SMYRNA — Masen Wilson was in the Delaware Stadium stands that afternoon.

An eighth-grader at the time, his big brother, Larsen, and his Smyrna High football teammates were trying to win a Division I state title on Dec. 5, 2015.

And, like every other Eagles’ fan, he can still see linebacker Elijah Hutchinson bursting through the line to drop Salesianum’s Colby Reeder for the stop that gave Smyrna its first state crown with a dramatic 32-26 OT victory.

“I just remember seeing everybody all happy and celebrating,” said Masen.

Now a senior defensive lineman for the Eagles, Wilson and his Smyrna teammates will get their own chance at knocking off Sallies tonight.

While there’s not a state crown on the line, hosting the unbeaten Sals (3-0) at 7 p.m. is a pretty big game for the Eagles (1-2) as they try to get back into state title contention.

If Smyrna is going to beat Sallies, it’s probably going to need a big game from its revamped defensive front. Wilson, Hugo Harp and Walter Dorcelus are all seniors who are playing new roles for the Eagles this fall.

Because the group is so new playing together, defensive coordinator Dan Wagner said it’s been fun to watch how far they’ve come just in three games.

“They had so much to learn coming in that the progress is 100 percent daily,” said Wagner. “What’s the phrase? We don’t try to eat the elephant all in one bite. We’re trying to take small bites so any technique progress that we can see each day is a win.”

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Wilson was a linebacker until switching to defensive end/tackle this season. He said it’s been an adjustment.

“After a couple games this season I’m starting to feel more comfortable on the ‘D’ line,” said Wilson. “When you’re at linebacker, you kind of see everything in front of you. But, when you’re on the ‘D’ line, you just see one person in front of you and you’ve got to fight through and get to the ball.”

Harp is a 5-foot-10, 220-poud nose guard who transferred from Dover. He was also a two-time wrestling state champion at 220 pounds for the Senators.

His wrestling skills come in handy on the football field.

“I just love being in the trenches,” said Harp. “I love being face-to-face, (in) one-on-one action. I love it.

“I’d say we catch on kind of quick,” he said about the defensive line. “The chemistry just comes along with it. … A lot of us, we got over that nervousness in like the first two weeks. I can see the progression in the team.”

As for Dorcelus, he’s moved up to a starting role at defensive end this season after being a backup last season.

At 5-foot-11, 205, he’s not as big as some of Smyrna’s other linemen. But he’s holding his own.

“I feel I need to be more confident in my play,” said Dorcelus. “I can see the progression (of the line) over time. We’re definitely going to get better.

“I like the chemistry — how we understand each other, how each other plays.”

Tonight’s contest may be as big a test as the Eagles’ defensive front faces all season.

Sallies is averaging 40.3 points per game. Like is often the case, the Sals try to keep the ball on the ground, keeping the opposing offense on the sidelines and eating up precious minutes.

“If you can’t get them off the field, you don’t really have a shot,” said Wagner.

A year ago, Sallies downed Smyrna, 35-16, on its way to the Division I state finals. The Eagles had beaten the Sals three years in a row.

“I think we’ve got to stop the run and make them pass the ball a lot more, for sure,” said Dorcelus.

“We’ve got to be focused on every play,” said Harp. “What I see in Sallies, they learn from their mistakes and they will definitely take advantage of our mistakes. We can’t mess up.”

Masen Wilson is the youngest of four Wilson brothers who have all played football at Smyrna. He knows this is a big game for the Eagles.

“It’s a little bit more than just a game,” said Wilson. “I think if we can just stop the run, I think we’ll be in a good position to win. We can’t let them chew the clock.”

DOVER — The complicated yet humorous love story of a man and three fiancées takes the stage in Dover starting tonight in “Boeing, Boeing,” presented by the Kent County Theatre Guild.

The character of Bernard plays the puppeteer in his love triangle, or square, by rotating his fiancées, all of whom are flight attendants, in and out like clockwork, making sure one never finds out about the other.

Set in 1960s Paris, Bernard has one fiancée from New York, another from Germany and the other, Italy. With the surprise visit of his friend Robert, Bernard is able to easily explain his ways of keeping the women from finding out about one another.

But a wrench is thrown into Bernard’s perfect equation with the release of a new, speedy Boeing jet, which means quicker layovers for the women and more time at home with Bernard.

“The story reminds me a lot of what you’d see on a 1970s sitcom,” said John Muller, portraying the lead role.

“It’s very chaotic and extremely funny.”

Mr. Muller, a Theatre Guild veteran, has acted in every genre and said that the comedic sense of this show has made it one of his favorites.

“Boeing Boeing” has been a bucket list show since he first saw it several years ago.

“it’s so funny to see, but you just don’t get the humor when you’re reading the script,” said director Nancy Muller. This is the eighth show she’s directed since beginning in 2014.

“It actually got rejected the first time I suggested it. But I had seen it and it’s so much fun to see on stage and I knew it was something the cast would love and the audience would definitely enjoy.”

The cast features only six members, three of whom are Bernard’s fiancées, another, his all-knowing housekeeper, and lastly Robert who remains very skeptical of Bernard’s methods to keep the women apart.

“Firstly I love comedies so I was immediately interested in this, but after seeing how intelligently it’s written and how much fun it is, I love it,” said Maureen VanOrman, who plays one of the fiancees, Gloria.

Ms. VanOrman has been with the Theatre Guild for about five years and this is the first non-musical in which she’s performed.

“I’ve always been musically inclined and for me, lyrics are easier to remember than lines so there are some challenges with this but the non-stop chaos and humor makes it a lot easier,” she said.

Her character will turn out to be one of Bernard’s biggest obstacles in keeping his lies straight because being from New York, she’s very no-nonsense and isn’t one to let anyone get the best of her.

The cast is rounded out by John Moller as Robert; Ray Failing as Berthe; Laini Bernard as Gabriella; and Cat Timko as Gretchen.

“Boeing Boeing” takes the stage at the Patchwork Playhouse at 140 Roosevelt Ave. in Dover Friday and Saturday and Oct. 4 and 5 at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Vaping products, one of the fastest-growing segments of the legal marijuana industry, have taken a hit from consumers as public health experts scramble to determine what’s causing a mysterious and sometimes fatal lung disease among people who use e-cigarettes.

The ailment has sickened at least 805 people and killed 13. Some vaped nicotine, but many reported using oil containing THC, marijuana’s high-inducing ingredient, and said they bought products from pop-up shops and other illegal sellers.

The only death linked to THC vapes bought at legal shops occurred in Oregon, where health officials on Thursday announced a second fatality and urged people to stop vaping.

