FRANKLINVILLE - The Delsea Regional High School football team was in desperate need of a win after an 0-3 start.
Their opponent Friday, Paul VI, was in the opposite position, boasting a 3-0 mark entering play.
Delsea took advantage of PVI’s starting QB Matt Vitale sitting out the first quarter due to team reasons, shutting out the Eagles in the first half en route to a 17-0 lead at the break and survived a second-half rally by Vitale and PVI en route to a 24-21 win.
Charles Walker took a handoff late in the first quarter for Delsea and broke it 41 yards for a 7-0 Crusaders lead. Quarterback Quinn Collins broke one of his own for 22 yards in the second quarter, giving Delsea a 14-0 advantage.
After using two timeouts on PVI’s final possession of the first half, Delsea started at their own 35-yard line after a punt and scrambled into Eagles’ territory, setting up a 42-yard field goal by Bronson Deckert as time expired in the half.
The Crusaders ran 28 plays in the first half for 198 total yards, including 63 on the ground from Isaiah Spencer and 77 from Walker. The Crusaders defense held PVI to just 110 yards on 19 plays and allowed the QB combination of Elvis Hines and Vitale just 6 total completions on 18 passes for 69 yards.
Vitale got off to a quick start in the second half, hitting Stefone Moore Green on a 19-yard TD pass early in the quarter. Moore Green set up the score by breaking a 63-yard run earlier in the drive.
Paul VI junior running back Lonnie Moore scored on a 14-yard scamper late in the third quarter to cut the Delsea lead to just 17-14 entering the final frame.
Penn State recruit Irvin Charles came alive midway through the fourth quarter, catching passes of 4, 17 and 32 yards on the same drive, the final one a TD connection from a scrambling Vitale to give the Eagles a 21-17 lead.
The Crusaders answered back after exchanging fumbles with PVI with Isaiah Spencer scoring on a 29-yard dash to retake the lead at 24-21 with just over four minutes left. The Delsea defense held PVI on the Eagles’ final possession with just over two minutes left and the Crusaders ran out the clock to improve to 1-3 on the season.
Their opponent Friday, Paul VI, was in the opposite position, boasting a 3-0 mark entering play.
Delsea took advantage of PVI’s starting QB Matt Vitale sitting out the first quarter due to team reasons, shutting out the Eagles in the first half en route to a 17-0 lead at the break and survived a second-half rally by Vitale and PVI en route to a 24-21 win.
Charles Walker took a handoff late in the first quarter for Delsea and broke it 41 yards for a 7-0 Crusaders lead. Quarterback Quinn Collins broke one of his own for 22 yards in the second quarter, giving Delsea a 14-0 advantage.
After using two timeouts on PVI’s final possession of the first half, Delsea started at their own 35-yard line after a punt and scrambled into Eagles’ territory, setting up a 42-yard field goal by Bronson Deckert as time expired in the half.
The Crusaders ran 28 plays in the first half for 198 total yards, including 63 on the ground from Isaiah Spencer and 77 from Walker. The Crusaders defense held PVI to just 110 yards on 19 plays and allowed the QB combination of Elvis Hines and Vitale just 6 total completions on 18 passes for 69 yards.
Vitale got off to a quick start in the second half, hitting Stefone Moore Green on a 19-yard TD pass early in the quarter. Moore Green set up the score by breaking a 63-yard run earlier in the drive.
Paul VI junior running back Lonnie Moore scored on a 14-yard scamper late in the third quarter to cut the Delsea lead to just 17-14 entering the final frame.
Penn State recruit Irvin Charles came alive midway through the fourth quarter, catching passes of 4, 17 and 32 yards on the same drive, the final one a TD connection from a scrambling Vitale to give the Eagles a 21-17 lead.
The Crusaders answered back after exchanging fumbles with PVI with Isaiah Spencer scoring on a 29-yard dash to retake the lead at 24-21 with just over four minutes left. The Delsea defense held PVI on the Eagles’ final possession with just over two minutes left and the Crusaders ran out the clock to improve to 1-3 on the season.
