Great from start to finish: Our Top 45 Delaware high school sports games of 2022-23
How do you boil down thousands of games played in 19 sports through the entire 2022-23 school year in Delaware high schools to a Top 45 and rank them in importance?
I don’t know, but we gave it our best shot.
It’s a great way to recap a long school year, which began with football games in the August heat, stretched through several indoor sports over the winter and ended in the usual frenzy of spring sports championships.
Every game on this list was significant. It may have been a championship clash, a razor-close decision earlier in the playoffs or a regular-season meeting that had an important storyline.
We literally could have listed hundreds of games, so don’t get too upset if your own “Game of the Year” didn’t make the final cut. Here’s our final rundown of the Top 45 games for the 2022-23 school year:
BEST IN LAX Salesianum, Cape dominate final ranking of Top 44 players in Delaware HS boys lacrosse
45. Boys lacrosse: Middletown 11, Appoquinimink 10
The Cavaliers had a couple of very close calls on the way to the program’s first 15-0 regular season, and this was certainly one of them on April 28 at Appo. Middletown also won a 12-11 squeaker at Concord on April 4, and ultimately fell to Caesar Rodney 12-8 in the state quarterfinals.
44. Boys tennis: Zhu vs. Sternberg
Archmere’s Andy Zhu rallied from behind in both sets to overcome his frequent practice partner – Sanford’s Charlie Sternberg – 6-4, 6-4 for the junior’s third straight DIAA boys first singles championship on May 25 at St. Andrew’s.
43. Unified basketball: Appoquinimink 23, Mount Pleasant 10
A year after losing a 23-22 heartbreaker to Dover in the state final, the Jaguars left no doubt on March 10 at the Carpenter Center. Appo led all the way to complete a 13-0-1 season.
42. Boys basketball: Salesianum 51, Middletown 32
The Sals had struggled to a 5-6 start against a schedule loaded with out-of-state powers. The top-ranked Cavaliers were sailing along at 9-1.
But Salesianum held Middletown to just seven points in the first half and cruised to a home victory on Jan. 24, stamping the Sals as a contender for the DIAA title they would go on to win.
41. Boys soccer: Caravel 4, Saint Mark’s 0
Brothers Zain and Zayd Akhtar each scored as the Buccaneers rolled to their second straight Division II title on Nov. 19 at Dover High.
It was the sixth D-II title for Caravel. The Akhtars were part of a senior class that pushed the Bucs back to prominence, as they went 4-11 as freshmen and lost in the playoff quarterfinals at sophomores.
40. Girls basketball: Woodbridge 48, Cape Henlopen 34
The 11th-seeded Blue Raiders held the third-seeded Vikings scoreless over the last 9½ minutes to pull away in a state quarterfinal game played March 6 in a filled-to-the-brim Cape Henlopen gym. Payton Keeler scored 15 points – all on 3-pointers – as Woodbridge reached the semifinals for the first time.
39. Boys soccer: Appoquinimink 2, Salesianum 0
Riley Buzby made 12 saves and T.J. Hastings and Jace Tierney scored as the Jaguars administered the Sals’ only in-state loss, on Sept. 24 at Appo.
Salesianum gained its revenge on Nov. 16 with a 3-1 victory over the Jags in Division I semifinals.
38. Girls basketball: Caravel 57, Tatnall 54
The Nos. 4-5 seeds in the state tournament thrilled an enthusiastic crowd with close, exciting quarterfinal on March 6 at Tatnall. The Buccaneers trailed by two at halftime, built a six-point lead with a big third quarter, then held off the Hornets down the stretch as Anaya Price made six 3-pointers for 18 points and freshman Brycelyn Stryckning added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
37. Boys soccer: Salesianum 4, Charter of Wilmington 1
Jake Ross scored the first goal and assisted on the second as the Sals easily won their 12th Division I championship in the last 13 years on Nov. 19 at Dover High.
36. Boys lacrosse: Salesianum 10, Cape Henlopen 6
Cameron Taylor made the difference in the regular-season meeting of these fierce rivals on May 1 at Abessinio Stadium. The sophomore goaltender made several key early saves to frustrate the Vikings’ offense, and Rowyn Nurry got the Sals’ offense in gear with four goals.
35. Baseball: Saint Mark’s 4, Salesianum 3
It seems to be close every time these longtime rival play, and their April 12 meeting at Saint Mark’s was as close as you can get. James Baffone’s walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth scored Garrett Quinn with the winning run for the Spartans.
