By Andy Walter

LAUREL — Joey Jones said he thought all along that this Laurel High football team had a lot of potential.

And that was before the Bulldogs were placed in Class 1A as part of the state’s football realignment.

Once that happened, Jones said Laurel’s goal from the beginning was to win a state title.

“This is what we’ve started out to do,” said the Bulldogs’ coach. “We knew, before they split the division, that we’d be able to play at a high level. But then, when they did put us in 1A, we kind of set our expectations on playing this weekend.

“It’s been a lot of fun to be able to see these kids set a goal and be able to meet it.”

The top-seeded Bulldogs (10-2) will face No. 2 St. Elizabeth (11-1) for the inaugural DIAA Class 1A football state crown on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Delaware Stadium in the last of the three-class state title games.

Laurel is trying to capture the program’s fourth state championship but first since 1991.

Both the Bulldogs and Vikings looked like they were headed for this game almost from the start of the season. Their three combined losses have all been against Class 2A programs.

Laurel outscored its opponents by an average of 39.1 to 9.5 during the regular season. St. Elizabeth’s average margin was 40.6 to 10.9.

Neither squad has allowed a point yet in their four combined state tourney wins.

A total of 14 players from Laurel and St. Elizabeth made first-team All-Class 1A. That group included Bulldogs’ senior linebacker Kyler Weaver, the class Defensive Player of the Year, and Vikings’ junior running back, Quasim Benson, the class Offensive Player of the Year.

Jones said St. Elizabeth is well-coached and has a number of talented athletes. But most teams have discovered that slowing down Benson is the key to slowing down the Vikings.

“We’ve faced some really good backs,” said Jones. “We’ve seen some next-level guys. Benson certainly fits into that same category.

“He’s going to be tough and he’s going to be a challenge. But as long as we can play team defense and aggressive defense — like we’ve done all year — then I think we are up to that challenge.”

Of course, the Bulldogs’ defense is pretty tough. Laurel has allowed eight points or less in eight of its 12 games this fall.

Jones said his players have done a good job of staying focused on what’s right in front of them — something that is especially important before a big game like this.

As with any team in this situation, there’s no shortage of people telling the Bulldogs how great they are right now.

“The kids are so locked in on what we want and what we’re trying to do,” said Jones. “Any time you get to this type of game, there’s noise and there’s people talking. Our guys have been locked on this goal and they’ve kind of kept everything in-house for three years now.

“We’ve known that we’re a family inside our own little building and they’ve really bought into it.”

On the other hand, Jones knows it’s all but impossible not to talk about what’s at stake in a championship game.

“You want to talk about the importance of the game and (the chance to) do something that you’ve never done,” he said. “It’s the chance to do something that hasn’t been done here in a long time. You certainly talk about that and bring it up.

“But, within that, you treat practice in a similar manner and you go get it during the week like you have all year. The kids will kind of level out their emotions with that process.”

Extra points

St. Elizabeth coach Mike Lemon is a former Wesley College quarterback. He was named the Coach of the Year in Class 1A. ... The Bulldogs have been held scoreless in each of their last three appearances in the state finals. ... Jones is the fifth head coach to take Laurel to a state title game, joining Glenn Phillips Jr., Ed Manlove, Keith O’Neal and Mike Norton. ... Fans are reminded that they will have to adhere to the University of Delaware’s COVID protocols to attend any of Saturday’s state championship games. That includes showing proof of vaccination or a negative PCR COVID test within 72 hours of the game. Full details are available on the DIAA website. ... The games will be shown online, for a fee, on the NFHS Network and are being carried on WDEL radio (1150-AM, 101.7-FM).