By Tim Mastro

GEORGETOWN — Andrew Long was like many other Sussex Central High football players on Friday night.

It was his first start on the varsity squad. And while he said he was a little nervous, he was excited for the opportunity.
Long got involved quickly, scoring a 23-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the game.

“I was like, ‘OK, yeah I’m here now, I’m here all day,’” Long said. “I knew I was ready then.”

Long accounted for all three of Sussex Central’s touchdowns, leading the defending state champions to a 20-0 victory over William Penn. The junior running back finished with 146 yards on the ground.

Coach John Wells said there was a lot of unknown for the Golden Knights headed into the matchup because of how many starters they needed to replace.

The backfield was one of those question marks. Only one player among Friday night’s running back core, fullback Kristopher Shields, received some real playing time last year and that was only for one half of a game against Smyrna in 2020.

“We had a half of film on all of them, that’s it,” Wells said. “You see things in practice and in scrimmages but we didn’t really know what they would do today. I’m proud of them. We just didn’t know but it’s really good to get the first win. We still have a ways to go, but I’m proud of how hard the kids worked to get to this point.”

The Golden Knight defense was led by defensive lineman Kevon Moore-Briddell, who recorded a pair of sacks. Jordon Smith and John Abbott helped preserve the shutout with an interception apiece.

Long’s first touchdown was on a 23-yard rush as Sussex Central needed just five plays to score. He added another score near the end of the first quarter on a 10-yard rush to extend Sussex Central’s lead to 14-0 with 1:55 remaining in the quarter.

Long capped off the scoring with an 18-yard rush for a 20-0 lead after a blocked extra point with 5:56 left in the second quarter. Both teams remained scoreless in the second half.