WILMINGTON — The St. Elizabeth football team was coming off a big win over Tower Hill two weeks ago, and they have Class 1A’s top-ranked team, Brandywine, on the schedule next week. In between, after a week off, stood the Dickinson Rams, so the Vikings had to be careful not to fall into a trap.
Well, St. E’s passed the test, scoring on all but one first-half possession — along with one of Dickinson’s — building up an insurmountable halftime lead on the way to a 58-0 win on Oct. 3.
St. E’s showcased several different weapons on offense, all successfully. Their first possession counted six plays, five rushes and an incomplete pass. Three players carried the ball Alex Soto had the first two carries, covering 14 yards total. The next rush went to Emmanuel Matagaro, who covered 27 yards to the Rams’ 29. Finally, Mi’Cah Hamilton went the final 29, gaining 18 on his first attempt, then going the final 11 up the middle for the score.
After a Dickinson punt, St. Elizabeth took over at the Rams’ 47. Isaiah Coleman wrapped up the three-play drive with a 43-yard burst up the middle, shaking off a tackler on his way to the end zone. The two-point conversion made it 14-0.
They added two more points when Spreewell Dickerson sacked the Rams’ quarterback in the end zone three plays later.
Greyson Nuneville returned the ensuing kickoff to the Dickinson 24, setting up a short drive. Quarterback Cole Andrews (Sacred Heart Parish, Oxford, Pa.) found Matagaro with a short pass that was advanced to the 9. Terrence Williams caught the next pass, a fade in the corner of the end zone with 3:26 left in the first quarter.
Andrews added a 16-yard scoring pass to Matagaro five minutes into the second quarter, and on their next possession, Andrews threw for his third touchdown, a 19-yard toss to Soto. Finally, with 2:29 left in the half, James Adair added a 33-yard interception return for six.
The Vikings added two more scores in the second half, a 15-yard run from Jayden Gonzalez-McNulty (St. Elizabeth Parish) and one of 13 yards from Ethan Valentine.
The Vikings’ defense, meanwhile, was just too much for Dickinson. The front line of Dickerson, Dom Carucci, Nick Florencio, Kaleb Ross and Justin Coleman kept the Rams scrambling all afternoon. They forced the safety and had the interception, and they had several tackles for loss. Carucci had a team-leading five tackles.
Coleman led the Vikings with 50 yards rushing, and Matagaro caught three passes for 57 yards. Andrews completed six of nine passes for 98 yards and the three scores. The Vikings (4-1) host Brandywine on Oct. 11 at 10:30 a.m. at Abessinio Stadium.
Dickinson (0-6) is off next week before traveling to Brandywine on Oct. 17 at 6 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
