Salesianum clinches first district title, tops Week 9 Delaware high school football roundup

MIDDLETOWN – Turning the ball over four times usually isn’t a recipe for football success.

But sacking the quarterback six times and holding your opponent to minus-29 yards rushing can more than compensate, and that is what the Salesianum defense did on the way to a 38-19 victory over Hodgson on Saturday at St. Georges.

“Defense kept us in it,” Sallies coach Gene Delle Donne said. “… Defense kept answering the call, and here we are.”

The top-ranked Sals (8-1, 4-0) clinched the school’s first District 3A-1 championship, and will finish the regular season at archrival Saint Mark’s next Friday night before opening the Class 3A playoffs at home the following week.

“I’m not going to lie to you, I was tired out there,” said Sallies linebacker L.J. Smith, who earned three sacks. “But I was having a lot of fun. … I literally was living back there. I wish I could have gotten a couple more.”

Colin Maradik’s 45-yard field goal, Ryan Stoehr’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Lukas Ryan and B.J. Alleyne’s 2-yard run off a direct snap pushed the Sals ahead 17-0 at halftime.

That margin was built despite two interceptions by Hodgson’s Brysheem Davis and a Sallies fumble recovered by the Silver Eagles’ Gary Blalock.

The Sals overcame those miscues with dominance on ‘D’, holding Hodgson to two first downs (one on a penalty) and 8 total yards in the first two quarters.

Aiden Lego’s 7-yard run made it 24-0 before the Silver Eagles got on the board on Maki Beach’s 1-yard sweep. Andrew Ransome’s 6-yard run pushed the lead to 31-6 with 10:36 to play.

The Sals did give up a couple of long touchdown passes by Hodgson’s Xavier Brown – 54 yards to Beach and 72 yards to Davis – in the final minutes.

Alleyne rushed nine times for 64 yards and Ransome carried 13 times for 64 yards.

Stoehr completed 13 of 17 for 138 yards and Brady McBride completed 4 of 5 for 74 yards and a touchdown for Salesianum.

Ryan had six catches for 84 yards and Ben Anton caught three for 66 yards, both with a TD.

Brown completed 12 of 28 throws for 269 yards for Hodgson, with Davis catching six for 140 yards and Marlon Sparks grabbing four for 68 yards.

Tatnall 52, Charter of Wilmington 0

WILMINGTON - A shifty and explosive offense paired with a stifling defensive front gave the Hornets an overwhelming win against the Force and clinched the District 1A-1 title.

The Hornets’ defense, led junior Jack Homer’s five sacks, allowed only two first downs. Homer, who also recovered a fumble, combined with Justin Smith, Joshua Boothe, Owen Mrozinski and Ben Marvin to present an impenetrable front.

“Whenever you’re in a football game where you’re excited to go out on defense because you know you’re just going to go out there and fly around, that’s always a great feeling,” Homer said.

Senior Rahshan LaMons led the Hornets’ ground attack, running for 177 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Junior RJ Moore added 78 yards and a touchdown on 11 attempts.

When the running game drew in the Force’s secondary, Tatnall (8-1, 6-0) completed four deep passes, three for touchdowns.

The most impressive completion was the one that failed to reach the end zone. LaMons eluded a free rusher up the middle, spun and rolled to his left with the ball in his non-throwing hand.

A step before a defender carried him out of bounds, he transferred the ball and tossed it into the air. The pass landed in the bread basket of tight end Jayden Minor, who tapped both feet in bounds for a 36-yard gain.

LaMons added to his highlight reel with a punt return touchdown in the first quarter.

“I like to call myself the ATH,” LaMons said, referencing the abbreviation for athletes, the class of college recruits that aren’t positionally bound. “But I feel like the offense that I’m put in, the offense that’s surrounding me makes me who I am.”

Archmere 47, Odessa 21

CLAYMONT – John Orsini passed for 162 yards and five touchdowns as the Auks (6-3, 4-0 District 2A-2) held their district lead with a big win over the Ducks (2-7, 0-4).

Orsini’s TDs covered 17 yards to Drew Duncan, 10 and 46 yards to Gavin Lee, 31 yards to Ryan Hagenberg and 13 yards to Cole Fenice.

Fenice also scored on runs of 2 and 7 yards and finished with 13 carries for 82 yards, plus six tackles on defense.

Chase Belin scored on a 77-yard run and a 68-yard pass from JC Alley for Odessa. The Ducks also got a 4-yard TD pass from M.J. Kusman to Jalen Lingham.

Wilmington Friends 35, Tower Hill 0

ALAPOCAS – Ryan Tattersall rushed for two touchdowns and passed for two more as the Quakers (8-1, 3-1 District 2A-2) shut out their longtime rival Hillers (5-4, 2-2).

Tattersall opened the scoring with a 33-run, followed by Andrew McKenzie’s 16-yard TD to make it 14-0 after one quarter.

