How to watch, what to know about Delaware high school football championship games
It all comes down to this.
Four state titles will be on the line Friday and Saturday as the championship games of the DIAA Football Tournaments are played at Delaware Stadium.
Here are some important details for spectators, plus other interesting things to know as the games kick off.
Schedule
UNIFIED FLAG FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 1 Caesar Rodney (8-0) vs. No. 2 Newark Charter (8-1), 5 p.m. Friday.
CLASS 3A CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 1 Salesianum (11-1) vs. No. 6 Cape Henlopen (9-3), 7 p.m. Friday.
CLASS 1A CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 1 Tatnall (11-1) vs. No. 3 Charter of Wilmington (9-3), noon Saturday.
CLASS 2A CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 1 Caravel (12-0) vs. No. 2 Archmere (9-3), 3 p.m. Saturday.
How to watch, listen
TICKETS: Available online only at bluehens.evenue.net. Club seats $20, chairback seats $15, sideline and end-zone bleacher seats $10. New ticket required each day.
RADIO: Class 3A, 1A and 2A games on WDEL (101.7 FM, 1150 AM).
STREAMING: www.nfhsnetwork.com, requires $11.99 monthly subscription.
Weather
Always subject to change, but as of Thursday afternoon the forecast on weather.com did not look promising for Friday’s games: Cloudy with periods of rain, high of 50, low of 42, chance of rain 80 percent.
It did look better for Saturday’s games: Cloudy, high near 60. That’s not bad at all for early December in Delaware.
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NFL connections
Both teams in the Class 3A final – Cape Henlopen and Salesianum – have a coach who played at football’s highest level.
Cape head coach Mike Frederick starred as a defensive end at Virginia, then became a third-round draft pick (94th overall) of the Browns in 1995. He played one season in Cleveland, three in Baltimore and one in Tennessee.
The final year was memorable, as the Titans reached Super Bowl XXXIV before losing 23-16 to the St. Louis Rams.
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Salesianum defensive coordinator Paul Worrilow starred at Concord High, became an All-American linebacker at the University of Delaware and was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2013.
Worrilow not only made the team, he became the Falcons’ leading tackler for the next two years. He played six years in the NFL – four in Atlanta, one in Detroit, one with the New York Jets.
“That’s great,” Frederick said, when told he would be coaching against a fellow NFL veteran in the final. “I hope we can do this every year.”
Cape-Sallies rivalry continues
This will be the first time Cape Henlopen and Salesianum have met in a football championship game, but the schools have been running into each other in a lot of other DIAA finals recently.
Sallies defeated Cape 4-2 in the Division I boys soccer final on Nov. 18.
Cape swept Sallies 3-0 in the championship match of the first DIAA Boys Volleyball Tournament last May.
Sallies outpointed Cape 36-27 in the DIAA Division I Dual Team Wrestling final last February.
Then there is boys lacrosse, where the Sals and Vikings have absolutely dominated the last few years.
Salesianum defeated Cape 13-11 in the lax final last spring, the seventh time they have clashed in the championship game since 2008. Sallies holds a 4-3 lead in those matchups.
Been there, won that
Salesianum will be making its 13th appearance in a state football final. The Sals have won seven times – in 1972, 1986, 1993, 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2013.
Sallies has lost its two most recent state finals – 33-7 to Sussex Central in 2018 and 32-26 in overtime to Smyrna in 2015.
Archmere has reached a state football final 15 times, winning four.
The Auks’ 27-0 victory over Woodbridge in 2021 completed a 13-0 season and ended a 39-year title drought.
Archmere also won in 1979, 1980 and 1982. Archmere has reached a state final at least once in every decade since the football playoffs began in 1971.
Caravel has reached a state football final nine times – including last year. But the Buccaneers haven’t taken it all the way since 2012. They also won in 1989, 1990 and 2005.
It’s been a while
Cape Henlopen has reached a state football final four times, but the Vikings’ most recent appearance came in 1984.
Their only championship came in 1979, a 37-6 victory over Caesar Rodney.
Feels like the first time
There will definitely be a first-time winner in Class 1A because both Charter of Wilmington and Tatnall are making their first appearance in a state football final.
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The Force had never won a playoff game until two weeks ago. The Hornets had only won one – last year over Odessa in the 1A quarterfinals.
This is the third season for Class 1A, established for the teams who had experienced the least recent success in Delaware high school football. Laurel swept the first two titles before moving up to Class 2A this season.
Hornets’ defense stings
Tatnall features 1A’s most explosive offense, but the defense was key in its 28-7 semifinal win over Indian River.
The Hornets returned two interceptions for touchdowns, including one on the third-to-last play of the game. But Tatnall’s most pivotal sequence was a goal-line stand in the fourth quarter while leading 21-7.
Indian River reached first-and-goal at the 8, but couldn’t score on four runs. Junior linebacker RJ Moore was in on each tackle.
“We had to face adversity and we just talked with our pads and at the end of the day, we stopped them,” Moore said.
Charter changes
Charter of Wilmington didn’t spend much time dwelling on its 40-0 loss to Polytech on Sept. 15. The Force went on to pitch five consecutive shutouts.
Charter did review the first meeting for some tactical adjustments ahead of their rematch with the Panthers, focusing on limiting perimeter runs.
It worked, as the Force won 10-0. Similar changes may be in store in the 1A final after reviewing the tape from their 52-0 loss to Tatnall on Nov. 4.
The Hornets had everything going that day, running out to a 34-0 halftime lead. The Force couldn’t hold up in pass protection once behind, leading to nine Tatnall sacks. But Charter feels like a different team now.
“For a school like Charter, we’ve come a long way,” coach Brian Winnington said. “My first couple of years, it was rough, man. A bunch of 0 and whatever seasons.
“This is a big one for us. We’re not just going to be happy to be there. We’re going to give this effort. We’re going to give it our best.”
We meet again …
Caesar Rodney and Newark Charter will meet in the Unified Flag Football championship game for the second consecutive year. It couldn’t have been any closer last time.
The teams went to overtime tied at 32. Neither team scored on their overtime possession, and the Riders were declared champions after gaining more yards than the Patriots in OT.
This year, CR is 8-0 and Newark Charter is 8-1. The Riders won their regular-season meeting 41-26 on Oct. 10.
Brandon Holveck 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: DIAA football championship games: How to watch, what to know
