CLAYMONT — With a district title on the line and a top-three seed in the Class 2A tournament, the Archmere football team knew going into its game on Nov. 11 against Wilmington Friends what the stakes were. After falling behind early against the defending 2A champions, the Auks took total control, rolling to a 42-14 victory at Coaches Field and the second seed in the postseason.
The Auks entered the game in a tie with Friends and Howard for the 2A-2 lead, but a win would give them first place outright since they would have defeated both the Quakers and Wildcats. Friends would have needed to defeat the Auks by 38 points to force a three-way tie, so it was no surprise to see Archmere keep the ball on the ground and chew up some clock.
That paid off on Archmere’s first drive, which ended with a 51-yard touchdown run by Brendan Burke. Friends responded with a nine-play, 69-yard drive that Andrew McKenzie finished with a 4-yard scoring run.
The Quakers took a 14-7 lead in the middle of the second quarter. After taking over at their own 30 following an Auks punt, the Quakers gained 26 yards on three McKenzie rushes. Quarterback Ryan Tattersall hit Avery Gaines for a 22-yard gain on third down, setting the Quakers up at the Archmere 19, and he and Gaines connected once more on the next play for a touchdown.
Those were the final points for the visitors for the day. The Quakers were forced to punt on their next possession, and Archmere took over at its own 27 with 5:20 left in the half. Behind a dominating offensive line, the Auks kept the ball on the ground. Quarterback Miles Kempski picked up 30 yards on a keeper on second down, and a face mask advanced the ball to the Friends‘ 25. Kempski threw to Ryan Hagenberg for 16 yards on first down, and Hagenberg covered the rest on the next play, tying the score.
After John Dellose nearly intercepted a pass on the next drive, Drew Duncan did pick one off on a diving catch, setting the Auks up at their own 27. Facing third and 5, Kempski hit P.J. Blessington with a screen pass, and Blessington went 68 yards down the left side for a score with 1:40 remaining in the half.
The Auks took the second-half kickoff and added to their lead. Kempski scored this time on a 27-yard keeper. After forcing the Quakers to punt, the Auks struck again, this time on a Blessington run of a yard, capping a seven-play, 43-yard drive. Liam Danner scored the final touchdown on a 3-yard run with 3:10 to go in the game.
Kampski passed for 100 yards and ran for 71. Blessington combined for 124 yards rushing and receiving and two touchdowns, while Burke had 89 on the ground. Blessington and Christian Wittmeyer led the defense with nine tackles each. Jack Bradley had six tackles and went six-for-six on extra points in place of the injured Cole Fenice. Archmere (7-3) will host No. 7 Red Lion on Nov. 18 at 11 a.m. in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A tournament.
Tattersall passed for 119 yards and a touchdown, and he rushed for another 19 and caught two passes for 39 yards. McKenzie had 83 rushing yards, and he completed the two passes to Tattersall. Defensively, Tyler Maheshwari finished with 16 tackles. The Quakers (8-2) are the fourth seed in 2A and will play No. 5 Howard on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Abessinio Stadium.
All photos by Jason Winchell.
