MIDDLETOWN – Joe Scarpinato barely missed on his first two scoring opportunities Tuesday.

He didn’t miss the third one.

Scarpinato converted a slick pass from Derek Fisher in the 30th minute, and the Appoquinimink defense made it stand up the rest of the way for a 1-0 home victory over Charter of Wilmington.

This matchup has decided the Blue Hen Flight A boys soccer title annually since 2012, with the Jaguars winning each of the last four years. But the Force won the last time these teams played — 2-1 in the DIAA Division I semifinals last fall — so revenge was sweet for Appo.

“It’s probably the best game we’ve played so far,” Jaguars coach Adam Bear said. “We were able to possess the ball, got some opportunities. I’m very proud of them. It’s a younger team this year, but they’re finally starting to come together.”

Appo appeared to be coming together for a goal several times early. Scarpinato slid a shot past charging Force keeper Ben McQuillin in the 15th minute, only to see it roll across the goal mouth and go wide.

Three minutes later, Matt Meadows delivered a beautiful cross to Scarpinato, who lunged forward and unleashed a fierce header that just missed the far post.

“I had a diving header like that last game [against Caravel] and it didn’t work out,” Scarpinato said. “I’m going to get one this season. I know it’s coming, I’m feeling it. It was good stuff from my teammates to set me up.”

Scarpinato set up a close-range shot in the 28th minute, but Nathaniel Chalmers tangled with a defender and couldn’t get much on it to lead to an easy save for McQuillin.

The Jaguars (7-0, 5-0 Flight A), ranked third statewide in Division I, finally broke through two minutes later. Meadows crossed it to Fisher, who instantly sent it to Scarpinato just 8 yards from the goal. McQuillin got a hand on his shot, but it still trickled into the net.

“It made me more confident I was going to get one,” Scarpinato said of his first two misfires. “The more chances you get, the better opportunities you have. I just buried that one, the last one I had.”

Meadows’ pass put Fisher in a good position to fire, but he spotted his teammate for an even better shot.

“The cross came in, and I just knew I had to settle and try to at least get one on frame,” Fisher said. “I ended up getting it to Joe over here, and he put it away. It was a good goal.”

But the second-ranked Force (4-2-1, 3-1) still had 50 minutes to equalize, and Charter had its chances. The best first-half opportunity came in the 34th minute, when Kevin Eriksen sent a well-placed cross by Roy Lee over the crossbar.

A close-range header by Michael Mattamira turned into an easy save for Jaguars keeper Jason Sommer in the 62nd minute. The Force continued to press the attack, but Eamon O’Connor couldn’t convert a nice pass from Eriksen in the 67th minute.

Eriksen was awarded a 25-yard free kick in the 75th minute, but Sommer was perfectly positioned to cradle it and preserve the shutout.

“That was a tough one for us,” Charter coach Jon Gillespie said. “It taught us that we’ve got a lot to work on. We’re not really there as a team yet.

“Appo wanted it more today. They definitely put the effort in and got the goal, and they defended well and held off our last couple of chances.”

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Appoquinimink’s Erik Wellings (No. 3) cuts the ball past Charter’s Nolan Constantine (No. 15) in the second half of Appoquinimink’s 1-0 win over Charter School of Wilmington at Appoquinimink High School in Middletown on Tuesday afternoon.

Appoquinimink’s Matthew Meadows works the ball through the box as he’s pursued by a group of defenders in the second half of Appoquinimink’s 1-0 win over Charter School of Wilmington at Appoquinimink High School in Middletown on Tuesday afternoon.

Appoquinimink’s Erik Wellings heads the ball into the back of the head of Charter’s Nolan Constantine in the second half of Appoquinimink’s 1-0 win over Charter School of Wilmington at Appoquinimink High School in Middletown on Tuesday afternoon.

Appoquinimink’s Derek Fisher (left) chases the ball down the sideline with Charter’s Jacob Ogrodnik (right) in the second half of Appoquinimink’s 1-0 win over Charter School of Wilmington at Appoquinimink High School in Middletown on Tuesday afternoon.

Charter keeper Ben McQuillin makes a diving save in the second half of Appoquinimink’s 1-0 win over Charter School of Wilmington at Appoquinimink High School in Middletown on Tuesday afternoon.

Charter’s Graeme Newcombe (No. 13) fights the ball away from Appoquinimink’s Jose Hilario (No. 14) in the second half of Appoquinimink’s 1-0 win over Charter School of Wilmington at Appoquinimink High School in Middletown on Tuesday afternoon.

Appoquinimink’s Joseph Scarpinato (right) heads the ball over Charter’s Patrick O’Connor in the first half of Appoquinimink’s 1-0 win over Charter School of Wilmington at Appoquinimink High School in Middletown on Tuesday afternoon.

Charter’s Andrew Amato (No. 16) and Appoquinimink’s Seth Hubbard (No. 17) fight for the ball in the first half of Appoquinimink’s 1-0 win over Charter School of Wilmington at Appoquinimink High School in Middletown on Tuesday afternoon.

Appoquinimink’s Joseph Scarpinato (No. 10) and Charter’s Nolan Constantine (No. 15) fight for the ball in the first half of Appoquinimink’s 1-0 win over Charter School of Wilmington at Appoquinimink High School in Middletown on Tuesday afternoon.

Appoquinimink’s Matthew Meadows (No. 22) works the ball through Charter defenders in the second half of Appoquinimink’s 1-0 win over Charter School of Wilmington at Appoquinimink High School in Middletown on Tuesday afternoon.

William Penn’s Terin Cochran (left) and Kyle Wallace celebrate Cochran’s touchdown against St. Georges. Both Brad Myers and Matt Kalin are predicting the Colonials to win a close game over Appoquinimink on Friday.

Predictions by News Journal high school sports reporter Brad Myers and Mount Pleasant student/analytics guru Matt Kalin.

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Delcastle at A.I. du Pont, 7. MYERS PICK: A.I. du Pont 34-14. KALIN PICK: A.I. du Pont 40-20

William Penn at Appoquinimink, 7. MYERS PICK: William Penn 27-21. KALIN PICK: William Penn 34-27

Sussex Tech at Caesar Rodney, 7. MYERS PICK: Sussex Tech 34-22. KALIN PICK: Sussex Tech 28-20

Sussex Central at Cape Henlopen, 7. MYERS PICK: Sussex Central 31-25. KALIN PICK: Sussex Central 24-21

St. Mark’s vs. Delaware Military Academy at Baynard Stadium, 7. MYERS PICK: St. Mark’s 27-19. KALIN PICK: St. Mark’s 18-17

Hodgson at Dickinson, 7. MYERS PICK: Hodgson 32-14. KALIN PICK: Hodgson 34-3

Brandywine at Glasgow, 7. MYERS PICK: Glasgow 41-14. KALIN PICK: Glasgow 35-6

Laurel at Indian River, 7. MYERS PICK: Laurel 35-22. KALIN PICK: Laurel 24-21

Concord at Newark, 7. MYERS PICK: Concord 38-10. KALIN PICK: Concord 40-17

Dover at Polytech, 7. MYERS PICK: Dover 34-15. KALIN PICK: Dover 38-24

Tower Hill at Red Lion Christian, 7. MYERS PICK: Tower Hill 42-6. KALIN PICK: Tower Hill 28-14

Milford at Seaford, 7. MYERS PICK: Milford 55-12. KALIN PICK: Milford 45-13

Salesianum at Middletown, 7:30. MYERS PICK: Middletown 28-24. KALIN PICK: Middletown 28-17

Woodbridge at St. John Paul Catholic (Va.), 7:30. MYERS PICK: Woodbridge 28-20. KALIN PICK: Woodbridge 37-3

SATURDAY’S GAMES

McKean at St. Georges, 10:30 a.m. MYERS PICK: St. Georges 43-6. KALIN PICK: St. Georges 47-0

St. Andrew’s at Conrad, 11 a.m. MYERS PICK: Conrad 41-6. KALIN PICK: Conrad 30-0

Charter of Wilmington at Mount Pleasant, noon. MYERS PICK: Mount Pleasant 15-13. KALIN PICK: Mount Pleasant 30-17

Christiana at Tatnall, noon. MYERS PICK: Tatnall 45-13. KALIN PICK: Tatnall 41-14

Lake Forest at Delmar, 1:30. MYERS PICK: Delmar 20-14. KALIN PICK: Delmar 28-21

Wilmington Friends vs. St. Elizabeth at Baynard Stadium, 2. MYERS PICK: Friends 28-20. KALIN PICK: Friends 28-27

Caravel at Archmere, 3. MYERS PICK: Caravel 27-22. KALIN PICK: Archmere 22-21

Smyrna at Howard, 7. MYERS PICK: Smyrna 60-8. KALIN PICK: Smyrna 47-21

BRAD MYERS LAST WEEK: 19-3. OVERALL: 76-18 (.809)

MATT KALIN LAST WEEK: 18-4. OVERALL: 74-20 (.787)

Listen to Brad Myers on the Henlopen High School Football Fix with Mike Bradley at 8:20 a.m. on WGMD-FM (92.7) or www.wgmd.com. Contact Brad at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

The Middletown-Salesianum football rivalry started in 1966 as a tiny farm town taking on the Catholic school giants.

Fifty years later, the Middletown players who had a hand in that 14-13 victory will be honored on the field at Cavaliers Stadium before Friday’s 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Then they will watch the continuation of an annual game that has changed dramatically, but still burns just as hot.

