In a game that started with each team scoring as a result of a long kickoff and punt return, it was a short, 1-yard plunge into the end zone by quarterback
Jeff Ziemba early in the fourth quarter that proved to be the difference as
St. Mark's (Wilmington, Del.) defeated Salesianum, 28-14, in the 41st showdown between the rivals Friday night at Baynard Stadium.
With the game tied at 14 after three quarters, Ziemba's score and
T.J. Dematteis' extra point gave St. Mark's a 21-14 lead at the 6:57 mark in the fourth quarter. Running back
Jabre Lolley then scored on a 3-yard run with 1:04 left in the game to seal the win.
St. Mark's (10-0) is the top seed in the state tournament and has a first-round bye, while Salesianum (8-2) is seeded fourth and will host No. 5 Caesar Rodney (8-2).
Click here to view MaxPreps' Delaware football playoff brackets.ARCHBISHOP CURLEY WINS PLAY-IN GAME
Archbishop Curley (Baltimore) used a steady offense and a stingy defensive effort to defeat Boys' Latin 15-7 in a rare play-in game.
Boys' Latin jumped out to an early lead when senior running back
Brandon Barnes scampered 36 yards into the end zone near the end of the first quarter. But Curley immediately responded when quarterback Luke Stidham connected with Anthony Williams for a 60-yard touchdown on its very next possession. A failed conversion made the score 7-6 at the half.
A Nick Budnickuk 23-yard field goal in the third quarter gave Curley a 9-7 lead and then Nick D'Avanzo sealed the win with a 2-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth.
Curley will now face Archbishop Spalding on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the MIAA B championship game.
Click here to view MaxPreps' Maryland football playoff brackets.GOOD COUNSEL VS. DEMATHA REMATCH SET
Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) advanced to the WCAC championship game after dismantling Gonzaga 44-0.
In a rare defensive appearance,
Zach Dancel, who is better known for his explosive firepower on offense, had two interceptions to lead a staunch Falcons defense in the shutout win. The highly-recruited senior also completed 10 of 16 passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns under center. All three touchdown passes were caught by standout junior wide receiver
Stefon Diggs.
Junior tailback
Wes Brown led the Falcons' ground attack, rushing for 236 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
Good Counsel will look to defend its WCAC Championship title when it faces
DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), a 28-20 winner over St. John's, Nov. 22 at the US Naval Academy Stadium in Annapolis.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
* Dante Shells, senior running back, Caesar Rodney (Camden, Del.): Caught touchdown passes of 8, 49, 28 and 9 yards to lead the Riders to a 43-13 win over backyard rival Dover and into the state tournament playoffs. Shells finished with eight catches for 180 yards.
* Anthony Brown, wide receiver, Monacan (Richmond, Va.): Had seven receptions for 246 yards and three touchdowns on offense and a 44-yard interception return for a score and seven tackles on defense in Monacan's 49-26 victory over James River.
* Mark Green, junior running back, Quince Orchard (Gaithersburg, Md.): Carried 33 times for 209 yards — including 14 for 90 in the final eight minutes — and scored the winning touchdown to lead Quince Orchard to a 19-15 victory over Seneca Valley in a Maryland 3A West Region semifinal.
GAMES TO WATCH
* Good Counsel and DeMatha meet in the WCAC Championship for the seventh consecutive year on Nov. 22 at the US Naval Academy Stadium in Annapolis.
* Archbishop Curly and
Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.) meet in the MIAA B championship on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mount St. Joseph.
*
Phoebus (Hampton, Va.), which set a Virginia state record with its 41st consecutive win and is ranked 10th in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard, will look to make it 42 straight when it plays Great Bridge Friday at 7:30 p.m. in an Eastern Region Division 5 semifinal game.
* The first rounds of the Delaware State Championship Football Tournaments get underway as No. 3 Concord (8-2) hosts No. 6 Sussex Central (7-3) and No. 4 Salesianum (8-2) hosts No. 5 Caesar Rodney (8-2) in Division I, with No. 1 St. Mark's (10-0) and No. 2 Middletown (8-2) having byes. In Division II, Lake Forest (8-2) hosts Archmere (7-3) and St. Georges (8-2) hosts Delmar (7-3), with No. 1 Appoquinimink (9-1) and No. 2 St. Elizabeth (7-2) receiving byes.
RECRUITING NEWS
Delaware athletes who signed letters of intent last week:Naiesha Brown, Sanford, Loyola-Baltimore (basketball)
Trevor Cooney, Sanford, Syracuse (basketball)
Kiersten Fauntleroy, Hodgson Vo-Tech, Alabama A&M (basketball)
Rachel Gillen, Archmere Academy, University of Virginia (softball)
Andrea Hines, Sanford, Central Florida (basketball)
Chandler Howard, Concord, Rutgers University (softball)
Ryan Kilpatrick, Salesianum, University of North Carolina (lacrosse)
Mark Medley Tatnall, Rider University (basketball)
Christopher Murphy, St. Mark's, Texas Christian University (baseball)
Austin Noonan, Ursuline Academy, Boston University, (women's lacrosse)
Eric J. Peterson, Wilmington Charter, Temple University (baseball)
Patrick A. Peterson, Wilmington Charter, Temple University (baseball)
Crystal Ross, Smyrna, James Madison University (basketball)
Maryland signees:Ciara Webb, Patterson High, Towson University (basketball)
St. Paul's lacrosse players who signed letters of intent:Taylor Michel - University of Virginia
Wyatt Land - University of Maryland
Mac Hall - University of Vermont
Dan Gutberlet - University of Vermont
Josh Matanin - Rutgers University
Connor Galvin - Rollins College
Virginia signees:Simone Antwi, South County, University of Florida (volleyball)
Jake Cave, Kecoughtan, Louisiana State University (baseball)
Jordan Omogbehin, Atlantic Shores, South Florida University (basketball)
Elizabeth Williams, Princess Anne, Duke (basketball)
THE BUZZ
Red Lion Christian Academy announced Thursday it has voluntarily removed itself from Division II football playoff contention in a self-report submitted to the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association. It was one of several sanctions the Bear private school levied against itself amidst an investigation by the Delaware Interscholastic Association which is now complete. The real losers in all of this are the Lion seniors, including Auburn-bound Angelo Blackston, who now will not have an opportunity to play for a state title. The Lions most likely would have been the top seed in the Division II tournament.
Jon Buzby is the sports columnist for the Newark Post, a freelance writer, and color analyst for the 1290am The Ticket High School Football Game of the Week. You can reach him at jonbuzby@hotmail.com.
