Writer: Shannon Timmons
Welcome back to “The Corner Scoop”, a weekly edition covering high school field hockey in Delaware. The high school season is well underway so we will rank the top 10 teams in Division 1 and Division 2, along with their matchups for the week.
Division 1 Field Hockey
No. 1 Smyrna (8-0) The Eagles will look to get back in the mix for a title this season. They have faced Cape the last four seasons for the championship, winning one in 2023. In an exciting overtime thriller last Thursday night in Champions stadium, a battle of the undefeated took place. Bree Moffett (Northwestern) dialed up a win for the Eagles over the reigning D1 title holders, the Cape Henlopen Vikings.
Upcoming: Sept. 30th Episcopal Academy (PA) at Smyrna, 4 pm.
No. 2 Cape Henlopen (7-1) The Vikings are as strong a team as ever. Despite falling in OT to Smyrna, the Vikings are always in the mix, and no doubt head coach Kate Austin will have them ready to rebound this week.
Upcoming: Sept. 30th at Polytech, 4 pm, Oct. 2nd at Indian River, 4 pm.
No. 3 Milford (4-3) Milford has been consistently strong over the past several years under coach Andrea McPike. She has her squad in the tournament each year and advancing. With a tough schedule they take the 3rd spot. Losses to Caravel, St. Peter & Paul (MD) and Sussex Academy the Bucs have their eyes set on being tournament ready come November.
Upcoming: Sept. 30th Dover at Milford, 4 pm.
No. 4 Caesar Rodney (5-2) The Riders are off to a great start this season with their only two losses coming to Delmar and fellow D1 opponent Milford. Coming off a 6-9 season a year ago, head coach Becky Woodzell is looking to get the program back to the tourney. Only two losses so far to Delmar and Milford have the Riders in good shape halfway through the season.
Upcoming: Oct. 2nd Odessa, 4 pm and Oct. 4th Mt. Pleasant, 11:30 am. Both games are at CR.
No. 5 Middletown (7-1) The Cavaliers lead Flight A with their sister school rival, the Odessa Ducks hot on their heels. Long time head coach Stefany Krygier has her squad rolling through opponents. Their loss is to Caesar Rodney, and the ranking is only below the Henlopen teams with stronger schedules. Look for them to be in the mix for the tournament.
Upcoming: Sept. 29th Newark Charter at Middletown, 3:45 pm and Oct. 1st at Hodgson Vo-Tech 4 pm.
No. 6 Odessa (6-2) The Ducks fall just shy of sister school Middletown at 6-2 this season, the Ducks continue their winning ways. For the program to take the next step, they have to get past Middletown as the Cavs have been their kryptonite.
Upcoming: Sept. 30th at Indian River, 4pm and Oct. 2nd at CR, 4pm.
No. 7 Polytech (4-3) The Panthers are holding their own in the Henlopen North. Losses to Smyrna and Milford land them at No. 7 this week. A 2-13 team a year ago, they will look to get back into the tournament. They have some tough games ahead but need to set the mark for a .500 season or better.
Upcoming: Sept. 30th Cape Henlopen at Polytech, 4 pm and Oct. 2nd at Seaford, 4 pm.
No. 8 Padua (4-2-1) The Pandas are the only Catholic school in the D1 top ten. Traditionally a good program, they have already matched their 4 wins from a year ago. We will have to see if they can stay in the No. 8 spot after facing another top ten team, Appoquinimink this week.
Upcoming: Oct. 2nd at Appoquinimink, 4 pm.
No. 9 Appoquinimink (4-4) The Jags are the 3rd school from their district to land in the top ten. Their two losses to D1 teams are CR and sister school Middletown, while they also took losses to power teams in D2 Caravel and Archmere.
Upcoming: Oct. 2nd Padua at Appoquinimink, 4 pm.
No. 10 St. George’s (5-4) The Seahawks round out the top ten this week. Despite a better record, in head-to-head competition Appo handed them a 3-0 loss back on Sept 16th. They are the only Flight A school outside the Appo School district here and will need to stay above .500 to remain in the top ten.
Upcoming: Oct. 1st at Christiana, 4 pm.