“It goes back three generations,” said Bill DiNardo, who has seen both sides as former coach at Middletown and current coach at Salesianum. “I don’t know if there’s a fiercer rivalry in the state of Delaware.”

Middletown has mushroomed into a city, with enrollments at both Middletown and crosstown rival Appoquinimink among the top dozen high schools in Delaware. So now this rivalry is just two consistently good football teams, producing some of the state’s best games year after year.

“Things have gone back and forth. You have your ups and downs with it,” Cavaliers coach Mark DelPercio said. “We’ve played some great games. They’ve had some runs, we’ve had some runs. It’s been a great battle, not just recently, but over the years.”

Salesianum has had the upper hand lately, winning the last five meetings. That includes 20-6 during the regular season and 27-21 on a last-second, goal-line stand in the semifinals of the DIAA Division I playoffs last year.

But Middletown (4-0), ranked second statewide in Division I, may have the upper hand this time. The Cavaliers have allowed just six points all season, an inconsequential touchdown late in a 43-6 win over Delcastle last week.

“They’re going to come at you from every which way,” DiNardo said of the Cavaliers’ defense. “They’re going to come at you with the intention of disrupting and destroying. They’re really good.”

Middletown’s offense is really good, too. Sophomore Drew Fry has already thrown 17 touchdown passes in his first season as a starter.

“They throw the ball very well. They spread you out, and they are very good offensively,” DiNardo said. “The kid, Fry, he doesn’t act like a sophomore. He acts like his dad was an All-State quarterback and a college quarterback. He’s a very polished kid.”

DiNardo should know. Drew’s father, Dale Fry, was a senior quarterback at Middletown in 1988 — DiNardo’s first year there — and went on to play at the University of Delaware.

The fourth-ranked Sals (3-1) struggled against the pass in a 60-26 loss at top-ranked Smyrna two weeks ago, and the Cavaliers hope to test them with a similar approach.

“Obviously, throwing the football has been one of our strengths this season,” DelPercio said.

But the Salesianum offense has something that concerns DelPercio, and it’s a big something. With guards Zeb Wright (6-foot-2, 305 pounds) and Josh Williams (5-10, 255), tackles Randy Sinnott (6-5, 290) and Dom Marra (6-6, 275) and center Sean Keating (6-2, 265) across the front, the Sals’ offensive line looks like it could be playing at the next level.

“They look like a college offensive line,” DelPercio said. “Not just big, but tall. They’re not fat. They’re 6-foot-4, 280- or 290-pound guys.”

And last week, the Sals added to the battering power by moving Josh Patrick (6-2, 225) from tight end to running back. He responded with eight carries for 105 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-12 victory over Caravel.

“We just felt that he would give us a little extra push,” DiNardo said. “We felt that with an offense that had been inconsistent, he would give us a big body. He’s the fastest kid on the team; he’s the strongest kid on our team.”

DiNardo said the move also kept fellow running backs Nick Merlino and Carson Salvo fresher. And the Sals also have an effective passing game, with junior Zach Gwynn often targeting receiver Michael Drake.

“Their quarterback throws the ball well,” DelPercio said. “He’s got a good arm, he’s got good size. You can’t take their passing game for granted.”

You can’t take anything for granted in a Middletown-Sallies game. The schools have combined for 14 state football championships (seven each), and from 2005-13 they took seven of the nine Division I titles (four for the Sals, three for the Cavaliers).

“This is a big test for us to see where we are, to see how we match up, to see how we respond against a great football team,” DiNardo said. “And I know it’s a great test for them. They haven’t seen anything like us to this point.”

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Middletown’s Kedrick Whitehead (3) falls on his own fumble for a touchdown during last year’s DIAA Division I state semifinal.

MIDDLETOWN – Salesianum and Middletown were staging an epic, back-and-forth football duel on Friday night.

Then Jalen Whitehead scored two touchdowns.

In seven seconds.

The senior hauled in a 21-yard scoring pass from Drew Fry to give Middletown the lead early in the second half. Then he recovered a fumble in the end zone on the ensuing kickoff, and the Cavaliers went on to a 42-24 victory over the frustrated Sals at Cavaliers Stadium.

Fry completed 22 of 38 passes for 316 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another score as Middletown, ranked second statewide in Division I, improved to 5-0. Fourth-ranked Salesianum kept pace in the first half, but couldn’t recover from Whitehead’s two quick scores and fell to 3-2.

Fry was razor sharp on the Cavaliers’ first drive, complete 5 of 5 passes for 49 yards. The sophomore went back to throw once again, but couldn’t find anyone open and scrambled for a 12-yard TD and a 7-0 lead with 2:04 left in the first quarter.

The Sals came right back, ripping a page out of the Middletown playbook with a deep pass. Zach Gwynn uncorked a 52-yard bomb to Michael Drake to tie it on the second play of the second quarter.

The Cavaliers tried a fake punt on fourth-and-5 from their own 9, but Sallies batted down Fry’s pass to earn great field position. Carson Salvo ran it in from the 3 two plays later for a 14-7 lead.

Middletown took 12 plays to drive 80 yards for a tying score, with Fry finding a diving Anthony DelPercio in the back of the end zone from 26 yards out. But the Sals came right back, driving into position for Cooper Urban’s 37-yard field goal for a 17-14 lead at the half.

Whitehead struck right after halftime. The senior caught a short pass from Fry, spun away from a tackler and went 21 yards to push the Cavaliers ahead 21-17.

The ensuing kickoff bounced off a Sallies returner at the 12. He went back and tried to pick it up at the 5, but was swarmed under. The ball bounced back into the end zone, and Whitehead was at the bottom of a huge pileup to make the recovery.

Just like that, Middletown surged ahead 28-17 with 10:18 remaining in the third quarter.

The Sals suffered another blow two plays later. Big running back Josh Patrick had enjoyed a great first half, rushing 16 times for 130 yards, but he left the field with an apparent injury after a 5-yard gain. He did make it back out in the fourth quarter, but by then the game had changed.

Middletown took 12 more plays to cover 82 yards on its next possession. Fry found Whitehead over the middle for his third straight touchdown, a 31-yarder, and a 35-17 lead with 3:46 to play in the third quarter.

Patrick returned with 8:08 left in the game, but didn’t appear to have the same push. Middletown’s Ernest Washington knocked down a fourth-and-5 pass from the 8 to end a promising Sallies drive.

The Sals did make one more push, as Gwynn found tight end Logan Bushweller over the middle for a 31-yard score to pull Salesianum within 35-24 with 5:20 remaining.

The Cavaliers were content to run some clock, taking their time on two consecutive runs up the middle, then caught the Sals by surprise on third-and-8. Fry dropped back and lofted a 51-yard touchdown bomb to put it away with 4:01 to go.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Salesianum’s Mike Drake snags a pass intended for Middletown’s Kedrick Whitehead in the second quarter at Cavalier Stadium Friday. Salesianum’s Desmond Bagley also defends (left).

Middletown quarterback Drew Fry avoids Salesianum’s Casey Spink (61) and Garrett Million before turning upfield for a 12-yard scramble and score in the first quarter at Cavalier Stadium Friday.

Middletown’s Kedrick Whitehead is left alone as he collects a long pass in the first quarter at Cavalier Stadium Friday.

Salesianum’s Josh Patrick gets away from Middletown’s Shane Wilkins (9) and Ernest Washington on a long run in the second quarter at Cavalier Stadium Friday.

In 2013, Brian O’Neill scored eight touchdowns as a wide receiver during his senior season at Salesianum.

End zone celebrations appeared to be unlikely during his college football career after Pittsburgh asked O’Neill to bulk up to 300 pounds and move from tight end to offensive tackle before his redshirt freshman year last season.

(From left) Pittsburgh’s Adam Bisnowaty and Alex Bookser celebrate as offensive lineman Brian O’Neill scores a touchdown during the first half Saturday.

http://www.espn.com/core/video/iframe?id=17745344&endcard=false

But the Panthers had something up their sleeve on Saturday at Heinz Field, a trick play involving O’Neill that instantly became a sensation on ESPN’s website.

Pitt quarterback Nathan Peterman sprinted to his right, then threw back to O’Neill, who was all alone on the left side. He had slipped out into the clear from the edge of the formation, and he picked up a convoy of blockers and rumbled 24 yards for a touchdown.

“We had it in the playbook for a little while. We have been looking for the right team to run it against,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi told the school’s sports information staff. “[Offensive coordinator] Matt Canada called that. He said it was going to be a call in the red zone.

“It was designed for Brian O’Neill’s old tight end abilities. He can go.”

It was the first touchdown in what would become a 37-34 victory over Georgia Tech. The Panthers found the situation they wanted just three minutes into the game.

“They told me about it Tuesday morning and I was kind of surprised, kind of caught off guard,” O’Neill told the Pitt SID staff. “The O-line had a big joke that we weren’t going to run it. [Narduzzi] told me before the game that, ‘If we get down there, anywhere between the 20- or 25-yard line on the left hash, we’re running it. Be ready. Don’t do anything stupid when you score a touchdown, because you’re going to score a touchdown.’”

The play unfolded even better than the Panthers hoped.

“I didn’t expect it to be that wide open,” O’Neill said. “We ran it in practice and I got maybe 15, 20 yards on it. I saw it and I thought, ‘Don’t fumble. Don’t fumble please.’”

