Football Holds On for Win Over St. Mark's

9/17/2024

With 1:58 left on the clock, junior Ryan Hagenberg scored on a 1-yard run to give Archmere a 27-21 win at Saint Mark’s in one of the top games in Delaware high school football on Friday night. In front of a packed and spirited crowd, Archmere and St. Mark's battled back and forth all night, once again following a long standing tradition of thrilling, down to the wire, fourth quarter games.

Archmere tied the game 21-21 on the first series of the second half, driving 80 yards on six plays, highlighted by John Orsini’s '26 41-yard pass to Ryan Hagenberg '26. Christian Wittmeyer '25 scored on a 2-yard run and John Orsini '26 passed to Michael Donovan '26 for the 2-point conversion. The Spartans were shut out in the second half, punting four times with Christian Wittmeyer '25 blocking one before the final series.

Game stats and highlights:

Ryan Hagenberg '26 rushed 9 times for 42 yards and a TD and had 4 receptions for 169 yards. He also had 7 tackles, an INT and a sack on defense.
Johnny Orsini '26 was 7 for 13 for 190 yards and 1 TD. He rushed for 57 yards on 7 carries.
Jack Bradley '25 had 5 tackles and an INT return for a TD.
Christian Wittmeyer '25 had 8 tackles and a blocked punt. He added 35 yards rushing and a TD.

Archmere Head Coach John Bellace praised his team’s character and second-half determination afterward.

“I told them it was gonna be a four-quarter battle. It always is with these guys,” Bellace said. “Hats off to Saint Mark’s for the battle, and our guys just came out on top this time because they stuck together and did a great job.” Next up, the football team will play their home opener on September 20th at 3:30 p.m. against Newark.

Full game details and photos can be found here.

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