34. Football: Laurel 28, St. Elizabeth 13
Patrick Belle blocked an extra point with 7:50 left to keep the Bulldogs in the lead, then sacked the quarterback and forced a fumble returned for a 45-yard touchdown by Damontra Smith in the final minute as Laurel (13-0) won its second straight Class 1A championship on Dec. 10 at Delaware Stadium.
33. Field hockey: Delmar 7, Archmere 1
It wasn’t close, but it usually isn’t when the Wildcats play. Maci Bradford had two goals and three assists as Delmar romped to its sixth straight Division II championship on Nov. 19 at Rullo Stadium. Delmar, ranked fourth nationally by maxfieldhockey.com, stretched its winning streak to 115 games.
32. Softball: Caravel 7, Indian River 0
The top-seeded Buccaneers (18-2) scored all of their runs on eight hits in the fifth and sixth innings to run away from the Indians on June 3 at the University of Delaware diamond. Caravel was making its 21st appearance in the state championship game in the past 24 seasons, and won its third straight title and 12th overall.
31. Football: Smyrna 52, Dover 7
Yamir Knight capped his high school career with two touchdown runs, a TD catch and a scoring pass as the Eagles swamped the Senators in the Class 3A championship game on Dec. 10 at Delaware Stadium. Smyrna outscored its three playoff opponents by a combined 150-7.
30. Baseball: Conrad 6, Sussex Tech 5
Hard to beat a walk-off hit in a playoff game. Eli Myers delivered a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh to win a see-saw quarterfinal for the Red Wolves, who led 4-1 early before the Ravens rallied to take a 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh on May 30 at Richey Elementary.
29. Girls soccer: Archmere 6, Saint Mark’s 1
It was a stunning reversal in the Division II championship game, on June 2 at Delaware State’s Alumni Stadium.
The Spartans had blasted the Auks 5-2 in a regular-season meeting April 21 at Archmere. But this time, the Auks did the blasting. Emma Gioffre scored three of the half-dozen goals in the first half as Archmere cruised to its first state championship in girls soccer.
28. Wrestling: Salesianum 29, Sussex Central 28
The Sals handed the top-seeded Golden Knights (21-1) its only loss of the season, building an insurmountable lead then forfeiting the last two matches to win by one point in the semifinals of the Division I Dual Meet tournament on Feb. 18 at Smyrna. Sussex Central had beaten the Sals 37-31 in a regular-season match on Feb. 4.
27. Wrestling: DMA 36, Caravel 24
The Seahawks swept the seven heaviest weight classes to end the Buccaneers’ three-run run as Division I Dual Meet champions on Feb. 18 at Smyrna. It was DMA’s first state championship in team wrestling.
26. Girls basketball: Sanford 59, Ursuline 51
It was billed as a state championship preview, and it turned out to be.
Zy Kilgoe and Dallas Pierce scored 14 points each as the Warriors stretched a two-point halftime lead to a nine-point margin in the third quarter and went on to win on Feb. 10 at Ursuline.
25. Girls volleyball: Tower Hill 3, Saint Mark’s 0
The ninth-seeded Hillers secured the school’s first DIAA volleyball title with a stunning sweep of the two-time defending champion Spartans. Tower Hill jumped to a 10-4 lead in the first set and went on to win 25-20, 26-24, 25-20 on Nov. 14 at the Carpenter Center.
24. Girls soccer: Middletown 4, Appoquinimink 2
The crosstown rivals were intense as ever, as fans from both schools filled one side of the bleachers at Delaware State’s Alumni Stadium on June 2. Gabby Riley scored three goals to lead the Cavaliers past the Jaguars for Middletown’s second Division I championship.
23. Girls volleyball: Smyrna 3, Saint Mark’s 0
Teams from Kent and Sussex counties had traditionally struggled against the best from upstate, but that all changed on Oct. 11 at Saint Mark’s.
The Eagles snapped the two-time defending state champion Spartans’ 42-game winning streak with a 25-17, 25-17, 26-24 sweep. Smyrna would go on to earn the No. 1 seed in the DIAA playoffs before losing to eventual champion Tower Hill in the quarterfinals.
22. Boys basketball: William Penn 71, Seaford 61
The Colonials took the long ride south and held the state’s highest-scoring team without a point for the final 3:58 in a DIAA quarterfinal upset on March 4, in front of a passionate crowd at Seaford’s Ben Sirman Gymnasium. Jaiden Guy led William Penn with 25 points.
