WILMINGTON – Archmere’s offense took a quarter to get going, but once the Auks got into a groove, they found the end zone on a regular basis in a 43-6 win over St. Elizabeth in Catholic school football play on Sept. 6 at Abessinio Stadium. The Auks rushed for 387 yards in the win.
The Vikings struck first on a hot, humid morning in Wilmington. After stopping the Auks’ opening drive, St. E’s took over at their own 24-yard line early in the first. They moved efficiently down the field, with several players contributing. Quarterback Cole Andrews (Sacred Heart Parish, Oxford, Pa.) opened with a nine-yard pass to Terrence Williams, followed by a run by Isaiah Coleman and a scramble from Andrews to the St. Elizabeth 47. Coleman picked up eight yards on a third and three, and six plays later, he went up the middle for eight yards and a touchdown. The extra point was no good.
Archmere marched downfield on its next possession, but the Vikings’ Jayden Gonzalez-McNulty (St. Elizabeth Parish) tracked down an Auks receiver as he was approaching the end zone. Gonzalez-McNulty knocked the ball loose and into the end zone, where he also fell on the ball.
The Auks took the lead on a quick drive in the first minute of the second quarter. Quarterback Michael Donovan (St. Mary Magdalen Parish) ran up the middle for 57 yards before being tackled at the Vikings’ 1. Wyatt Beekley (St. Katherine of Siena Parish, Radnor, Pa.) dove in from there, and the extra point put the Auks on top.
The Auks’ defense gave up very little the rest of the game, and Archmere’s running game helped them pull away. Donovan scored his first touchdown of the game on a 39-yard run down the left side with 7:13 to go in the half, and the Auks added two points on a safety a bit later on. After the safety, the Auks went to work from the St. Elizabeth 42. Facing a third-and-13, Donovan ran for 16. He then hit Mark Mervine with a 12-yard pass. Beekley covered the rest on the next play. The Auks took a 22-6 lead into the break.
Archmere added three second-half touchdowns. In the third quarter, Donovan threw one to Nate Blessington (St. Mary Magdalen Parish) from 12 yards out, and Donovan ran 36 yards for another. Luke Scott, the only freshman on the Auks’ roster, closed out the scoring with a 23-yard sweep in the fourth quarter.
Donovan ran 12 times for 185 yards and two scores, and Beekley had eight carries for 96 yards. He also scored twice. Noah Blessington led the defense with seven tackles. Archmere (1-0) opens its hoe schedule on Sept. 13 against Saint Mark’s. Kickoff is at 2 p.m.
Final statistics were not available for St. Elizabeth. The Vikings (1-1) are on the road for the first time on Sept. 13 at Wilmington Charter at 11 a.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
