This was an exciting week for Archmere’s fall sports teams. Most teams had their second games of the season this week. While there were some losses, many teams celebrated great victories against challenging opponents.
The football team started off its week with an incredible win over St. Elizabeth’s High School. While the team was expected to win, they rose past all expectations and St. Elizabeth’s 42-8. This was the team’s first game of the season, and to start it off with such a great win proves that they are back and better than ever. Some highlights of the game included senior PJ Blessington who rushed six times for a total of 92 yards and two touchdowns, Conner Victoria ‘24 who made a sack in the endzone for a safety, Jack Bradley ‘25 who rushedg three times for a total of 47 yards and two touchdowns, and senior Drew Duncan who had four receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown.
While the football team was crushing it on the field, Archmere’s cheerleading squad helped get the crowd excited. Co-captain Jaela Ramberts commented that “The cheerleaders came back for the first game of the season excited and ready to create the atmosphere for our hard-working athletes to excel. I am so proud of my team for executing cheers and stunts to the best of their ability and getting the crowd extremely ROWDY!”
Both the cross country boys and girls teams also competed Saturday the 9th at the Unionville Two Mile Bash. The girls team placed third overall, losing only to Haverford Township and Owen J. Roberts High School, two of the best teams in Pennsylvania. Some of the team’s top performers included Maddie Priest’24 who placed sixth in the senior girls race, Helen Socorso ‘25 who placed ninth in the junior race, and Alaina Thomas ‘27 who placed third in the ninth grade race. When asked about last weekend’s race, co-captain Helen Socorso said that “We have a really strong team this year. We have a great foundation building and it should only go up from here.” The boys also had a great meet placing twelfth overall, but first for the Delaware teams.
Archmere’s volleyball team had two exciting games this week. Their first was on September 12th against MOT Charter HS. The girls dominated and won in three straight sets. They could not have done it without the incredible student section that came dressed in all-black for the theme. On Thursday the 14th, the team played a great match against Padua to end with a 3-1 win. The “orange out” theme was a hit with the crowd who arrived completely covered in orange. This night was exciting for all involved. Also, three of our very own senior volleyball players were included in Delaware Online’s “Top 31 Players in Delaware High School Girls Volleyball” article. Katie Kuehl was ranked fifth, Ceci Connolly was ranked thirteenth, and Autumn Richardson was ranked nineteenth. Congratulations to these girls for this special recognition.
Beginning last Thursday, boys soccer officially started its season. In games against Caravel and Conrad, the team came up just short of a win and began its season with an 0-2 record. In their game against Caravel, Oliver Hohman ‘26 scored the lone goal for the Auks with an assist by senior Mason Nowaczyk. The team is already improving, with an increase to two scored goals in their second game against Conrad.
Soccer was not the only team to play on Tuesday, as the field hockey team continued their season with a shutout against Conrad School. Nine players added points to the board to end with a 10-0 win. To demonstrate sportsmanship, the players focused on practicing their passing game and playing people in different positions once they gained a large lead. A highlight of the game was when the team dressed both varsity goalies in field player attire and sent them out to play. Starting goalie Ava Hughes ’24s put the ball in the back of the cage to score the Auks’ tenth goal. Unfortunately, this performance faltered as the Auks fell to St. Marks on Thursday the 14th in a 2-1 loss. This was a highly anticipated game that all players knew would be tense. Archmere’s goal was scored by junior Carly Polsky with an assist from fellow junior Maura Read early in the first quarter and was uncontested until the last six minutes of play. The game ended with a devastating penalty call that resulted in a goal for the Spartans. The team looks forward to learning from their mistakes and coming back even stronger to face Sanford and St. Elizabeth next week.
Teams have faced wins and losses, but optimism is high as each team looks to continue and increase their success into the next few weeks as the season progresses.
