Seahawks claim third straight Henlopen Conference crown

A rematch of the 2024 Henlopen Conference Championship game once again played out in favor of Sussex Academy, this time resulting in a 2-0 victory for the Seahawks.

Following an eventful first half, Sussex Academy opened the scoring Nov. 1 with what became the game-winner just three minutes into the final 40 minutes.

“This is the third one, our second one at home, and not a lot of people in the conference can say they've hosted two in their four years at home,” said Sussex Academy coach R.J. Dina. “Experience took over, and you're just comfortable with the guys that you have on the field.” 

Cape had plenty of scoring chances, including at the end of the first frame and start of the second. Sussex Academy stood strong against the onslaught, though, and did not concede. Senior Ben Steimel had to boot one ball just before it crossed the goal line.

“At the end of the day, it's just being determined to go for that second ball, to fight for every chance,” Steimel said. “That one on the goal line, I know I cleared it, but I know every single one of us would have cleared in that position, because that's just the kind of heart we have and that's what takes us far at the end of the day.”

“We always just weather the storm and we stay compact,” Dina said. “Offensively, we worked pretty hard to at least figure out where we're at in terms of either weak side or overstruggling in an area, and we're a team that when you see them start to press forward numbers with higher up, we know what kind of ball releases us and wins the game. You get a ball like that to George [Sapna] and it's almost never in doubt.”

Sapna, a senior captain, ran onto a beautifully weighted through ball following a Cape corner and streaked toward the frame, scoring the first goal of the game in the 43rd minute.

“Credit that to coach R.J.,” said senior Chase Ballinger. “In the locker room, when we go in there, it’s straight business, and he tells us exactly what we need to fix, and we get it done.”

Nine minutes later, captain Liam Stegall cranked one in from distance, a result of his menacing play in the midfield, for the 2-0 insurance goal.

The Vikings continued to press the Seahawks, but a defense led by Ben Steimel and senior goalkeeper Austin Taylor held tight for the clean sheet.

“I have an incredible leader in Ben Steimel, who is a kid that's been playing in the back line every game for four years,” Dina said. “You've got a special kid in goal in Austin Taylor too.”

The shutout was the eighth of the season for Sussex Academy. 

As the final whistle blew, it was clear that winning the Henlopen was not wearing on the Seahawks and defeating their rival, where many of their friends go, was a big deal for Sussex Academy.

“We have a lot of stuff going on outside the soccer field,” Steimel said. “A couple teammates have been going through it. I lost my grandpa a couple days ago. I had to go out, fly out to Indiana and fly back this morning. I wore a shirt that says, ‘For my Grandpa,’ and I got the first assist, so that really meant a lot. At the end of the day, it's just finding what you play for, and that's what we say a lot. We’ve got a wrist tape, and we write people's names on it. And that's who we fight for ... that's who we die on the pitch for.”

No. 1 Sussex Academy will take on the winner of Lake Forest/Newark Charter at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 8, in the quarterfinals of the DIAA Division II boys’ soccer state tournament.

Cape earned the No. 3 seed in the Division I tournament. The Vikings will host No. 6 Sussex Central at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 6, in a rematch of a tight contest won by Cape 4-3 in the final regular-season game Oct. 27.