Amid the health scare, the amount of the legal pot industry’s revenue that comes from vape products has dropped by 15% nationwide, with some states seeing decreases of more than 60%.

Vaping THC is popular for those desiring a quick high without the smoke that comes from lighting up joints. Marijuana companies are trying to boost the public’s confidence by promoting that their vaping products are tested by the government, demanding ingredient lists from their vendors and in some cases pulling items from shelves. Some also are scrambling to get liability insurance.

Still, many have seen notable declines in sales since the health scare emerged on a national scale last month.

“It’s having an impact on how consumers are behaving,” said David Alport, owner of Bridge City Collective in Portland, which in two weeks this month saw a 31% drop in sales of vape cartridges that hold the oil that vaporizes when heated. “People are concerned, and we’re concerned.”

Health officials in California, home to the world’s largest legal marijuana marketplace, this week issued an advisory urging people to stop all vaping. Massachusetts, which like California allows so-called recreational use of marijuana by people 21 and older, went further than any other state, issuing a four-month ban on vape sales.

In the booming legal U.S. cannabis market, vaping products had been exploding in popularity. In roughly two years, they grew from a small fraction of overall sales to about one-third, with $9.6 billion in sales between 2017 and 2019, according to New Frontier Data, an economic analysis firm that tracks the industry. About one-fifth of U.S. cannabis consumers report using them.

New Frontier found a 15% decline in the market share for vape sales nationwide during the first week of September and saw no rebound in data collected through Sept. 18. At the state level, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Nevada and Montana all saw drops of one-third or more, while California fell by 6%. 

Oregon, among the earliest of the 11 states that legalized recreational marijuana, has seen a 62 percent drop in market share for vapes, said John Kagia, the firm’s chief knowledge officer. The big decline occurred after the state’s first death was announced and officials said the victim had used vapes purchased at legal retailers.  

Yet as vape sales sink, some retailers report sales of other cannabis products going up. Bridge City Collective, for example, saw its usually lackluster edible sales increase about 40% the same week vaping sales plummeted. Consumers also are showing more interest in the dried flower used in joints.

Analysts are watching to see if vape sales erode further after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that the number of suspected vaping-related illnesses had grown by 52% in the past week.

“This is a very, very fast-moving issue, and it will likely be a couple more weeks, if not months, before we understand the impact it’s really had on the retail ecosystem and on consumers’ attitudes,” Kagia said prior to the announcement.

Doctors have said the illnesses resemble an inhalation injury, with the lungs apparently reacting to a caustic substance. So far, no single vaping product or ingredient has been linked to the illnesses.

Health officials in New York are focusing on vitamin E acetate, a viscous solution that’s sometimes added to marijuana oils. Retailers in some markets are pulling products from their shelves that contain that and other additives. Other companies have proactively released public statements saying their vape oils contain only pure THC.

Medicine Man, which operates five retail outlets in Colorado, announced Thursday it has stopped selling vape products with propylene glycol or vitamin E acetate.

“The decision to take this particular product off our shelves was significant, as the confidence and trust of our consumers is paramount to our core values,” Medicine Man President and Chief Executive Officer Sally Vander Veer said. “Hopefully the rest of the industry will also conclude that removing these cannabis products with the chemical additives under scrutiny from the market is in the best interest of consumers and all of us as operators.”

In Illinois, a message board for medical marijuana patients banned posters from sharing home vape recipes.

“I just do THC. No flavor additives. I won’t even take that chance,” said Lisa Haywood, a medical marijuana card holder who lives outside Chicago and follows the board for advice and support.

State regulators track the cannabis sold to consumers but don’t monitor what additives are in marijuana oil vapes. That’s led states to begin discussions of how to tighten restrictions on vaping products even as retailers themselves try to determine which of the products on their shelves contain so-called cutting agents.

“We haven’t evolved our system that far to think about what we would test for in those products. A lot of these additives were conceptual at the time when the (marijuana legalization) law passed and the program came into place,” said Steve Marks, executive director of the Oregon Liquor License Commission, which oversees the state’s cannabis industry.

“Figuring that out is part of the evolution that we have to do as a consumer protection agency,” he said.

Hilary Bricken, a Los Angeles-based attorney whose firm specializes in cannabis business law and regulatory issues, said the legal marijuana industry is moving so fast that many states are “literally making this up as they go,” and the vaping scare has stripped away the sense of security that consumers get from buying from a licensed dispensary.

The vaping crisis will undoubtedly hasten tighter regulation at the state level and force the industry to patrol itself better to avoid crippling lawsuits, she said. The idea of more regulation unnerves some medical marijuana.

If there’s a ban, “what does it do for all these people who have been seeing relief? … It is going to really impact patients and the industry that we’ve fought” to create, said Melanie Rose Rodgers, a Colorado medical cannabis patient and leader of the state’s chapter of Americans for Safe Access, which advocates for medical marijuana patients.

Bobby Burleson, an analyst with Toronto-based investment and financial services company Canaccord Genuity, said the initial problems for the vape segment of the cannabis industry should moderate, and the health scare may in the end help the legal marijuana industry.

The crisis “should ultimately accelerate the shift away from the black market for cannabis products in the U.S.,” he said.

GEORGETOWN — A woman who says she was raped by an ex-university of Delaware baseball player accused of multiple sexual assaults has told conflicting accounts of their encounter and may have regretted being physically intimate with him, a defense attorney told jurors in closing arguments Thursday.

Texts the woman exchanged with friends before she drove to Clay Conaway’s house last year indicate she was “hungry for sex,” and understood that he wanted to have sex as well, defense attorney Joe Hurley said.

The woman, 21, told friends in text messages that she had advised Conaway, 23, she was not interested in having sex during their first meeting, and that he indicated that he understood. But just hours before driving to his house in June 2018, the woman wondered whether he might want her to perform oral sex.

“How honest was it when she told the police she went over there believing it was just going to be a hangout session and not sexual?” Hurley asked.
“What if … temptation was knocking on the door and she thought she was going to be strong enough to resist it … and she went to a green light mode?” he added.

Hurley also played excerpts from a police interview during which Conaway adamantly and repeatedly denied having sexual intercourse with the woman.
“We never had sex … at all,” Conaway told a detective, acknowledging that he did penetrate the woman with his fingers on more than one occasion and rubbed his genitals against hers.

A forensics expert testified that male DNA was found on vaginal swabs taken from the woman, but there was no evidence of sperm cells.

The encounter came three weeks after the woman and Conaway connected on the online meeting site Bumble and he sent her a nude picture of himself. She is among six women whom Conaway is accused of sexually assaulting between 2013 and 2018.