21. Softball: Indian River 2, Delmarva Christian 1
This DIAA tournament semifinal was all about pitching, before perhaps the largest crowd ever for a sporting event at Delmarva Christian on June 1. Kinsley Hall struck out 15 for the victorious Indians, who got a huge RBI double from Megan Daisey in the fifth inning. Royals pitcher Kaylan Yoder was every bit as dominant as Hall, striking out 17.
20. Football: Appoquinimink 30, Salesianum 20
The Jaguars had never beaten the Sals in football. But Appo erased a 12-point deficit with two fourth-quarter scoring drives, then clinched it with a defensive touchdown to earn a share of the Class 3A, District 1 title. The Jaguars also won the three-way tiebreaker with Middletown and Sallies to earn the No. 2 seed in the Class 3A playoffs.
19. Field hockey: Delmar 3, Cape Henlopen 2
One of the best of many epic meetings between these powerhouses over the years, as Baylie Phillips scored in overtime off an assist by Maci Bradford to give Delmar the win in the Henlopen Conference championship game on Nov. 5 at Lake Forest. The Wildcats also edged the Vikings 2-1 in a regular-season thriller on Oct. 6 at Delmar.
18. Girls basketball: Sanford 58, Ursuline 46
The Raiders put together a 15-6 run to tie the state final with 3:29 left on March 10 at the Carpenter Center.
Then the Warriors reeled off the final 12 points to pull away for Sanford’s sixth DIAA championship. Dallas Pierce led the Warriors with 24 points, reaching 1,000 for her career on her final basket.
17. Boys basketball: Salesianum 51, Middletown 49
The second meeting between these teams was much closer, and meant much more as it came in the DIAA semifinals in front of a sold-out crowd at the Carpenter Center on March 9.
Isaiah Hynson hit the go-ahead floater in the lane with 4.2 seconds left. Then Sallies survived the Cavaliers’ last-second shot attempt to reach the championship game.
16. Girls indoor track: Tatnall 131, Padua 107
It’s not really a game, because it’s not head-to-head. But while many teams are involved in the scoring, the Hornets’ team championship at the DIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, held Feb. 4 in Landover, Md., deserves a salute.
Because Tatnall ended Padua’s amazing 10-year run as the girls indoor champs. The Hornets did it by maxing out their roster, getting numerous key performances in numerous events.
“A lot of these girls ran four events,” Tatnall coach Patrick Castagno said as his team celebrated with the trophy. “They’re extremely exhausted, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at them.”
15. Baseball: DMA 7, Conrad 1
A record title-game crowd of 3,160 came to Frawley Stadium on June 3 to watch Drew Simpson pitch a two-hitter as the Seahawks (20-2) won their second state championship in the last three years.
14. Softball: Caravel 5, Delmarva Christian 4
This No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup lived up to its billing on April 25 at Caravel, as the Bucs’ Brooke Holdsworth tied it with a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh and Veronica Diomede’s walk-off single won it for Caravel in the eighth.
13. Football: Middletown 21, Smyrna 14
Perhaps the most dramatic finish in Harvest Bowl history, with Middletown quarterback Austin Troyer firing a 32-yard strike to a wide-open Noah Kracyla with 13.2 seconds left to lift the No. 1 Cavaliers past the No. 2 Eagles on Sept. 16 in front of a raucous crowd at Cavaliers Stadium.
12. Golf: Avery McCrery’s 65
The Tower Hill sophomore was simply sensational on May 31 at Baywood Greens Golf Club, hitting all 18 greens in regulation on the way to a career-low 65 and a seven-stroke victory in the girls individual standings at the DIAA Golf Tournament.
McCrery also made one of three pars by the Hillers in a one-hole playoff as they edged Tatnall by a stroke for their sixth team title in the last seven seasons. Tatnall’s Win Thomas won the boys individual crown.
11. Boys lacrosse: Salesianum 13, Cape Henlopen 11
The Sals found an extra gear when it mattered most, scoring five straight goals in the final nine minutes to erase a fourth-quarter deficit and win their 13th state championship on June 3 at Dover High.
“I couldn’t be more proud of a group of guys,” Sallies coach Bob Healy said. “This was an absolute masterpiece put together by those kids.”
10. Girls soccer: Middletown 1, Padua 0
The Cavaliers lost to the Pandas in penalty kicks in the previous year’s Division I championship game, and they were determined to not let it go that far in the 2023 semifinals on May 31 at Cavaliers Stadium.
It didn’t. freshman Lily Holcroft scored on Cara Cimo’s assist 14 minutes into overtime to send Middletown to the state final, where the Cavaliers would win again two days later.
