WILMINGTON — Salesianum clinched one of the top two spots in the upcoming DIAA Class 3A football tournament with a 35-0 shutout of Hodgson on Nov. 1 at Abessinio Stadium. The Sals improved to 8-1 and are undefeated in their district.
The Silver Eagles arrived in Wilmington coming off an upset win over Appoquinimink the week before, but they struggled to get their offense going against the state’s second-stingiest defense. The Sals scored two defensive touchdowns, including one in the first quarter.
Salesianum received the opening kickoff and moved to the Silver Eagles’ 30 before the drive fizzled and ended with a punt. Hodgson started its first drive at its own 18, but it didn’t last long. On first down, they fumbled, and the Sals’ Mitch Cummings picked the ball up and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown. A two-point conversion made it 8-0 less than four minutes in.
Neither team was able to get much going offensively in the first half. There were plenty of punts and a few turnovers that kept the score low. Hodgson intercepted a Salesianum pass at the goal line late in the first quarter, but the Silver Eagles could not generate much on offense. The Sals’ defense was in the backfield all night, with R.J. Johnson, Justin McGill and Ryan VanKerkhoven harassing the quarterback and running backs all night. Johnson, a defensive end, has verbally committed to play collegiately at Rutgers, whose coach, Greg Schiano, was on the sidelines.
The Sals took over at their own 44 with 1:57 left in the half and went to work. Brady McBride (St. John the Beloved Parish) hit Vernol Gary on first down, and a Hodgson penalty moved the ball to the Silver Eagles’ 23. McBride carried for 12 yards on a keeper, and from there, he found Gary again, this time in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. The two-point conversion was no good, and the lead was 14-0 at the break.
The Sals scored on their first possession of the second half. The short drive — 26 yards — ended with Odell Teel going up the middle for a 2-yard score. McGill scored the next touchdown with nine minutes remaining in the game, getting a 47-yard scoop-and-score fumble return. Aiden Lego (St. John the Beloved Parish) wrapped up the scoring with a late 3-yard run.
The Sals will wrap up the regular season on Nov. 8 at home against Saint Mark’s. Game time is 7:30 p.m. The Spartans are playing at Sallies for the first time since 2018, when the game was at Baynard Stadium.
Hodgson (4-5) hosts William Penn on Nov. 9 at 11 a.m. at their temporary home at Caravel Academy.
Photos by Mike Lang.