And just like the receivers and running backs always do, O’Neill made sure to credit his offensive line.

“It’s pretty unbelievable. The blocking we had from the rest of the offensive line was crazy,” he said. “It was a play for the O-line; it wasn’t a play for me. The O-line led the whole way to the end zone and I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Pittsburgh (4-2, 1-1 ACC) won on a last-second field goal by Chris Blewitt. The Panthers also got a major contribution from A.I. du Pont graduate Quadree Henderson, who rushed four times for 26 yards and a touchdown, caught two passes for 16 yards and returned three kickoffs for 67 yards.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

WILMINGTON – Football is often a game of inches.

On Saturday, it was a game of inches and seconds at Baynard Stadium.

Wilmington Friends defensive lineman Robert Baldwin stopped St. Elizabeth running back Chris Cropper inches short of the end zone on third-and-goal from the 1 with 12 seconds remaining. Then the officials ruled that time had expired before the Vikings ran a fourth-down play, and Friends players ran off the field in celebration of a 21-14 victory.

St. Elizabeth (2-3) scored on a fourth-down quarterback sneak by Casey Rock. The clock had temporarily stopped at three seconds, allowing the Vikings to snap the ball before the clock hit zero, but the officials negated the touchdown.

“When we lined up on the ball, there was three seconds left,” St. Elizabeth coach Joe Aviola said. “[The referee] told me that there’s no way we could have possibly run a play. His explanation was the clock should have kept running.”

Friends, ranked sixth statewide in Division II, was obviously relieved to improve to 4-1.

“I thought, ‘If they run the ball, I’m not sure they’re going to be able to get another play off,’” Quakers coach Bob Tattersall said. “That’s what happened. That never should have been close. That guy didn’t run the clock. It was three seconds, and he never ran the clock.”

The Vikings embarked on their final drive from their own 25 with 5:28 remaining. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Cropper carried the ball on 14 of the 18 plays, almost all to the right side.

“We were tired, and they were tired,” Tattersall said. “Cropper is very difficult to stop.”

On fourth-and-2 from the 8, Cropper bashed his way down to the 1-yard line with less than a minute left. The clock continued to tick as Baldwin stopped Cropper for no gain on first down. Then the Quakers’ Daniel Adebi felled the big back for no gain on second down, and St. Elizabeth called its final timeout with 12 seconds left.

Aviola considered a pass play on third down, so the Vikings would have time for a fourth-down play if it was incomplete. But his players knew what they wanted to do.

“I don’t play the game. The kids do,” Aviola said. “When I called the timeout and I brought them over, they said they wanted to run power, which is our play.

“I’m going to live and die with my kids. I love my kids, and they wanted to run power. [Friends] overloaded, and I thought about going back side at one point. But that’s what got us down the field. We’re going to live or die by it. Unfortunately, we died on the half-yard line.”

St. Elizabeth scrambled back into formation and scored on Rock’s QB plunge, but it was too late. The officials met for about a minute, then waived the play off.

Friends took a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter on a 10-yard run by quarterback Justin Beneck. Cropper tied it with a 34-yard run for St. E, but Andrew Jaworski’s 1-yard plunge gave the Quakers a 14-7 lead at the half.

Friends pushed the margin to 21-7 on another 1-yard run by Jaworski midway through the third quarter. Rock’s 1-yard run pulled the Vikings within 21-14 with 3:14 left in the third quarter.

Cropper finished with 36 carries for 216 yards for St. E. Jaworski, a hard-nosed fullback, plowed his way to 76 yards on 21 carries on a field softened by rain for the Quakers.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Wilmington Friends quarterback Justin Bedeck runs the ball against St. Elizabeth linebacker David Hazelton, Jr. at Baynard Stadium Saturday.

Wilmington Friends quarterback Justin Bedeck runs the option in Friends’ 21-14 win over St. Elizabeth at Baynard Stadium Saturday.

St. Elizabeth lineman Joseph Kindbeiter, No. 64, and linebacker David Hazleton Jr. are in shock after a clock error ruled a game tying touchdown void against Wilmington Friends at Baynard Stadium Saturday.

Friends halfback Owen Sheppard is all smiles after Friends; 21-14 win over St. Elizabeth at Baynard Stadium Saturday.

St. Georges quarterback Robert Shorts (11), shown here against Howard earlier this year, threw two TD passes against McKean on Saturday.

PENNY HILL – Sean Carroll scored two defensive touchdowns, passed for a third score and made 11 tackles and two interceptions as Mount Pleasant downed Charter of Wilmington 45-28 in a Blue Hen Flight A football game on Saturday.

Carroll, a senior, rushed for 42 yards and passed for 40 more. He returned an interception 8 yards for a TD, ran a fumble back 5 yards for another score and threw a 6-yard TD pass to Jorden Collins.

The Green Knights (2-3, 1-3) also got 108 yards rushing and three touchdowns from Charles Hunt and 144 yards rushing and a score from Vincent Smith. MacAdoo Harrison-Dixon rushed for a TD and caught a scoring pass from Carter Lamey for the Force (1-4, 1-3).

Tatnall 56, Christiana 6: Sam Ragland rushed for touchdowns of 72, 3, 3 and 9 yards, and Cam Easton caught a 20-yard scoring pass from Carl Marvin as the Hornets (4-1) rolled past the Vikings (1-4).

Conrad 42, St. Andrew’s 14: Elijah Walton ripped off touchdown runs of 45, 53 and 40 yards as Conrad (3-2) built a 42-0 lead in the first half and cruised past the Saints (0-5).

Zakk Camilli scored on runs of 55 and 62 yards for Conrad, and Lawrence Brown added a 48-yard TD burst. Arthur Potter threw two touchdown passes for St. Andrew’s, 18 yards to Adrian Watts and 52 yards to Meeshach Stennett.

Delmar 21, Lake Forest 7: James Adkins threw scoring passes of 20 yards to Te’Shawn Dennard and 17 yards to Isaac Austin in the second quarter as the Wildcats (3-2, 2-0 Henlopen South) built a three-touchdown lead and held off the Spartans (0-5, 0-2).

Brooks Parker opened the scoring for Delmar with a 39-yard run in the first quarter. Lake Forest got on the board on an 81-yard pass from Xavier Daniels to Cameron Lewis in the fourth quarter.

St. Georges 33, McKean 12: Robert Shorts threw two early touchdown passes as the Hawks (4-1, 3-0 Blue Hen Flight B) built a 26-0 lead after one quarter and rolled past the Highlanders (1-4, 1-3).

Damani Wells got St. Georges started with a 66-yard kickoff return TD. Then Shorts fired scoring tosses of 26 yards to J’Aire Pritchett and 67 yards to Michael Wilson Jr. Jalen Smith added an 18-yard TD run and Deondre Harriott scored from 25 yards out for the Hawks.

McKean’s scoring came on a 59-yard run by Amir Wynder and a 19-yard dash by Keyhon Davis.

Concord 44, Newark 12: Kyle Batch rushed for 75 yards and three touchdowns as the Raiders (5-0, 3-0 Blue Hen Flight A) steamrolled the Yellowjackets (1-4, 1-2) on Friday night.

Grahm Roberts also ran for a score and caught a 38-yard TD pass from Sean Doogan, and Avery Roberts bolted 68 yards for a touchdown on his only carry for Concord.

Hodgson 56, Dickinson 0: Greg Tucker rushed for two short touchdowns, Vaughn Wood caught a 52-yard scoring pass from Marc Perez-Echevarria and the QB added a 5-yard TD run for the Silver Eagles (3-2, 2-2 Blue Hen Flight B). Cory Joines, Nahzir Billops, Tashan Fitzgerald and Michael Sanchez also scored for Hodgson.

Glasgow 52, Brandywine 0: Isaiah Wilson V threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns in the first half for the Dragons (5-0, 3-0 Blue Hen Flight B). Wilson fired scoring passes of 25 yards to Michael Credle and 30 yards to Keishawn Jones. Tyrique Woodland ran for two TDs, Tavion Jones-Hill added a 5-yard TD run, Credle threw a 63-yard scoring pass to Ja’saan Cunningham and Martise Younger had a 10-yard TD run for Glasgow.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

THE WEEK: The senior reached 1,000 career digs with 35 in a 3-0 loss to top-ranked Archmere last Tuesday. Added 41 digs in a 3-0 victory over Cherry Hill (N.J.) East on Saturday.

THE MILESTONE: “They told me that I was really close,” Longueira said. “I had like 30 left, but I had no idea when I was going to hit the thousand. I looked over to the side of the court and my coach told me I got it. I was surprised.”

THE DIG: Longueira’s primary role is to dig out the opponent’s kill attempts and keep the ball alive for the DMA offense to swing into motion. “It all starts with a dig,” she said. “All the responsibility is on me for the first pass so the hitters can get their kills and the setter can get her assist.”

THE COACH SAYS: “They rely on her a lot, and they trust her a lot to get almost every ball that comes back there,” DMA coach Sydney Cook said. “Anything that comes past that 10-foot line, they expect her to be able to get it up.”

THE SATISFACTION: “It makes me really happy, knowing that they can’t get a kill on me,” Longueira said. “That’s my main goal, to make sure they don’t get a lot of kills.”

THE QUIET LEADER: “I think a lot of people underestimate her,” Cook said. “I think they think, ‘Well, she’s kind of quiet.’ She may not be the loudest libero out there, but [opponents] can get pretty frustrated, because she does read [offenses].”

