Smyrna quarterback Nolan Henderson throws a touchdown pass over teammate Leddie Brown in the second quarter of Smyrna’s home win Friday.
Smyrna defensive lineman Jamier Smith grabs a fumble in front of Salesianum quarterback Zach Gwynn before nearly scoring on a short return in the second quarter of Smyrna’s home win Friday.
Smyrna quarterback Nolan Henderson takes off past Salesianum defenders Josh Patrick (11) and William Vanneman in the first quarter of Smyrna’s home win Friday.
Smyrna’s Leddie Brown leaves Joseph Gormley and the rest of the Salesianum defense behind on a touchdown reception in the first quarter of Smyrna’s home win Friday.
Smyrna’s Stephen Whaley scores after being left open to catch a long pass on a trick play in the second quarter of Smyrna’s home win Friday.
Smyrna’s Leddie Brown (4) slips away from Salesinaum’s Michael Drake for a touchdown on the opening kickoff of Smyrna’s home win Friday.
SMYRNA – It has become pretty common in football for the team that wins the coin toss to defer its choice until the second half, thus playing defense first.
Not Smyrna.
The Eagles won the toss on Friday night, and they chose to receive. They couldn’t wait to get the ball and start scoring on Salesianum.
Leddie Brown returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, and the Eagles were off and running to what would eventually become a 46-point, second-quarter lead. Then Smyrna cruised through the second half and ended any doubt about who is the state’s top Division I team with a 60-26 victory.
It’s only the third week of the season, but this had been the most highly anticipated matchup in Delaware high school football. A record crowd crammed into every seat at Charles V. Williams Stadium and stood all the way around the field to watch the top-ranked Eagles (3-0) take it to the No. 3 Sals (2-1).
“We’d be lying if we said we weren’t looking forward and excited about this one,” Smyrna quarterback Nolan Henderson said. “But every week, we had to take one game at a time. When it finally came, we were ready.”
Were they ever. Henderson completed 13 of 17 passes for 271 yards and five touchdowns. Brown added two TD catches to his opening return, and Will Knight ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries. He also tacked on five two-point conversions, as if the Eagles needed them.
It all started with Brown, who transferred to Smyrna from Eastern Christian Academy in Elkton, Md., during the offseason. The junior took the first kickoff at the 3, broke a tackle at the 25, broke free again at midfield and went the distance as the crowd roared.
“I’ve been thinking about that since I woke up this morning,” Brown said. “I was going to take the first kickoff for a touchdown.”
Salesianum answered, as its huge offensive line sprang Carson Salvo for a 42-yard touchdown run. The PAT missed, leaving Smyrna ahead 8-6 just 2:11 into the game.
It didn’t stay that way for long. Brown broke four tackles on his way to a 23-yard gain on the Eagles’ first play from scrimmage. On the next play, he was wide open down the middle and caught Henderson’s pass for a 42-yard score. The play was designed by Mike Marks, Smyrna’s offensive coordinator.
“Coach Marks prepared us for that,” Brown said. “I already knew what the linebacker was going to do, so I just did what coach Marks told me.”
The Sals turned it over on downs, and the Eagles ripped off three more big plays before Henderson found Brown all alone in the middle again for a 16-yard touchdown. Knight’s third 2-point blast made it 24-6 with 5:13 still left in the first quarter.
“We just try to get to the mismatch of a non-cover guy trying to cover somebody,” Smyrna coach Mike Judy said. “When you have a great athlete on a guy who’s more of a run stopper, you’ll end up with plays like that.”
Sallies stopped Smyrna’s next drive with an interception. But Henderson was undeterred, as Emon Roberts took his short pass, made a defender miss and romped 44 yards down the right sideline to make it 30-6.
“It was really important to get off to a good start and score first,” Henderson said. “The goal was to get on top early and make them try to come back.”
Then the Sals fumbled twice, with Jamier Smith and Jake Kaiser recovering for the Eagles. Both turnovers turned into immediate touchdowns, as Knight ran for a 5-yard score and Smyrna dazzled the crowd with a flea-flicker that became a 42-yard pass from Henderson to Stephen Whaley.
Perhaps sensing they needed even more points after Sallies won this regular-season meeting 76-56 last year, the Eagles went for another one. They called two timeouts to stop the clock in the final 2:08 of the half, then got the ball back and had Henderson throw deep to Roberts for a 31-yard TD and a 52-6 lead with 10 seconds left before halftime.
Michael Drake returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for a Sals touchdown on the last play of the half. Sallies pulled within 52-20 on Zach Gwynn’s 39-yard pass to Drake midway through the third quarter, but Knight put the icing on Smyrna’s cake with a 65-yard run less than two minutes later.
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.