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Soccer joins football in action as boys high school sports begin in Diocese of Wilmington

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Salesianum celebrates its state soccer title last November. Photo/Don Blake

With Week 0 in the books, Salesianum and Saint Mark’s are off to 1-0 starts. Archmere and St. Elizabeth will begin play this week as the excitement of the high school football season has returned.

On the pitch, the five Catholic high schools are ready to get going after three weeks of practices and scrimmages. Ss. Peter and Paul and Saint Mark’s gets things going on Wednesday, while Saint Mark’s begins the action for Delaware Catholic teams the next day.

Sallies and Saint Mark’s football are each 1-0; every other record is 0-0.

Soccer

Wednesday

Ss. Peter and Paul at Glenelg Country School, 4 p.m.

Thursday

Saint Mark’s at Dickinson, 3:45 p.m. A fantastic 2021 season (13-3) for the Spartans ended prematurely in the quarterfinals of the DIAA Division II state tournament. Saint Mark’s has a veteran team determined to advance further than last year, but only six seniors: Nicholas Carrell, Daniel Shannon, Jon Lennon, Daniel McSorley, Caden Minors and Giovanni Antonelli. A tough schedule is peppered with games against Division I opponents Delcastle, Salesianum and Wilmington Charter.

Friday

Sussex Tech at Archmere, 4 p.m. The Auks rebounded from an early-season slump last year to finish strong. The ended 11-6, falling in the Division II quarterfinals against eventual champion Caravel. This year, the face a tough slate with senior Kyle Zahnow in net. He and the Auks battle, among others, Salesianum, Wilmington Charter, Middletown and Caravel.

St. Elizabeth at McKean, 4 p.m. The Vikings look to rebuild, although they have to open on the road against a state tournament qualifier from 2021. The small roster ensures that each player will see plenty of the field. Nearly all of the upperclassmen are returnees from last season, and they are mixed in with three freshmen.

St. Mary’s at Ss. Peter and Paul, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday

Salesianum at Walter Johnson (Md.), 7 p.m. Returning state player of the year Jake Ross leads a veteran and talented Salesianum squad that will be defending its Division I state championship. The Sals went 14-4 in 2021, going undefeated against every state except New Jersey. They will play their usual mix of Delaware and out-of-state opponents, traveling next week to Colorado for a pair of games. Appoquinimink is their lone Delaware foe in the first seven games.

 

Football

Thursday

Tatnall at Archmere, 4 p.m. Preview to come.

Friday

Red Lion at Saint Mark’s (1-0), 7 p.m. The Spartans took a narrow victory in their opener against Appoquinimink, and they would be smart not to underestimate the Lions. These teams played to a one-point decision last year, and although Red Lion has a very young squad, they are always competitive.

Salesianum (1-0) at Sussex Central (1-0), 7 p.m. The Sals scored late to defeat Cape Henlopen in Week 0, while the Golden Knights overwhelmed William Penn on the road. Central threw the ball more than usual against the Colonials, so the Sals will need to be prepared for the run and the pass.

Saturday

St. Elizabeth at Conrad, 11 a.m. Preview to come.