THE PAIN: Blocking the other team’s top hitters doesn’t come without a physical price. “I’ve gotten used to it,” Longueira said. “It doesn’t hurt as much anymore. But at first, it hurts a lot.” She said most of the hits go off her knees.

THE CLASSROOM: Longueira said her favorite subject is English. “I just like writing,” she said. “I can go on and on about writing.”

THE FUTURE: Longueira hopes to continue her volleyball career in college. She has received some recruiting interest, but has yet to decide on a destination.

Send Athlete of the Week nominations to bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

Delaware Military Academy volleyball senior Kirsten Longuiera, is the Athlete of the Week.

Delaware Military Academy volleyball senior Kirsten Longuiera, is the Athlete of the Week.

Delaware Military Academy volleyball senior Kirsten Longuiera, is the Athlete of the Week.

Delaware Military Academy volleyball senior Kirsten Longuiera, is the Athlete of the Week.

FOOTBALL

THE NEWS JOURNAL/DELAWAREONLINE RANKINGS

DIVISION I

1. Smyrna (5-0) Prev. 1

2. Middletown (5-0) 2

3. Concord (5-0) 3

4. Salesianum (3-2) 4

5. William Penn (4-1) 6

6. Cape Henlopen (4-1) 7

7. Sussex Central (3-2) 5

8. Sussex Tech (3-2) 9

9. Appoquinimink (2-3) 8

10. Dover (2-3) NR

DIVISION II

1. Woodbridge (5-0) 1

2. Milford (5-0) 2

3. St. Georges (4-1) 4

4. Glasgow (5-0) 5

5. Del. Military Academy (4-1) 7

6. St. Mark’s (4-1) 3

7. Wilmington Friends (4-1) 6

8. Tatnall (4-1) 8

9. Caravel (2-3) NR

10. Howard (2-3) NR

FOX SPORTS 1290/DIFCA COACHES’ POLL

DIVISION I

1. Smyrna 1

2. Middletown 2

3. Concord 3

4. Salesianum 4

5. William Penn 5

6. Cape Henlopen 8

7. Sussex Central 6

8. Sussex Tech 9

9. Appoquinimink 7

10. Dover NR

DIVISION II

1. Woodbridge 1

2. St. Georges 2

3. Milford 4

4. Glasgow 3

5. Del. Military Academy 7

6. Tatnall 6

7. St. Mark’s 5

8. Wilmington Friends 8

9. Howard 10

10. Delmar NR

VOLLEYBALL

1. Archmere (9-0) 3

2. Padua (8-1) 1

3. Tower Hill (7-1) NR

4. Del. Military Academy (4-3) 2

5. Ursuline (6-2) 4

BOYS SOCCER

DIVISION I

1. Salesianum (7-1-1) 1

2. Appoquinimink (8-0) 3

3. Charter of Wilm. (4-2-1) 2

4. Polytech (7-0) 4

5. Sussex Central (5-1) 5

DIVISION II

1. Indian River (6-0) 1

2. Newark Charter (7-0-1) 3

3. St. Mark’s (5-1-2) 2

4. St. Andrew’s (6-0-1) NR

5. Archmere (6-3) 4

FIELD HOCKEY

1. Cape Henlopen (4-2) 1

2. Delmar (8-0) 2

3. Tower Hill (8-1) 3

4. Milford (8-0) 4

5. Padua (8-0) 5

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY*

DIVISION I

1. Salesianum 1

2. Charter of Wilmington 2

3. Sussex Tech 3

4. Concord 4

5. Caesar Rodney NR

DIVISION II

1. Tatnall 1

2. Del. Military Academy 2

3. Newark Charter 3

4. St. Andrew’s 4

5. St. Mark’s 5

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY*

DIVISION I

1. Padua 1

2. Charter of Wilmington 2

3. Smyrna 3

4. Middletown 5

5. Caesar Rodney 4

DIVISION II

1. Tatnall 1

2. Newark Charter 2

3. St. Andrew’s 4

4. Del. Military Academy 3

5. Ursuline 5

* rankings supplied by N5CTA

Archmere’s Nicole Kelly (left) and Jade Bryant converge on the ball against St. Mark’s on Sept. 27. The Auks defeated two ranked teams – DMA and Ursuline – last week to move up to No. 1 statewide.

Archmere’s Nicole Kelly (left) and Jade Bryant converge on the ball against St. Mark’s on Sept. 27. The Auks defeated two ranked teams – DMA and Ursuline – last week to move up to No. 1 statewide.

Glasgow’s Tyrique Woodland weaves through the Hodgson defense on the way to a touchdown on Sept. 23.

After years of football mediocrity, the Glasgow Dragons are breathing fire.

Glasgow is 5-0, its closest game a 26-14 win over Hodgson. And the schedule is favorable for the Dragons to keep dominating.

“We’re playing well on both sides of the ball,” Glasgow coach Shannon Riley said. “We’re scoring a lot of points and making big plays, and the defense is playing well, not giving up too many points.”

It all starts with junior quarterback Isaiah Wilson V, a three-year starter, and Michael Credle, a senior who leads the Dragons in catches and touchdowns.

“He’s making great reads, great throws,” Riley said of Wilson V. “He has our offense playing at a good pace.”

Running backs Tavion Jones-Hill and Tyrique Woodland are providing a 1-2 punch on the ground. Junior strong safety Reginald Grinnell has received college recruiting interest after making plays all over the field, and junior middle linebacker Tymere Wilson is the team’s leading tackler.

Riley, in his 11th season, said this has the potential to be his best team at Glasgow. The Dragons have had only one winning season (6-4 in 2012) in the last seven years, but spent much of that time as the smallest school in Blue Hen Flight A. Glasgow’s drop to Flight B last year has been beneficial.

“We’ve been losing numbers, and it was hard to play in Flight A,” Riley said. “Finally getting the chance to go down and play with teams that are really our size in enrollment is helping us.”

The Dragons’ first five opponents – Seaford, McKean, Hodgson, Newark and Brandywine – have a combined record of 7-18. But Glasgow opened with the same five teams last season, and was 3-2 at this point.

“We are very fast and very talented in certain areas. We just needed experience,” Riley said. “Last year, we were very young. This year, we have a majority of juniors. They got the experience from last year, and it’s paying off.”

The going doesn’t get much tougher the next couple of weeks, as road games at 1-4 Christiana (10:45 a.m. Saturday) and 0-5 Lake Forest (Oct. 21) await. But Riley said his team is focused, no matter the opponent. A 52-0 win over Brandywine last Friday is proof of that.

“We played Brandywine, and people said it could have been a letdown game after playing Hodgson and Newark, a D-I rival school,” the coach said. “But our guys are playing like every game is their last game, a championship game. We played well, and we didn’t take them for granted.”

The Dragons have even become an Internet sensation. An assistant coach took a video of the Glasgow players and cheerleaders chanting and celebrating after the victory over Newark, and Riley posted it on Facebook. It went viral, and as of Monday it had been shared 6,400 times and viewed 210,000 times.

“It’s crazy how it went viral, but I see it posted everywhere, on different sites,” Riley said. “It’s good for the program. People see the energy of the team, the excitement around the team, and our guys are excited that it’s floating around out there.”

Cross country roundup

Smyrna’s Naomi Bowser (19:25.19) and Wilmington Friends’ Connor Nesbit (16:48.14) continued their sparkling individual seasons with victories in the University of Delaware Invitational cross country meet last Friday at White Clay Creek State Park. St. Andrew’s placed five runners in the top 15 to easily take the girls team title, while Delaware Military Academy edged St. Andrew’s 74-87 for the boys crown.

Padua’s Lydia Olivere finished second in the prestigious Eastern States girls race at the Manhattan Invitational on Saturday at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Tatnall’s Keelin Hays finished sixth.

The annual Joe O’Neill Invitational – the only time Delaware’s best runners from both divisions compete together – will be held Friday at Bellevue State Park. The varsity boys race will start at 3 p.m., followed by the varsity girls at 3:25.

Rounding it up

— The 1969 Conrad High football team will be inducted into the school’s hall of fame before Saturday’s 11 a.m. homecoming game against McKean. All players from the ’69 team are encouraged to report to the Conrad library by 10:15 Saturday. Contact Jim Reilly at jsreilly21@comcast.net for more information.

The ’69 Redskins, coached by Jim Pletcher, went 10-0 with seven shutouts. They ended Newark’s 35-game winning streak, and defeated Salesianum, Newark and William Penn by a combined 62-0. A who’s who of Delaware high school football – Tom Coder, Bob Reeder, Toby Craig, Vinnie Scott, Bill Legge and Duane Morningred – were among the assistant coaches. Four Conrad players – Jim Reilly, Paul Sekscinski, Mike Dougherty and Don Robison – were first-team All-State at a time when only 11 players received that recognition.

— Newark High’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes will host its first Fields of Faith event at 7 p.m. Wednesday. For more information, go to www.fieldsoffaith.com or contact Kevin Scannell, (302) 753-9389 or newarkfca@gmail.com.

— Conrad senior Rose Carr has verbally committed to row at three-time NCAA champion Ohio State next year. Carr, who has national and international rowing experience, has competed for the Newport Rowing Club since seventh grade.