Conaway is charged in the instant case with first-degree rape, which involves intentional penetration with the genitalia without consent, causing injury. The jury also will be allowed to consider lesser charges of second-degree rape and fourth-degree rape. Second-degree rape involves intentional penetration with the genitalia without consent, while fourth-degree rape involves intentional penetration with any object or body part without consent.

“Intent is critical,” Hurley told the jury, adding that they must determine whether the woman ever expressly indicated to Conaway through her words or actions that she did not consent to what he was doing.
“Is there a red light shining so that he can see it and be aware of it?” he said. “Amber is not good enough.”

Prosecutor Rebecca Anderson argued that the woman’s only mistake was taking Conaway at his word when he indicated “that they would just cuddle and get to know each other.”
“The defendant proceeded with his plan to have sex … that night,” she said. “Ultimately he got his wish.”

Anderson also said the woman, who said she suffered a hip injury during the encounter, also expressed “discomfort and unhappiness” when he began penetrating her with his fingers, before he eventually raped her.

“She told him ‘no.’ She asked him repeatedly, ‘What are you doing?’” Anderson said. “Does that really sound like someone who was into what was happening?”

Jury deliberations begin today.

DOVER — An ongoing gang dispute reportedly sparked a shooting that injured two men last Sunday night at Dover Park, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Police said Thursday that William E. Cane Jr., 19, of Milford, allegedly told detectives he was involved and two first-degree assault charges and an illegal gang participation count resulted.
Dover men ages 19 (leg wound) and 20 (struck in the hip and arm) were in stable condition as of Monday, Dover Police said. Both men required immediate surgery, court documents said.

The affidavit indicated a third person was standing with them. A person fell to the ground and suffered a right forearm abrasion.
Authorities said gunfire possibly came from a moving vehicle at 6:47 p.m. at 1200 White Oak Road. At least two people were reportedly in the vehicle, a dark colored SUV, when it entered the parking lot, the affidavit said.
Dover Police spokesman Master Cpl. Mark Hoffman said that while “no other arrests have been made at this time” the investigation is ongoing.

Mr. Cane was also charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, possession of firearm/ammunition by person prohibited (two counts), first-degree reckless endangering, second-degree conspiracy and third-degree assault, police said.

Following an initial appearance through Justice of the Peace Court 7 in Dover, Mr. Cane was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution in Georgetown on a $126,500 bond.
According to an affidavit, Mr. Cane was convicted of first-degree robbery on Jan. 8, 2018, which brought the person prohibited charges in the shooting incident.

Dover PD asked anyone with information to call 736-7130. Callers may remain anonymous.

Tips may also be submitted to law enforcement through Delaware Crime Stoppers at 800-TIP-3333 or online at delawarecrimestoppers.com; a cash reward of up to $1,000 is possible for information leading to an arrest.

DOVER — A judge who granted Walgreens’ motion to dismiss in Delaware’s lawsuit against the drug industry over the opioid crisis has denied the state’s request for reargument.

The judge said Wednesday that she did not overlook a controlling legal principle or misapprehend the law in dismissing Walgreens.
State officials have accused pharmaceutical companies of misleading doctors and consumers about addiction and other risks from prescription painkillers. Defendants include manufacturers Purdue Pharma and Endo Pharmaceuticals, and distributors Cardinal Health and McKesson Corporation.

In suing Walgreens, the state submitted an affidavit as required for medical malpractice claims.

The judge said such affidavits must state a specific injury to a specific individual, which the state hasn’t done.
She said an injury to the state itself is a new cause of action with no precedent.

The Delaware Department of Justice declined comment on Thursday.

DOVER — At the request of Calvary Baptist Church, a 37,000-square-foot worship facility preparing to build west of Dover High School, the city of Dover is hitting the gas in an effort to slow traffic on Del. 8 from Artis Drive to the high school.

The Utility Committee of the Council Committee of the Whole voted unanimously Tuesday to send an official request and resolution to the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) to lower the speed limit from 50 mph to 35 mph.

Calvary Baptist Church Senior Pastor Bishop W. James Thomas II and Dr. Charles D. Fletcher Jr., chairman of the Calvary Baptist Church Higher Ground Project Committee, had previously asked city officials to initiate a request to lower the speed limit in that area.

Dover City Planner Dave Hugg said “[t]he issue at hand is, as we go west past Dover High School we have two projects involving churches, with one relatively modest in size and one (Calvary) significant in size — 37,000-square-feet with a seating capacity of potentially 900-plus people,”

“That triggers some issues with DelDOT because Route 8 is DelDOT’s road and as we work through the development of those two (church) projects, given DelDOT’s standards and the fact that the speed limit today is 50 mph. It is going to require essentially improving that roadway to state highway standards, ones like you would see on Route 13.

“Mayor Robin Christiansen and I went to a meeting with DelDOT and I will say that they were surprisingly amenable, friendly, cooperative and helpful, and I very much appreciate that, but what they basically said was the city would need to initiate a request to have DelDOT look at the speed limit from Artis Drive inbound into the city.

Mr. Hugg added, “Then, based on that request, they would consider dropping the speed limit to 35 mph for the whole stretch.”
In a letter to Mayor Christiansen from Calvary Baptist Church, church officials said that Del. 8 is classified as a minor arterial and has an AADT (Annual Average Daily Traffic) of 12,100 vehicles.

The Traffic Group conducted a Traffic Impact Study (TIS) that determined that the entrance for the proposed church requires separate right and left-tum lanes based on DelDOT’s standards.

The study predicts 1,022 vehicle trips on a given Sunday morning. A total of 370 vehicle trips could occur during the Sunday morning peak hour.
Calvary Baptist Church’s letter to the mayor stated, “(We) are respectfully requesting that the speed limit be reduced to 35 mph in both directions from the city limits to S. Saulsbury Road. (Del. 8) is a high capacity roadway and is the major east-west route in and out of the city.

“Reduction in the speed limit promotes the health and safety of traveling residents and other members of the general public by providing a reasonable and safe speed limit for (Del. 8) west of S. Saulsbury Road.
“We appreciate your consideration of our request and seek an expeditious response so that we may proceed with this project in a timely manner.”

Mr. Hugg said lowering the speed limit makes sense, especially considering there will be four churches (including United Church, which meets at Dover High on Sunday), Leander Lakes Apartments and the communities of Cannon Mills and Village of Westover all situated around the light in front of Dover High School.

