Mehki Corbin of Red Lion jumps over a diving Delmar defender in the Lions DIAA Class AA state tournament upset win on Friday night. PHOTO: Dar’Juan Pitts
On the eve of the kickoff of the DIAA Football state championships, here’s a look into each bracket and preview some key teams and matchups.
Salesianum football Brady McBride hands the ball off to Jasir Gaymon during the regular season. Photo by Ben Fulton
DIAA Football Division 3A
The Salesianum Sals have been the No. 1 seed all season, going undefeated versus in-state opponents. Their only loss came to out-of-state opponent Malvern Prep. The Sals face off against the No. 8 seed Cape Henlopen to start their quest for back-to-back state championships with a rematch from last year’s state championship in the first round. The winner will see either No. 4 Sussex Central or No. 5 Appoquinimink. Sallies defeated Appo earlier in the season, but did not face Central this year. The bottom of the bracket has No. 2 Smyrna verse No. 7 St Georges and No. 3 Middletown verses No. 6 Hodgson.
Round 1 Scores:
No. 1 Salesianum defeated No. 8 Cape Henlopen 35-0. Aiden Lego rushed for 75 yards and two scores, while Brady McBride passed for 115 yards and two touchdowns to lead Salesianum. — Glenn Frazer
No. 7 St. Georges defeated No. 2 Smyrna 37-12 behind 260 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Ayden Jones gained 156 yards and scored twice. Fellow running back Joel Bucks also scored twice while rushing for 65 yards. The Eagles trailed 27-0 before scoring two touchdowns late in the game. St Georges beat Smyrna 19-6 just two weeks ago. — Glenn Frazer
No. 3 Middletown defeated No. 6 Hodgson 41-0
No. 4 Sussex Central defeated No. 5 Appoqunimink 31-28.
The semifinals will be Salesianum against Sussex Central and Middletown against St. Georges.
DIAA Football Division 2A
The Caravel Buccaneers have been dominant all season. They went 10-0 on the season and look to repeat as state champions. The Bucs will face off against the No. 8 seed Laurel Bulldogs on Friday night. The winner will face either No. 4 seed Archmere (a rematch from last year’s state championship) or the No. 5 seed Woodbridge Blue Raiders. In the lower half of the bracket, No. 2 Delmar faces No. 7 Red Lion, while No. 3 Howard plays No. 6 Lake Forest.
Round 1 Scores:
No. 1 Caravel defeated No. 8 Laurel 34-0.
No. 7 Red Lion Christian defeated No. 2 Delmar 28-21. Judah Barber rushed 12 times for 176 yards and two touchdowns, including the winning score with 48 seconds left.
No. 3 Howard defeated No. 6 Lake Forest 36-24 as Amir Maddrey scored three touchdowns.
No. 5 Woodbridge defeated No. 4 Archmere 16-14
The semifinals will pit Caravel against Woodbridge and Red Lion Christian against Woodbridge.
DIAA Football Division 1A
The No. 1 seed Indian River Indians went 9-1 on the season, going undefeated in 1A play as their only loss came to 2A Delmar. The Hornets face the No. 8 Conrad Red Wolves. The winner will face either No. 4 seed Polytech or No. 5 seed First State Military. In the bottom of the bracket, the No. 2 Tatnall Hornets enter the playoffs with a 10-0 record. They want to repeat as state champions, but first, they must beat No. 7 St Elizabeth’s. In the other quarterfinal game, No. 3 Brandywine faces No. 6 Christiana.
Round 1 Scores:
No. 1 Indian River defeated No. 8 Conrad 34-14
No. 2 Tatnall defeated No. 7 St. Elizabeth 41-7
No. 3 Brandywine defeated No. 6 Christiana 44-0, scoring 25 points in the first quarter on four possessions.
No. 4 Polytech defeated No. 5 First State Military Academy 35-6
Division 1A followed the seedings, and the semifinals next week will be Indian River vs. Polytech and Tatnall vs. Brandywine.
You cansee the brackets here (game times, dates, and locations), but come back here to get updates on individual games and links to replays of live-streamed games.
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