— The 10th annual Serve for the Cure volleyball event, featuring top-ranked Archmere at St. Elizabeth, will be held Tuesday. The junior varsity match will start at 5, followed by the varsity at 6:15. Admission is $10 if you have not already purchased a Serve for the Cure T-shirt. All funds raised will support cancer treatment and research at the Helen Graham Center. In addition to a 50-50 raffle, a silent auction will include several pieces of sports memorabilia, artwork, gift cards, themed gift baskets and other items.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

MILLTOWN – Both St. Mark’s senior Genevieve Hughes and junior Erin Derick had their right shoulders wrapped in ice after the match.

It was that kind of night, as the Spartans rallied repeatedly on their home court to down fourth-ranked Delaware Military Academy 3-1 in a hard-fought girls volleyball match on Tuesday night.

The set scores were 25-22, 21-25, 27-25 and 25-23. It was tense all the way, but St. Mark’s (6-3) earned a huge boost in confidence after losing a four-set skirmish with No. 2 Padua and dropping five-set marathons against No. 1 Archmere and No. 5 Ursuline earlier this season.

“We have a young team, and we’ve been in those close battles,” Spartans coach Nancy Griskowitz said. “The kids have been trying very hard in every match. They’ve given it what they have, and I think just coming out tonight, playing hard and getting a win is getting a monkey off their back.

“They’re really proud of themselves, and I’m proud of them, too.”

Derick had 14 kills, nine digs and 25 assists for St. Mark’s. Freshman Savannah Seemans added 13 kills and 16 assists, and Hughes had eight kills and three digs while surviving some nervous moments.

“It was really intense,” Hughes said. “We had a lot of heart attacks, on and off the court. I was freaking out on the bench over there, and Nancy was freaking out. But as a team, we all trust each other and we know we’re going to get the job done.”

The Spartans trailed 14-9 and 20-15 before getting the job done in the first set. They reeled off the final six points, including two aces by Seemans, to go up 1-0.

But the Seahawks (4-4), the defending DIAA champions, staged a comeback of their own in the second set. St. Mark’s jumped out to an 8-2 lead, and maintained control at 16-9. Then DMA won 16 of the next 21 points to even the match.

It was back and forth all the way in the third set, with a kill by the Seahawks’ Nina Tindall saving a set point and tying it at 25. The Spartans won the next two points on Hughes’ kill and a cross-court hit by Gillian Lytle to up 2-1.

Then DMA rushed out to a 6-0 lead in the fourth set. But Griskowitz didn’t start making plans for a fifth set.

“I never give up on this team,” the Spartans’ coach said. “This team, they’re full of fire. They just keep fighting every step of the way.”

St. Mark’s pulled within 10-8, only to see the Seahawks push their margin back to 15-9. But the Spartans chipped away, taking their first lead at 21-20 on a kill by Grace Frati (10 kills, 14 digs).

Hughes’ kill gave St. Mark’s a 23-22 lead. Lindsay Wolfe tied it with a kill for DMA. Then Hughes boomed another one to set up match point.

“They were calling out which spots were open and where to hit, so we pushed through and tried to work for the kill and the win,” Hughes said.

The final point was one of the longest of the night, before Derick ended it with a tap that barely cleared the Seahawks’ blockers. It wasn’t exactly what she had in mind.

“I wanted to go up and smack it, but I didn’t catch it,” Derick said. “It was really scary to me, because I was like, ‘Oh no, I just gave them another point.’ But I knew my team was rallying back for me, and I heard them cheering and I turned around and we got the point.”

It was a fitting end to a match that didn’t always go as planned, but finished in the right place for the Spartans.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

St. Mark’s Abigail Thibodeau (No. 12) spikes the ball as Delaware Military Academy’s Victoria Taylor leaps for a block in the second game of St. Mark’s 3-1 win over DMA at St. Mark’s High School in Milltown on Tuesday night.

St. Mark’s Grace Frati (No. 14) spikes the ball into a pair of Delaware Military Academy defenders in the second game of St. Mark’s 3-1 win over DMA at St. Mark’s High School in Milltown on Tuesday night.

St. Mark’s Savannah Seemans (No. 5) sends a spike past Delaware Military Academy’s Sydney Fulton (No. 7) in the first game of St. Mark’s 3-1 win over DMA at St. Mark’s High School in Milltown on Tuesday night.

St. Mark’s Erin Derick chases the ball down in the first game of St. Mark’s 3-1 win over DMA at St. Mark’s High School in Milltown on Tuesday night.

St. Mark’s players celebrate a point in the first game of St. Mark’s 3-1 win over DMA at St. Mark’s High School in Milltown on Tuesday night.

Delaware Military Academy’s Victoria Taylor spikes the ball as St. Mark’s Abigail Thibodeau (No. 12) leaps for a block in the first game of St. Mark’s 3-1 win over DMA at St. Mark’s High School in Milltown on Tuesday night.

Archmere girls volleyball coach Mary Pat Kwoka talks with her team during a timeout in a DIAA tournament semifinal match against Padua last season.

Boys soccer and girls volleyball have little in common. But Archmere athletic director Dave Oswinkle knows why two of the Auks’ coaches were able to celebrate milestones last week.

“If you’re looking for structure and system, stuff like that, both of them give it,” Oswinkle said. “That’s the reason they have the records that they have over the years they’ve been coaching. They believe in structure and building programs.”

It was a memorable week at Archmere, as boys soccer coach Bob Bussiere reached 400 career victories with a 7-2 win over Conrad on Oct. 4, and girls volleyball coach Mary Pat Kwoka hit 300 career wins with a 3-0 victory over Ursuline last Friday.

“They don’t waver much from where they are,” Oswinkle said. “They realize the personnel they have, and they adapt to the personnel that they have. They set up a system that works with the kids.”

Working with kids is what it’s all about for both coaches.

“Every win is special,” Kwoka said. “Every time I win, I’m excited about the win. The players have been tremendous, the parental support, the administrations that I’ve worked for … it’s a true team effort. It’s just fun being a head coach, and it’s great being a head coach at Archmere.”

Hitting a win total with a couple of zeroes on the end is pretty nice, too.

“I’m really proud of it,” Bussiere said. “I was talking to my team about it on Wednesday, the day after, and I said, ‘I’ll be honest with you, the 400 wins is really nice.’

“I think it’s an indication of two things. One, the quality number of soccer players that I’ve had over the years. Archmere is the fourth high school that I’ve coached. It’s not like I’ve been in one place all this time. But the other thing is the relationships that you form, the friendships, and how this sport has provided me with some of my best friends.”

Those friendships endure, which is even more rewarding.

“I’m in a stage now in my career where I go to player weddings and baptisms, things like that,” Bussiere said. “I’ve stayed in touch with these kids, even though they’re not kids anymore. Between that and the number of former players who are now in coaching, it’s the relationships that I’ll always remember, not the number of wins.”

Both coaches have made a few stops. Bussiere began his career in 1981 at New Rochelle High in New York, guiding the Huguenots to a 26-0 season and state title in 1986. The following year, he moved to Delaware, began coaching at Caravel and went 2-13 in his first season in the First State.

He moved to Glasgow in 1992 and took the Dragons to the summit with a state title in 1995. Then he came to Archmere in 2005.

Kwoka won a state title in her first year of coaching, at Ursuline in 1991. She moved to St. Elizabeth the following year and went 2-14, which was two more wins than the Vikings earned the previous season.

She stayed at St. E for 11 seasons before coming to Archmere, where she has been the last 11 years. Kwoka, proud to have assistant coach Nancy Melvin at her side the entire time, has coached eight teams to Delaware’s Final Four and won her second state title with the Auks in 2014.

Bussiere’s record now stands at 401-186-57. Kwoka’s current mark is 301-131. Both have been through peaks and valleys, leading athletes with varying skills at different schools.

“That’s the fun part of coaching,” Kwoka said. “Every year is a different group of players. So you have to figure out what their strengths are, what their weaknesses are. As a coach, you try to accentuate their positives and try to remove as many negatives as you can.”

Kwoka’s volleyball team is riding high this season, moving to No. 1 in The News Journal’s statewide rankings after 3-0 sweeps of Delaware Military Academy and Ursuline last week. Archmere improved to 10-0 with a 3-1 victory over St. Elizabeth on Tuesday.

Junior Lexi Kelly is a fearsome middle hitter, and her sister, Nikki, and Amy Thomson anchor the block. Senior setters Kaylie Leclerc and Tori Mock keep the offense flowing, and captain Grace Merritt provides versatility. Sophomores Faith Merritt and Jade Bryant have stepped into bigger roles, sophomore Sydney Niumataiwalu has made the transition to libero and freshmen Julia Kochie and Mackenzie Popp have made an immediate impact.

“One of our strengths is that we’re a team,” Kwoka said. “Everybody has to do their part for us to be successful. One day it’s going to be this player, the next day it’s going to be another player.”

The Auks have also received a valuable contribution from senior Zoe Akoto, a leader despite missing the entire season due to a knee injury.

“She had a shot at being an All-State player,” Kwoka said. “Her mental focus and her preparation, even though she’s not on the court, has helped our team in an amazing way.”

Bussiere’s soccer team is also churning out another successful season, moving to 7-3 with a 4-0 victory over St. Elizabeth on Tuesday.

“I was really excited to work with this group. It’s just a group of some quality, quality people,” Bussiere said. “We do have some talent on the team, as well. I really enjoyed coaching them last year, and I knew the vast majority of them were returning this year.”

