Munson, jr.; DE-TE Amir Jones, sr.; OL Kyle Jones, sr.; OL Elis McVey, sr.; OL Emmanuel Alexander, jr.; OL Tyler-Rawlins Cronin, sr.; OL Jahlil Settles, so.
KEY NEWCOMERS: QB Francis McCarthy, jr.; QB Tim Whichard, so.; WR Nasir Still, jr.; WR Jaden Gunter, so.; RB-DB, Ayden Jones, so.; DB-WR Andrew Thomas, sr.; OLB Damian Wegman, jr.; DB-WR Malachi Walton, so.; OLB Jah’siah Fyffe, jr.; OL-DL, Joshua Joyner, sr.; OL-DL Dwayne Williams, sr.; ILB Walique Johnson-Richardson, sr.; WR Nicholas Bonacci, so.; WR Ezara Reyes, so.; DB Jayden Dmeza, so.; DE Mekhi Smith, so.; OL-DL Xavier Harris-Luga, so.; LB Naraie Brown-Washington, jr.; DB Rai’ayre Raiford, sr.
OUTLOOK: First year in this district for the Hawks, but they have played every 3A-2 team the last two years. St. Georges won its last two regular-season games to make the playoffs, then upset Appoquinimink 13-7 to reach the semifinals before losing to Dover. The Hawks have plenty of returning talent, and if some new faces fill a few gaps they could make some postseason noise again.
5. Cape Henlopen Vikings
COACH: Mike Frederick.
LAST YEAR: 4-7, lost in first round of Class 3A playoffs.
RETURNING STARTERS: RB-LB Maurki James, sr.; WR Lucas Stevenson, sr.; OL-DL Saul Garcia, sr.; WR-DB CJ Bruinton, jr.; LB-TE Brenn Scott, sr.; LB Jackson Cunningham, sr.; RB-LB Jayden Messick, jr.; WR-DB Dean Miguez, jr.; K-P Wilson Ingerski, sr.; QB-LS Gus Musika, sr.
KEY NEWCOMERS: WR-DB Lex Wescott, sr.; DB AJ Moseley, jr.; OL-DE Trey Batson, so.; OL-DT Sal Sartori, so.; RB-LB Dell Richards, so.; DE Jukai Payne, sr.; WR-DB Machi Savage, sr.; OL Bo Frederick, jr.; OL Tyler Cohen-Kreis, so.; OL-DL GT Curtis, jr.; OL D.J. Schulze, jr.; WR-DB Lamar McCoy, so.; WR-DB Cam Joyner, so.; WR-DB Amari Jackson, so.; WR-DB Navin Duffy, so.; DB Nick Trewartha, sr.; OL-DL Liam Ramsey, so.; QB-DB Jameson Tingle, fr.; QB Mikey Thompson, so.; RB-DB Ozmeer Daisey, fr.; RB-DB Ty Handy, so.; RB-LB Anthony Francis, so.
OUTLOOK: The Vikings showed improvement in Frederick’s first season as coach. Cape has the potential to make a bigger jump behind James, one of the state’s top offensive players with more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage last year.
6. Caesar Rodney Riders
COACH: Shaun Strickland.
LAST YEAR: 1-9.
RETURNING STARTERS: QB Julius Timmons, jr.; TE-LB Carter Stump, sr.; OL-DL Chris Jamison, sr.; WR-DB Aiden Cain, jr.; RB-LB Typhen Bowe-Walker, jr.; RB-DB Kesson Bay, jr.; G-LB Marcus Moore, jr.; OL-DL Stephen Davis, jr.
KEY NEWCOMERS: TE John Case, jr.; WR Taishaun Allen, jr.; RB-DB Elijah Odom, sr.; WR Max Viddy, so.; WR Anthony Harris, so.
OUTLOOK: Strickland returns to coach at his alma mater, after a successful stint at Milford. The Riders face an uphill climb, and building confidence will be key.
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on X (a.k.a. Twitter): @BradMyersTNJ
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware high school football: District 3A-2 team-by-team preview
