Cape football defeats Hawks in crazy good game

In a wild and dramatic Senior Night showdown, the Cape football team battled back from a 21-14 deficit to defeat St. Georges 28-23, clinching a hard-fought win in the final minutes.

The Vikings struck first on their opening possession, taking a 6-0 lead after a missed PAT. The Hawks responded quickly, scoring a touchdown and converting the PAT to take a 7-6 lead by the end of the first quarter. 

Cape found itself trailing 14-6 at halftime and 21-14 at the end of the third quarter. But the Vikings' resilience showed in the fourth, capitalizing on a fumble to take a 28-21 lead. With time running out, Cape quarterback Jameson Tingle tried to run out the clock and stepped out of the end zone for a safety, giving St. Georges two points. After the intentional safety, the Vikings’ defense held strong in the final seconds to secure the win and improve to 6-4 on the season. They’ll now face Salesianum in the opening round of the Class 3A state tournament Friday, Nov. 14. Kickoff at Abessinio Stadium in Wilmington is set for 8 p.m.

Senior Ty Handy rushed 10 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.

“As a team, we’re playing for each other and capitalizing on our opportunities,” Handy said. “We really came together tonight. Shout out to my offensive line for the great blocking, and to the fans. We finish 5-0 at home, they deserve credit for that.”

Senior Dell Richards had a standout performance, catching seven passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. He also led the defense with 10 tackles.

“It’s my last game on this field, and I just wanted to leave a legacy for the younger guys,” Richards said. “I gave it my all tonight, and I know my dad would be so proud. Rest in peace to him.”

Tingle rushed 10 times for 78 yards, and completed 14 of 20 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns.

“We have a list of scenarios on the coaches' play sheet,” Tingle said. “With the time we had left, things got a little unorthodox, but it got the job done. This was a big win for us, and now we’ve got to keep it going against Sallies.”

Defensively, Robbie Payton and Andrew Messick each recorded 10 tackles.

“I want to keep the team safe and keep everyone’s spirits up,” Payton said. “Jameson really stepped up tonight. It was a tough game. You’ve got to love football.”

“We didn’t execute as well as we wanted to offensively, and we didn’t get off the field on third and fourth downs like we’d hoped on defense,” said assistant coach Jason Pease. “But our guys stuck together and found a way to win. Dell Richards was dominant on both sides of the ball, and Ty Handy showed why he was an all-state player last year, playing through an injury.”