Senior midfielder Sean Murray, a four-year starter, and senior forward Liam Delaney hold everybody together as the Auks’ captains. Bussiere also lauded seniors Charlie Walters, Michael Fiorile and Reid Niermann, saying, “They understand their roles on the team; they understand where they fit in.”

And of course, the buck hopefully stops with senior goalkeeper Blake Parker.

“He has been a very, very key player for us, this season and last season,” Bussiere said. “He’s played very, very well.”

But Bussiere believes his Auks – and their coach – have more inside. All three of their losses have come by one goal, to Division II state title contenders Newark Charter, St. Mark’s and St. Andrew’s. Bussiere believes the Auks can be a contender, too.

“In my mind, we haven’t come close to reaching our full potential,” he said. “Actually, I’ve been a little disappointed with my performance this season. But we’ll get it right, and I know we’ll reach the level we need to reach to compete in the state tournament.”

That’s how you pass a milestone, and start heading for the next one.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

St. Elizabeth tight end David Hazelton Jr. snags a pass in front of Friends’ Henry Gise last Saturday at Baynard Stadium. Friends won 21-14, and both Brad Myers and Matt Kalin are predicting both the Quakers and Vikings will win this weekend.

Predictions by News Journal high school sports reporter Brad Myers and Mount Pleasant student/analytics guru Matt Kalin.

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Mount Pleasant at Delcastle, 4. MYERS PICK: Mount Pleasant 32-14. KALIN PICK: Mount Pleasant 37-17.

Cape Henlopen at Dover, 7. MYERS PICK: Cape Henlopen 31-20. KALIN PICK: Cape Henlopen 34-21.

Dickinson vs. St. Elizabeth at Baynard Stadium, 7. MYERS PICK: St. Elizabeth 49-8. KALIN PICK: St. Elizabeth 40-6.

Caravel at St. Mark’s, 7. MYERS PICK: St. Mark’s 27-24. KALIN PICK: St. Mark’s 17-13.

Caesar Rodney at Sussex Central, 7. MYERS PICK: Sussex Central 27-14. KALIN PICK: Sussex Central 38-6.

Smyrna at Sussex Tech, 7. MYERS PICK: Smyrna 56-20. KALIN PICK: Smyrna 48-21.

George School (Pa.) at Tower Hill, 7. MYERS PICK: Tower Hill 34-13. KALIN PICK: Tower Hill 34-0.

Seaford at Woodbridge, 7. MYERS PICK: Woodbridge 55-8. KALIN PICK: Woodbridge 52-0.

Lake Forest at Laurel, 7:30. MYERS PICK: Laurel 29-20. KALIN PICK: Laurel 31-17.

A.I. du Pont at Middletown, 7:30. MYERS PICK: Middletown 56-19. KALIN PICK: Middletown 42-6.

Indian River at Milford, 7:30. MYERS PICK: Milford 27-13. KALIN PICK: Milford 31-14.

Delaware Military Academy at Polytech, 7:30. MYERS PICK: DMA 36-6. KALIN PICK: DMA 40-10.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Howard at Brandywine, 10:30 a.m. MYERS PICK: Howard 40-14. KALIN PICK: Howard 30-7.

Appoquinimink at Charter of Wilmington, 10:30 a.m. MYERS PICK: Appoquinimink 41-20. KALIN PICK: Appoquinimink 34-24.

St. Georges at Hodgson, 10:30 a.m. MYERS PICK: St. Georges 30-22. KALIN PICK: St. Georges 27-13.

Glasgow at Christiana, 10:45 a.m. MYERS PICK: Glasgow 54-6. KALIN PICK: Glasgow 40-6.

McKean at Conrad, 11 a.m. MYERS PICK: Conrad 41-14. KALIN PICK: Conrad 30-3.

Delmar at Archmere, noon. MYERS PICK: Archmere 17-15. KALIN PICK: Archmere 30-24.

Wilmington Friends vs. Bishop McDevitt (Pa.) at Cheltenham (Pa.) HS, 1. MYERS PICK: Friends 35-30. KALIN PICK: Friends 24-21.

St. Andrew’s at Ferris School, 1. MYERS PICK: St. Andrew’s 12-6. KALIN PICK: St. Andrew’s 20-17.

Newark at William Penn, 1. MYERS PICK: William Penn 40-14. KALIN PICK: William Penn 40-7.

Red Lion Christian at Tatnall, 2. MYERS PICK: Tatnall 48-6. KALIN PICK: Tatnall 45-24.

Concord vs. Salesianum at Baynard Stadium, 7:30. MYERS PICK: Concord 17-14. KALIN PICK: Concord 30-28.

BRAD MYERS LAST WEEK: 19-3. OVERALL: 94-22 (.810)

MATT KALIN LAST WEEK: 18-4. OVERALL: 90-26 (.776)

Listen to Brad Myers on the Henlopen High School Football Fix with Mike Bradley at 8:20 a.m. Friday on WGMD-FM (92.7) or www.wgmd.com. Contact Brad at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

Concord’s Grahm Roberts rips off a 52-yard touchdown run against Appoquinimink, the kind of play the Raiders will need to get the best of Salesianum on Saturday night at Baynard Stadium.

The Concord football team is getting into the meat of its schedule.

The Raiders, ranked third statewide in Division I, are 5-0 and have outscored their opponents by a combined 195-39, winning by an average of 29.2 points per game.

But the sledding gets considerably tougher the next two weeks. Concord meets fourth-ranked Salesianum this week, then plays host to No. 5 William Penn the following week.

The tough stretch starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, as the Raiders play at night for only the second time this season. They’re pumped up for a chance to knock off a Sallies team that has handled Concord in each of the last five seasons.

Delaware high school football predictions: Week 6

“The kids love to play at Baynard Stadium. They love to play under the lights. They love the matchup,” Raiders coach Greg Mitchell said. “Year in and year out, they like the matchup. This year, with us being 5-0 and being where we hoped we would be heading into these difficult weeks, we’re excited.”

Of course, the Sals have the potential to knock the excitement out of anybody. They are 3-2, with their losses coming to No. 1 Smyrna and No. 2 Middletown. But the size advantage Salesianum has over most opponents won’t be quite as glaring against Concord.

“They’re college big, up front, at least on the offensive line,” Mitchell said. “But we’re not little. We’ll match up with most of those kids pretty well.”

The Raiders feature linemen Jaysen Ellison (6-foot-4, 255 pounds), Earl Jeter (6-2, 210), Malik Wright (5-8, 263), Tyler Narvell (6-2, 260), William Beaudet (6-3, 290), RiQuan Mack (6-1, 225) and Tyler Whitlock (6-0, 200).

Many of them play both ways and clear the way for running back Grahm “Bam” Roberts (6-0, 210), who has the size and strength to break tackles and the speed to turn a medium gain into a long touchdown. Roberts has only been needed for an entire game twice this season – a 204-yard, two-touchdown day against Caravel, and a 282-yard, four-score outburst against Appoquinimink.

The Sals counter with a mammoth offensive line blocking for Josh Patrick (6-2, 225), who has given their ground game a boost since moving from tight end to halfback two games ago.

“We’re very similar, which for us is good,” Mitchell said. “We want to play smashmouth and set up some play-action passes. We don’t run a ton of formations. We always like the matchup with them, because we’re very similar.”

Sallies may have an edge in the air, with quarterback Zach Gwynn throwing to elusive receiver Michael Drake. But Mitchell hopes the Raiders’ pass rush, which has been stout all season, can put a dent in the Sals’ passing plans.

“I just expect it to be a good, tough high school football game,” Mitchell said.

So does everybody else.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

DOVER – The Dover defense was beating the Cape Henlopen blockers to the edges.

So the Vikings did it the old-fashioned way – right up the middle.

Kolbi Wright, Cape’s 6-foot, 236-pound junior fullback, pounded away 23 times for 134 yards and two touchdowns on Friday night as the Vikings grinded out a 29-14 victory over Dover at Dover Stadium.

“The outside wasn’t there. Dover is a fast team,” Wright said. “But we just kept pushing it down their throats, and we scored eventually.”

Cape Henlopen (5-1, 3-0 Henlopen North), ranked sixth statewide in Division I, wasn’t sharp following a huge, 16-14 victory over Sussex Central last week. But the Vikings did enough to come from behind and win a conference road game.

“We played real well last week, and maybe we expended a lot of energy,” Cape coach Bill Collick said. “I don’t take anything away from Dover, but I didn’t think we executed like we’re capable of. … We’ll take the win, but I want to keep refining. We didn’t get as much refinement as we needed tonight.”

The Vikings moved 55 yards in eight plays on their first possession, highlighted by a 27-yard run from Jerry Harden and a 19-yard burst from Rasheed Woods. Woods took it in from the 2 to give Cape a 7-0 lead.

The Senators (2-4, 1-2) answered with two big passes down the middle, as Jordan Magee hooked up with Dwight Wilson for 33 yards and Derico Cooper for 34 yards to the 1. Magee scored from there to tie it at 7 with 2:55 left in the first quarter.

Cape turned it over on downs at the Senators 25, and a holding penalty backed up Dover to the 12. Magee hit John Rodel Castro with a short screen pass, and the speedster broke free and took it 82 yards to the Vikings 6. Jerry Warren scored from the 2 three plays later to push the Senators ahead 14-7 midway through the second quarter.