Plus, he said if the speed limit from Artis Drive to Dover High is decreased, all the road standards, improvements and other issues will get “reduced significantly to reflect the lower speed limit.”
City Councilman Ralph Taylor asked Mr. Hugg what the effects would be for residents in neighborhoods off Del. 8 as they try to safely get across and onto the road every day.

Mr. Hugg speculated that a lower speed limit should make the roadway safer and make it easier to get onto.

“What it does is set the character of that roadway,” Mr. Hugg said, of the lower speed limit. “If we want it to continue to be a major arterial road then leaving the speed limit alone and not addressing this creates a road situation that has all the aspects of a major arterial.

“If we agree to the reduction on the speed limit as requested by the church then we’re making a decision that the road should be a less intense highway – that it should look like and act like more of a local street, or a boulevard with the appropriate roadway standards that are required.”
With four churches in that area, Sunday mornings look to be a busy time for traffic.

United Church meets at 9:15 and 11 a.m., Dover Christian at 8 a.m., Destiny Christian Church at 10 a.m., with Calvary Baptist Church expecting to eventually have services at 9:30 a.m.
With the anticipated growth in the western corridor into Dover, Mayor Christiansen threw his support behind the idea to lower the speed limit.

“I went out there and sat the other day for about an hour and traffic naturally begins to reduce their speed anyhow coming around that bend (near Artis Drive), because most people who travel that road on a regular basis anticipate the traffic signal at Leander Lakes and Dover High School,” he said.

“So, I think it’s going to add to the safety of it. I think in the long run it’s a safety issue for both the churches and their eventual access and egress to the properties. I would strongly recommend (decreasing the speed limit).”
Councilman David Anderson had questions about lowering speeds along the road.

“I admit I have concerns about lowering the speed limit because that’s going to increase speeding and ignoring of the law because people aren’t going to slow down,” said Councilman Anderson. “I think there’s a value to the law and respect for the law.”

Councilman Fred Neil didn’t have any problems with having motorists slow down in that area on Del. 8.

“If (the affected area is) less than a half-a-mile, then I don’t think it’s going to change the character of that road all that much,” he said. “You’re coming in and, all of a sudden, you do have to slow down anyway. We can accommodate (the church) and it actually becomes maybe a safer road at that point.

“It will help if DelDOT will put up signs that will indicate (motorists) are going into a slower area. Initially, everybody’s going to ignore it, but I think our police department can probably handle that.”

A week ago, four Henlopen Conference Northern Division football teams went into the weekend with 0-2 records.

All four of them came away with their first wins. Now Caesar Rodney, Cape Henlopen, Dover and Smyrna want to see if they get their records to .500.

Here’s our picks for this weekend’s Henelopen Conference and local college games.

Andy Walter, Delaware State News: 27-16
Tim Mastro, Delaware State News: 29-14
Ben Heck, Delaware State News: 31-12
Glenn Frazer, 105.9-FM: 32-11
Zach Parnes, WBOC-TV: 27-16
High School
Today’s games
Games start at 7 p.m.
Salesianum (3-0) at Smyrna (1-2)
Eagles look to build on last week’s win over Central by avenging last year’s loss to Sals.
AW: Smyrna, 33-28; TM: Sallies, 28-22; BH: Sallies, 28-24; GF: Sallies, 34-24; ZP: Sallies, 24-20.
Dover (0-0, 1-2) at Cape Henlopen (1-0, 1-2)
Both North squads got on track last week but only one can make it two wins in a row.
AW: Dover, 43-27; TM: Dover, 42-14; BH: Dover, 34-20; GF: Dover, 21-20; ZP: Dover, 31-13.
Sussex Central (0-1, 2-1) at Caesar Rodney (1-0, 1-2)
After having 14-game winning streak snapped last week, Central anxious to start another.
AW: Central, 28-12; TM: Central, 28-14; BH: Central, 35-16; GF: Central, 28-14; ZP: Central, 38-23.
Milford (0-1, 2-1) at Sussex Tech (0-0, 1-2)
Both the Buccaneers and Ravens are coming off disappointing losses from a week ago.
AW: Tech, 24-14; TM: Tech, 21-17; BH: Milford, 21-16; GF: Tech, 24-21; ZP: Tech, 23-10.
Laurel (0-3) at Polytech (1-2)
The Panthers would like to even their record at 2-2 by keeping the Bulldogs winless.
AW: Poly, 20-13; TM: Poly, 17-6; BH: Poly, 17-10; GF: Poly, 14-13; ZP: Poly, 23-9.
Wilmington Friends (2-1) at Lake Forest (3-0)
Unbeaten Spartans can brand themselves a Div. II contender with a win over the Quakers.
AW: Friends, 21-14; TM: Friends, 20-14; BH: Lake, 28-20; GF: Friends, 20-17; ZP: Lake, 30-27.
Seaford (0-0, 0-2) at Indian River (0-0, 0-3)
One of the two Southern Division rivals will be thrilled to post their first win of the season.
AW: IR, 31-6; TM: IR, 20-12; BH: IR, 20-13; GF: IR, 22-6; ZP: IR, 14-10.
Saturday
Woodbridge (3-0) at Concord (1-2), 1 p.m.
The Blue Raiders head north for the second straight week looking to stay undefeated.
AW: Wood, 35-13; TM: Wood, 35-20; BH: Wood, 30-21; GF: Wood, 38-14; ZP: Wood, 41-20.
Easton, Md. (3-0) at Delmar (2-1), 1:30 p.m.
The Wildcats face another tough non-conference opponent on homecoming Saturday.
AW: Easton, 26-21; TM: Easton, 34-23; BH: Easton, 31-24; GF: Delmar, 28-24; ZP: Easton, 38-30.
College
Saturday
Delaware (3-1) at Pittsburgh (2-2), 12:30 p.m.
It will take a lot for the Hens to even be competitive with Pitt, which has looked pretty good the last few weeks.
AW: Pitt, 49-6; TM: Pitt, 55-20; BH: Pitt, 38-17; GF: Pitt, 35-17; ZP: Pitt, 31-27.

WASHINGTON — The White House is dusting off its playbook from the special counsel’s Russia investigation.

Caught off guard by the speed at which a whistleblower’s claims have morphed into an impeachment inquiry, President Donald Trump and his team are scrambling to respond.

They’re turning, at least for now, to some of the same strategies they used to counter special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

The basic tactics deployed by the short-staffed White House: Attempt to discredit government officials at the heart of the story. Dispatch Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and other allies to muddy the picture. Lean on Republicans in Congress to provide cover.

And, most of all, presidential counterattacks.

