NEWARK — Salesianum and Smyrna traded Friday Night Lights for Saturday Afternoon Sunshine, but the teams’ football matchup on Oct. 4 definitely had a big-time feel. On the turf at Delaware Stadium under sunny skies, the Sals opened up a 16-0 lead before holding off the Eagles for a 37-26 win.
Despite the abundance of scoring, the defenses stood out early on. Tysir Jones of Salesianum ended Smyrna’s opening drive with an interception, but the Eagles forced a Sals punt after that.
The Sals defense combined to cause 11 yards in losses on the next Smyrna possession, setting the Eagles up with a fourth and long at the Sals’ 9 late in the first. Salesianum’s Odell Teel fought off a block on fourth down to block the Eagles’ punt, and the ball bounced high into the air. Austin Thomas lined in up and returned the ball 9 yards for a touchdown with 1:34 left in the opening quarter.
The Sals’ defense forced a turnover on downs, and on the first possession of the second quarter, Salesianum eventually had a second and goal from the Eagles’ 1. Smyrna held, however, and got the ball at their own 7.
The defense again came through for the Sals. After a penalty moved Smyrna closer to its own end line, Ryan VanKerkhoven sacked the quarterback in the end zone for a safety, increasing the lead to 9-0.
It took the Sals just 31 seconds to score again. Starting after the free kick at the Eagles’ 47, quarterback Brady Nabb hit Jasir Gaymon, who streaked down the left side to the 14. Two plays later, Nabb and Jamar Taylor teamed up for a touchdown pass.
Snyrna cut into the lead with three minutes left in the half. Quarterback Drew Marks tossed a fade pass into the far left corner of the end zone, where Eagles star receiver Phoenix Henriquez made a great catch. The two-point conversion — which Smyrna attempts almost exclusively — was no good.
After forcing a turnover on downs to open the second half, the Eagles embarked on a five-minute drive that covered 71 yards. It ended when Marks again threw a fade to Henriquez, this time down the right side. The conversion made it a 16-14 game.
Before the crowd could get a drink of water under a hot sun, the Sals responded. Gaymon ended a two-play drive with a 52-yard touchdown run up the middle a mere 16 seconds after Smyrna scored.
It was Smyrna’s turn to score on a drive that covered parts of two quarters. Marks kept the drive going with a 21-yard scramble on fourth and 12, and Kamaj Kearney finished the drive with a looping touchdown pass to Lansana Dakiyia in the back of the end zone. Smyrna trailed, 23-20, after another unsuccessful two-point try.
The offensive fireworks kept coming after the Sals got the ball back. A three-play drive ended with a 60-yard scoring pass from Nabb to James Elias, pushing the lead to 10.
Two penalties on Salesianum helped give the Eagles a short field, and they took advantage. Marks and Henriquez hooked up for a 43-yard touchdown pass just 31 seconds after the Sals scored, With 5:24 to go, it was 30-26 in favor of the Sals.
Salesianum fumbled the ball back to the Eagles, but on fourth and 15 from the Smyrna 6, Jett Healey came up with an interception and returned it to the Eagles’ 3. Gaymon scored on one play with 1:40 to go to put the game away.
Nabb completed 10 of 17 pass attempts for 172 yards and two scores. Gaymon ran for 98 yards. The Sals (3-2) host Hodgson on Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.
Smyrna fell to 1-4 and is home against Cape Henlopen on Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
