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St. Georges beats DMA 27-14 to move to semifinals

Friends Tattersall 76 with 300 wins The Hawks Jay Lewes Maull is 38
November 25, 2016

Full disclosure: Too many connections to mention.

A smart brawler ball inside game between two successful programs was played close to the vest and in your face over four quarters Nov. 19 at St. Georges under summer conditions. Big plays formed the final storyline.

Junior quarterback Robert Shorts threw three touchdown passes to three different receivers and intercepted a pass to seal the deal in a 27-14 Hawks victory over Delaware Military Academy. St. Georges moves on to host Wilmington Friends in the semifinals at 11 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 26. The Quakers beat Milford 8-7 on the road Nov. 19 under horrendous conditions with hail and 35 mph winds.

“Shorts didn’t want to play quarterback last year,” said coach J.D. Maull after the game. “He was serious about not playing the position, but he just has what it takes. He is smart and a leader; he can make the throws and he can run it.”

Shorts had second-quarter touchdown passes to Douglas Phillips for 77 yards and Damani Wells for 27 yards.

DMA had two running touchdowns from 244-pound fullback Todd Turner, as the game was tied at 14 midway through the fourth quarter.

The Hawks scored on a short sweep to the left, but receiver Jason Stewart was called for holding and the touchdown was negated.

“That’s OK; we’re going to score anyway,” coach Maull told his team.

And on 3rd and 9, it was play action front side and backside post to Stewart, who was wide open for the touchdown.

“I knew he would be open and Robert would find him,” Maull said. “We practice that stuff; we’re not making it up in the playoffs.”

A final St. Georges touchdown came on an inside counter back to the weak side – the porch light was out; there was no one home.

“I never thought I’d be standing here after a playoff game with three touchdown passes and an interception,” Shorts said. “Our game is running the football and everyone just doing their job, but when coach calls a pass, we can do that too.”

Coach Jay Lewes Maull - still called J.D. by close friends - is 71-33 over nine years as head coach, including three conference championships and two state runners-up. His Hawks have been in the playoffs six of the last nine years.

DMA, under coach Michael Ryan, posted a combined regular-season record of 17-3 over the last two seasons, being eliminated from the 2015 state tournament by Woodbridge 12-7 and 2016 by St. Georges 27-14.

The Quakers of Wilmington Friends are coached by 76-year-old Bob Tattersall, who just passed 300 wins in his 49th season. Tattersall’s composite record is 300-150-7, as cited by Brad Myers of the News Journal.

Coach Maull, 38, is exactly half the age of Tattersall. 

Woodbridge will host Caravel at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 25. The winners move to the state championship game.

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