“Corrupt Congressman Liddle’ Adam Schiff,” Trump tweeted on Friday about the chairman of the House Intelligence committee, whom he also called on to resign for reading a dramatized version of Trump’s call with Ukraine’s president during a hearing the day before.

Stepping up his attacks on the anonymous complainant, Trump on Friday suggested without elaboration that it’s “Sounding more and more like the so-called Whistleblower isn’t a Whistleblower at all” and alleging the person is a “partisan operative.” The comment could presage an effort by the president to argue that protections laws don’t apply to the complainant and that they can be personally maligned — a move that may open a new front in his battles with Congress.

Just as the Republican president considers himself to be his own best adviser, he often acts as his own most vocal defender.

“It’s a disgrace to our country. It’s another witch-hunt. Here we go again,” an agitated Trump said Thursday as he returned to Washington after four days at the United Nations in New York. “They’re frozen — the Democrats. They’re going to lose the election; they know it. That’s why they’re doing it. And it should never be allowed, what’s happened to this president.”

The velocity at which the whistleblower story enveloped Washington was remarkable.

In just a few days’ time, a whistleblower’s complaint that Trump encouraged the president of Ukraine to help investigate political rival Joe Biden led to congressional hearings, allegations of a White House cover-up and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announcing the start of an impeachment inquiry.

The White House was not ready.

While Trump’s strategists have long believed an impeachment push could backfire against Democrats, the president has also voiced concern that impeachment could become the first line of his political obituary.

He lashed out after Pelosi announced the inquiry, firing off tweets from his New York penthouse and winding down his U.N. stay with a press conference at which he seemed aggrieved and subdued.

The next morning, at what was meant to be a salute to the workers from the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, Trump let loose with a threatening tone on Thursday.

“I want to know who’s the person, who’s the person who gave the whistleblower the information? Because that’s close to a spy,” Trump said, according to audio released by The Los Angeles Times. “You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart? Right? The spies and treason, we used to handle it a little differently than we do now.”

At the same time, Joseph Maguire, the acting director of national intelligence, appeared before Congress and acknowledged that the complaint filed by the whistleblower alleged serious wrongdoing by the president.

Aligning themselves with the White House, most Republican legislators at the hearing wasted few chances to try to undermine the unidentified whistleblower’s credibility. They tried shifting the focus to Democrats and unproven theories, much like those the GOP used to attack Mueller when he testified about his Russia investigation over the summer.

Democratic Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut called it a “kaleidoscope of fantabulistic conspiracy theories.”

With his trademark scattershot style, Giuliani played a key role in muddying the facts and trying to undermine the credibility of the Mueller investigation.

In this case, Giuliani’s outreach to the new Ukraine government to investigate Joe Biden made up a major piece of the whistleblower’s complaint, and the former New York City mayor went on offense again as scrutiny of his actions intensified.

“The complaint is questionable and the whistleblower is a pure partisan,” Giuliani said, without supplying evidence for either assertion.

He then tried to shift the focus onto Rep. Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He claimed the Californian had been trying to “frame” Trump for years and “should be investigated for lying, enabling perjury, and trampling on constitutional rights.”

A weary West Wing, after being shadowed for two years by the Mueller probe, lacks the organization required to sustain a serious impeachment fight.

During the Clinton impeachment, the White House had a muscular team of veteran lawyers and aggressive press aides to try to shape news coverage in their favor. The Trump White House has no equivalent.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham asserts that “nothing has changed” with the whistleblower’s complaint. But the White House has largely ignored substantive questions about the allegations. And its strategy appears hinged on hopes that the partisan frenzy stoked both by both the progressive left and Trump himself will cloud out substantive concerns raised by the whistleblower.

The White House strategy, in close coordination with Trump’s reelection campaign, is aimed at motivating the president’s base supporters to stick with him in 2020.

But allies suggest there is a risk that the Trump’s team is focusing too much on the campaign at the expense of the perilous Capitol Hill proceedings that lie ahead.

TEHRAN, Iran — A British-flagged oil tanker held by Iran since July was released Friday and was heading toward the United Arab Emirates, the company that owns the vessel said.

Iran’s marine and port authority said the Stena Impero left Iran Friday morning. Hours earlier, the tanker had begun transmitting its location for the first time in weeks just outside the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, where it had been held since its July 19 seizure.

The head of the Swedish shipping firm Stena Bulk that owns the tanker said it “has been a long wait” for the vessel and its crew to be released.

Company president and CEO Erik Hanell said the ship’s seizure “has meant an enormous pressure for us all, especially for the crew.” The ship was headed to Dubai, where the crew would disembark and undergo medical checks.

Hannel said the vessel appeared to be in good condition and “hopefully it will be on duty within a week or so,” speaking by telephone with Swedish television.

The ship tracking website MarineTraffic.com showed the Stena Impero heading south from Iran at a speed of just over 14 mph (22 kph).

Iran seized the tanker on July 19 in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil passes. The raid saw commandos rappel down onto the vessel via helicopter carrying assault rifles, dramatic images later replayed on state television.

The seizure came after British marines helped take control of an Iranian supertanker on July 4. Authorities in Gibraltar, a British overseas territory, seized the ship carrying $130 million in crude oil on suspicion it was breaking European Union sanctions by taking the oil to Syria. Gibraltar later released the tanker, then called the Grace 1, after it said Iran promised the ship wouldn’t go to Syria.

That ship, renamed the Adrian Darya 1, later sat off the Syrian coast, angering Britain. Iran hasn’t said who purchased its 2.1 million barrels of crude oil.

On Monday, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei had told journalists the Stena Impero could leave. But the ship remained outside Bandar Abbas until Friday.

Earlier this month, Iran released seven crew members of the Stena Impero. Sixteen stayed on board.

Britain has responded to Iran’s release of the tanker Friday by accusing Tehran of trying to disrupt freedom of navigation.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the ship “was unlawfully seized by Iran.”

He said the seizure was “part of a pattern of attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation. We are working with our international partners to protect shipping and uphold the international rule of law.”

The ship seizures come after months of heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf, sparked by President Donald Trump’s decision over a year ago to unilaterally pull out of a nuclear deal with Iran. The U.S. has imposed sanctions that have kept Iran from selling its oil abroad and have crippled its economy. Iran has since begun breaking terms of the deal.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday told reporters upon his return home from the U.N. General Assembly that U.S. sanctions on Iran are “more unstable than ever,” without elaborating. Many observers saw the trip as an opportunity for a possible meeting between Rouhani and Trump.

