Cape unified flag football headed to state championship

The Cape unified flag football team will play for the DIAA state championship after the No. 5 Vikings upset No. 1 Indian River 52-44 Nov. 19.

“This has got to be the biggest win in Cape unified flag football history,” said junior Austin Hastings. “IR just joined last year, and this is our first time ever beating them, and they're supposed to be the No. 1 team.”

The semifinal trip had become the high-water mark for the program, as the team just couldn’t quite get over the penultimate hurdle. But Cape dug deep as slanted rain pummeled the field in Dagsboro. 

“This is really unexpected, and I'm so glad we beat this team,” said junior Jaxon Benton. “They were a new team [last year], and they’ve been really good ever since.”

Upending IR was also a program first, as the sophomore team had yet to lose to Cape in three meetings, which includes a 68-38 loss for the Vikings Oct. 15. 

Benton opened the scoring with a long touchdown run. Senior Mason Trench converted the two-point try to give Cape an 8-0 lead.

After IR knotted the game at 8-8, sophomore Pierce Conway scored, but the Vikings were stopped on the points-after try.

IR built a 24-14 lead before Conway struck again, toe-tapping in the back of the end zone to pull Cape within four points, 24-20. However, the hosts tacked on eight more points before halftime, putting the Vikings in a 32-20 hole with 20 minutes of game left to play. 

Coach Drew Messick wanted his team to focus on what was most important, while trusting one another to mount a comeback.

“The biggest thing is to have a good time, and we did,” Messick said. “I said to the guys that were going out, ‘We need a score, and we need a stop, and we'll be right back in this,’ and we were.”

Senior Grant Conway found Trench for a score to start the second half, and Benton scored his second touchdown of the contest before reeling in the two-point try, giving Cape a 36-32 advantage. 

IR took the lead on the next drive when a pass interference call in the end zone resulted in a touchdown, as per the rules, for the defending champions. Conway tallied his first score of the game, and Benton added two points, putting Cape out in front again 44-38.

Benton kept the pressure up as the pass rusher, making it hard for the offense to find receivers. 

“I tried my hardest in this game,” Benton said. “I tried everything to rush and make offensive plays.”

Senior Zane Richardson also came through in a big way on IR’s following possession, picking off a pass just before it reached the end zone to give the Vikings the ball back.

“It was very awesome,” Richardson said. “Sometimes you need to remember back to practice where they might be throwing, making sure you are in the right spot.”

“Zane had a great interception that was ideal because we could now control the ball again,” Messick said. “Take some time off the clock, and then we went down and scored on that one.”

The always-reliable Hastings proved how clutch he can be after catching a short pass and taking the distance. Trench picked up the two-point try to give Cape a 52-38 advantage.

“Austin's been great,” Messick said. “Every time we needed something for the team, Austin’s showed up.”

IR managed to score again, but the Vikings denied the two-point attempt and ran the clock out on their final possession to seal the 52-44 upset victory.

No. 5 Cape will head up to Delaware State University to take on No. 2 Caesar Rodney in the state championship at 4 p.m., Friday, Nov. 28.

“It's gonna be awesome!” Richardson said.