By D. Matt Dale
MaxPreps.com
Division II Hodgson traveled to Wilmington to take on Division I powerhouse Salesianum on Saturday night and upset the Sals 32-14 behind another remarkable performance from junior running back Jamaal Jackson.
Strong defensive play by both sides kept the game scoreless throughout the first quarter. After the Sals failed to convert fourth down near the Hodgson 40-yard line, the Silver Eagles’ offense was able to put six points on the board behind a 28-yard touchdown run by Jackson early in the second quarter. A missed PAT gave Hodgson a 6-0 advantage.
James Tucker breathed life into Salesianum by intercepting a pass and returning it to Hodgson’s 46-yard line and catching a 34-yard pass from Breidy Breidenbach on the next play. Fullback Giovanni Ferrante scored on a 4-yard run shortly thereafter and the Sals took a 7-6 lead.
Jackson hit the ground running on Hodgson’s next possession, scoring off a 76-yard run on the Silver Eagles’ first play from scrimmage. Quarterback Jamie Treml hooked up with Jamil Merrell for a successful two-point conversion giving Hodgson a 14-7 lead over the heavily-favored Sals.
The third quarter went on much like the first, with both defenses keeping the opposing offenses in check.
Salesianum tied things up in the fourth on a 92-yard drive culminated by a 4-yard touchdown run by Breidenbach.
But Jackson wasted no time and struck again on the next possession. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound junior brought in his only catch of the game and bolted into the end zone for a 76-yard touchdown reception.
Despite another missed PAT (20-14), the touchdown seemed to be the straw that broke the Sals’ back as they would not find the end zone for the remainder of the game.
But if Jackson broke the Sals back it was fullback/defensive back Blair Menefee who hammered the nails into Salesianum’s coffin. The junior intercepted a pass and later scored on a 4-yard run, and then scored another touchdown by returning his second interception 45 yards.
Salesianum now sits at 2-2, while Hodgson has improved to 4-0 and has now won 17 consecutive games.
Football: Norwood, Newark Put Spartans in Place
Newark cruised to a 42-17 victory over St. Mark’s Friday night. The game was moved to Caravel Academy because the teams wanted to play on an artificial surface due to wet weather. Newark running back Brandon Norwood seemed to enjoy running on turf as he tallied 339 yards on 41 carries and found the end zone six times.
The senior’s longest score came in the shape of an 80-yard scamper in the first half. A big reason for Norwood’s success was blocking from the monstrous offensive linemen Malcolm Bunche (6-6, 322 pounds), who will be playing for Rutgers next fall.
St. Mark’s was hindered by an injury to starting quarterback Brandon Baker, who left the game early in the second quarter. Junior Tyler Hrycak took over as quarterback in the second half and threw two touchdowns.
The Spartans have tasted defeat for the first time this season (3-1), while the Yellow jackets sit at an even 2-2.
Football: Middletown Takes Care of Business
An 18-point third quarter helped Middletown rally to a 32-7 victory over Christiana in a Blue Hen Flight A conference match up on Saturday.
The game went into halftime tied at 7-7 after a 51-yard touchdown pass by Middletown quarterback Kenny Anderson and a 1-yard run by Christiana quarterback Josh Tatnall late in the second quarter.
The Cavs grabbed early momentum in the second half when Tatnall fumbled the ball and Middletown recovered on Christiana’s 7-yard line. Anderson ran for his second touchdown a few plays later and Middletown never looked back.
Running back Mike Pierce capped off a long Middletown drive on the Cavs’ next possession to increase their lead to 23-7.
Christiana was all but finished when they failed to capitalize on a first-and-goal situation on Middletown’s 2 yard line. The Cavs managed a goal line stand and kept the Vikings scoreless in three-out-of-four quarters.
The Cavaliers are now undefeated (2-0) in conference play and have a 2-2 record overall. Christiana stands at an even 1-1 in the conference, as the Vikings have fallen to 1-3 overall.