9. Wrestling: Salesianum 36, Cape Henlopen 27
Senior Colin Honaker, who had lost a 9-3 decision to Braydon Cole a week before, turned the tables with a stunning pin in 1:38 at 144 pounds for a nine-point shift as the Sals won the school’s first Dual Meet championship, on Feb. 18 at Smyrna.
The two-time defending D-I champion Vikings had beaten the Sals 32-25 on the final Saturday of the regular season, and the rematch was on the same pace until Honaker’s heroics.
8. Football: Salesianum 16, St. Georges 14
Bill DiNardo’s 300th victory came the hard way on Sept. 24, on James Collins’ 35-yard field goal with 39 seconds remaining. DiNardo joined Wilmington Friends’ Bob Tattersall (331) as the only coaches in Delaware high school football history to reach the milestone.
7. Girls tennis: Nisbet vs. Emrich
Wilmington Friends senior Aubrey Nisbet and Tower Hill sophomore Ava Emrich played three classic matches this spring, with the capper coming in the DIAA girls first singles final on May 25 at St. Andrew’s.
A rotator cuff injury has kept Nisbet from employing her powerful serve for almost a year. Emrich took full advantage in their first two meetings, as Nisbet rallied to win 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 on April 12 at Friends before Emrich won 6-4, 4-6 (10-8 tiebreak) on May 4 at Tower Hill.
But Nisbet had every other facet of her game in full flight in the state final, grinding past Emrich 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) for her third individual championship.
6. Unified Flag Football: Caesar Rodney 32, Newark Charter 32
Undoubtedly the closest of all DIAA championship games, this one kicked off a long day on Dec. 10 at Delaware Stadium. Tied through regulation and one overtime possession each, the Riders won on a tiebreaker - by gaining more yardage than the Patriots in OT.
5. Boys basketball: Salesianum 48, William Penn 44
Isaiah Hynson drove for the last of his 20 points to build a three-point lead with 26 seconds left in the DIAA championship game, on March 11 at the Carpenter Center.
Then R.J. Johnson heavily pressured the Colonials’ final shot to preserve the Sals’ first state title since winning back-to-back with a guy named Donte DiVincenzo in 2014-15.
4. Football: Wilmington Friends 10, Caravel 7
The Quakers built a 10-0 lead on their first two possessions, then watched the Buccaneers turned the tide in the second half and threaten to go ahead before Andrew McKenzie’s interception with 1:49 left clinched the Class 2A title – Friends’ first in football since 1984.
The win, on Dec. 10 at Delaware Stadium, finished an incredible chapter in the history of one of Delaware’s most prominent high school football families.
After 53 seasons and 331 wins, Bob Tattersall – the state’s all-time leader in coaching victories – transitioned to associate head coach before the season.
His son, Rob, took over as head coach. And his grandsons, Robby and Ryan, played key roles throughout the Quakers’ 13-0 season.
3. Boys volleyball: Cape Henlopen 3, Salesianum 0
DIAA’s newest sanctioned sport got off to a flying start with one of the most surprising state championship games of 2022-23 on May 23 at Smyrna High.
The Vikings stopped a previously unstoppable team, sweeping three stunning sets from the top-seeded Sals, who had been 17-0 and had only lost one set all season.
A large, raucous crowd roared throughout the upset, as Cape edged ahead late to win the first set 25-23, then swept the last two sets by identical 25-17 scores.
2. Field hockey: Smyrna 2, Cape Henlopen 1
Kirsten Johnson lunged to deflect Dru Moffett’s pass into the cage 4:03 into overtime for a stunning upset victory in the Division I championship game on Nov. 19 at Rullo Stadium.
Cape Henlopen had won all five D-I titles since the field hockey tournament split into two divisions in 2017, and 10 of the last 11 championships overall. Smyrna became the first team other than Cape or Delmar to win a state field hockey title since Sussex Tech in 2010.
1. Girls lacrosse: Tatnall 10, Cape Henlopen 9
When you end the opponent’s incredible streaks of 13 consecutive state championships and 176 straight in-state wins, that makes you the No. 1 Game of the Year.
That’s what the Hornets did on May 25 at Delaware State’s Alumni Stadium, coming from behind three times to stun the Vikings.
Avery Brumfield’s only goal of the night pushed Tatnall ahead with 3:15 to play and the Hornets won the ensuing draw and literally ran the rest of the time off the clock, with the top-seeded Cape giving chase every step of the way. The Vikings hadn’t lost to a Delaware opponent since 2009.
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware high school sports: Ranking the Top 45 games of 2022-23