Then Warren intercepted a Cape pass at the Senators 2, but Dover couldn’t get away from its own goal line. A low snap forced the Senators’ punter to improvise, and he was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone. The safety pulled the Vikings within 14-9.

Cape took the ensuing kick and covered 46 yards in seven plays, highlighted by Wright’s 30-yard rumble. Wright scored from the 2, but the Vikings failed on a two-point conversion to lead only 15-14 with 47.8 seconds left in the first half.

The Senators moved into position for a late score, as Magee hit Jhalil Mosley for a 32-yard gain to the Vikings 33. But two plays later, Harden stepped in front of a short pass and screamed 70 yards the other way to increase Cape’s lead to 22-14 at the half.

“I read the play, jumped the route,” Harden said. “I read [the quarterback’s] eyes, he was looking right there, so I read the route and took it home.”

Neither team could get much offensive traction in the second half. But the Cape offensive line of Aarin Burton, Jonah Robertson, Jaso Lopez, Robert Mitchell and Damarcus Perry and tight end Cory Lawson kept pushing, clearing the way for Wright’s 1-yard touchdown run to clinch it with 6:18 to play.

“I’m glad that I can trust my O-line to get those yards,” Wright said. “I love those guys up front, I really do.”

Magee completed 6 of 17 passes for 220 yards for Dover. The Vikings didn’t complete a single pass (0 for 3), but rushed 56 times for 267 yards.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough.

“We got a win, and we’re 5-1, and that’s where we wanted to be,” Collick said. “That was the goal.”

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Cape Henlopen’s Kolbi Wright (42) runs into the end zone for a touchdown in their 29-14 win over Dover.

Cape Henlopen’s Kolbi Wright (42) breaks a tackle attempt by Dover’s Lawrence Horsey (54) in their 29-14 win over Dover.

Cape Henlopen’s Zachary Dale (10) makes a tackle on Dover’s John Rodel Castro (28) in the third quarter.

Dover’s quarterback Jordan Magee (13) looks for a receiver in their home game against Cape Henlopen.

Cape Henlopen’s Rasheed Woods (2) runs the ball in the first quarter against Dover.

Dover’s Jarvis Worthy (12) tackles Cape Henlopen’s Jerry Harden (1) at the 30 yard line.

Cape Henlopen’s Rasheed Woods (2) runs the ball for a touchdown in the first quarter against Dover.

Cape Henlopen’s Rasheed Woods (2) motions for a first down after running the ball in the first quarter against Dover.

Dover’s John Rodel Castro (28) runs the ball down the field in their game against Cape Henlopen.

Cape Henlopen’s Benjamin Ashby (26) tries to grab the ball from Dover’s Dwight Wilson (5) after making a catch.

Cape Henlopen’s Kolbi Wright (42) runs the ball through Dover’s defense.

Cape Henlopen’s Kolbi Wright (42) runs the ball through Dover’s defense.

Cape Henlopen’s Benjamin Ashby (26), right, hands off the ball to Rasheed Woods (2) during a reverse play in their game against Dover.

St. Georges running back Brian Benson scores on a 75-yard run in the first quarter against Hodgson. St. Georges defeats Hodgson 12-7 Saturday at Hodgson.

GLASGOW – Unusual things can happen in a rivalry game.

St. Georges barely avoided a major upset on Saturday, coming from behind to nip Hodgson 12-7 on Craig Congo’s 40-yard touchdown run with 3:14 to play.

But this game will be remembered more for the trail of penalties, turnovers and frustration these vo-tech rivals left behind. Behold the ugly stats:

• St. Georges was penalized 13 times for 111 yards. Hodgson was flagged eight times for 81 yards.

• The Hawks punted seven times, lost a fumble and turned the ball over twice on downs. The Silver Eagles punted five times, were intercepted five times (four by St. Georges’ Robert Shorts) and turned it over on downs once.

• St. Georges ran eight plays for lost yardage. Hodgson was tackled behind the line nine times. Add in all the penalties, and the teams combined to run 17 plays where they had more than 20 yards to go to make a first down.

“They circle us on their schedule, we circle them,” Hawks coach J.D. Maull said. “We somehow won. I’d love to see how many penalties we had, how many yards we gave up in penalties.”

The Hawks (5-1, 4-0 Blue Hen Flight B) came into the game ranked third statewide in Division II, and they got off to a flying start when Brian Benson broke the second play from scrimmage for a 75-yard touchdown run. A missed PAT left St. Georges with a 6-0 lead just 39 seconds into the game.

But it would be a long time until the Hawks’ next offensive highlight. St. Georges could get no closer than the Hodgson 26 until their winning drive.

“I thought we had a really solid defensive plan, and we knew the things they wanted to do,” Silver Eagles coach Frank Moffett said. “We held them on a couple of fourth downs, and we battled to the last play.”

Hodgson went ahead on its second drive, with a major boost from St. Georges penalties. Marc Perez-Echevarria scrambled for 14 yards, then threw a 12-yard pass to Simian Smith. Then the Hawks jumped offside on a third-and-1 at the 18. Then they did it again twice inside the 10, setting up a first-and-goal at the 2. Perez-Echevarria ran it in, and the extra point by Josue Avila-Lopez gave the Silver Eagles a 7-6 lead with 3:43 left in the first quarter.

It stayed that way until the Hawks launched the winning drive from their own 33 with 6:51 left in the game. But that march started in the wrong direction.

Penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct and intentional grounding shoved St. Georges all the way back to a fourth-and-39 from its own 4. But Hodgson was penalized 15 yards for roughing the punter, giving the Hawks a fresh set of downs from their own 19.

They finally capitalized. Shorts completed passes of 13 yards to Congo and 9 yards to Damani Wells. Then, on first-and-10 from the Hodgson 40, Congo cut to his left, picked up a key block from fullback Jalen Smith and darted back to his right for the winning touchdown.

“I just saw the open side on the left, and I pushed Jalen over to block the dude,” Congo said. “After that, I just saw open field. It was just all speed after that.”

The Silver Eagles (3-3, 2-3) had one more chance. Perez-Echevarria moved them from their own 30 to the Hawks 38 with a 20-yard completion to Steven Small and a 12-yard toss to Marshall Hardin, but his final throw was tipped and intercepted by St. Georges’ Michael Wilson Jr. at the 19 with 2:38 to go.

“We knew we weren’t being disciplined, and we knew we could play better than that,” said Shorts, who snuffed four earlier Hodgson drives with interceptions. “We’ll be all right by next week, going forward. We’re going to clean up some things in practice.”

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Teammates congratulate Hawks running back Brian Benson after he scored on a 75-yard run in the first quarter against Hodgson. St. Georges defeats Hodgson 12-7 Saturday at Hodgson.

St. Georges junior Robert Short runs back an interception in the third quarter against Hodgson. St. Georges defeats Hodgson 12-7 Saturday at Hodgson.

St. Georges junior Robert Short grabs his second interception of the game in the third quarter against Hodgson. St. Georges defeats Hodgson 12-7 Saturday at Hodgson.

Hodgson’s Simian Smith tackles Robert Shorts after Shorts snags an interception in the second quarter. St. Georges defeats Hodgson 12-7 Saturday at Hodgson.

Howard’s Korey Kent (10), shown here against St. Georges, opened the scoring with a 21-yard run in the Wildcats’ 20-6 victory at Brandywine on Saturday.

BRANDYWINE HUNDRED – Keith Chung rushed for 72 yards and two touchdowns as Howard grinded out a 20-6 victory over Brandywine in a Blue Hen Flight B football game on Saturday.

The Wildcats (3-3, 3-1), ranked 10th statewide in Division II, took a 6-0 lead on a 21-yard run by Korey Kent in the first quarter. The Bulldogs (1-5, 1-2) tied it on a 15-yard pass from Jack Russell to Rajae Britt in the second quarter.

Howard regained the lead on Chung’s 1-yard plunge, then widened the margin on Chung’s 38-yard run later in the third quarter.

The Wildcats rushed 44 times for 257 yards, with David Hancock gaining 91 on just three carries. Russell completed 13 of 31 passes for 192 yards for Brandywine, with Ny’mere Johnson hauling in seven for 110 yards.

Conrad 35, McKean 6: Elijah Walton and Lawrence Brown each scored two touchdowns as Conrad (4-2) rolled to a homecoming victory over the Highlanders (1-5).

Conrad built a 14-0 lead at halftime, as Walton scored on a 23-yard run and Brown caught a 45-yard scoring pass from Tim Metzler. In the second half, Brown scored from the 7, Walton ran one in from the 9 and Metzler scored on an 18-yard jaunt. Keyhon Davis got the only touchdown for McKean on a 3-yard run.

Appoquinimink 50, Charter of Wilmington 13: Kenyon Yellowdy passed for three touchdowns and ran for another as the Jaguars (3-3, 2-2 Blue Hen Flight A) built a 42-0 lead and cruised past the Force (1-5, 1-4).

Yellowdy had scoring tosses of 23 yards to Jarod Reinhart, 65 yards to Emmanuel Kenion and 35 yards to Jayson Jeffers. He also ran for a 15-yard TD. Derek Thompson, Robert Jadick and Shane Phipps also earned rushing TDs for Appo.

Charter’s scores came on an 82-yard kickoff return by Peter Gosser and a 20-yard fumble return by MacAdoo Harrison-Dixon.

