The Corner Scoop – Week 6 Field Hockey top 10 rankings

Smyrna vs Archmere field hockey. Photo by Ben Fulton

It’s always refreshing to see coaches and teams play for causes that are bigger than themselves. Field Hockey does a great job of sponsoring fundraisers at their games for causes that are near and dear to our hearts. We have seen Morgan’s Message for Mental Health and now in October there will be PINK OUT games for Breast Cancer Awareness. When coaches teach their players about life through sport, how fortunate we are to play the game, and how they can help their communities from the field, we are putting a little more good out into the world. In the wake of devastation after Hurricane Helene, we are reminded about how fragile life is and the privilege in sports. Kudos to all the programs supporting causes in their communities and for teaching their athletes to be selfless and see the bigger picture outside the lines. 

Cape Henlopen remains at the top of Division 1 despite being a young team and Newark Charter takes over the top spot in D2 this week.  They also remain the lone two undefeated programs in the top tens. I’m excited for the Middletown/Odessa, Archmere/Newark Charter, Smyrna/Lake Forest, and St.Mark’s/Milford matchups this week. We are at the turning point of the season for many teams and in the second half they will make the run for the tournament, hoping to peak at the right time. Get ready for a great second half of the high school field hockey season. 

Division 1 Field Hockey

No. 1  Cape Henlopen (9-0) The Vikings remain perfect. They have a long week ahead with 3 games, but if anyone has the depth to carry fresh legs into every game, it’s Cape. They will host all week at Champions Stadium Oct. 8, 6pm vs a very good Sussex Academy team,Oct. 10 6 pm vs Dover for Youth Night and Oct. 12 11 am vs Padua for Senior Day. These are Cape’s last three regular season home games. 

No. 2  Smyrna (7-2) The Eagles reclaim the No. 2 spot this week after picking up 2 wins over Milford and Caravel. They will get some rest and only play once this week. The Eagles host Lake Forest on Oct. 8 at 4 pm. 

No. 3 Charter School of Wilmington (8-1) The Force bounced back into the No. 3 spot this week after winning 2 of 3 last week. Tuesday Oct. 8 they will host Sanford for Senior Day and Oct. 1 they travel to take on Ursuline. 

No. 4  Milford (5-3) The Bucs drop to No. 4, but at 5-3 have a tough schedule, dropping their last two games to two State Championship teams (Cape and Smyrna). Coach McPike will need to regroup and get her offense going this week on the road against St. Mark’s Oct. 8 and Sussex Central Oct. 10.

No. 5 Middletown (7-1) The Cavaliers and Ducks of Odessa switch spots this week in the top ten. Middletown moves to 5 while Odessa drops to 6. This may not last long as the 2 face off Monday night at 6:20 in Cavalier Stadium, 6:20pm for Teacher Appreciation Night. They also see Christiana this week on Wednesday at home. 

No. 6  Odessa (6-1) The Ducks are 6-1, and have a BIG game Monday Oct. 7 at Cavalier Stadium 6:20 vs district rival Middletown. 10/9 they will face off with William Penn in their PINK OUT game for Breast Cancer Awareness. 

No. 7 Sussex Tech (6-2-1)  The Ravens are on a four game winning streak and seem to be coming into their own midway through the season. I’m sure the team and coaches hope they continue this run as tournament time approaches. A bonus for the Raven is they play at home the remainder of the season.This week they will play back to back on Tuesday and Wednesday against Laurel and Dickinson.

No. 8 Caesar Rodney (3-5) The Riders will face D2 Champ Delmar on Oct. 7. Then they will host Seaford on Oct. 8, and Polytech on Oct. 10. They need to win 2 of the 3 games this week. 

No. 9 Appoquinimink (4-6) The Jags just have one game this week on Wednesday at Delcastle. They need a win to stay in the mix. 

No. 10 Tied Padua and St. George’s with 3-6 records

Padua plays Archmere Oct. 8 and Cape Henlopen Oct. 12 this week. While it will be a challenging week, they need to pick up a win to stay in the top ten. 

St George’s returns to the top ten this week, despite dropping their last two games. They will face DMAOct. 7 and Newark Oct. 9 this week. It will be a fight for both teams to stay in the top ten. 

Division 2 Field Hockey

No 1. Newark Charter (10-0) The Patriots take over the No. 1 spot this week as they remain undefeated on the season. Rattay (22 goals, 9 assists) and Nelson (12 goals, 13 assists)  continue to put up offensive numbers and the Patriots have 12 different players who have scored this season. They will host Wilmington Christian Oct. 8 before traveling to Archmere on Oct. 10.

No 2.  Delmar (9-1)  The Wildcats stay atop the D2 top ten as they have a 3 game winning streak. They will host CR Oct. 7 and travel to Dover Oct. 8, looking to continue that win streak before a showdown with Cape Henlopen. 

No 3. Sussex Academy (7-1) The Seahawks continue to put together a great season as they head into a challenging portion of the schedule. They see Cape Henlopen Tuesday Oct. 8, then Lake Forest Oct. 10 and Newark Charter Oct. 12 at 12:30 in Robert W. Gore Stadium. 

No 4. Wilmington Friends (7-1) The Quakers move up a spot this week to No. 4.with a 6 game win streak going. Friends will stay on the road this week Oct. 8 vs Concord and Oct. 10 at Tatnall. 

No 5 Caravel (6-4) The Bucs had a tough week dropping two games to tough teams and they dropped a spot in the rankings this week.  They have a busy week with 3 games and some out of state competition. Oct. 7 they travel to Notre Dame Prep (MD), Oct. 8 host Tower Hill, and Oct. 10 travel to St.s Peter & Paul School (MD). 

No. 6 Indian River (6-3) The Indians are also on the road all week Oct. 8 at Polytech and Oct. 10 at Woodbridge. I would expect them to pick up two wins this week and put themselves in a better position heading into the second half of the season. 

No. 7  Archmere (6-3) The Auks continue to play well and with a head to head win over St. Mark’s early in the season they sit ahead of the Spartans in this week’s top ten. They will face Padua Oct. 8 at the Chase Fieldhouse and host Newark Charter Oct. 10. 

No. 8 Lake Forest (6-3) The Spartans move up a spot this week with strength of schedule on their side. They have a tough week of Henlopen competition on the road this week. Oct. 8 they go to Smyrna and Oct. 10 they go to Sussex Academy. 

No. 9 St. Mark’s (7-2) The Spartans  improve to 7-2 with a 6 game winning streak.  They actually haven’t lost a game since September 15th! They have two home games this week as they host Milford Oct. 8 and Brandywine Oct. 10.

No. 10  Tower Hill (5-3) The Hillers improve to 5-3 this week but will be tested Oct. 8 at Caravel. Oct. 10 they will travel to Sanford to play in their Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Day.

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