The Delbarton Green Wave will take on the DePaul Catholic Spartans at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Delbarton has given up an average of 27 points per game this season, but Saturday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Delbarton is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Jersey's top teams: Bergen Catholic, who was ranked second at the time (Delbarton was ranked tenth). The Green Wave were outmatched by the Crusaders and fell 42-7. The loss continues a trend for the Green Wave in their meetings with the Crusaders: they've now lost seven in a row.
Delbarton's defeat came about despite a quality game from Matthew Tafuri, who picked up 104 receiving yards and one touchdown. Tafuri really caught the secondary sleeping when he pulled down a catch that went for 80 yards.
Meanwhile, DePaul Catholic beat St. Peter's Prep 31-21 on Friday. The Spartans haven't had any issues with the Marauders recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Delbarton better keep an eye on Marquan Carter. He was instrumental in DePaul Catholic's win, rushing for 158 yards and one score. Those 158 rushing yards gave Carter a new career-high. AJ Larkin got in on the action as well, returning a kick for a touchdown.
One reason for the win was DePaul Catholic's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. In that department, Logan Monteyne was the leader with three. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made nine or more in each of the last three games he's played. DePaul Catholic got some further help from Teyvion Monroe: he picked up 0.5 sacks, forced one fumble, and made eight total tackles (1.0 for loss).
Delbarton now has a losing record of 3-4. As for DePaul Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 5-2.
Saturday's game might be decided on the ground. Delbarton has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 158.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like DePaul Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 177.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Saturday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Delbarton won a contest that couldn't have been any closer in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, slipping by DePaul Catholic 52-51. Will the Green Wave repeat their success, or do the Spartans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