Delmar 28, Archmere 14: James Adkins threw for two scores and rushed for another as the Wildcats (4-2) made the long trip north worthwhile with a victory over the Auks (2-4).

Adkins opened the scoring with a 1-yard run, then fired a 69-yard TD pass to George Angello for a 14-0 lead.

Archmere cut its deficit in half on a 1-yard run by Patrick Udovich, only to see Adkins hook up with Isaac Austin for a 38-yard score. Then the Wildcats returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown to counteract Udovich’s second 1-yard plunge.

Glasgow 56, Christiana 0: Isaiah Wilson led the Glasgow offense by throwing for three touchdowns. Jasaan Cunningham was on the receiving end of the first touchdown for 13 yards. Martise Younger hauled in the second touchdown for 29 yards. Keishawn Jones scored a on the final touchdown pass of 42 yards.

Special teams accounted for three touchdowns. Reginald Grinnell had two punt returns for touchdowns of 48 and 38 yards, and Martise Younger returned a kickoff for 70 yards. Tavion Jones-Hill also got on the scoreboard with a 58-yard touchdown run.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

WILMINGTON – It was like an old-fashioned tug of war.

Except this time, instead of two teams pulling a rope, two teams were smashing into each other – repeatedly.

No. 4 Salesianum won the physical battle on Saturday night at Baynard Stadium, gradually wearing down No. 3 Concord and pulling away for a 27-0 victory.

“We’re very happy with the way we responded,” Sals coach Bill DiNardo said. “We knew with the injuries that we had, that we had to play a very physical game defensively. We had to play a very physical, old-school game offensively. We were missing [receiver-defensive back] Michael Drake tonight, and that’s a big loss for us. But our kids responded so well.”

The Sals (4-2) played old-school football at its finest. Bruising running backs Josh Patrick (18 carries, 93 yards) and Peyton Mullin (10 carries, 73 yards) led a between-the-tackles assault that netted 281 rushing yards on the night.

“The line did a great job all night,” said Sallies quarterback Zach Gwynn, who added 74 yards on just three carries. “Props to the line. They dominated their defensive line tonight. Whatever works, we’re going to do it.”

The Raiders (5-1) felt this was their best shot to take down the Sals, after losing in each of the last five years. But Concord’s chances were compromised when star running back Grahm Roberts left the game with a leg injury late in the first half. He did not return.

A turnover set up the Sals’ first score, as linebacker Joe Gormley picked off a pass over the middle and returned it 12 yards to the Concord 48. Sallies took nine straight running plays to ram it in from there, with Mullin covering the final yard on the final play of the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.

The Raiders struggled to gain much traction, and Roberts left after a 1-yard gain with 1:56 left in the second quarter. He finished with six carries for just 8 yards, and Concord could only manage 129 yards on 37 rushes all night.

Concord’s best scoring chance came midway through the third quarter, but a bobbled snap kept the Raiders from attempting a 47-yard field goal. The Sals took over and went on a 60-yard drive, with Patrick scoring from 18 yards out to make it 13-0.

The Raiders punted to end the third quarter, and Gwynn turned what appeared to be a broken play into a 53-yard touchdown keeper up the middle on the first play of the final period.

“I kind of just forgot. It kind of just broke down,” Gwynn said. “I saw a hole and just took off. I don’t really remember what happened, honestly.”

The Sals punched in one more score following a short punt. Nick Merlino broke free for a 28-yard touchdown run to make it 27-0 with 3:31 to play. Gutsy Concord quarterback Sean Doogan zigzagged for a 53-yard gain to move the Raiders to the Sals 13 late, but Sallies’ Casey Spink recovered a third-down fumble to preserve the shutout.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Salesianum’s Peyton Mullin gets through his line, including blocker Domenico Marra (63) for a touchdown against Concord to open the scoring in the first quarter at Baynard Stadium Saturday.

Salesianum’s Joseph Gormley snags an interception in the first quarter against Concord at Baynard Stadium Saturday.

Archmere’s Zachary Dainton (left) heads the ball past St. Elizabeth’s Robert Miller during a 4-0 victory last Tuesday. The Auks won twice last week to move to No. 4 in The News Journal’s Division II boys soccer rankings.

FOOTBALL

THE NEWS JOURNAL/DELAWAREONLINE RANKINGS

DIVISION I

1. Smyrna (6-0) 1

2. Middletown (6-0) 2

3. Salesianum (4-2) 4

4. William Penn (5-1) 5

5. Concord (5-1) 3

6. Cape Henlopen (5-1) 6

7. Sussex Central (4-2) 7

8. Sussex Tech (3-3) 8

9. Appoquinimink (3-3) 9

10. Mount Pleasant (3-3) NR

DIVISION II

1. Woodbridge (6-0) 1

2. Milford (6-0) 2

3. Glasgow (6-0) 4

4. St. Georges (5-1) 3

5. Del. Military Academy (5-1) 5

6. Caravel (3-3) 9

7. Wilmington Friends (5-1) 7

8. St. Mark’s (4-2) 6

9. Tatnall (5-1) 8

10. Howard (3-3) 10

FOX SPORTS 1290/DIFCA COACHES’ POLL

DIVISION I

1. Smyrna (1)

2. Middletown (2)

3. Salesianum (4)

4. Concord (3)

5. William Penn (5)

6. Cape Henlopen (6)

7. Sussex Central (7)

8. Appoquinimink (9)

8. Sussex Tech (8)

10. Dover (10)

DIVISION II

1. Woodbridge (1)

2. St. Georges (2)

3. Glasgow (4)

4. Milford (3)

5. Del. Military Academy (5)

6. Tatnall (6)

7. Wilmington Friends 8)

8. Caravel (NR)

9. St. Mark’s (7)

10. Delmar (10)

VOLLEYBALL

1. Archmere (11-0) 1

2. Padua (10-1) 2

3. Tower Hill (9-1) 3

4. Ursuline (8-2) 5

5. Charter of Wilmington (7-2) NR

BOYS SOCCER

DIVISION I

1. Salesianum (9-1-1) 1

2. Appoquinimink (9-1) 2

3. Charter of Wilmington (6-2-1) 3

4. Polytech (8-0) 4

5. Sussex Central (7-1) 5

DIVISION II

1. Indian River (8-1) 1

2. St. Andrew’s (8-0-1) 4

3. St. Mark’s (5-2-3) 3

4. Archmere (8-3) 5

5. Newark Charter (8-1-1) 2

FIELD HOCKEY

1. Cape Henlopen (6-2) 1

2. Delmar (10-0) 2

3. Tower Hill (9-1) 3

4. Milford (9-0) 4

5. Padua (9-0) 5

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY*

DIVISION I

1. Salesianum 1

2. Charter of Wilmington 2

3. Sussex Tech 3

4. Appoquinimink NR

5. Caesar Rodney 5

DIVISION II

1. Tatnall 1

2. Newark Charter 3

3. Del. Military Academy 2

4. St. Andrew’s 4

5. St. Mark’s 5

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY*

DIVISION I

1. Padua 1

2. Charter of Wilmington 2

3. Smyrna 3

4. Appoquinimink NR

5. Mount Pleasant NR

DIVISION II

1. Tatnall 1

2. Newark Charter 2

3. St. Andrew’s 3

4. Del. Military Academy 4

5. St. Mark’s NR

* – rankings supplied by N5CTA

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: BradMyersTNJ

NAOMI BOWSER, junior, Smyrna cross country

THE WEEK: Won a quad meet at Dover’s Schutte Park with a course-record time of 19:06 last Wednesday. Ran a personal-best 18:42.93 to finish third in the Joe O’Neill Invitational last Friday at Bellevue State Park.

THE SEASON: Bowser has also finished second at the Lake Forest Invitational, seventh in the Varsity E race at the Six Flags Wild Safari Invitational, second among juniors at the White Clay Creek Classic, first among Delawareans at the Salesianum Invitational and first at the University of Delaware Invitational (19:25.19).

Smyrna High School cross country runner Naomi Bowser has lowered her personal record three times in the last two weeks.

THE WIN AT UD: Bowser didn’t feel right during the UD race, but wound up winning by more than a minute and setting a personal record, which she has lowered again twice in the last week. “I thought my time was going to be really bad,” she said. “I was just waiting to see my time at the finish line and be really disappointed, but when I saw what it was I was like, ‘Wow.’”

THE WORK: Bowser has lowered her best time by more than 2½ minutes this season. “The workouts we do have really been helping me,” she said. “We’ve been doing fast sprints, and we’ve been doing mile repeats, but we have to do 6 miles instead. So it makes the 3 miles seem so much quicker. I don’t realize how fast I’m going.”

THE COACH SAYS: “Naomi is a textbook athlete,” Smyrna cross country coach John Haller III third. “She does everything that she’s supposed to. She is on time, she’s the last to leave. She’s just the type of personality and the type of kid that everyone loves.”

THE VERSATILITY: Bowser plays basketball in the winter and pole vaults in the spring. She believes each sport helps her overall performance. “You work different muscle groups, and your body doesn’t get tired,” she said. “If you do the same run every single day, those muscles are going to wear down and not be as strong.”

THE CLASSROOM: “I like to learn about history,” Bowser said. “I like how it’s a story… It’s more interesting than the other subjects.”

THE FUTURE: Bowser plans to go to college and study to be an occupational therapist. She has yet to decide on a destination.

Send Athlete of the Week nominations to Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