The fall sports season keeps moving right along, with volleyball and soccer scheduled to crown their champions by the end of the week. Football, meanwhile, opens its postseason, with a Catholic high school in the field in each of the three classes.
For the second year, volleyball will contest its semifinal round at the Bob Carpenter Center at the University of Delaware beginning at 6 p.m. If recent results and historical precedent are any indication, it could be a long night at the Bob. All four semifinalists have won state championships in the past seven years; Ursuline, whose last title was in 2017, reached the championship last season.
Soccer also holds semifinals and finals this week. Salesianum looks to add to its trophy collection; the Sals have won the last three. They’ll take on St. Georges Tech on Wednesday at the state’s newest high school facility, Newark Charter’s Gore Stadium. Should they win, they’ll play for the state championship on Saturday in Dover.
And after 11 weeks of regular-season play, football gets its tournaments started on Nov. 15. Salesianum earned the top seed in Class 3A when Smyrna defeated Sussex Central over the weekend, and the Sals will host the eighth seed, Cape Henlopen. St. Elizabeth and Archmere will play on Saturday, with the Vikings hitting the road to Tatnall, and the Auks are home against Woodbridge. The football tournament will run through the championship games on Nov. 29 and 30.
Tickets for all postseason events must be purchased in advance. Volleyball tickets are available through the University of Delaware at https://bluehens.evenue.net/list/GS. Soccer and football can be found at https://gofan.co/app/school/DIAA.
Volleyball
Monday, Nov. 11
No. 5 Saint Mark’s (13-4) vs. No. 1 Padua (13-4), 6 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center, Newark, in the DIAA semifinals. These teams met twice during the regular season, and both went the distance. The Spartans get big hitting from Lauren Mehelas and Reagan Garibaldi, but Padua’s defense has stood out this year, with Hannah McGuigan among those up front and libero Kait Maus patrolling the back.
No. 3 Tower Hill (16-1) vs. No. 2 Ursuline (13-4), approximately 7:30 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center, Newark, in the DIAA semifinals. The Raiders and Hillers connected early in the season, and Ursuline took the fifth set after Tower Hill came back from a 2-0 deficit. The Hillers have some of the biggest front-liners in the state in Lydia Spencer and Sydney Fischer, but the senior-heavy Raiders can counter with Claire Kelly and C.C. DeCaro. The liberos, Lily Leung of Tower and Julianna Lenz of Ursuline, could be the difference.
Thursday, Nov. 14
Winner of Tower Hill-Ursuline vs. winner of Saint Mark’s-Padua (11-4), 6:30 p.m.
Soccer
Wednesday, Nov. 13
No. 7 St. Georges (13-2-1) vs. No. 2 Salesianum (11-4-1), 7 p.m. at Newark Charter High School. The Sals have been Goliath in high school soccer in Delaware for a generation, but they would be wise not to take the Hawks lightly. Their losses, both by a 1-0 score, came to fourth-seeded Delcastle and Division II power Caravel. St. Georges plays tough defense, which will have to be on its game against the Sals’ potent attack. The teams last met in the quarterfinals of the 2022 tournament.
Saturday, Nov. 16
Winner of St. Georges-Salesianum vs. winner of No. 4 Delcastle-No. 1 Caesar Rodney, 4 p.m. at Dover High School
Football
Friday, Nov. 15
No. 8 Cape Henlopen (5-5) at No. 1 Salesianum (9-1), 7 p.m. The Sals and Vikings meet for the first time since last season’s Class 3A state championship game. Salesianum has set the tone with its defense, allowing fewer than 10 points a game, more than six points better than the next best defense in Class 3A. Offensively, the Sals have a mix of running and passing and have scored in excess of 35 points a game. Jameson Tingle and Quardell Richards lead a potent Cape offense.
Saturday, Nov. 16
No. 7 St. Elizabeth (5-5) at No. 2 Tatnall (10-0), noon. This will be the second meeting of the season between the Vikings and Hornets. Tatnall defeated the Vikings on Oct. 26, part of an undefeated regular season following last year’s Class 1A state championship. The Vikings feature running backs Ryan McCormac, Jose Maldonado and Nick Mancini, while the Hornets are led by quarterback Quinn deViere and running backs Gino Greer and R.J. Moore.
No. 5 Woodbridge at No. 4 Archmere (8-2), 1 p.m. Much has changed since these teams last met, a 56-28 Auks win in last season’s semifinals, but one thing that remains the same is that the Auks and the Blue Raiders are Class 2A contenders. The Auks, led by quarterback John Orsini, have multiple weapons on offense, including Ryan Hagenberg on the ground or through the air. Jack Chesman paces a solid defense. The Bridge’s Malachi Hayes has had a spectacular season out of the backfield.
