Saint Marks football team running out on the field, photo by Nick Halliday
The calendar just turned to July and that means the new DIAA football season is getting closer. This is the third year of the new class system in Delaware but this year will have a different look as some schools have switched classes. The football committee wanted to add one team to Class 3A to make it 12 teams. Then they wanted 18 teams in class 2A instead of 21 teams then 16 teams in 1A instead of 14.
Let’s take a look at the teams that switched classes this year starting with the team heading to 3A. Saint Marks is the team moving up to 3A in September and I think they will be just fine playing in the top class. They have 6 home games and face CR and Cape as their 2 crossover opponents. They have two tough 2A teams on the schedule still and finish the season with Middletown and Sallies. Them moving up brought back the Sallies vs Saint Marks football rivalry.
We have 2 teams moving up from 1A to 2A this year as the two time defending 1A champs Laurel Bulldogs are joined by the Odessa Ducks. The Bulldogs were familiar with some 2A teams as they were 4-0 against those teams last season. They have a solid defense and will be playing in the same district as Delmar, Woodbridge, Milford, Sussex Tech, and Lake Forest. They also have Sussex Central and CR on the schedule.
The Ducks will have their first senior class this season and are coming off a solid season. Their schedule is loaded this year with Middletown and Appoquinimink of class 3A and then district games against Archmere, Friends, Howard, Tower Hill, and Mount Pleasant. Their two year state tournament runs in their first two football seasons was impressive but making the 2A tournament this year would be quite the feat.
We have quite a few 2A teams moving to 1A this upcoming season which will make 1A very competitive this year. Brandywine and Conrad will play in district 2 with ECHS, FSMA, Indian River, Polytech, Seaford, and St Andrews. The Bulldogs will face 2 defending champions in Friends and Laurel. The Red Wolves were an exciting team to watch this year and could give IR and Seaford a run for the district title.
AI DuPont and Mckean will join district 1 with Christiana, Glasgow, John Dickinson, St Elizabeth’s, Tatnall, and Wilmington Charter. AI DuPont will bring football back to their school this year and will open the season at home against FSMA. They just didn’t have the numbers to compete in 2A. McKean is an interesting team that could compete for the district title but there are strong teams in Tatnall, St Elizabeth’s and Wilmington Charter.
Here are the new districts in Class 3A
District 1 Appoquinimink, Hodgson, Middletown, Saint Mark’s, Salesianum, William Penn
District 2 CR, Cape Henlopen, Dover, Smyrna, St Georges Tech, Sussex Central
Here is the new district 1 in 2A
District 1 Caravel, Concord, Delcastle, DMA, Newark, Red Lion
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