Division 2 Field Hockey
The top 3 teams are going to make D2 field hockey very interesting. They have depth, tournament experience, and a wide open race to the finish line. Any of us would be hard pressed to find a top ten that didn’t include powerhouse Delmar in it – until now. As graduation took Jordyn Hollamon to join her sister Josie and cousin Maci Bradford to University of Maryland, longtime coach Jodi Hollamon stepped aside to watch her daughters play collegiately. We at 302 Sports would be remiss if we did not recognize all she accomplished and did to promote the sport. Thank you Coach Hollamon.
No 1. Caravel (7-1) The Bucs only loss is to Smyrna, need I say more. They have a tough schedule ahead but Coach Sarah Broehl will have her squad ready. It’s an interesting mix of seniors and youngsters (12 players in 8th or 9th grade). They typically play a fast and furious pace of hockey and it is exciting.
Upcoming: Sept. 30th at Ursuline, 4pm and Oct. 2nd Sussex Academy at Caravel, 6:15pm.
No 2. Newark Charter (6-0) The Patriots are off to another great season. They have been very competitive under coach Stacey Spiker but haven’t been able to seal the deal for a championship. Losing Amanda Rattay to graduation is a hole to fill but looking at the roster the Patriots are well versed in winning.
Upcoming: Oct. 2nd DMA at Newark Charter, 6pm
No 3. Wilmington Friends (5-0) The Quakers, under head coach Scott Clothier, have been a consistent force in D2 hockey. This is always a team to watch as they were in the finals last year and semis the two seasons prior. This is a strong roster with a lot of experience, and they know how to win big games.
Upcoming: Sept. 30th at Saint Mark’s, 4pm and Oct. 4th host William Penn, 10am.
No 4. Indian River (6-1) The Indians are making their mark this season. They have a tough part of the schedule coming but have been an up-and-coming team for the past few years. Coach Torrie Huk has a roster full of upperclassmen who should be ready to make their mark this season.
Upcoming: Sept. 30th Odessa, 4 pm and Oct. 2nd Cape Henlopen, 4pm. Both games are Home
No 5. Archmere (4-2) The Auks are having a great season. Their losses are to top ranked opponents – Smyrna and Newark Charter just last week. Coach Dell’oso has them playing a tough schedule.
Upcoming: Sept. 30th Tower Hill, 3:45 pm and Oct. 3rd Wilmington Charter, 3:45. Both games are home.
No. 6 Lake Forest (4-3) The Spartans lost a lot of talent to graduation. So far, their losses are to higher ranked D1 Cape Henlopen and CR and D2 Indian River. As I look at their schedule, I feel this is the team that needs to win the ones they are supposed to, battle the tough teams and try to catch someone off guard and pull off an upset win somewhere. Coach Michele Tucker is no stranger to the post season and I’m sure she would like this younger team to make a run and get some valuable experience.
Upcoming: Sept. 30th at Laurel, 4pm and Oct. 2nd Sussex Central at Home, 4 pm
No 7. DMA (4-3) While the Sea Hawks match Lake Forest at 4-3, Lake’s strength of schedule gives them the push ahead of DMA. They have a small roster of 14 so playing time won’t be an issue, but stamina could be as the season wears on. They have one game this week, but it’s a big one against the Patriots of Newark Charter.
Upcoming: Oct. 2nd at Newark Charter, 6pm.
No 8. Tower Hill (4-3:) The Hillers are traditionally a very strong program and always in the mix. Their losses are to top ranked teams and I would suspect they will continue their winning ways led by the Vanni sisters.
Upcoming: Sept. 30th at Archmere, 3:45pm.
No 9. Sussex Academy (3-3): The Seahawks have made a mark in the sport in recent years and play one of the toughest non-conference schedules in D2. They will rely on Taylor Lowe and Shea Danahy to lead the way.
Upcoming: Sept. 30th Delmar at Sussex Academy, 5:30pm, Oct. 2nd Caravel at Caravel, 6:15pm
No. 10 Concord (4-3): The Raiders lead Flight B and sophomore Brynn Ellis leads in goals and assists. Losses to DMA, Odessa, and Ursuline put them in our 10 spot this week. This tournament team from a year ago will be challenged by Newark Charter and Archmere later this season.
Upcoming: Sept. 30th at MOT Charter, 3:30pm and Oct. 1st at Newark, 3:30pm.
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