But Rouhani said Iran cannot accept negotiations before the U.S. sanctions are lifted first. “Otherwise, Iran does not fear negotiation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Trump tweeted Friday that “Iran wanted me to lift the sanctions imposed on them in order to meet. I said, of course, NO!”

There have been a series of attacks across the Middle East that the U.S. blames on Iran. They reached their height on Sept. 14, with a missile and drone attack on the world’s largest oil processor in Saudi Arabia and an oil field, which caused oil prices to spike by the biggest percentage since the 1991 Gulf War. While Yemen’s Iranian-allied Houthi rebels claimed the assault, Saudi Arabia says it was “unquestionably sponsored by Iran.”

Iran denies being responsible and has warned any retaliatory attack targeting it will result in an “all-out war.”

George Ward took this picture of corn being harvested in Milton on Sept. 23.

To contribute your scenic photos of our area, email newsroom@newszap.com. Photos must be at least 200 dpi and include your name, where and when your photo was taken, where you live and your phone number. To see more Scenic Delaware photos, visit the Scenic Delaware section at DelawareStateNews.net.

SEAFORD — Prior to Tuesday evening’s varsity volleyball match between Milford High and Seaford High, the Seaford School District played a controversial rendition of the National Anthem.

Following the incident, in which Roseanne Barr’s controversial rendition from the 1990s was used rather than the version the district typically plays prior to athletic events, an investigation was initiated to determine why Barr’s rendition was used instead.

The school district released a statement on its website, which can be seen below, regarding the incident:

“The Seaford School District has become aware that prior to Tuesday’s girls’ volleyball match between Seaford High school and Milford High School, a version of the National Anthem sung by Roseanne Barr was played. An investigation was initiated to determine why the national anthem normally played was not used. As a result of the investigation, proper responses and pre-game proceedings will be improved to support such incidents from happening again. The Milford School District’s Superintendent was contacted Tuesday evening with an apology regarding this incident. Additionally, letters of apology are being sent to Milford School District to be shared with student-athletes, coaches and fans who were known to be in attendance.

This event is not representative of the Seaford School District or its students, and the District will take appropriate action to ensure proper response and modification of pre-game proceedings. We apologize for this unfortunate event.”

Superintendent David Perrington also sent out a letter to students, staff and community members.

In the letter, Superintendent Perrington stated that, “in the future, the district will utilize our District-approved version at athletic events.”

The Delaware State News is featuring a high school Athlete of the Week each week during the 2019-2020 school year.

The Athlete of the Week is nominated and chosen by our readers.

A nominating period starts at 2 p.m. on Friday and ends at noon on Monday. A voting period follows from 5 p.m. Monday through 5 p.m. Wednesday. This process is performed exclusively online.

Click this link to nominate a student-athlete for their performance on the field this week.

When nominating an athlete, please include name, school and sport as well as a photo and brief description of why he or she deserves that week’s honor.

All nominations must be high school varsity athletes and come from high schools within Kent or Sussex counties. The winner appears in print and online each Friday.

GEORGETOWN — An ex-University of Delaware baseball player was convicted Friday of raping a woman whom he met online.

Jurors found 23-year-old Clay Conaway guilty of fourth-degree rape after 10 days of testimony and arguments. Conaway was taken away in handcuffs after the verdict was read.

The offense, defined as intentional penetration with any object or body part without consent, carries no mandatory prison time, although sentences for this type of offense typically carry imprisonment of between zero and 30 months.

Sentencing will take place at a later date.

The 21-year-old woman who testified against Conaway cried after the verdict was read. She testified that Conaway raped her after she drove to his house in June 2018. The encounter happened three weeks after the two connected on the online meeting site Bumble, and he sent her a nude picture of himself.

She is among six women whom Conaway is accused of sexually assaulting between 2013 and 2018. A judge ordered separate trials involving each accuser.

The woman testified that she was surprised, then anxious and afraid, when consensual cuddling and kissing with Conaway quickly escalated to physical force and violence.

Under cross-examination, however, the woman admitted that she did not protest when he removed all her clothes as they lay in his bed. The woman also acknowledged that she told friends in the days leading up to her meeting with Conaway that she needed sex, and that she drove to his house knowing that he wanted to have sex.

“It’s the defendant, Clay Conaway, who is on trial,” prosecutor Casey Ewart reminded jurors in her closing argument Friday.

The woman told a detective hours after the incident that she repeatedly told Conaway to stop what he was doing.

The defense noted that a three-page chronology she typed up before a second police interview doesn’t indicate that she ever told Conaway “no,” only that she asked him several times what he was doing. Defense attorneys suggested that the woman became angry and upset after Conaway received a phone call and told her abruptly that she had to leave because he was going to the gym with a friend.

A sexual assault examiner testified that she found no visible injuries on the woman, and that she did not tell her she had been strangled or choked. The nurse said the woman, who testified that Conaway put his hand on her throat and choked her, complained only that her right wrist hurt. Prosecutors alleged, however, that the women suffered a hip injury when Conaway pinned her legs up near her shoulders.

Two days after her sexual assault exam, the woman returned to the hospital complaining of hip pain. She was diagnosed with hip strain and told to take ibuprofen.

Attorney General Kathy Jennings released the following statement after the verdict was announced:

“The message today is no means no. I am grateful for the jury’s decision, for the work of our excellent trial team, for the investigative work of the Delaware State Police, and especially for the survivor of Mr. Conaway’s rape, who throughout this trial endured needless disrespect and insinuations about her integrity. Going through this kind of trial takes incredible strength, and I recognize the courage of the survivor for putting herself under a microscope to ensure that justice was served.”

As it comes around for its once-per-decade counts of local residents, Sen. Tom Carper joined U.S. Census Bureau Director Dr. Steven Dillingham, Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long and Sheila Bravo last week in explaining the importance of participation by Delawareans.

