DIAA Football: State championship game pairings set for next Saturday

Aiden Lego scored four times for Salesianum to lead the Sals to the DIAA Football 3A championship game.

The pairings for three DIAA Football championship games have been finalized. In Division 1A, top-seeded Indian River will play defending state champion and No. 2 Tatnall, which holds the state’s longest winning streak at 24. In the 2A final, top-seeded Caravel Academy will face No. 3 Howard. And in the 3A final, No. 1 Salesianum will play No. 3 Middletown on Friday at Delaware State University’s Alumni Stadium. The Division 1A and 2A games will take place at Abessinio Stadium.

3A SEMIFINALS

Salesianum 39, Sussex Central 13

No. 1 Salesianun racked up 39 points on one of the toughest defenses in 3A as they defeated Central 39-13.

Aiden Lego rushed for more than 200 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead the Sals. He scored three rushing touchdowns and caught another on a screen pass from Sallies quarterback Brady McBride. McBride accounted for two touchdowns himself, one on the pass to Lego, and another one on a quarterback keeper.

Salesianum will get the chance to defend its 2023 state championship title against Middletown.

Middletown 24, St. Georges 7

After a 7-7 first quarter, the defense for the No. 3 Middletown Cavaliers clamped down on the No. 7 St. Georges Hawks, holding them scoreless the rest of the way en route to a 24-7 win.

The Cavaliers offense kept things rolling. Derian Cunningham hit Daniel Davis for a 26-yard touchdown late in the second quarter to take a 14-7 halftime lead.

Middletown added another touchdown on a 22-yard touchdown run from Makai Walker to push the lead to 21-7 and tacked on a 29-yard field goal by Austin Hamm late in the game to complete the scoring.

The Cavaliers advance to the 3A finals to face No. 1 Salesianum on 7 p.m. Friday at Delaware State University.

2A SEMIFINALS

Caravel 35, Woodbridge 0

Top-seeded Caravel rushed for 265 yards without injured running back Josh Roy in a 35-0 semifinal win Friday night against Woodbridge. Roy suffered an ankle injury in the quarterfinals and was not on the field, but he should be back for the championship game next Saturday, Coach John Reed said after the game.

Brian Brooks paced the offense with 123 yards on 20 carries, while Ira Yates added 80 on just 10 attempts. Five different Buccaneers scored a touchdown and achieved a “running clock” late in the third quarter. The Caravel defense limited Woodbridge to -4 yards on the ground. Woodbridge Quarterback Logan Moran completed 5 of 8 passes for 44 yards.

The Blue Raiders completed their season with a record of 8-4, while the Bucs carry a 25-game winning streak into next Saturday’s class 2A title game against Howard.

— Glenn Frazer

Howard 40, Red Lion Christian 14

The No. 3 Howard Wildcats advanced to the 2A Football state championship with a convincing 40-14 victory over No. 7 Red Lion.

Howard jumped out early and never looked back. The Wildcats scored on the second play from scrimmage when quarterback Jamison Bryant found Corey Manley for a 58-yard touchdown. The Wildcats then rode a 20-0 lead into the half.

Neither team scored in the third quarter, but Howard matched Red Lion as each team scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter for a 40-14 final score. Amir Maddrey led the Wildcats, rushing for 180 yards and two touchdowns.

Howard will play top-seeded Caravel at 6 p.m. Saturday at Abessinio Stadium.

1A SEMIFINALS

Indian River 30, Polytech 22

No. 1 Indian River advances to the 1A state championship with a 30-22 victory over Polytech, holding on after jumping out to a 30-0 lead after three quarters before Polytech scored 22 fourth-quarter points to make it a game.

The Indians were led by Javion Chandler, who had 10 carries for 52 yards and two touchdowns. Davon Handy led the Indians on rushing with 22 carries and 151 yards on the ground.

Indian River advances to the state championship for the first time since 2011 and will play at 1 p.m. Saturday at Abessinio Stadium.

Tatnall QB Quinn DeViere completed 25 of 48 passes for 376 yards and 3 touchdowns. Photo by Nick Halliday

Tatnall 27, Brandywine 24

The No. 2 Tatnall Hornets found themselves down 10 points in the fourth quarter to the No. 3 Brandywine Bulldogs but rallied in the fourth quarter for a 27-24 victory.

Down 24-14 in the fourth, the Hornets scored on consecutive drives to take a 27-24 lead with under two minutes left in the game. They then held off a late run on the last drive as they watched a Brandywine pass attempt fall short, sending the reigning state champions back to the title game next week against Indian River at Abessinio Stadium.

Hornets quarterback Quinn DeViere led the offense, completing 25 of 48 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns. Chris Gordon caught 13 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown. Aidan Hill led the Bulldogs with 165 yards and two touchdowns.