Cape Henlopen football Brenn Scott looks to block for Maurki James against Sussex Central, photo courtesy of Dave Frederick
Georgetown – The Cape Henlopen Vikings entered the Class AAA state tournament as the number six seed and after two weeks they have shown the state those numbers don’t matter.
After upsetting number three seed Dover last week the Vikings knocked off the number two seed Sussex Central Golden Knights 46-14 to advance to the state championship game.
“I am just super excited, we have a special team and we started to hit our stride about mid year. To get the win on the road against your rivals is a big deal,” Cape Henlopen head coach Mike Frederick said.
Running back Maurki James led the way for the Vikings rushing for 186 yards on 32 carries scoring four touchdowns. James also scored on defense with an interception return in the fourth quarter.
“He is a special player and more importantly a special human being most importantly,” Frederick said.
Cape Henlopen took the opening drive 81 yards with James capping off the drive with a 13 yard touchdown run. James carried the ball eight of the nine plays for the Vikings. Wilson Ingerski’s kick gave Cape Henlopen a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
After forcing the Golden Knights to punt on their first possession Cape Henlopen struck again when Jameson Tingle connected with Lextyn Wescott on a 35 yard touchdown pass. Ingerski’s kick made it 14-0, shocking the home crowd.
Sussex Central took the ball down to the Cape Henlopen 19 yard line on the ensuing drive, but a personal foul on third down followed by an incomplete pass led to a fourth and 20 at the Vikings 35 yard line. Ibrahim Leyva-Fojaco’s 52 yard field goal attempt was blocked as Sussex Central came away with no points in the red zone.
Cape Henlopen drove inside the Golden Knights ten yard line with 15 seconds to go in the first half. Ingerski’s 25 yard field goal attempt was blocked as the Vikings took a 14-0 lead into halftime.
Sussex Central opened the second half with an 11 play 80 yard drive capped off by a one yard run by Will Harmon. Malik Bell had eight carries on the drive. Rodney Escobar-Gonzalez converted the kick as the Golden Knights cut the lead to 14-7 with 6:54 to play in the third quarter.
The Vikings answered the Sussex Central score with a one yard touchdown run by James, but the PAT kick was short as Cape Henlopen took a 20-7 lead.
Jujuan Sturgis scored on a 33 yard touchdown run for Sussex Central and then James answered with a nine yard run extending the Vikings lead to 26-14.
Then came the 90 second flurry by Cape Henlopen. Three straight interceptions led to 20 points for Cape Henlopen. Wescott got the first, which led to a five yard touchdown run by James. On the first play of the ensuing Sussex Central possession James intercepted a pass and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown followed by a 38 yard interception return by Cam Joyner giving the Vikings a 46-14 lead.
Cape Henlopen (9-3) will face top seeded Salesianum (11-1) next Friday night for the DIAA Class AAA state championship at Delaware Stadium in Newark. Salesianum defeated Middletown 24-14 in the other semi-final.
Cape Henlopen won their only state title in 1979. Salesianum will be looking to win their seventh title with the last coming in 2013.
Kickoff for the Class AAA championship will be at 7:00 PM following the Unified Flag Football championship which will begin at 5:00 PM.
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