• Yes, and Dems want illegal aliens counted so that they can get the numbers for another representative in a heavily blue state. If they can get enough nationwide, they can tip the scales in the House so they will never lose the majority. Simply ask the question, “Are you a citizen?” By all means, get a full and complete survey, but ask the question! — Chris Wolfe

• The Democrats are very good at cheating. You have to give them that. — Mark Schmalhofer

• And the republicans aren’t? Preferential redistricting, closing polling places. — Dan Maher

• As mandated by the U.S. Constitution, our nation gets just one chance each decade to count its population. The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States. It is mandated by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution and takes place every 10 years. The data collected by the census determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives (a process called apportionment) and is also used to distribute billions in federal funds to local communities. The law requires all residents to be counted. — Cheri Zatko-Coseglia

• Yes it does. That’s why Democrats want more illegal immigrants. That’s why they want open borders. Historically, it’s for the exact same reasons the Southern slaveholders wanted their slaves counted one for one in the census. — Hezzie John Schools

• The only people with language barriers are those who are here illegally, and who are Democrats referring to as “hard to reach”? Yes, it is the democrats who want to protect the illegals. — Maureen McCartan Harris

•If you are going to count illegals just so you can get more federal money and more representation in our state government, then i will not be filling this form out This is for legal citizens. Now we know why our government will not stop illegals from illegals entering our country.. it is all about the money. — Faye Wing

• Most certainly is needed. Of American citizens and those here legally because that is all these people represent in our government. All others do not count. Remember how Democrats used slaves as three-fifths of a person to pad the census? Same when you count illegal immigrants. Nothing has changed in the Democrats’ playbook. — Doug Poore

• I can hardly wait to see the gerrymandering by the Democrats if we miraculously hit 1,000,000 in population. You will see the most contorted district line that somehow divides Wilmington and New Castle County so that there is sufficient Democrat representation in both districts to control the new seat from New Castle County. I laughed last night as I watched Senator Carper press for a complete count of undocumented immigrants in order to get Delaware’s (fair) share from Washington. I always knew that the Democrats preferred to represent the illegals in this country and last night he confirmed it. — Bob Skuse

et.

Finally, we see out in the open and a lack of subterfuge the socialist goals.

The 1st Amendment watered down to a mealy unpalatable socialist gruel that, if not swallowed without complaint, makes you an old white man, out-of-touch racist.

The 2nd Amendment erased through constant attack on the citizen soldier concept of self defense and dare I say it? A direct challenge to our own duly elected representatives that we hold you and our Democratic Republic responsible to — We the people and not visa versa.

The Founding Fathers meant to keep us armed as a deterrent to federal overreach upon its own citizens. Wake up America.

T.S. Clark
Dover

It’s deja vu all over again! The Democrats have been out to destroy our president as soon as he descended the escalator in Trump Tower declaring his Republican presidential candidacy. Of course, at that time, they really did not take him very seriously as their confidence in their favored candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton, would be a shoe-in for that Oval Office position.

As the surprising presidential election results came to a conclusion, their chosen one had the shoe fit like one of the stepsisters in “Cinderella.”

Since that day, the Deep State Democrats have done all within their power to discredit and desecrate President Trump.

This last-ditch attempt for impeachment of President Trump has been bantered around to secure a firm stand lead by the far-left liberal Democrats, motivated by New York’s (D) representative, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her “squad.”

The squalid “squad”. The primary source of information is based on second or thirdhand information by, as yet, the unnamed whistleblower who indicated that President Trump, when calling to congratulate the newly elected president of the Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky had put pressure on Zelensky. After listening to the aforementioned “damaging” ‘phone conversation there is no such damage that can be confirmed on any subject, including the Dems’ statement that Joe Biden’s name had been stated eight times during this call.

In truth, Biden’s name was mentioned three times and no unwarranted requests were made that would endanger President Trump’s statement of truth during the cordial discussions in the July 2019 conversation. Zelensky has also confirmed this to be true.

Vice President Joseph R. Biden may be concerned in the information that may be forthcoming concerning his son, R. Hunter Biden, who acquired a very lucrative board position at Barisma, a Ukranian energy company. What Hunter actually could offer in that leadership position is questionable as his contribution of “energy” knowledge to benefit Barisma is minimal …. at best.

Of course, the current Democratic presidential hopefuls are jumping on the impeachment bandwagon. Lizzie Warren (D) senator from Massachusetts, is waving her hands in agreement to the fruitless cause to bring down the POTUS. This should bring a few more left-wingers over to her camp. Middle of the road Independents may have another opinion in traveling down the highway to nowhere.

It will be a tough road to traverse when the president that the Dems are determined to replace has accomplished the following:

• Six million new jobs, more than half of them filled by women.

• 5 million people off food stampsl

•Unemployment hitting record lows, including for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and women.

• Thirteen regulations eliminated for each new one added, which saves taxpayers $33 billion.

• Health care premiums are going down and drug pricing is becoming more transparent.

• A stronger, well-funded military.

• Greater support for our veterans and their families.

• The wall on our southern border is being built.

• The federal judiciary is being reshaped at a record pace.

• Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.

All of these positive conclusive efforts have never been mentioned by any of the current 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls. Nor will they be! Defeatism is in their future.

The impeachment inquiry will continue as Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer (D) New York has declared and the search for more investigations will be ongoing. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi has now surrendered to AOC and the “squad.” America must continue to endure the never-ending Democratic determined quest to remove President Trump. Then what, does America return to what we had to suffer in the past with high unemployment, no good paying job opportunities, an underfunded military; hence, placing America at a major disadvantage in an unstable world; health care that did not provide the necessary care that had been promised and, of course, free-for-all everything?

The bottom-line for free everything is we will all be taxed sky high for the so-called privileged to acquire something for nothing. Not just the 1% will be paying but the entire middle class community. These facts are never mentioned by today’s Democratic leadership. The left-wing Dems are promoters of Socialism. Socialism is not the American way of doing things. We want to better ourselves by hard work and accomplishments attributed to those efforts.

As England’s Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, once stated when referring to Socialism that “eventually you run out of other people’s money.” Smart woman that Iron Maiden. The Democrats could learn a lesson from her wisdom. Don’t bet the farm on that one.

America will continue to suffer the Democratic deluge of distraction concerning their gathering of imagined wrongdoing by President Trump and continue to come up with nothing. Political bureaucrats have the mistaken idea that as long as they keep telling America that everything they are doing is only for the sanctity and salvation of American democracy that all will be well.

Tiresome investigations covering a subject that has proven repeatedly warranting no further recourse will definitely tarnish and destroy the Democratic search for their truth. We already know the truth. The Democrats apparently are very slow learners!

May God always bless the United States of America.

Beverly Monahan is a resident of Dover.

The secret whistleblower complaint at the center of Congress’ impeachment inquiry alleges that President Donald Trump abused the power of his office to “solicit interference from a foreign country” in next year’s U.S. election. The White House then tried to “lock down” the information to cover it up, the complaint says.

The nine-page document was released Thursday ahead of testimony to House investigators from Joseph Maguire, the acting director of national intelligence, who acknowledged that the complaint alleged serious wrongdoing by the president but insisted that it was not his role to judge whether the allegations were credible or not.

