The postseason is well underway for high school sports, with cross country, field hockey and volleyball all into the later rounds. Football still has a week of regular season to go, but for some teams, it feels like the tournament is already here.
Field hockey and cross country will complete their seasons this weekend, and volleyball holds its quarterfinals and semifinals. In football, district titles are still in reach for all four Catholic school teams, either with a win or a win and some help.
Tickets for the volleyball quarterfinals are available at www.gofan.co/app/school/DIAA. Volleyball semifinals, and field hockey semifinals and championships are at www.bluehens.com. The cross country championships are at Killens Pond State Park, and vehicles are subject to a parking fee.
Boys
Soccer
Thursday, Nov. 6
No. 7 Delcastle at No. 2 Salesianum, 6 p.m. The Cougars travel to Abessinio Stadium riding a four-game winning streak after losing five straight in the middle of the season. When they are playing well, Delcastle puts up a lot of goals, and they always have a solid defense. Salesianum is unbeaten in its last 10 matches, with nine of those being wins. They have one of the more potent scoring offenses in the state. These teams last met in the 2023 tournament semifinals.
Saturday, Nov. 8
Winner of No. 11 Wilmington Friends-No. 6 St. Andrew’s at No. 3 Saint Mark’s (12-2-1), 6 p.m. The Spartans enter the game having won or tied 10 of their last 11, with the loss coming in a hard-fought battle with Salesianum. Saint Mark’s defense and goalkeeping have been outstanding; they have posted 10 clean sheets this season. Saint Mark’s defeated Friends earlier this season. They have not played St. Andrew’s since 2019 in the first round of the state tournament.
Cross country
Saturday, Nov. 8
State championship meet, Killens Pond State Park, Felton. Archmere, Saint Mark’s and Salesianum are headed to Felton. The Sals narrowly won Division I last year. In Division II, Tatnall is the defending champion. Saint Mark’s (fourth last year) and Archmere (sixth) will be in the hunt.
Football
Friday, Nov. 7
St. Elizabeth (7-2) at McKean (4-5), 6 p.m. The Vikings enter the final week of the regular season with a postseason bid in hand, but their opponent is still fighting for a berth and is celebrating senior night as well. For St. Elizabeth, staying healthy is a primary goal, along with a win.
Archmere (7-2) vs. Howard (9-0), 7 p.m. at Abessinio Stadium. The winner of this game takes the Class 2A District 1championship and the automatic berth into the state tournament that goes with it. Both the Auks and Wildcats will be playing in the tournament regardless. Howard has dominated opponents all season, but Archmere will be one of the better teams they have played.
Saint Mark’s (5-4) at Red Lion (7-2), 7:30 p.m. This is another game with district title implications. Saint Mark’s is on a three-game winning streak, and if the Spartans defeat Red Lion and Delaware Military Academy loses, Saint Mark’s wins the district and the tournament berth. Red Lion takes the district with a win.
Saturday, Nov. 8
Salesianum (6-3) at William Penn (1-8), noon. The final game of the regular season in the state takes place in New Castle. The Sals will know by the time they wake up Saturday if they have a shot at the district title, which would guarantee them a top-two seed in the state tournament. William Penn has battled injuries all season and is playing for pride.
Girls
Field hockey
Monday, Nov. 3
No. 3 Padua (12-3-1) vs. No. 2 Cape Henlopen (15-1), 6 p.m. at Rullo Stadium at the University of Delaware. The Pandas are in the tournament for the first time since 2022, when they also reached the semifinals against Cape Henlopen. All 15 of the Vikings’ wins have been by shutout. Padua will need a standout defensive game and has to take advantage of any opportunity.
Friday, Nov. 7
Winner of Padua-Cape Henlopen vs. winner of No. 5 Caesar Rodney-No. 1 Smyrna, time TBA, at Rullo Stadium at the University of Delaware
Volleyball
Tuesday, Nov. 4
No. 7 Tower Hill (15-1) at No. 2 Archmere (14-2), 6 p.m. The Hillers have lost just one match all season, and they are the defending state champion. They met the Auks earlier this season, with Tower Hill leaving Moglia Fieldhouse with a five-set win in a thriller. Sydney Fischer is Tower’s biggest hitter, while the Auks will counter with Grace Mahoney and Bridget Malloy.
No. 16 Saint Mark’s (13-4) at No. 8 Smyrna (9-7), 6 p.m. The Spartans and Eagles met earlier this season, a sweep by the Spartans. Both teams have solid lineups and weapons on both the front and back lines. Saint Mark’s will be seeking its third straight win over a Henlopen Conference team in this tournament.
Thursday, Nov. 6
Winner of Tower Hill-Archmere vs. winner of No. 6 Lake Forest-No. 3 Newark Charter, time TBA at the Bob Carpenter Center, Newark
Winner of Saint Mark’s-Smyrna vs. winner of No. 12 MOT Charter-No. 4 Caravel, time TBA at Bob Carpenter Center, Newark
Cross country
Saturday, Nov. 8
State championship meet, Killens Pond State Park, Felton. Archmere, Padua, Saint Mark’s and Ursuline will be competing. The Pandas look to repeat in Division I, while Archmere (third last year), Saint Mark’s (sixth) and Ursuline (10th) hope to unseat Tatnall in Division II.
