Salesianum wins see-saw thriller over Smyrna, tops Delaware HS football playoff roundup

WILMINGTON – B.J. Alleyne scored his fifth touchdown of the night with three seconds left to push top seed Salesianum past eighth-seeded Smyrna 41-40 on Friday night at Abessinio Stadium in the quarterfinals of the DIAA Class 3A Football Tournament.

The Sals (10-1) trailed 40-35 with 3:44 left, and soon found themselves facing a fourth-and-11. Quarterback Brady McBride avoided a potential sack and scrambled 17 yards to keep the drive alive.

Alleyne eventually capped it off, plunging into the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the Smyrna 2.

“Our line called for that play,” Salesianum coach Gene Delle Donne said. “Everyone knew he was getting the ball and we were probably going up the middle. But when your line tells you, ‘Coach, run that,’ you’ve got to listen to them.”

The Eagles tried several laterals on the ensuing kickoff, but the final play was broken up by Salesianum.

The Sals will be at home again in the semifinals next Friday against Middletown, at a time to be determined.

POSTSEASON HONORS Who made it? All-District teams for Delaware high school football

Jacob Tiberi led Smyrna (4-7) with three touchdown passes, including a 71-yard connection to Andre Ashley to give Smyrna the 40-35 advantage before Salesianum’s final drive.

Kahmaj Kearney contributed a pair of touchdowns for the Eagles, one rushing and another receiving. Phoenix Henriquez also caught a Smyrna touchdown pass, while Chrystian Carroll and Brandon West contributed rushing TDs.

Alleyne carried 34 times for 200 yards. McBride threw for one touchdown, a 13-yarder to Ben Anton.

Salesianum was able to hold Smyrna to 2-of-6 on two-point conversions.

Class 3A

Cape Henlopen 25, Dover 20

DOVER – Cape Henlopen won its first state football tournament game in 39 years Friday night, but was equally motivated by recent events.

Two weeks after losing 35-7 to Dover, the Vikings turned the tables with a quarterfinal win on the Senators’ field.

Camryn Joyner’s second interception in the final 4:22 foiled a Dover rally and clinched Cape’s first state tourney win since a 10-7 Division I semifinal victory over William Penn in 1984.

No. 3-seeded Dover pulled within 25-20 with 1:09 left on Nahseem Cosme’s 4-yard TD pass to John Parker.

Dover then recovered an onside kick, and Jakwon Kilby - returning to action after missing two months with an injury - kept his toes inbounds to snare a 6-yard pass on fourth-and-5 from the Cape 20.

But Joyner made the decisive interception three plays later, clinching a semifinal matchup for sixth-seeded Cape (8-3) at rival Sussex Central next Friday.

“Your heart wants them to experience the joy of something like this,” second-year Cape coach Mike Frederick said. “If this was our goal, then we won’t go much further. My hope is our goal is much bigger than this.”

Maurki James rushed for 166 yards on 29 carries, including a 59-yard touchdown sprint to put Cape up 25-18 with 5:48 left. The Vikings had just taken a Dover kick at midfield after Jukai Payne sacked Cosme in the end zone for a safety.

Brandon Yoder’s 30-yard field goal inched Dover ahead 3-0 on its first series after recovering a Cape fumble at the Vikings 25. But Cape promptly drove 75 yards in 12 plays and went up 6-3 on James’ 8-yard TD.

Dover (9-2) then took a 10-6 lead on Cosme’s 26-yard TD pass to Parker. Wilson Ingerski’s 25-yard field goal pulled Cape within 10-9 at halftime.

Dover made it 13-9 on Yoder’s 31-yard field goal to start the second half. Cape answered with a 65-yard drive culminating in James’ 1-yard run to go ahead 16-13.

Cosme passed for 182 yards and ran for 53 for Dover. Kilby had 63 yards on 14 carries.

Cape quarterback Jameson Tingle completed 5 of 10 passes for 74 yards.

Sussex Central 28, Appoquinimink 7

GEORGETOWN - Will Harmon scored all four touchdowns as the Golden Knights (8-3) played keep away and grinded out a quarterfinal win over the No. 7 Jaguars.

Second-seeded Sussex Central will be at home again for the semifinals, against upset winner Cape Henlopen next Friday at a time to be announced.

This was a rematch of a 31-30 Appoquinimink victory on Oct. 6, when the Jaguars erased a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The Knights prevented a repeat by controlling the ball, earning a 12-minute edge in time of possession.

Central coach John Wells credited offensive linemen Gavin Pratt, Kinder Snyder, James Moran, Anthony Taylor, Connor Clarke and Michael Toomey and tight ends Joaquin Rodriguez-Costa and Kyle Custis with paving the way for a rushing attack that produced 278 yards on a whopping 53 carries.

