By Andy Walter

SMYRNA — Smyrna High has won plenty of football games over the last five seasons.

It just happened that none of them were against rival Middletown.

But on Friday night the top-seeded Eagles took out six games worth of frustration by upending the No. 4 Cavaliers by a pretty remarkable score of 48-0 in the DIAA Class 3A state semifinals.

Played in front of a large and raucous crowd, the lopsided victory was Smyrna’s first over Middletown since a 30-27 win in the 2017 Division I state title game. It snapped a six-game, on-field losing streak to the Cavs.

The reward for the Eagles (11-1) for avenging their only loss of the season is they get to play in the program’s fifth state finals on Dec. 10 at Delaware Stadium.

Smyrna will face the winner of Saturday’s semifinal between Dover and St. Georges.

Since the Eagles hadn’t beaten Middletown (7-5) since ‘17, that also meant this was the first time any of the current Smyrna players had tasted victory in the rivalry. Eagles’ coach Mike Judy admits that a losing streak like that weighed on the program.

“If anybody said that it doesn’t, they’re lying,” he said. “But that’s kind of the cool thing about high school sports. Every group that comes through has a chance to prove who they are.

“A nice signature win for them is unbelievable. Now we have unfinished business we have to attend to.”

“We were rallying around our defense,” said senior running back Yamir Knight. “Offense was with the defense, the defense was with the offense. Everybody was together. We played as a true team today.”

In a game in which its starting quarterback didn’t complete a pass, Smyrna’s two standout running backs led the way.

Knight ran for three touchdowns and 126 yard on just 10 carries, capping off his performance with an 82-yard scoring sprint with 9:31 remaining. And he also threw a TD pass, scored a pair of two-point conversions and threw for another.

Markell Holman carried a lot of the offensive load, too, finishing with 201 yards and a TD on 23 carries while adding a two-point conversion.

The Eagles, who led 24-0 at halftime, finished with eye-catching advantages of 381-49 in total yards and 20-7 in first downs.

Smyrna seemed to pull out every formation it has its big playbook. Sophomore receiver Joshua Gueh also threw a scoring pass as seven different Eagles were involved in scoring plays.

Nolan Fretz and Cole Moyer both caught touchdown passes.

“We were obviously a different team than when we first played them earlier,” said Judy, whose team lost to Middletown, 21-14, on Sept. 16. “We were able to kind of let it hang out. We knew we were going to do that if we faced them again.

“Obviously nobody knows what you’re going to do on the scoreboard. But we knew we were going to be a different team. I’m really proud of the guys. They did anything in their power to try to get another week together.”

The Eagles’ defense was just as impressive as its offense on Friday. Smyrna limited Middletown quarterback Austin Troyer to just 5-of-29 passing for 32 yards with two interceptions.

The Eagles’ were able to keep pressure on him much of the contest while keeping the Cavs’ receivers well-covered. It was the first time Middletown was shut out by a Delaware school since 2010.

“Our defense played fantastic,” said Judy. “We gave them a different look — something that they’re not used to. That’s a credit to the defensive staff.

“Our defensive line is tough. They were able, for the most part, to control the run. We were just able to pigeon-hole them with the scoreboard where they really had to go for the big plays.”

Senior linebacker Robert Durnall had the two interceptions for Smyrna, giving him four on the season.

“We just game-planned everything against them,” he said. “We just tried our best and it happened. We wanted that (win over Middletown). We’ve been saying that all week. It doesn’t feel real.”

Smyrna’s players now can try accomplishing something even bigger in the state title game. The Eagles haven’t won a state championship game since ‘17, losing a crushing 28-22 decision to Middletown in last year’s finals.

“We came up short last year,” said Knight. “Our senior class went through it all. Our freshman year, we lost in the semis. Sophomore year, we lost in the semis. Junior year we lost in the championship.

“It’s ready for us to bring it home.”

Extra points

Smyrna is now 3-2 against Middletown in the state tournament. ... The Eagles actually used a traditional punt formation with senior Joshua Michael punting twice. ... Knight’s TD pass was the second of his career. ... Smyrna’s victory was the fourth time in five Class 2A tourney games that the winning team avenged a regular-season loss. ... While the post-game handshake line was uneventful, a few different shouting matches broke out on the field later with adults and players from both sides having to be restrained. Police were also on the field to keep the two teams separated.

Sports editor Andy Walter can be reached at 302-741-8227 or walter@iniusa.org. Follow on Twitter at @DSNSports.