By Andy Walter

DOVER — In some ways, Wesley College’s rivalry with Salisbury tells its modern football story.

In the late 1980s, when the Wolverines were struggling to find their way in NCAA Division III, the Sea Gulls crushed Wesley by a combined, three-game total of 211-19.

But by the time the Wolverines had grown into a national contender in the 2000s, Wesley reeled off 13 wins in 14 meetings with Salisbury. That included a 63-19 rout of the Gulls in 2005.

Unfortunately for the Wolverines, today’s final meeting with Salisbury may very well illustrate the last chapter of their football story, too.

Wesley hosts the Gulls at noon in its final football game on Drass Field. With only Wolverine player family members allowed to attend due to the pandemic, just a small crowd will be on hand.

With its roster depleted for various reasons, it’s difficult to imagine Wesley being able to truly compete with Salisbury.

But, after sticking together through a pandemic and the news that the school is closing its athletic programs after this spring, coach Chip Knapp said this group of players deserves to end its Wesley career on the field.

“We’re going to go out there and give our guys an opportunity to play,” said Knapp, whose team leads Salisbury, 21-9, in the all-time series. “We’ve prepared as hard as we could. We’re going to play hard and whatever happens, happens. But we’re going to give great effort and walk off the field with our heads held high.”

Brady Walters, a 6-foot, 180-pound sophomore from Hollidaysburg, Pa., is slated to get his first career start at quarterback.

Wesley is also planning to honor a small group of seniors who have decided they’re done playing after this spring. The Wolverines are still planning to play NJAC road games at Montclair State and at Christopher Newport on the next two Saturdays.

Wesley looks like they’ll finish up as underdogs — just like they were when Knapp and Mike Drass first arrived in Dover in the late 1980s.

“It’s one more chance to represent Wesley football and our winning tradition,” said Knapp. “And the players get a chance to show what they can do when they move on.

“We can appeal to their competitive spirit. We’ve appealed to their sense of the Wesley tradition — the things that we’ve done on the football field over the years. We’ve had a couple alumni come back and they’ve labeled our field as ‘hallowed ground.’

“I think some guys got the sense that they’re playing for something more than just themselves or just for this individual team. They feel that.”

Round Two

Both the Delaware and Delaware State football teams are looking to improve to 2-0 today.

The Blue Hens host Stony Brook (0-1) at noon with the Hornets traveling to South Carolina State (0-1) for a 1:30 p.m. contest.

Delaware is only 2-2 in its short all-time series with the Seawolves. In the two losses, the Blue Hens have been limited to just a field goal in each contest.

After attempting four field goals — and making three — in last week’s 37-0 win over Maine, Delaware knows it needs to do better scoring touchdowns in the red zone.

DelState has had a difficult time with the Bulldogs, losing eight of its last 10 meetings with South Carolina State.

Coach Rod Milstead hasn’t publicly announced who will start at quarterback today.

Two weeks ago, junior Jared Lewis entered the game with Howard in the second quarter after starter Tylik Bethea injured his knee. The two QBs combined to complete only 8-of-16 passes for 55 yards in the 17-3 comeback win over the Bison while Lewis ran for a net 62 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

Today is also a chance for the Hornets to snap their six-season, 33-game road losing streak. DSU’s last road win was a 13-10 overtime victory at Norfolk State on Oct. 11, 2014.

Staying or going?

The NCAA’s decision to not count this winter season as a year of eligibility leaves some local college basketball players with interesting decisions to make.

At Delaware, men’s coach Martin Ingelsby said that senior center Dylan Painter plans to come back for another season. That would be huge for the Hens considering the 6-foot-10 big man was a first-team All-CAA pick this season when he averaged 13.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.

Plus, Painter is really the only low-post player with his skills in the program right now.

Veteran guard Kevin Anderson has said publicly that he’s considering returning, too, while third-team All-CAA guard Ryan Allen is eligible to come back.

On the other hand, Delaware State’s Myles Carter has decided to use his extra season elsewhere. The 6-foot-1 senior guard has reportedly put his name in the NCAA transfer portal.

Carter was named second-team All-MEAC this winter after averaging 15 points and five rebounds for the Hornets.

Notes

Former Dover High standout Dom Valazquez, a freshman on the Delaware baseball team, was the winning pitcher in the Blue Hens’ 14-4 win over La Salle last Sunday. He allowed only five hits in six innings while striking out eight. ... Delaware State’s 3-0 win over five-time defending MEAC champion Howard in volleyball on Thursday night snapped a streak of 14 straight losses to the Bison. The Hornets hadn’t beaten Howard since 2012. ... UD quarterback Nolan Henderson is one completion shy of 100 for his career. ... DelState has eight international players on its 20-person volleyball roster. That includes six from Puerto Rico. ... The Hornets’ men’s basketball team was ranked 342 out of the 347 Division I programs that played this season in the RPI rankings. Delaware came in at No. 265.