For The Dialog
The fall season of high school sports is scheduled to start Friday, and here is what to look out for on the boys’ side.
Friday
Soccer
St. Elizabeth at Glasgow, 3:45 p.m. The Vikings finished second in the Division II field last year, losing to Indian River in the finals. They ended the season at 15-3, with two of their losses coming to Salesianum and St. Mark’s. They beat Glasgow, 5-0, last year in the opener; the Dragons finished the season 6-7-2. The Vikings lost some of their better players to graduation but still have a shot at the D-II crown this year and would like to start strong again this year with a tough schedule upcoming.
Football
Salesianum at Caesar Rodney, 7:30 p.m. The defending Division I champs look to replace their top three players and repeat as champs, and it does not start off easy. Last year in the opener these two teams put on a show in front of a packed house at Baynard Stadium. The Sals won, 41-35, in overtime and that win set the tone for the season. The Riders have lost a lot to graduation as well, but both of these teams will be fighting for the playoffs. Both teams have tough schedules so a win to open the year is big.
Saturday
Soccer
Archmere at Caravel, 11 a.m. The Auks and Buccaneers begin the season with an early morning matchup. Archmere lost in the first round of the playoffs last year and finished with an 8-7-1 record. They opened their season last year with a loss to Caravel, 2-0. The Bucs finished 6-8-1.
Salesianum vs. Sussex Tech at Dover, 6:30 p.m. The defending Division 1 champs, who finished second in the nation, open their new season against the Ravens, a team they beat twice last year – 1-0 in the regular season and 5-0 in the state quarterfinals. The Sals, as always, lost some talent to graduation but also have a lot of returning players to make them the favorite to repeat this year. This is a great early season matchup and one of only a handful of in-state games for the Sals.
Football
St. Elizabeth at Brandywine, 10:30 a.m. The Vikings start the season with an early road game against a tough Bulldogs team. The Vikings are playing in a different system this year with a new coach for the first time in decades. A tough schedule awaits as the Vikings look to improve on their 2-7 record last year. Brandywine earned the road win last year, 39-7.
St. Mark’s at William Penn, 1 p.m. This may be the best game on the schedule today as two Division I favorites meet. The Spartans have to replace some of their skilled positions from last year but returns a strong defensive unit and offensive line. They will be without starting quarterback Matt Williams for this game. The Colonials bring back standout running back Reggie Carroll and are considered a Division I favorite. William Penn can make a statement with its first two games; the Colonials meet Salesianum next week.
Archmere at Conwell-Egan, 7 p.m. The Auks start a season with a tough team from Pennsylvania. The Auks finished 7-3 last year and just missed the playoffs. The Auks had a great defense last year, and they hope the offense that came around late last year gets off to a great start.