WILMINGTON — Salesianum could have been deflated after watching Smyrna score mere seconds after the Sals took the lead late in the fourth quarter of their DIAA Class 3A quarterfinal Nov. 17 at Abessinio Stadium. Instead, the Sals marched 59 yards over the final three-plus minutes, getting a 2-yard touchdown on fourth and goal from B.J. Alleyne with three seconds remaining for a wild 41-40 victory over the Eagles.
Smyrna lateraled the ball a half-dozen times or more on the final kickoff, hoping for a miracle. But with penalty flags on the field for a forward lateral, the madness stopped when a final backward toss was caught by a Sallies defender, setting off a celebration that was a mixture of excitement and relief among the Salesianum faithful.
The Sals will host the winner of No. 5 Middletown vs. No. 4 Hodgson next week on a day and time to be announced. The Cavaliers and Silver Eagles play Saturday at 11 a.m. at Caravel Academy.
The Eagles, the eighth seed in the tournament, scored in the final minute of the first half to take a 28-21 lead into the break. That set the stage for a topsy turvy second half that started with the first possession.
Top-seeded Salesianum opened at the Eagles’ 48 following a good kickoff return and an alert Aiden Lego, who recovered a fumble at the end of the return. Alleyne, who had a monster night, opened the drive with a 13-yard run, but three plays later, the team faced a fourth and one. Quarterback Brady McBride picked up four yards, and on the next play, Alleyne ran 22 yards, stretching over the goal line for the tying touchdown.
The Eagles took the lead again after recovering a Sals fumble midway through the third. They did much of their damage on the drive through the air, including a 32-yard pass from Jacob Tiberi to Phoenix Henriquez, who caused problems for the Sals all night. That pair would connect again thrice more on the drive, the last one a 13-yard touchdown that put the Eagles back on top, 34-28, with 2:24 remaining in the third.
The defenses held the rest of the quarter and into the fourth, as the Sals forced a Smyrna punt after the Eagles burned the last 65 seconds of the third and more than four minutes of the fourth. Beginning at their own 24, they needed 10 plays and a Smyrna personal foul to recapture the lead, 35-34. McBride’s running abilities were on display once more, as he scrambled for 28 yards on one play. Alleyne finished the drive with a one-yard plunge. Just 4:04 was left on the clock.
With the way the Eagles were capable of moving the ball, that might as well have been four seconds. On first down, Tiberi rolled left, and as two defenders closed in, he dumped the ball off to Andre Ashley along the sideline. Ashley turned on the jets, covering 71 yards for the score.
After the kickoff, the Sals had 58 yards to go and 3:34 to get there. Three plays netted them negative one yard, and on fourth and 11, McBride dropped back to pass. He rolled left, but seeing nothing there, reversed field and reached the Eagles’ 42, a gain of 17 yards.
On the next play, Alleyne broke a tackle and went for 24 yards to the Smyrna 18. McBride then ran to the 9. Two plays later, Alleyne carried to the 4 for a first down. The next run was stopped, and the Sals called a timeout with just 36 seconds remaining. Alleyne got to the 2 on second down, but a penalty on third pushed the ball back to the 7. McBride passed to Hunter Balint, who got back to the 2 before managing to get out of bounds, setting the stage for Alleyne on fourth down. He took a direct snap and surged forward, pushing his way barely over the goal line for the winning points.
The game began on a good note for Smyrna as Kahmaj Kearney scored on a 5-yard run on the opening drive for a 6-0 lead. McBride threw a 13-yard scoring pass to Ben Anton just 52 seconds later as the Sals went up, 7-6, and the first of Alleyne’s five touchdowns, this one the longest at 33 yards, added another seven points to the advantage.
Alleyne ran for 200 yards and five touchdowns on 34 carries. He also had a reception for 34 yards. The Sals improved to 10-1.
Tiberi threw for more than 200 yards and three scores. Smyrna finished the season 4-7.
All photos by Jason Winchell.