Then Tattersall punched in another from the 3 and threw a 5-yard TD pass to Jaxon Black to double the lead to 28-0 at halftime.

Then Tattersall and Black connected again for a 39-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Tattersall rushed 11 times for 102 yards and completed 7 of 11 passes for 91 yards. McKenzie rushed nine times for 70 yards, and Tyler Maheshwari was in on 10 tackles for the Friends defense.

Friday’s games

Dover 35, Cape Henlopen 7

DOVER – John Parker rushed for 190 yards and three touchdowns and turned a short pass into another long score as the Senators (8-1, 3-1 District 3A-2) romped to an easy win over the Vikings (6-3, 2-2).

Parker, an All-State receiver who moved to running back four weeks ago after an injury to leading rusher Jakwon Kilby, opened the scoring with a 3-yard run just three minutes into the game.

Then the speedy junior showed his receiving skills were still intact, taking a horizontal pass from Nahseem Cosme and blazing 87 yards to make it 14-0 with 9:13 left in the second quarter.

“I’ve got to take advantage of all the passes I get,” Parker said with a laugh. “I’ve got to fill in somewhere else, but whenever I get a chance to play receiver, it’s my natural position.”

He looked just as adept at running back, scoring from again from the 5 before halftime and ripping off a 54-yard TD midway through the fourth quarter.

Ja’Khai Tilghman also made big plays for the Senators, with a diving interception in the second quarter and an 89-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Cape’s only touchdown came on a 20-yard pass from Brenn Scott to Jameson Tingle with 7:27 remaining.

Cosme completed 6 of 9 passes for 172 yards, with Parker gaining 91 on just three grabs and Jaheim Cole going for 74 yards on two catches.

Maurki James rushed 27 times for 184 yards for the Vikings.

Middletown 35, Saint Mark’s 10

MIDDLETOWN — Matt Priestley had seven receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown as the Cavaliers (7-2, 3-1 District 3A-1) outdueled the Spartans (4-5, 1-3).

Priestley’s 43-yard touchdown catch from Austin Troyer with 24 seconds left in the first quarter gave the Cavaliers a lead they would not relinquish.

Troyer finished with 227 yards and went 18-of-23 on his passing attempts.

Amare Glover added a pair of rushing touchdowns for Middletown, while Makai Walker also rushed for a score.

The Middletown defense forced three turnovers, including a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown by Justin McGill. The defensive lineman also recovered a fumble.

Saint Mark’s was led by Logan Klein, who rushed for a touchdown and threw a successful two-point conversion. The Spartans also recorded a safety due to an intentional grounding penalty by Middletown in its own end zone.

Red Lion Christian 51, Newark 0

RED LION – The Lions (7-2, 4-0 District 2A-1) scored on seven of their nine drives en route to a romp over the Yellowjackets (3-6, 1-3).

“I’d say this is probably our best win of the season,” said Red Lion senior Xavier Moore, who recorded three tackles for a loss.

Sophomore QB Evan Budinger said his team planned to open up the running game by completing short passes. Budinger completed his first five attempts, and 10 of 16 passes overall for 125 yards and a touchdown.

Three Red Lion tailbacks reached the end zone: Giovanni Ramirez and Mekhi Corbin (twice each) and Jacque Wilson. Wilson also recovered a fumble in the end zone as the clock expired.

The Red Lion defense did not allow a first down until the fourth quarter.

The win sets up a regular season finale next Friday between Red Lion Christian and Caravel for the 2A-1 title.

Caravel 16, DMA 8

GLASGOW – The Buccaneers (9-0, 4-0 District 2A-1) held the Seahawks (4-5, 2-2) to just 98 total yards and did not allow a defensive touchdown to grind out their ninth straight victory.

Caravel had to make one last stand late in the game when the Seahawks got the ball at the Bucs 32 following a turnover. The Buccaneers did just that, forcing a turnover on downs to secure the win.

Caravel scored first when Truman Auwerda connected with Vandrick Hamlin for a 12-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter.

The Buccaneers made it 13-0 on Jordan Miller’s 5-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

DMA’s Macolm Roy returned a kickoff 90 yards to get the Seahawks on the board, followed by a successful two-point run by Odell Teel to make it 16-8 in the third quarter.

Smyrna 48, St. Georges 35

SMYRNA – The Eagles (3-6, 2-2 District 3A-2) got four touchdown passes from three different arms to win a high-scoring duel with the Hawks (2-7, 0-4).

Kahmaj Kearney threw a 66-yard scoring pass to Nolan Oakley and also scored on a 1-yard run.

Jacob Tiberi threw TD passes of 25 yards to Andre Ashley and 58 yards to Phoenix Henriquez, while Drew Marks fired a 54-yard score to Dior Mackey.

The Eagles also punched in two on the ground, with Tim Yancy finding the end zone from 4 and 16 yards out.

St. Georges’ Camron Montgomery rushed for touchdowns of 3 and 2 yards, and Elijah Burke scored on a fumble recovery. Jayson Askins-Brooks also scored twice, on a 13-yard pass from Tim Whichard and an 80-yard return.

