As the calendar turned from September to October, the Newark Charter School girls volleyball team reflected and realized its record was basically the same as last year — undefeated.
Last year’s team went on to finish 13-4, losing in the state tournament semifinals to eventual state champion Smyrna. This year, the Patriots are led by a solid core of returning starters — Kennedy Pavlekovich, Avery Murray, Emily Wilson, Julia Hanson, Charlotte Seiler and Zhara Pritchett — who are determined to use this year’s September success as a launching pad to make an even deeper run in the postseason.
“I think the first half of our season’s success can be attributed to our ability to make smart decisions, especially when we are behind,” head coach Jessica Weller explained. “We have been serving tough and passing well in serve-receive, and that always helps to keep pressure on the other team. We also run a balanced offense, so everyone is contributing to the success on the court.”
Pavlekovich leads the offense with 19 aces and 51 kills. Murray is second on the team with 47 kills. Wilson has a team-high 86 assists followed by Hanson with 71.
Weller pointed out that the Patriots’ defense behind their height at the net makes it difficult for other team’s offense to “find the floor,” limiting the number of points given up.
The height at the net that Weller referred to includes Zhara Pritchett leading the team with 24 blocks and Pavlekovich recording 13. When the ball does get past the front line, co-captain Francesca Manelski (75 digs), Pavlekovich (59), Hanson (34) and Seiler (29) are usually there to dig them out.
Weller also credits Manelski and co-captain Sydney Brand for their leadership.
“They have worked hard to build our communication skills and find a way for us to connect as a team,” she said. “We have been pushed in many sets and the team is rising to the occasion. It’s fun volleyball to watch.”
As they head into October, the Patriots will try to avoid the same three-game losing streak they suffered at this time last year against Saint Mark’s, Padua Academy and Charter School of Wilmington, which are the exact same three teams they face at the beginning of this month.
“The challenges of the second half of the season will be continuing to play consistently and together as a team,” Weller emphasized.
Hodgson holds on to beat CapeHodgson’s Brysheem Davis returned the opening kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown and then later in the first half did it a second time for 80 yards to spark the Silver Eagles to a 28-23 win over Cape Henlopen.
Xavier Brown completed 17 passes for 207 yards. Ten of those passes were caught by Davis for a total of 65 yards. Marlon Sparks had four receptions for 110 yards and Dareon Lockhart three for 30. Running backs Jace Hawkins and Gary Blalock scored rushing touchdowns, and Hector Rivera converted all four of his PATs.
Nybree Davis (10 tackles, one sack) and Jay’den Harper (seven tackles) led a stingy defensive effort that prevented Cape from scoring on the final possession of the game. Sparks picked off his second pass of the year, and John Defelice and Blalock each recorded a sack.
Hodgson (2-2) hosts Caesar Rodney (1-3) at Caravel Academy on Saturday.
Caravel Academy remains unbeatenIn a rematch of last year’s Class 2A state championship game, Caravel Academy scored in every quarter and cruised to a 42-6 win over Archmere Academy.
Josh Roy opened the scoring with a three-yard touchdown run and in the third quarter did it again from 11 yards out. Quarterback Matt Rice scampered into the endzone from seven yards out and connected on a 22-yard pass to Tisyn Witcher for another score. Brock Rhoades had rushing touchdowns of nine and 10 yards. Richard Massey converted all four of his PAT attempts.
Caravel (4-0) has outscored its opponents 133-12 and hosts Elkton High School on Friday.
Christiana wins againWhen the Vikings defeated The Charter School of Wilmington 37-30 on Saturday, they accomplished something no Christiana football team has done in two decades. The win pushed the Vikings’ record to 3-1, and it’s the first time since 2004 that the program has three wins after the first four games of the season. The Vikings (3-1) travel to Polytech (3-1) on Friday.
Saint Mark’s wins second straightSaint Mark’s also upped its record to 3-1 with a 31-14 win over Caesar Rodney.
James Campbell threw for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Jude Campbell was on the receiving end of both touchdown passes, and Eli Burke carried the ball 22 times for 94 yards. Matteo Bracalenti converted all four PATs and added a 31-yard field goal.
Saint Mark’s travels to Cape Henlopen (3-1) on Friday.
Newark falls to MountIt was homecoming at Newark High on Saturday morning but unfortunately the homecoming court did not reign over a win as the Yellowjackets lost to Mount Pleasant 32-14. Newark (0-4) plays at Delcastle (1-3) on Friday.
Glasgow drops second district gameThe Dragons were hoping that playing teams in their own district would result in some wins. And it still might. But on Saturday at Abessinio Stadium the Dragons were shut out, falling to St. Elizabeth 34-0. Glasgow (0-5) travels to The Charter School of Wilmington (1-3) on Saturday.
Newark Charter JV suffers first lossAfter scoring 40 or more points in three of their first four wins, the Patriots were held to a season-low 12 points in a 16-12 loss to Hodgson.
“Every week is a test and that was big for us to compete against a 3A school,” head coach Jody Russell said. “Our kids got to see what playing that division looks like. They saw that we need better execution against those bigger schools. Overall, I thought they gave a good effort.”
Quarterback Logan Matthews completed seven of 10 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown to Cayden Anderson. Austin Gbadegbe rushed seven times for 43 yards and scored the other touchdown on a 16-yard run. Quarterback Chase Kennedy also saw time under center, completing five passes for 46 yards. Maxwell Weist finished with five catches for 49 yards, and Ajay Bonis had two receptions for 50 yards. Bonis also had a team-high nine tackles. Maxwell Laznik picked off a pass, and Josh Horning recovered a fumble.
“We played a hard-fought game, and our kids played tough until the end,” Russell added. “I was proud of the way they never gave up. We had way too many mistakes to win the football game. We will need to correct some of these to get back on the winning track.”
Newark Charter (4-1) hosts Milford on Monday.
In my opinion only …
Unlike the MLB players who took steroids, Pete Rose’s rules violation never affected the outcome of a game. He should be in the Hall of Fame.
Wrapping it upThe Red Lion (2-2) football team was off last week and hosts Concord (0-4) on Friday. … I glanced at the City of Newark Parks and Recreation offerings for this fall and they are very impressive. Check them out at www.newarkde.gov/play.
Until next time … have a great sports week!
Have a sports tidbit to share? Email JonBuzby@hotmail.com and follow on “X” @JonBuzby.
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