• “The anonymous whistleblower says that despite his or her not being present for the call.” This in a court of law is what we call hearsay. — Gabrielle Fay

• Chess move. They knew the Dems would jump on that and now look, they look foolish. — Eve Angelique

• After how much Obama hid, Democrats can’t handle his transparent this president actually is. But we don’t want to talk about how often Obama used presidential privileges do we? Projection at its finest. — Chris Werner

• It always goes back to Obama. The Dems didn’t do this. The whistleblower heard the call and how outrageous it was and made the complaint. If Obama had made a call like this to Ukraine the GOP would be crying bloody murder, hypocrites. — Ian VanSant

• My question is what will the Democratic Party do if Trump were to win in 2020? They are so determined to get this president out, they are tearing their own country apart to do it. I mean he’s only in office for four or eight years! They can undo everything they don’t like after that, can’t they? — Deborah Grubbs

• There are plenty of people who despise Trump without the Democrats’ help or influence. Also, there’s plenty of irreversible damage that he can do in that time. Like not believing in climate change and continuing to roll back EPA protections and promoting fossil fuel/coal — all so he can rally his base. — Lauren McCartney

• Another waste of time. Another waste of money. Hope they continue and take it to the Senate when, unlike a special prosecutor, witnesses can be called in defense. Might be Trump’s plan as a way to expose the corruption in D.C. — Brian Cullen

• Hmmm. Again I have to ponder Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer’s words, “Let me tell you, you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you.” Reading the “whistleblower’s” complaint, it’s evident they didn’t just see something and then reported it, they instead went to a great deal of time and effort to put together an indictment. — Hezzie John Schools

• After previous conversations were leaked, the Trump administration began this “lockdown” procedure to ensure future calls between him and foreign leaders were protected. It wasn’t only this one as you infer. We are not stupid people anymore. — Kirk Albertson

Isaiah Johnson scored a pair of rushing touchdowns and the Lake Forest High football team recorded a 16-7 nonconference win over Wilmington Friends on Friday night.

Kade Collins added a 29-yard field goal for Lake Forest to round out the Spartan scoring.

Lake Forest remained unbeaten and improved to 4-0.

Sussex Tech 42, Milford 14: Kevin Custis rushed for four touchdowns as the Ravens earned the Henlopen Conference Northern Division victory.

Jalen Snead added a 50-yard rushing touchdown while Connor Ellingsworth also had a rushing touchdown.

Jabraih Luke and Marquis Gillis each scored a rushing touchdown for the Buccaneers.

Volleyball

Sussex Academy 3, Brandywine 0: The Seahawks won the nonconference contest 25-23, 25-17, 25-15.

Delmarva Christian wins three times: Delmarva Christian defeated three Maryland schools, Holly Grove Christian, Salisbury Christian and Worcester Prep, all 3-0 on Friday.

Savannah Stewart combined for 20 kills on the day while Sierra Troyer had 14.

College field hockey

Delaware 4, California 1: After trailing early, the No. 12 Blue Hens rallied for a nonconference victory.

The Golden Bears picked up the first goal of the game in the 20th minute before Blue Hens junior Femke Strien countered just three minutes later with her sixth score of the season. Sophomore Grace Hoepfner assisted on the results of a penalty corner.

Sophomore Grace Miller collected her first goal of the season, the eventual game-winner, in the 39th minute to give the Hens the 2-1 advantage.

Delaware continued to put the pressure on in the fourth quarter as freshman Ashlyn Carr (Delmar High) put in a rebound shot for her third goal of the year while Strien notched the final tally in the 57th minute with an impressive fast break from midfield.

College volleyball

Towson 3, Delaware 0: The Hens opened their CAA schedule, but will have to make up ground in the conference standings, falling to Towson in three sets (20-25, 19-25, 21-25) at the Bob Carpenter Center.

The Blue Hens were paced by senior Maria Bellinger who led everyone with 16 kills to go along with five digs.

Senior Andie Hanus contributed 16 digs and freshman Ezgi Basaranlar had 32 assists.

Coppin State 3, Delaware State 0: The Hornets fell in their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener as set scores were 25-21, 25-20 and 25-22.

Jordan Vang led Delaware State with 10 kills, while Jelena Dukic had a team-high 30 assists and Jasmal Cruz topped the Hornets with 12 digs.

CAMDEN — TyJhir Sheppard-Parker gave everyone in attendance at Caesar Rodney High a sign of what was to come on the very first play.

The Sussex Central High senior returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.

Sheppard-Parker went on to score four touchdowns on the night as the Golden Knights defeated Caesar Rodney 34-21 on Friday night in a Henlopen Conference Northern Division contest. Sussex Central improved to 1-1 in Henlopen North play and 3-1 overall.

Caesar Rodney dropped to 1-1 in the Henlopen North and 1-3 overall.

The Golden Knights led wire-to-wire thanks to Sheppard-Parker who credited the players in front of him for making it happen.

“I had good blocks,” Sheppard-Parker said. “I appreciate them blocking for me because if they weren’t, I wouldn’t have gotten that touchdown. I saw a nice hole open up and I ran through it as fast as I can.”

The Golden Knights were coming off a loss at Smyrna High in their Henlopen North opener last week. That defeat snapped a 14-game winning streak for the 2018 Division I champions.

Sussex Central coach John Wells said he was pleased with how the Golden Knights bounced back from last week’s result, calling Friday night’s contest a “catch game.”

“We played a real emotional game last week and we had some injuries,” Wells said. “I thought if we sat there, ‘Woe is me,’ after a loss to Smyrna where we didn’t play well, they could catch us. We didn’t want this to be a trap game. I was worried about a letdown but they didn’t do that.”

Sheppard-Parker scored the first two touchdowns of the game before Caesar Rodney drew within 14-7 on Manny Kennedy’s two-yard rush with 2:36 left in the quarter.

The Riders then forced a punt and had good field position after a fortunate bounce, starting at Sussex Central’s 34-yard line. But a holding penalty sent Caesar Rodney backward and it eventually turned the ball over on downs.

Sussex Central responded with a nine-play, 65-yard drive which ended with another Sheppard-Parker touchdown, this time from seven yards out. Caesar Rodney would not come withing two scores again.

“We were focused on not losing again,” Sheppard-Parker said. “We didn’t want to let ourselves down. We came out here with a different mindset and we focused.”

Sheppard-Parker’s fourth touchdown was his longest rush of the night as he went 33 yards for the final Sussex Central score of the game with 51 seconds left in the third quarter. It gave the Golden Knights their largest lead at 34-7.

Kennedy added a four-yard rush for Caesar Rodney in the fourth quarter before Brock Conner scored a 91-yard rushing touchdown with 2:31 remaining for the Riders.