Harmon was the biggest beneficiary, carrying 19 times for 107 yards. He capped the Knights’ first possession with a 3-yard touchdown run, then caught an 11-yard scoring pass from Gabe Cannon on Central’s next drive for a 14-0 lead.

Then the Knights took 6:23 off the clock with a 14-play, 77-yard march, with Harmon covering the final 3 yards with 35 seconds left in the first half.

Appo showed signs of another rally, with Blake Caccamo hitting Noah Hoff with a 55-yard bomb to pull the Jaguars within 21-7 just 2:03 into the second half.

But Central grinded another 9:18 of the block with a 17-play, 86-yard drive. Harmon punched it in again for the final score with 5:08 remaining.

Malik Bell added 72 yards on 11 carries and Jajuan Sturgis bulled for 55 yards on 14 carries for the Knights.

Caccamo passed for 188 yards, with Hoff catching four for 134 yards. Daniel McConomy rushed 14 times for 59 yards for Appo.

Class 2A

Woodbridge 14, Laurel 7

GREENWOOD – Traci Johnson ran for two touchdowns as the third-seeded Blue Raiders (9-2) won a defensive battle for the No. 6 Bulldogs (6-5).

Woodbridge will play at second-seeded Archmere in the 2A semifinals next Friday or Saturday, at a time to be determined.

Johnson’s 32-yard burst put the Blue Raiders up 6-0 in the first quarter.

It stayed that way until the fourth quarter, when Laurel’s Xavier Limehouse scored on a 3-yard run and the PAT by Bradley Lopez Vasquez gave the Bulldogs a 7-6 lead.

But Johnson answered with a 2-yard scoring run, then added a two-point conversion run for Woodbridge.

Caravel 35, DMA 7

GLASGOW – The top-seeded Buccaneers’ offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage throughout, and the backfield duo of Jordan Miller and Craig Miller benefitted most in an easy win over the No. 8 Seahawks (5-6).

“Their effort was phenomenal,” Jordan Miller, who rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns, said of his blockers. “They made our jobs easy. All we had to do was follow a hole, which was wide open.”

Caravel (11-0) will play at home again in the semifinals next Friday or Saturday, against the Howard-Wilmington Friends winner at a time to be determined.

Jordan Miller scored the first touchdown on an 18-yard run just 2:30 into the game. Then Craig Miller ran for a 12-yard score and Jordan Miller added a 22-yard TD to push the Bucs’ lead to 21-0 at halftime.

“We’re a dual threat, especially with the last name of Miller, so it’s ‘Miller time’ as we always say,” Jordan Miller said. “It’s definitely tough having us both in the backfield.”

Craig Miller’s second touchdown came in the fourth quarter on a 30-yard run. He finished with 69 yards rushing.

“It’s great to have someone as skilled as me back there,” Craig Miller said of Jordan Miller. “He’s a great guy and great player on and off the field. He is like a brother to me.”

DMA’s lone score came on a 5-yard pass from Nicholas Driscoll to Davar Rice-Jackson early in the fourth quarter.

Class 1A

Polytech 28, Glasgow 6

WOODSIDE - On the first play of postseason football in Polytech history, Jalen Anderson fielded a kickoff at his own 14 and followed blockers up the left sideline 86 yards to the end zone.

The Panthers (10-1) didn’t look back, securing their first playoff win against Glasgow on Friday night with impressive performances by quarterback Isaac Balcerak and his younger brother, wide receiver Simon Balcerak.

Isaac repeated eight grade as a homeschool student in 2020 during COVID to fall a year back and enter high school in the same grade as Simon. He said Friday’s game was what he envisioned when he made that decision.

Isaac connected with Simon five times for 98 yards and a touchdown that put Polytech ahead 21-6 with 29.7 seconds remaining in the first half.

“I can read him,” Isaac said of his brother. “I know what he’s going to do because I grew up with him.”

Polytech forced two turnovers on downs in the second half. The Panthers added a touchdown late, capping a 17-play drive that drained more than eight minutes in the fourth quarter with a Noah Walker 3-yard run.

Glasgow (4-7) made the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Dragons won their final four games of the regular season after opening the year 0-6.

Polytech will play host to Charter of Wilmington next Friday or Saturday in the semifinals, a matchup of schools coming off their first playoff wins.

Other scores

Middletown 28, Hodgson 7

Archmere 35, Red Lion Christian 16

Howard 30, Wilmington Friends 28

Charter of Wilmington 10, St. Elizabeth 8

Tatnall 53, First State Military Academy 0

Brandywine at Indian River, late

Tim Mastro, Kevin Tresolini, Brandon Holveck 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 thriller tops playoff roundup