On Friday, November 11th, Wave Varsity Football ended their 2016 season with a loss to Saint Peter’s Prep, 34 – 13 in the first round of the Group 4 Non-Public playoffs. The Green Wave fell behind early but turned it up in the second half with two defensive touchdowns, both by Anthony Siragusa.

This year the Delbarton Football program took a major leap moving into one of the most competitive conferences in the country. Most teams in this newly formed conference have been competing at this level for multiple years, which put newcomer Delbarton at a distinct disadvantage. The Varsity Football squad countered the new conference schedule in part with its twenty plus returning seniors, and the experience of the coaching staff. In addition to a challenging schedule, Delbarton was plagued with injuries on both offense and defense. Two of the players selected to be captains, Andrew Papantonis and Luca Tria, were injured early in the season, yet the team defied most expectations and finished the season with four wins and six losses. The team relied on the “Next Man Up” principle as multiple first-year starters were asked to step up and play major roles. Davis Bell, the third string quarterback going into the season, became the starting quarterback after Papatonis and Miles Linew were injured. Bell was thrown into a tough position and rose to the occasion. One of the highlights of the Varsity Football season was the last minute victory versus Seton Hall Prep, as Cole Kreshpane capped off the game with a touchdown to clinch a huge conference win for the Green Wave.
The future looks promising as the pipeline of underclassmen shows potential.  The JV team went 5 – 1, and was undefeated within the conference and winning the conference title. The freshman team went 4 – 5 but the middle school team went undefeated for the second year in a row!
In all, the Delbarton Football team proved doubters wrong by adapting to their new “super conference,” but the program is still not satisfied with this season’s outcome. The Green Wave hopes to come out on top next season and continue to improve and work hard during the off season.
Congratulations to the football program on a hard fought season and we are looking forward to next season.  The school’s motto seems to be particularly appropriate:  “Once cut down, one will grow back stronger”.