CLAYMONT – Archmere’s football team put together a solid performance, particularly in the second half, on the way to a 28-13 win on homecoming weekend over Tower Hill. The Auks improved to 2-0 in Class 2A District 2.
The weather warmed up after a chilly few days, and it was over 70 degrees and sunny as the two teams battled. The Hillers entered the contest as the highest-scoring team in their district, with the Auks right behind them, so the defensive play would be in the spotlight as well as the offense.
Archmere forced the Hillers to punt on the first possession of the game, taking over at their own 42. The Auks’ strength this year has been the ground game, and that was evident on this drive as well. After Mike Donovan picked up 13 yards on two carries, Christian Wittmeyer (Holy Family Parish, Newark) took the next two downs, getting 15 on the first and then another six, setting Archmere up at the Tower 24.
Jack Bradley (Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Wilmington) was next up. On first and 15 from the 25, he went for 11 yards. Donovan went 10 yards on an option, and Bradley plunged in from a yard out with 6:04 to go in the first.
Tower Hill answered with a 65-yard drive that ate up all but 18 seconds of the quarter. The arm of quarterback Kevin Waesco was on display, as were the hands of his receivers. The big play was a laser pass from Waesco to Jamar Taylor in the red zone. The Auks’ defense stiffened and got it to fourth and six, but Aiden Pratt made a sliding catch of a Waesco pass to tie the score.
Not much time was left in the quarter, but the Auks didn’t need much. Quarterback John Orsini (St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Glen Mills, Pa.) hit Jack Shahan in stride over the middle, and Shahan brushed off a tackle and reached the end zone for a 54-yard touchdown.
Tower scored the lone points of the second quarter after getting the ball on the Archmere 30 after a punt. The Hillers faced a third and 12 from the 21, but a pass interference penalty on the Auks gave them the ball at the 10. The Auks stuffed a runner on third down, but Shane Pierce bulled his way for two yards on fourth, making it first and goal. Pierce ran for three yards, then the final five for the score a minute before halftime. The extra-point attempt hit the crossbar, keeping the Auks in front.
Archmere’s rushing attack was on display again to open the second half. They started at their own 46 yard line, and Wittmeyer ran for 12 yards on first down. Orsini kept the ball twice to get it to the 28, with Bradley going around right end for a score that extended the lead to eight.
The defense tightened for the Auks after that. They forced a Hillers punt, and on Tower’s next drive, Justin Hartman intercepted a pass. The next Hillers drive also ended with a punt before the Auks came up with another interception, this one by Frankie Morda (Guardian Angels, Gibbstown, N.J.) that set Archmere up on the Tower 35 with 6:36 to go.
The Auks faced a third and 17, but Orsini was able to scramble for the first down. Three plays later, the Auks were looking at a fourth down and 11. This time, Orsini scrambled to his right before lofting a pass to an open Mark Mervine in the corner of the end zone for some insurance points.
Bradley had 74 yards rushing on 10 carries and two touchdowns. Orsini threw for 140 yards with two scores. Morda and Wittmeyer each had eight tackles. The Auks (6-1) host Howard on Oct. 26 at 11 a.m., with the winner getting the inside track to the Class 2A District 2 title and the automatic postseason berth that comes with it.
Tower Hill (4-3) hosts Odessa on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
