Dorsey, Knights have a Bicentennial crown to celebrate
NEWTOWN SQUARE >> There are a number of translations of the Bible verse that explains how there is a time and a season for everything.
At Delaware County Christian School, the time and season for the football program’s first Bicentennial League championship arrived Saturday night, when the Knights rolled past New Hope-Solebury, 41-17, at Marple Newtown High School to finish as the undefeated Bicentennial winners while putting an end to the Lions’ nine-game winning streak.
Delco Christian head coach Drew Pearson likes to break his team’s season in three parts — the three nonleague games, the seven league contests and the PIAA playoffs.
“All along we’ve said that our goal was to win the Bicentennial title,” Pearson said, after talking to his players and joining them in posing for pictures.
“And our next goal would be to win the district championship.”
DC will find out its first postseason opponent when the Class A bracket is announced Sunday. The Knights will be the top seed, earning a home playoff opener.
“We’ve worked at getting better every week,” Pearson said. “We beat a very good football team tonight.”
Delco Christian (9-1, 7-0) put 14 points on the scoreboard before New Hope-Solebury (9-1, 6-1) had its first snap from center. Amir Dorsey (18 carries, 177 yards, three touchdowns) raced 81 yards on his second carry, then Dorsey claimed the ball on the Knights’ short kickoff, setting up a 39-yard scoring dash by quarterback Devin Hill.
“My line was really blocking tonight,” Hill said. “Giho Park came around and really made a great block to help me get that touchdown.”
The visiting Lions answered by returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown and getting a short scoring run by Brendan Schadle, who set up the TD with a 45-yard run to the Delco Christian 5.
Early in second quarter, Nazim Trammell-Wells (149 yards on 12 carries) put the home team back ahead with a 33-yard run. Two minutes later it was Dorsey grabbing a pass from Hill and completing a 23-yard scoring play.
“The coaches called the plays and got me the ball,” Dorsey said. “They were a tough team, but the line blocked well and we were ready for them. We were focused from the start.”
That focus remained in the second half, when Trammell-Wells broke off a 65-yard touchdown run and Dorsey put the finishing touches on a drive that took five minutes off the clock with a 5-yard TD burst.
“Things have seemed to go by so fast,” Park, one of the Delco Christian captains, said of his four seasons of football. “Everyone has put in a lot of hard work. We had a good week of practice, and everyone was prepared for this game.”
Kyle Winters, a two-way lineman and another captain, took some time to answer a post-game question.
“It’s hard to describe,” he said. “We knew if we worked hard and played well we could do this.”
Linebacker Jack Grim also is a team captain.
“It’s been incredible,” he said. “Our coaches have told us that if we hit the weight room and just kept working that as seniors we’d be (Bicentennial) champions. And we did it.”
Pearson told his players to enjoy their success throughout the weekend, then report for practice Monday to begin the new season that is known as the playoffs.
“All of the coaching staff is proud of what they’ve done,” the coach said.