Appoquinimink 34, William Penn 17

MIDDLETOWN – Daniel McConomy broke loose for four touchdown runs as the Jaguars (5-4, 2-2 District 3A-1) doubled up the Colonials (3-6, 0-4).

McConomy, in his second game back after missing six weeks due to injury, ran for scores covering 8, 2, 70 and 48 yards. Appo also got a 52-yard touchdown pass from Blake Caccamo to Dillon Griffith.

William Penn freshman Josiah Everett threw two touchdown passes, to Malaki Morgan and Tylire Wynn. The Colonials also sacked the quarterback for an early safety.

Howard 48, Mount Pleasant 27

WILMINGTON – R.J. Matthews passed for 434 yards and seven touchdowns as the Wildcats (6-3, 3-1 District 2A-2) enjoyed a big senior night against the Green Knights (2-7, 0-4).

Five of Johnson’s scoring tosses went to Jalen Johnson, who finished with 11 catches for 236 yards. The duo connected for touchdowns of 15, 27 and 70 yards in the first quarter, 8 yards in the second quarter and 2 yards in the fourth quarter.

Robert Kelly also saw plenty of action, catching eight passes for 176 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown. He also scored on an 85-yard kickoff return.

Desai Drummond also caught a 5-yard touchdown pass for Howard.

Mount Pleasant’s Naim Dudley rushed for three touchdowns, covering 5, 3 and 59 yards. The Green Knights also got a 71-yard scoring pass from Cameron Wright to Stephen Clark.

Laurel 34, Lake Forest 20

LAUREL – Xavier Limehouse carried 36 times for 255 yards and three touchdowns as the Bulldogs (5-4, 2-2 District 2A-3) outlasted the Spartans (3-6, 1-3).

Limehouse scored on runs of 2, 5 and 4 yards.

Laurel also got a big night from Patrick Belle, who rushed 11 times for 73 yards, including a 27-yard TD, and also scored on a 5-yard fumble return.

Lake Forest’s Darius Miller caught two touchdown passes – 41 yards from Jaymeire Snell and 15 yards from Dominique Hall. Ayden Young also scored on a 4-yard run for the Spartans.

Woodbridge 45, Sussex Tech 13

GEORGETOWN – Traci Johnson rushed for three touchdowns and scored another on an interception return as the Blue Raiders (7-2, 4-0 District 2A-3) kept it rolling against the Ravens (4-5, 0-4).

Johnson opened the scoring with a 10-yard run, then scored again from the 5 and went 52 yards on a pick six to make it 24-0. He later added a 60-yard TD run.

Woodbridge also got a 1-yard scoring run from Quincy Risper and a 12-yard TD scamper by Malachi Hayes.

Sussex Tech’s TDs came on a 19-yard run by Kyle Thompson and a 28-yard run by Isaiah Jones.

St. Andrew’s 41, Seaford 11

SEAFORD – Frank Nasta passed for five touchdowns – four to Griffin Patterson – as the Saints (3-6, 3-3 District 1A-2) enjoyed a big night against the Blue Jays (3-6, 2-4).

Patterson caught seven passes for 153 yards, including scoring strikes of 10, 19, 5 and 20 yards. Nasta, who completed 19 of 26 for 334 yards, also threw a 9-yard TD to Yasir Felton.

Patterson also had an interception, and St. Andrew’s Jamo Hancock picked off two passes.

Thomas White scored on a 4-yard run, Spencer Fairbanks caught four passes for 77 yards and Felton grabbed six throws for 67 yards for the Saints.

Seaford scored on a 35-yard field goal by Luke Metzner and an 86-yard pass from Vincent Evans to Alex Jean.

St. Elizabeth 51, A.I. du Pont 0

GREENVILLE – Cole Andrews passed for two touchdowns as the Vikings (4-5, 4-2 District 1A-1) blanked the Tigers (0-9, 0-6).

Andrews opened the scoring with an 18-yard toss to his brother, Gavin Andrews.

Then St. E scored a safety, Jihad Brown ran for a 14-yard TD and Cole Andrews hit Terrence Williams for a 14-yard score to make it 22-0.

Then the Vikings found the end zone four more times – on Jose Maldonado’s 8-yard run, a fumble return by Jackson Davis, Alexander Soto’s 2-yard run and Ne’Hemiah Hamilton’s 3-yard run.

Other scores

Delcastle 36, Concord 16

Glasgow 25, Dickinson 14

McKean 34, Christiana 6

Indian River 34, Conrad 8

Sussex Central 28, Caesar Rodney 12

Delmar 29, Milford 22

Polytech 24, Brandywine 21

First State Military Academy def. Early College HS@DSU, forfeit

Brandon Holveck, Tim Mastro and Kevin Phillips contributed to this article. Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on X (aka Twitter): @BradMyersTNJ

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware high school football: Salesianum wins first district title