Nine months of high school sports action comes to a close this week as five sports hold their championships. Catholic schools are in contention in all five.
It all begins Tuesday night in Frederica, as St. Mark’s chases its first title in girls lacrosse, and the final trophy will be awarded Sunday at Frawley Stadium when baseball records the final out.
Baseball
Wednesday
No. 6 Hodgson (14-4) at No. 3 St. Mark’s (16-3), 2 p.m. The Spartans defeated the Silver Eagles, 9-1, when they met on April 14, but the playoffs are a different beast, and with the way the high school baseball season has gone, nothing is certain. Hodgson’s four losses came to teams seeded in the top five in the state tournament, and they posted a number of impressive wins. The game is starting earlier than the other three quarterfinals because Hodgson’s graduation is later that night.
No. 17 Dover (13-6) at No. 8 Salesianum (13-6), 4 p.m. Dover entered the tournament as a dark horse, and so far that horse has paid off. The Senators pulled a mild upset in the first round at Indian River, then stunned top seed William Penn on Saturday with five runs in the last inning. To beat Salesianum, Dover’s pitchers will need to find a way to quiet the Sals’ potent sticks. The teams did not meet during the regular season.
Friday
Hodgson/St. Mark’s winner vs. St. Georges/Caravel winner, time and location to be announced.
Dover/Salesianum winner vs. Appoquinimink/Cape Henlopen winner, time and location to be announced.
Sunday
State championship, 7 p.m., Frawley Stadium.
Lacrosse
Wednesday
No. 4 Cape Henlopen (13-4) vs. No. 1 Salesianum (14-3), 6 p.m., Caravel Academy. Salesianum will have to battle a quality foe in the Vikings to get to another state championship game. The teams met in April at Wesley College, and the Sals ambushed the Vikings, 16-3. Salesianum is always the team with the target on its back, and the Sals know to expect every opponent’s best effort.
Friday/Saturday
State championship: Cape Henlopen/Salesianum winner vs. No. 6 Wilmington Friends/No. 2 Caesar Rodney winner, time and location to be announced.
Girls
Lacrosse
Tuesday
No. 2 St. Mark’s (17-0) vs. No. 1 Cape Henlopen (16-1), 7 p.m., DE Turf Complex, Frederica. The Spartans and Vikings meet for the hardware for the second straight year, and St. Mark’s no doubt remembers Cape’s 19-7 win. The Spartans’ 10 seniors have their eyes on ending the Vikings’ long run at the top and earning the school’s first title in girls lacrosse. Since the DIAA began holding state championships in the sport in 1998, only St. Andrew’s, Tower Hill and Cape Henlopen have won it all.
Soccer
Wednesday
No. 4 Middletown (11-4-1) vs. No. 1 Padua (15-1), 8 p.m., Dover High School. Padua has played nearly all of Delaware’s best teams during the regular season, but Middletown was not among them. The high-scoring Pandas will be out for revenge when the teams meet in the semifinals of the Division I state tournament. The Cavaliers stunned Padua, 1-0, for the title last season, and many of the key players are back for both teams.
Friday/Saturday
State championship: Middletown/Padua winner vs. Wilmington Charter/Caesar Rodney winner, time to be announced, Smyrna High School.
Co-ed
Tuesday and Wednesday
Golf, which is open to both genders, holds its championship round at Odessa National Golf Club. Tuesday’s play starts at 8 a.m., while the survivors open Wednesday at 3 p.m. Tower Hill is the two-time defending champion.
