Some things look different, while others are very much the same. Baynard Stadium is no longer standing, forcing two Catholic schools to find new football homes in 2019. In soccer, two teams feature preseason all-USA selections. Plenty of teams have championship dreams. It all starts this week. Individual football previews will appear on The Dialog’s website this week.
Football
Thursday
Christiana vs. St. Elizabeth, 7:30 p.m. at Caravel Academy. The Vikings battle the Vikings in the 302 Kickoff Classic at St. Elizabeth’s temporary home, Bob Peoples Stadium. St. E welcomes a bunch of new players in coach Marvin Dooley’s second season, while Christiana is starting over under new coach Mike Kinlaw.
Friday
Conrad at Saint Mark’s, 7 p.m. Hopes are high at Saint Mark’s, where the Spartans are introducing a number of starters at skill positions. The game caps a big day that opens the school’s 50th anniversary year. This may be the first game between the Spartans and the Red Wolves.
William Penn vs. Salesianum, 7:30 p.m. at A.I. DuPont High School. Another team displaced by the demolition of Baynard Stadium, Salesianum, opens the season at one of its three home venues against the Colonials. The Sals are bringing back plenty of experience, although their anticipated starting quarterback is out for the season, so Dylan Mooney will get the work. Sallies stopped Penn last season, 38-7.
Saturday
Mount Pleasant at Archmere, 2 p.m. The Auks open the season against a Division I opponent once more, as nearby Mount Pleasant makes the short trip up Philadelphia Pike. Archmere has postseason aspirations after returning to the playoffs last year, and a win over the Green Knights would be a big step in the right direction. This is the first meeting between the two programs since at least 2006.
Soccer
Wednesday
St. Elizabeth at Glasgow, 3:30 p.m. The Vikings open the campaign on the road against a Dragons team that shut them out, 3-0, last season. Coming off a 4-9-2 season, St. Elizabeth has a varsity roster that looks quite different from last year. The returning players – Zach Justison, Matthew Kennedy, Andrew Gispert and Joseph Castelli – will take the lead.
Lancaster Mennonite (Pa.) vs. Salesianum, 3:45 p.m. at Hockessin Soccer. The Sals begin the defense of their most recent state championship against the first of 10 out-of-state opponents. Sallies returns 11 seniors to a veteran roster as they continue their run setting the bar for Delaware soccer. Preseason all-USA selection Andrew Blackwell leads a stout offense, which also includes Alexander Krumenacker and Nathaniel Pilson. Many of the team members are coming up from the junior varsity. The Sals shut out Lancaster Mennonite last year, 4-0, to begin the season.
Thursday
A.I. DuPont vs. St. Elizabeth, 3:45 p.m. at Alapocas Run State Park.
Friday
Salesianum at Aurora Central (Colo.), 4 p.m.: The Sals take their annual trip, this time to the Rocky Mountains. The first game in Colorado is at Aurora Central.
Severn School at Ss. Peter and Paul, 4 p.m. Austin Rafter, Shawn Rheinohl and August Clarke lead the Sabres, who look to improve upon their 2018 mark of 5-8-1.
Saturday
McKean at Saint Mark’s, noon. Ten seniors are gone from the 2018 Spartans, but spirits are high on the hill for a fifth straight postseason appearance. Sean Lenderman is back in goal to anchor a veteran defense, and Matthew Ziomek, Angelo Sisofo and Anthony Rocco lead the attack. The Spartans opened an 8-6-1 regular season last year with a 2-0 shutout of the Highlanders.
Archmere at Sussex Tech, 1 p.m. Another Division II playoff participant last season was Archmere, who reached the semifinal round after finishing the regular season at 13-2. The Auks’ scoring leader is Andrew Rosenbaum, the reigning state player of the year. They will get secondary scoring from Christian Iacono, Sam Gattuso, Brian Burns and Gavin Fanning, and sophomore Nicholas Traintafillou is back in net. Sussex Tech went 8-3-4 last year and reached the Division I state tournament. These teams have not played in at least 12 years.
Salesianum at Cherry Creek (Colo.), 3 p.m.
